Earthworms and plants can decrease soil greenhouse gases emissions by modulating soil moisture fluctuations and soil macroporosity in a mesocosm experiment

TL;DR: Earthworms and plants interact to decrease soil greenhouse gas emissions by modulating soil moisture and macroporosity in a mesocosm experiment, with endogeic earthworms reducing N2O emissions by 34.6-44.8% and plants reducing emissions by 19.8%.

Abstract: Abstract Earthworms can stimulate microbial activity and hence, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from soils. However, the extent of this effect in the presence of plants and soil moisture fluctuations, which are influenced by earthworm burrowing activity, remains uncertain. Here we report the effect of earthworms (without, anecic, endogeic, both) and plants (with, without) on GHG (CO 2 , N 2 O) emissions in a 3 month-greenhouse mesocosm experiment simulating a simplified agricultural context. The mesocosms allowed for water drainage at the bottom to account for the earthworm engineering effect on water flow during two drying-wetting cycles. N 2 O cumulative emissions were 34.6 and 44.8% lower when both earthworm species and only endogeic species were present, respectively, and 19.8% lower in presence of plants. The presence of the endogeic species alone or in combination with the anecic species slightly reduced CO 2 emissions by 5.9% and 11.4% respectively, and plants presence increased emissions by 6%. Earthworms, plants and soil water content interactively affected weekly N 2 O emissions, an effect controlled by increased soil dryness due to drainage via earthworm burrows and mesocosm evapotranspiration. Soil macroporosity (measured by X-ray tomography) was affected by earthworm species-specific burrowing activity. Both GHG emissions decreased with top soil macropore volume, presumably due to reduced moisture and microbial activity. N 2 O emissions decreased with macropore volume in the deepest layer, likely due to fewer anaerobic microsites. Our results indicate that, under experimental conditions allowing for plant and earthworm engineering effects on soil moisture, earthworms do not increase GHG emissions and that endogeic earthworms may even reduce N 2 O emissions.