Soil sentinels in a warming world: Assessing the indicator potential of earthworms under changing climate conditions

Abstract

Climate change is profoundly affecting the structure and functioning of terrestrial ecosystems. This situation is causing significant changes, particularly in soil biodiversity. Earthworms, which play a critical role in the functioning of soil ecosystems and are today defined as ecosystem engineers, are increasingly recognized and gaining importance as biomonitors of climate change due to their high sensitivity to environmental changes. Earthworms are classified into three functional groups: epigeic, endogeic, and anecic. Each functional group exhibits distinct responses to climatic stress factors. These differential responses provide valuable insights into the ecological roles and adaptive capacities of the species. This study examines the responses of earthworm species distributed in Turkey to climatic stress factors and evaluates their reactions to temperature increase, altered precipitation regimes, and changes in soil properties. The findings reveal that certain species can be utilized as biological indicators of climate change and provide a list of potential biomonitor species for Turkey. The results demonstrate that climate change exerts significant effects on the distribution, abundance, and functional diversity of earthworm communities. In this context, understanding the responses of earthworm communities to climatic stress factors is of great importance for monitoring soil health, ensuring the sustainability of ecosystem services, and developing land management strategies under global climate scenarios.

Keywords

• Earthworms
• climate change
• bioindicators
• ecological response
• ecosystem monitoring

Isınan bir dünyada toprak gözcüleri: Değişen iklim koşullarında toprak solucanlarının biyoindikatör potansiyelinin değerlendirilmesi

Abstract

İklim değişikliği, karasal ekosistemlerin yapısını ve işleyişini derinden etkilemektedir. Bu durum özellikle toprak biyoçeşitliliğinde önemli değişimlere yol açmaktadır. Toprak ekosistemlerinin işleyişinde kritik bir rol oynayan ve günümüzde “ekosistem mühendisleri” olarak tanımlanan toprak solucanları, çevresel değişimlere karşı yüksek duyarlılıkları nedeniyle iklim değişikliğinin biyogöstergeleri olarak giderek daha fazla tanınmakta ve önem kazanmaktadır. Toprak solucanları üç işlevsel gruba ayrılır: epijeik, endojeik ve anesik. Her bir işlevsel grup, iklimsel stres faktörlerine karşı farklı tepkiler sergiler. Bu farklı tepkiler, türlerin ekolojik rollerine ve uyum yeteneklerine dair değerli bilgiler sunar. Bu çalışma, Türkiye’de yayılış gösteren toprak solucanı türlerinin iklimsel stres faktörlerine verdikleri tepkileri incelemekte; sıcaklık artışı, değişen yağış rejimleri ve toprak özelliklerindeki değişimlere karşı verdikleri reaksiyonları değerlendirmektedir. Bulgular, bazı türlerin iklim değişikliğinin biyolojik göstergeleri olarak kullanılabileceğini ortaya koymakta ve Türkiye için potansiyel biyomonitor türlerin bir listesini sunmaktadır. Sonuçlar, iklim değişikliğinin toprak solucanı topluluklarının dağılımı, bolluğu ve işlevsel çeşitliliği üzerinde önemli etkiler yarattığını göstermektedir. Bu bağlamda, toprak solucanı topluluklarının iklimsel stres faktörlerine verdikleri tepkileri anlamak; toprak sağlığının izlenmesi, ekosistem hizmetlerinin sürdürülebilirliğinin sağlanması ve küresel iklim senaryoları altında arazi yönetimi stratejilerinin geliştirilmesi açısından büyük önem taşımaktadır.

Keywords

• Toprak solucanları
• iklim değişikliği
• biyoindikatörler
• ekolojik tepki
• ekosistem izleme

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