Recomendações para avaliação de populações de minhocas em ecossistemas brasileiros

Nadolny, Herlon; Santos, Alessandra; Demetrio, Wilian; Ferreira, Talita; Maia, Liliane dos Santos; Conrado, Ana Caroline; Bartz, Marie; Garrastazu, Marilice; Silva, Elodie da; Lavelle, Patrick; Baretta, Dilmar; Pasini, Amarildo; Vezzani, Fabiane; Sousa, José Paulo; Cunha, Luis; Mathieu, Jerome; Römbke, Jörg; Brown, George

doi:10.1590/S1678-3921.pab2020.v55.01006

As minhocas são frequentemente relacionadas a solos férteis e, também, bastante usadas como indicadores da qualidade ambiental. No entanto, para otimizar seu uso como bioindicadores, as populações de minhocas devem ser avaliadas juntamente com as variáveis ambientais e antropogênicas que regulam as suas comunidades. Esta revisão buscou identificar os atributos relacionados à amostragem de minhocas, físicos e químicos dos solos, e ambientais e antropogênicos avaliados em 124 estudos publicados que quantificaram a abundância de minhocas (>7.300 amostras) em 765 locais com diferentes tipos de clima, solos, uso da terra e sistemas de manejo no Brasil. Os atributos químicos e físicos do solo (exceto pH) foram menos relatados (≤50% dos estudos) do que outras variáveis ambientais, como data de coleta, altitude, temperatura, precipitação, tipo de solo e de clima, e uso do solo (>50% dos estudos). As minhocas foram raramente identificadas (24%) e poucos estudos (31%) mediram sua biomassa, embora a maioria tenha fornecido informações adequadas sobre o protocolo de amostragem. Com base na sua importância para a regulação das populações de minhocas, propõe-se um conjunto de variáveis que devem ser avaliadas no estudo de comunidades de minhocas e outros grupos da macrofauna do solo. Isso deve ajudar a guiar futuros estudos sobre minhocas no Brasil e em outros países, otimizar a coleta e a replicabilidade de dados, permitir comparações entre diferentes estudos e promover o uso de minhocas como bioindicadores da qualidade do solo.

Termos para indexação:
bioindicadores; macrofauna; Oligochaeta; qualidade do solo

[TFN1] ⁽¹⁾IPS, integrated production system, which includes different species. ⁽²⁾Number of sampling sites. ⁽³⁾a, abundance; b, biomass; and s, soil attributes, even if partial, chemical, and/or physical. ⁽⁴⁾The number between parentheses represents the total number of studies that were carried out in each biome. ⁽⁵⁾The number between parentheses represents the total number of studies that were carried out in each municipality in different Brazilian states. ⁽⁶⁾The numbers between parentheses represent the total number of studies/number of cases in the database. ⁽⁷⁾The sum of all studies in each category is greater than 124, because data from some studies were published in more than one format (e.g., thesis, paper, and other). Brazilian states: RS, Rio Grande do Sul; SC, Santa Catarina; PR, Paraná; SP, São Paulo; RJ, Rio de Janeiro; ES, Espírito Santo; MG, Minas Gerais; MS, Mato Grosso do Sul; BA, Bahia; PB, Paraíba; DF, Distrito Federal; GO, Goiânia; PI, Piauí; MT, Mato Grosso; MA, Maranhão; PA, Pará; AM, Amazonas; RR, Roraima; AP, Amapá; RO, Rondônia; AC, Acre; and CE, Ceará.

Study	Biome	Municipality - State	Land use system⁽¹⁾	Number⁽²⁾	Data⁽³⁾	References
1	Pampa	Pelotas, Morro Redondo - RS	Crop	4	a, b, s	Schiavon (2012)
2	Pampa	Pelotas - RS	Native vegetation, forestry plantation, crop	5	a	Schiavon et al. (2009)
3	Pampa	Pelotas, São Lourenço do Sul - RS	IPS	4	a	Hipólito et al. (2015)
4	Pampa	Santa Maria - RS	Crop	5	a	Giracca et al. (2005)
5	Pampa	Santa Maria - RS	Crop	5	a	Campos et al. (1997)
6	Atlantic Forest	Teutônia - RS	Crop, native vegetation	4	a, s	Krabbe et al. (1993)
7	Atlantic For-est	Campos Novos - SC	Crop	6	a, s	Alves (2007)
8	Atlantic For-est	Canoinhas - SC	Crop	4	a, b, s	Freitas (2007)
9	Atlantic For-est	Chapecó - SC	Crop, pasture, native vegetation	7	a, s	Baretta et al. (2003)
10	Atlantic Forest	Florianópolis - SC	Native vegetation, forestry plantation	5	a	Gois et al. (2007)
11	Atlantic Forest	Lages - SC	Native vegetation, forestry plantation	3	a, s	Pompeo et al. (2016)
12	Atlantic For-est	Orleans - SC	Native vegetation, pasture, crop	4	a, s	Alberton et al. (2010); Oliveira Filho (2009)
13	Atlantic For-est	Antonina - PR	Native vegetation, pasture, crop, IPS	6	a, b	Maschio et al. (2010)
14	Atlantic For-est	Antonina, Guaraqueçaba, Paranaguá - PR	Pasture, native vegetation, crop, IPS	51	a, b, s	Römbke et al. (2009)
15	Atlantic For-est	Arapongas, Londrina, Rolândia - PR	Native vegetation, pasture, crop	5	a, b, s	Bartz et al. (2014)
16	Atlantic Forest	Barra do Turvo - SP, Adrianópolis - PR	IPS, native vegetation	6	a, b, s	Brown et al. (2009)
17	Atlantic Forest	Bela Vista do Paraíso - PR	Crop, native vegetation, pasture	12	a, b	Benito (2002); Brown et al. (2003)
18	Atlantic Forest	Bituruna - PR	Crop, native vegetation	3	a	Bianchi et al. (2007)
19	Atlantic Forest	Cafeara, Campo Mourão, Cornélio Procópio, Jataizinho, Londrina, Sertanópolis, São Jerônimo da Serra - PR	Crop, pasture, native vegetation	29	a, b	Brown et al. (2003, 2004, 2008)
20	Atlantic Forest	Londrina - PR	Crop	6	a, b	Brown et al. (2001, 2004)
21	Atlantic Forest	Rolândia - PR	Crop, IPS, pasture, native vegetation	4	a, s	(Benito et al. (2008); Brown et al. (2003)
22	Atlantic Forest	Campina Grande do Sul - PR	Native vegetation	8	a, b, s	Cardoso et al. (2014)
23	Atlantic Forest	Castro - PR	Crop, native vegetation	4	a, b, s	Tanck (1996); Tanck et al. (2000)
24	Atlantic Forest	Cianorte - PR	IPS, pasture	2	a, b	Jardeveski (2005)
25	Atlantic Forest	Clevelândia - PR	Crop	2	a, s	Trogello et al. (2008)
26	Atlantic Forest	Colombo - PR	Forestry plantation, native vegetation	15	a, b, s	Lima (2011); Santos et al. (2016); Silva (2010)
Study	Biome	Municipality - State	Land use system⁽¹⁾	Number⁽²⁾	Data⁽³⁾	Reference
27	Atlantic Forest	Colombo - PR	Forestry plantation	5	a, b, s	Maschio (2012; Maschio et al. (2014)
28	Atlantic Forest	Colorado - PR	Crop, native vegetation	5	a, s	Pasqualin (2009); Pasqualin et al. (2012)
29	Atlantic Forest	General Carneiro - PR	Crop, native vegetation	6	a, b	Mafra et al. (2002)
30	Atlantic Forest	Jaguapitã - PR	Crop, pasture, native vegetation	11	a, b, s	Nunes (2006); Nunes et al. (2007)
31	Atlantic Forest	Jardim Olinda - PR	IPS	4	a, s	Franchini et al. (2009)
32	Atlantic Forest	Londrina - PR	Crop, native vegetation, pasture	6	a, b, s	Fernandes (2009)
33	Atlantic Forest	Londrina - PR	Crop, native vegetation	6	a, b, s	Bartz et al. (2009a)
34	Atlantic Forest	Londrina - PR	Crop, native vegetation, pasture	4	a, b	Azevedo et al. (2010); Brown et al. (2008)
35	Atlantic Forest	Londrina, Rolândia - PR	Crop	7	a, s	Derpsch et al. (1986); Kemper & Derpsch (1980/1981, 1981)
36	Atlantic Forest	Miraselva - PR	Pasture, native vegetation	4	a	Benito (2005)
37	Atlantic Forest	Paranaguá - PR	Native vegetation, IPS	2	a, s	Santos et al. (2015)
38	Atlantic Forest	Pinhais - PR	Pasture	3	a, s	Klenk (2010)
39	Atlantic Forest	Ponta Grossa - PR	Native vegetation	2	a, b, s	Ferreira (2015)
40	Atlantic Forest	Ponta Grossa - PR	IPS, forestry plantation, crop, pasture	5	a, b, s	Zagatto (2014)
41	Atlantic Forest	Ponta Grossa - PR	Crop	4	a	Voss (1986)
42	Atlantic Forest	Nova Aurora, Cafelândia, Arapongas, Cascavel, Palotina - PR	Crop	8	a, b, s	Lima et al. (2008/2009); Brown et al. (2008)
43	Atlantic Forest	Mercedes, Marechal Cândido Rondon, Itaipulândia, Entre Rios do Oeste, Santa Helena, Toledo - PR	Crop	40	a, b, s	Gorte (2016)
44	Atlantic Forest	Mercedes, Marechal Cândido Rondon, Itaipulândia, Entre Rios do Oeste, Santa Helena, Toledo - PR	Crop, native vegetation, forestry plantation	29	a, s	Bartz et al. (2010, 2013)
45	Atlantic Forest	Campos do Jordão - SP	Native vegetation, forestry plantation, IPS	4	a, b, s	Baretta (2007); Baretta et al. (2007)
46	Atlantic Forest	Campos do Jordão - SP	Native vegetation, forestry plantation	3	a, s	Merlim (2005)
47	Atlantic Forest	São Roque - SP	Crop, native vegetation	3	a, s	Uzêda et al. (2007)
48	Atlantic Forest	Ubatuba - SP	Crop, pasture	5	a, s	Marchiori (2008)
49	Atlantic Forest	Duque de Caxias - RJ	Native vegetation	2	a, s	Buch et al. (2015)
50	Atlantic Forest	Itaboraí - RJ	Native vegetation	6	a	Ferreira et al. (2012)
51	Atlantic Forest	Barra do Piraí - RJ	Forestry plantation	4	a, s	Bianchi (2009); Correia et al. (2003)
52	Atlantic Forest	Paty do Alferes, Valença - RJ	Native vegetation, crop	12	a, s	Pimentel (2005); Pimentel et al. (2002, 2011a)
53	Atlantic Forest	Queluz - RJ	Native vegetation, pasture	4	a, s	Menezes (2008); Menezes et al. (2009)
54	Atlantic Forest	Seropédica - RJ	IPS, pasture	4	a	Dias et al. (2006b)
Study	Biome	Municipality - State	Land use system⁽¹⁾	Number⁽²⁾	Data⁽³⁾	Reference
55	Atlantic Forest	Seropédica - RJ	IPS, pasture	6	a	Dias et al. (2007); Silva et al. (2015a)
56	Atlantic Forest	Seropédica - RJ	Crop	3	a, s	Merlim et al. (2005)
57	Atlantic Forest	Seropédica - RJ	Crop	5	a, b	Rodrigues et al. (2004)
58	Atlantic Forest	Seropédica - RJ	Crop	5	a	Cordeiro et al. (2004)
59	Atlantic Forest	Nova Friburgo, Seropédica - RJ	Crop	7	a	Aquino et al. (2005)
60	Atlantic Forest	Linhares - ES	Crop	4	a, s	Benazzi (2011)
61	Atlantic Forest	Alagoa, Bocaina de Minas - MG	IPS, pasture, native vegetation	6	a, b, s	Camargo (2016); Camargo et al. (2015)
62	Atlantic Forest	Araponga - MG	Crop, native vegetation	8	a, s	Souza (2010)
63	Atlantic Forest	Campos Gerais - MG	Crop, native vegetation, forestry plantation	3	a	Marques & Silva (2011)
64	Atlantic Forest	Governador Valadares - MG	Native vegetation, pasture	2	a	Vicente et al. (2010)
65	Atlantic Forest	Ouro Fino - MG	Native vegetation, crop	3	a	Silva et al. (2014)
66	Atlantic Forest	Pedralva - MG	Crop	3	a, s	Madeira et al. (2011); Oliveira (2012)
67	Atlantic Forest	Fátima do Sul - MS	Crop, native vegetation	5	a, s	Silva et al. (2007)
68	Atlantic Forest	Fátima do Sul - MS	Crop, native vegetation	3	a, s	Silva et al. (2001)
69	Atlantic Forest	Fátima do Sul - MS	Crop, native vegetation	3	a, s	Otsubo et al. (2002)
70	Atlantic Forest	Dourados - MS	Crop, pasture, native vegetation, IPS	5	a, s	Silva et al. (2006)
71	Atlantic Forest	Dourados - MS	Crop, pasture, native vegetation, IPS	9	a, s	Portilho et al. (2011)
72	Atlantic Forest	Itaporã - MS	Crop	2	a	Pezarico et al. (2006)
73	Atlantic Forest	Selvíria - MS	Native vegetation, forestry plantation, IPS	6	a, s	Marchini et al. (2011)
74	Atlantic Forest	Cruz das Almas - BA	Crop, Native vegetation, IPS, Forest-ry plantation	5	a	Pereira et al. (2012)
75	Atlantic Forest	João Pessoa, Areia - PB	IPS, native vegetation	3	a, b, s	Guerra & Silva (1994)
76	Pantanal	Aquidauana - MS	Native vegetation, crop	4	a, s	Brito et al. (2016)
77	Pantanal	Corumbá - MS	Native vegetation	3	a	Dias et al. (2006a)
78	Cerrado	Brasília - DF	Native vegetation, pasture, IPS, crop	14	a, s	Marchão et al. (2009)
79	Cerrado	Brasília - DF	Native vegetation	5	a, b, s	Dias et al. (1997)
80	Cerrado	Brasília - DF	Native vegetation	2	a, s	Bento (2009); Corrêa & Bento (2010)
81	Cerrado	Correntina - BA	Crop, pasture, native vegetation	6	a, s	Marchão et al. (2008a,2008b)
82	Cerrado	Formosa - DF, Santo Antônio do Descoberto - GO	Pasture	4	a, s	Vendrame (2008); Vendrame et al. (2009)
83	Cerrado	Jataí - GO	Native vegetation, crop	7	a, s	Blanchart et al. (2007)
84	Cerrado	Planaltina - GO	Native vegetation, pasture	5	a, b	Benito et al. (2000)
85	Cerrado	Santo Antônio de Goiás - GO	Crop, IPS	8	a, s	Santos et al. (2008)
86	Cerrado	Maracaju - MS	Native vegetation, IPS	4	a, s	Batista (2011); Batista et al. (2014)
Study	Biome	Municipality - State	Land use system⁽¹⁾	Number⁽²⁾	Data⁽³⁾	Reference
87	Cerrado	Maracaju - MS	Crop, pasture, IPS, forestry plantation, native vegetation	6	a, s	Lourente et al. (2007)
88	Cerrado	Miranda - MS, Rio Brilhante - MS	Crop	2	a	Barrigossi et al. (2009)
89	Cerrado	São Carlos - SP	Pasture, native vegetation	3	a, s	Brigante (2000)
90	Cerrado	São José do Rio Preto - SP	Native vegetation	1	a	Caballero (1976)
91	Cerrado	Taciba - SP	Crop, pasture	3	a, b	Brown & James (2007)
92	Cerrado, Atlantic Forest	Valparaíso, Ipaussu - SP, Jataí - GO	Crop, pasture, native vegetation	9	a, s	Franco et al. (2016)
93	Cerrado	São Sebastião do Paraíso - MG	Crop	2	a, b, s	Aquino et al. (2000); Ricci et al. (1999)
94	Cerrado	Uberlândia - MG	Crop, pasture, native vegetation	5	a, b, s	Brossard et al. (2012); Pasini et al. (2003)
95	Cerrado	Uruçui - PI	Crop, native vegetation	3	a	Santos et al. (2013)
96	Amazon	Vila Bela da Santíssima Trindade - MT	IPS	2	a, s	Mendes et al. (2010)
97	Amazon	Alcântara - MA	Native vegetation	8	a	Triana (2014)
98	Amazon	São Luís - MA	IPS	6	a, s	Moura et al. (2015)
99	Amazon	Igarapé-Açu - PA	Pasture, IPS, native vegetation	6	a	Rousseau et al. (2010)
100	Amazon	Itupiranga - PA	Pasture, forestry plantation, IPS	16	a, s	Laossi et al. (2008); Velásquez et al. (2012)
101	Amazon	São Félix do Xingu - PA	Native vegetation, pasture, IPS	5	a, s	Braga (2015)
102	Amazon	Benjamin Constant - AM	Native vegetation, pasture	3	a, b, s	Alves (2010)
103	Amazon	Manaus - AM	Native vegetation, forestry plantation	6	a, s	Bandeira & Harada (1998); Harada & Bandeira (1994)
104	Amazon	Manaus - AM	Native vegetation	4	a	Araújo & Luizão (2011)
105	Amazon	Manaus - AM	Crop, pasture	4	a, b, s	Pontes (2009)
106	Amazon	Manaus - AM	Native vegetation	6	a, b	Lins-Teixeira et al. (2007)
107	Amazon	Presidente Figueiredo - AM	Native vegetation, forestry plantation	4	a, s	Viana (2012)
108	Amazon	Rio Preto da Eva - AM	IPS	10	a, b	Tarrá (2003); Tarrá et al. (2012)
109	Amazon	Rio Preto da Eva - AM	IPS, native vegetation	5	a, b, s	Barros et al. (2003)
110	Amazon	Rio Preto da Eva - AM, Itapiranga - AM	Native vegetation, pasture, IPS	3	a, b, s	Barros et al. (1996)
111	Amazon	Bonfim - RR	Native vegetation	3	a, b	Guerra (1994a)
112	Amazon	Cantá - RR	IPS, native vegetation, pasture	6	a	Costa et al. (2004)
113	Amazon	Macapá - AP	Crop	4	a, b, s	Silva (2009)
114	Amazon	Ji-Paraná - RO	IPS	1	a	Pequeno et al. (2005)
115	Amazon	Nova Califórnia - RO	IPS, native vegetation	4	a, s	Luizão et al. (2002)
Study	Biome	Municipality - State	Land use system⁽¹⁾	Number⁽²⁾	Data⁽³⁾	Reference
116	Amazon	Ouro Preto do Oeste - RO	IPS	3	a	Silva et al. (2005)
117	Amazon	Rio Branco - AC	Pasture, native vegetation	2	a, b, s	Guerra (1994b)
118	Amazon	Theobroma, Porto Velho, Ji-Paraná - RO, Acrelândia - AC	Native vegetation, crop, IPS, pasture	15	a, b, s	Barros et al. (2002)
119	Amazon, Cerrado, Atlantic Forest	Itapuã do Oeste - RO, Uruará - PA, Botucatu - SP, São Paulo - SP	Native vegetation, pasture, IPS	11	a	Catanozi (2010)
120	Caatinga	Crato - CE	Native vegetation	5	a, s	Araújo (2010)
121	Caatinga	Esperantina - PI	IPS, native vegetation, crop	5	a, s	Lima (2008); Lima et al. (2010)
122	Caatinga	Bom Jesus - PI	Native vegetation, crop, pasture	6	a, s	Santos et al. (2017)
123	Caatinga	Juazeiro - BA	Crop	1	a, s	Pimentel et al. (2011b)
124	Caatinga	Tauá - CE	Crop	9	a, s	Lima et al. (2007)
	6 biomes⁽⁴⁾	135 municipalities⁽⁵⁾	Number by category⁽⁶⁾			Number by category⁽⁷⁾
Total	Atlantic Forest (73), Pantanal (2), Cerrado (21), Amazon (24), Caatinga (4), and Pampa (5)	DF, ES, MT, AP (1); AC, MA, PB, RR, CE (2); BA, PI (3); PA (4); AM, GO (5); RO, SC (6); RS (5); RJ (8); MG, MS (9); SP (11); PR (47)	Crop (70/322) Native vegetation (82/214) IPS (32/101) Pasture (40/87) Forestry plantation (17/41)	765 sites	a (124) b (42) s (83)	Papers in journal (49) Book chapters (7) Theses and dissertations (36) Abstracts/conference papers/others (42)

Variable		Description	Nº of studies (%)	N^o db
Climate and vegetation-related
	Sampling date	Month/year of sampling	115 (93)	722
	Sampling season	Specification of wet or dry season	46 (37)	758
	Location	Name of sampling site (such as farm and experimental field)	92 (74)	587
	Municipality	Name of municipality	124 (100)	765
	State	Acronym of the Brazilian state	124 (100)	765
	Geographical coordinates	Coordinates of the collection site, preferably in degrees, minutes, and seconds, or transformed to decimals	80 (65)	765
	Altitude	Altitude (meters) above sea level	66 (53)	765
	Annual mean precipitation	Annual mean precipitation in millimeters	76 (61)	765
	Annual mean temperature	Annual mean temperature in degree Celsius	73 (59)	765
	Köppen’s climate	Climate type according to Köppen’s classification	66 (53)	765
	Biome	Brazilian biome where sampling was done	52 (42)	765
	Soil cover/vegetation type	Soil cover or type of vegetation	124 (100)	765
	Type of native vegetation	Type of local native vegetation according to IBGE (2012)	54 (68)⁽²⁾	208
Management-related
	Crop type	Name of crop at or just before sampling date	65 (98)⁽²⁾	284
	Soil management	Soil disturbance (conventional seeding, minimum tillage, no-tillage, permanent crop)	60 (48)	279
	Current land use in years	Time in years of the soil in its current use	72 (58)	410
	Previous land use	Previous use of the soil in the area	35 (28)	134
	Pesticide use	Pesticide use (yes or no)	7 (6)	20
	Pesticide type	Insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides	2 (2)	7
	Fertilizers	Fertilizers applied (inorganic, organic, or none)	65 (52)	215
	Fertilizer type	Name of used fertilizers	16 (13)	41

Variable⁽²⁾	Description	N^o of studies (%)	N^o db
Soil type	Soil classification according to the Brazilian classification system (Santos et al., 2018) or to the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO, 2015)	99 (80)	765
pH	Soil pH in CaCl₂, KCl, or H₂O (pH in water transformed to CaCl₂)	70 (56)	438
H+Al	Soil potential acidity (cmol_c dm^-3)	39 (31)	277
K	Available potassium (cmol_c dm^-3)	62 (50)	386
Ca	Available calcium (cmol_c dm^-3)	59 (48)	360
Mg	Available magnesium (cmol_c dm^-3)	59 (48)	360
P	Total phosphorus by Mehlich (mg dm^-3)	58 (47)	361
C	Total carbon by combustion or Walkley-Black (g dm^-3)	44 (35)	305
Sum of bases	Sum of bases (cmol_c dm^-3)	41 (33)	386
CEC	Soil CEC (cmol_c dm^-3)	42 (34)	320
Base saturation	Base saturation (%)	36 (29)	324
N	Total nitrogen by Kjeldahl or combustion (g dm^-3)	15 (12)	104
C:N	Soil carbon:nitrogen ratio	11 (9)	62
Sand	Total sand content (g kg^-1)	42 (35)	295
Clay	Clay content (g kg^-1)	48 (39)	319
Silt	Silt content (g kg^-1)	44 (35)	295
Textural class	Textural class according to IBGE (2007)	55 (44)	423

Variable	Description	N^o of studies (%)	N^o db
Size of dug holes	Dimensions of hole side x side or diameter if cylindrical (cm)	122 (98)	758
Number of holes	Number of samples per site	118 (95)	748
Depth	Sample depth (cm), with a minimum of 10 cm	121 (98)	755
Density	Mean number of earthworm individuals (m^-2) found at the site	124 (100)	765
Biomass	Mean earthworm biomass (g m^-2) at the site (fresh weight in preservative liquid, including intestinal contents)	38 (31)	314
Species identification	Species identified (yes or no)	30 (24)	266

Attribute	Standard list of variables	Reason for data inclusion
Environmental	Sampling date/season and Köppen’s climate	Allows estimation of related weather conditions, particularly temperature, rainfall, and soil moisture
	Location/geographical coordinates	Allows mapping of sampling sites and relation to other environmental variables such as soil type and vegetation
	Annual mean precipitation	Affects mainly soil moisture contents
	Soil cover/vegetation type and type of native vegetation	Affects soil cover (protection) and the inputs of organic resources (food quantity and quality)
	Crop type	Affects soil cover, soil and crop management, and the inputs of organic resources (food quantity and quality)
	Soil management	Soil preparation (various forms of tillage) impacts soil structure; for example, a higher intensity is prejudicial to earthworms, whereas no-tillage tends to be beneficial
	Past and current land use	Time in current land use is a measure of the intensity of positive or negative potential impacts on earthworms; previous land use determines possible legacy effects on earthworm populations
	Pesticide use/type	Various pesticide formulations and active ingredients may have negative impacts on earthworms
	Fertilizer use/type	Fertilization increases primary production and the inputs of organic materials and mineral resources to the soil; long-term intensive fertilization with inorganic N acidifies soil, impacting earthworm populations
Soil	Soil type	Affects soil depth and the mineral and organic resources available for the earthworms
	pH	Earthworm species have variable tolerance to pH, which is also related to the available mineral and organic resources
	Soil moisture, K, Ca, Mg, and P	Important for earthworm metabolism
	C and N	Related to food resource availability (quantity and quality), important for earthworm metabolism
	Cation exchange capacity	Related to plant productivity potential and ability to provide food resources
	Sand, clay, silt, and textural class	Affects the physical environment of the earthworm; related to food resource availability and soil hydrology
Earthworm sampling	Size of holes	Affects sampling efficiency; larger holes are needed when large earthworm species are present
	Number of holes	Related to sampling effort; a minimum number is needed to adequately sample earthworm communities
	Depth of holes	Affects sampling efficiency; deeper holes are needed in the dry season and when deep-burrowing earthworms are present
	Density	Main parameter related to earthworm presence in soils
	Biomass	Important to determine potential impacts of earthworms on soil physical properties
	Species identification	Allows determining biodiversity and facilitates the estimation of potential impacts on soil functioning