Planet and energy · 1 min read
Nearly a century of counts points to fewer earthworms in the UK
Combining more than 100 studies, the decline appeared for earthworms, especially in forests and farmland, but not for cranefly larvae.
The study, in plain language
The team gathered data from more than 100 studies and tried to make soil-animal counts comparable, even though they used different methods, seasons, and sampling depths. They tested two ways of combining them: one gave greater weight to studies that sampled more area and the other did not. Under both approaches, the earthworm trend was downward, especially in forests and farmland.
There were fewer data on cranefly larvae, and results varied depending on how studies were combined. One model indicated stability and the other an increase. Neither suggested a general decline. Using the same reconstruction method, the two animal groups showed different signals.
The key idea
Nearly a century of records points to fewer earthworms, but not fewer cranefly larvae: the soil’s story differs by organism.
Something to think about
When you read that soil-dwelling creatures are disappearing, ask which organisms were counted and whether the same method was used in the same places.
The original study
Collation of a century of soil invertebrate abundance data suggests long-term declines in earthworms but not tipulids
Source under CC BY 4.0. English adaptation and explanation by PaperFlow, with AI assistance. The text has been reorganized for a general audience; it is not the complete paper and does not imply endorsement by its authors.
One study alone does not represent a field's consensus. Educational content does not replace professional advice. Report a possible error.