Global data on earthworm abundance, biomass, diversity and corresponding environmental properties
Helen R. P. Phillips, Elizabeth M. Bach, Marie Luise Carolina Bartz, Joanne M. Bennett, Rémy Beugnon, María J.I. Briones, George Gardner Brown, Olga Ferlian, Konstantin B. Gongalsky, Carlos A. Guerra, Birgitta König‐Ries, Julia Krebs, Alberto Orgiazzi, Kelly S. Ramirez, David J. Russell, Benjamin Schwarz, Diana H. Wall, Ulrich Brose, Thibaud Decaëns, Patrick Lavelle, Michel Loreau, Jérôme Mathieu, Christian Mulder, Wim H. van der Putten, Matthias C. Rillig, Madhav P. Thakur, Franciska T. de Vries, David A. Wardle, Christian Ammer, Sabine Ammer, Miwa Arai, Fredrick O. Ayuke, Geoff Baker, Dilmar Baretta, Dietmar Barkusky, Robin Beauséjour, José Camilo Bedano, Klaus Birkhofer, Éric Blanchart, Bernd Blossey, Thomas Bolger, Robert L. Bradley, Michel Brossard, James C. Burtis, Yvan Capowiez, Timothy R. Cavagnaro, Amy Choi, Julia Clause, Daniel Cluzeau, Anja Coors, Felicity Crotty, Jasmine M. Crumsey, Andrea Dávalos, Darío J. Díaz Cosín, Annise M. Dobson, Anahí Domínguez, Andrés Duhour, N.J.M. van Eekeren, Christoph Emmerling, Liliana Falco, Rosa Fernández, Steven J. Fonte, Carlos Fragoso, André L. C. Franco, Abegail Fusilero, А. P. Geraskina, Shaieste Gholami, Grizelle González, Michael J. Gundale, Mónica Gutiérrez López, Branimir K. Hackenberger, Davorka K. Hackenberger, Luis M. Hernández, J. R. Hirth, Takuo Hishi, Andrew R. Holdsworth, Martin Holmstrup, Kristine N. Hopfensperger, Esperanza Huerta Lwanga, Veikko Huhta, Tunsisa T. Hurisso, Basil V. Iannone, M. Iordache, Ulrich Irmler, Mari Ivask, Juan B. Jesús, Jodi Johnson‐Maynard, Monika Joschko, Nobuhiro Kaneko, Radoslava Kanianska, Aidan M. Keith, Maria Kernecker, Armand W. Koné, Yahya Kooch, Sanna Kukkonen, H. Lalthanzara, Daniel R. Lammel, Iurii M. Lebedev, Edith Le Cadre, Noa Kekuewa Lincoln
Abstract
Earthworms are an important soil taxon as ecosystem engineers, providing a variety of crucial ecosystem functions and services. Little is known about their diversity and distribution at large spatial scales, despite the availability of considerable amounts of local-scale data. Earthworm diversity data, obtained from the primary literature or provided directly by authors, were collated with information on site locations, including coordinates, habitat cover, and soil properties. Datasets were required, at a minimum, to include abundance or biomass of earthworms at a site. Where possible, site-level species lists were included, as well as the abundance and biomass of individual species and ecological groups. This global dataset contains 10,840 sites, with 184 species, from 60 countries and all continents except Antarctica. The data were obtained from 182 published articles, published between 1973 and 2017, and 17 unpublished datasets. Amalgamating data into a single global database will assist researchers in investigating and answering a wide variety of pressing questions, for example, jointly assessing aboveground and belowground biodiversity distributions and drivers of biodiversity change.