How no-tillage and earthworms promote Collembola abundance by increasing large macropores

Abstract

Conservation tillage is considered an effective approach for enhancing soil health. However, the intricate nature of field environments, particularly the influence of soil fauna, can affect the outcomes of agricultural management practices on soil processes. Soil invertebrates, such as earthworms, play an essential role in sustaining soil structure, with one key mechanism being the promotion of Collembola populations, which also contribute to soil structure formation. Despite these roles, the interaction between earthworms and tillage treatments concerning Collembola’s effect on soil tructure remain inadequately understood. The primary factors driving this relationship are yet to be fully identified. This study aims to address this by evaluating soil compositions and the alpha diversity of Collembola under various tillage systems (moldboard plow [MP], no-tillage [NT], and ridge tillage [RT]) and earthworm treatment (presence or absence of earthworms). Field experiments conducted at the Mollisols Experiment and Demonstration Base in northeastern China assessed the physical and chemical properties of soil. The results demonstrated that the combination of earthworms and no-tillage management enhanced Collembola abundance. Structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed that large pore spaces (>100 μm), created by earthworm activity, were the dominant factor affecting Collembola abundance. These findings suggest that earthworms activity may mitigate the compaction typically associated with no-tillage, thereby preserving the integrity and connectivity of macropores within the soil. Interestingly, organic matter did not appear in the SEM model, meaning that the enhancement of Collembola populations by no-tillage and earthworms could not be attributed to improvements in soil organic matter. This study contributes to understanding the interaction between earthworms, no-tillage practices, and Collembola and provide a basis for integrating soil fauna into sustainable soil management strategies.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

conservation tillage / earthworms addition / Collembola abundance / soil porosity / soil fauna

Highlight

	● Large porosity plays a dominant role in the survival of springtails and is a direct driving force.
	● There is an interaction between no tillage and the addition of earthworms, which positively affects the springtails together.
	● In conservation tillage, no tillage has the greatest impact on the survival of springtails.
	● No tillage and the addition of earthworms mainly promote the alpha diversity of Collembola by reducing compaction.

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