The Oligochaeta section was founded in 2025, and is investigating the biodiversity and ecology of Enchytraeidae and earthworms in Central European ecosystems. The focus is on natural systems, their conservation and restoration, and the ecosystem services provided by soil fauna.
Currently, the section is actively involved in the TrenDiv project. Further projects are in the application phase.
Decomposer communities and traits
Together, potworms (Enchytraeidae) and earthworms represent one of the most important groups of primary decomposers in our ecosystems. Through their feeding activity, organic material is decomposed, its nutrients made available to plants, and humus is built up. However, the individual species are very different from each other, and their species communities vary considerably depending on various environmental factors. Each species is characterized by certain properties (traits) that relate either to its physical characteristics (morphological traits) or to its function in the ecosystem (functional traits). For this reason, earthworms and potworms are suitable indicators of soil health and ecosystem services. The Oligochaeta section investigates how changes in external conditions (e.g. through land use, renaturation, climate change) affect the species communities and thus the traits of the communities. To this end, we use species lists of morphologically determined earthworms and Enchytraeidae, as well as molecular methods. Functional traits are analyzed via the analysis of compound specific stable isotopes and proteome fingerprinting.
