Biodiversity and ecological interactions of earthworm species from Poonch division Pakistan

Current research represents the biodiversity and ecological interactions of earthworms in Poonch division, Pakistan which is unexplored till now. Earthworms were sampled randomly from 18 study sites during the study duration from April to October 2019 by using digging and hand sorting methods. Eleven earthworm species belonging to eight genera and three families were identified. The values of overall Shannon diversity indices indicate that Eisenia fetida (H = 0.14) was predominantly found in all habitats, while Drawida nepalensis (H = 0.05) has least abundance in the study area, likewise overall percent abundance of earthworms was highest in municipal dumped areas (27.4%) and lowest in near water entities (12.4%). Our investigations revealed that different abiotic parameters like soil temperature, pH, moisture contents, soil texture, organic matter content, available phosphorous, potassium and nitrogen in soil affect earthworm’s diversity, distribution and abundance. It was also observed that earthworm population density was higher in localities with good canopy cover along with gardens because of the greater accumulation of organic matter. The present investigation provide a base line data in context of biodiversity and ecological interactions of earthworms with associated vegetation, soil macro fauna and other abiotic parameters, however a multidimensional research approach is needed to understand the complicacy of this association and its potential beneficial or harmful effects on functional ecosystem and agricultural land management.