Bacterial diversity in the digestive tract of earthworms (oligochaeta)

Abstract

Anecic, epigeous and endogeous earthworms stimulate or inhibit the growth of bacteria of agricultural importance inside their digestive tracts. It is possible that these bacteria establish a mutual symbiosis within the digestive tract of the earthworm. The bacterial species reported within the intestines of the earthworms belong to the genuses Bacillus, Aeromonas, Pseudomonas, Flavobacterium, Nocardia, Gordonia, Vibrio, Clostridium, Proteus, Serratia, Mycobacterium, Klebsiella, Azotobacte and Enterobacter. These bacteria inhabit the soil and develop considerably when there are easily degradable organic soil nutrients. The bacterial community inside the digestive tract of earthworms pertains to at least four physiological groups: plant growth promoters, free-living nitrogen fixers, biocides and phosphate solubilizers. The diversity of bacterial communities within the digestive tracts of earthworms depends on climate, soil type and organic matter. The objective of this present study was to analyze the state of art on the bacterial diversity within the digestive tracts of earthworms. © 2009 Asian Network for Scientific Information.