Microbial Ecology Associated with Earthworm and Its Gut

Abstract

Soil bears infinite life that promotes diverse microflora. Soil bacteria viz., Bacillus, Pseudomonas and Streptomyces etc., are prolific producers of secondary metabolites which act against numerous co-existing phytopathogeic fungi and human pathogenic bacteria (Pathma and Sakthivel. SpringerPlus 1:1--26, 2012). Microbial communities also support a large number of soil invertebrates, which in turn have an important regulatory effect on the microbial populations (Edwards. Earthworm ecology, 2nd edn. CRC Press, Boca Raton, 2004). Decomposition of organic material is assumed to be mainly mediated by microorganisms. The rate and extent of the decomposition depends on the chemical composition of the material, environmental factors, and on the microbial community. The activity of the decomposing microorganisms is accelerated by the activity of the soil fauna (Schonholzer et al. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 28:235--48, 1999). According to Lavelle and Spain (Soil ecology. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, 2001), microorganisms show a high degree of specialization and display a large number of enzymes for the breakdown of organic matter. It is certainly proven that the growth of earthworms is dependent on microbial associations. In fact, microorganisms are largely responsible for the decomposition of the materials ingested by earthworms and in turn earthworm regulates modifications in microbial communities thus sharing a mutualistic relationship.