APPROACHES TO THE ECOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION OF EARTHWORMS. A REVIEW

Abstract

Earthworms are the most important component of natural communities, therefore they have attracted the attention of researchers from various fields of biology and agriculture. Studies of earthworms have not lost their relevance from the observations of ancient times to our time. The creation of an ecological classification of earthworms and its subsequent use is one of the most interesting questions. The purpose of this review is to consider various approaches to identifying ecological groups of earthworms (Oligochaeta, Lumbricidae) and their application in scientific research. The article presents the main variants of the Russian and world ecological classifications of earthworms. Particular attention is paid to scientific research with different approaches to the study of the ecological groups of earthworms.

Keywords

• earthworms
• living forms
• ecological groups
• soil ecology
• classification