Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Fonte SJ
PROVIDER: S-EPMC10522571 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Fonte Steven J SJ Hsieh Marian M Mueller Nathaniel D ND
Nature communications 20230926 1
Earthworms are critical soil ecosystem engineers that support plant growth in numerous ways; however, their contribution to global agricultural production has not been quantified. We estimate the impacts of earthworms on global production of key crops by analyzing maps of earthworm abundance, soil properties, and crop yields together with earthworm-yield responses from the literature. Our findings indicate that earthworms contribute to roughly 6.5% of global grain (maize, rice, wheat, barley) pr ...[more]