Predicting water flows through new earthworm functional groups – PRECIOUS

In the context of climate change, the impact of earthworms on soil porosity and thus soil water characteristics becomes of increasing significance. The project PRECIOUS aims to define new functional groups for predicting soil water fluxes and water storage and test the complementarity of these groups to mitigate the impact of extreme events on soil water dynamics. Functional groups will be defined in the laboratory from earthworm morphological traits and the 3D characteristics of their galleries (30 Megascolecidae in Vietnam and 30 Lumbricidaein France), as well as their effects on soil hydraulic conductivity and water retention. The relevance of the functional groups will be tested in 28 lysimeters in Vietnam using different assemblages of functional groups. Water flows will be monitored, covering seasonal rainfall variations, and modelled to test different scenarios of extreme climatic events. This project will have a strong impact on future research in the field of functional ecology and agricultural management.