Journal of Earth & Environmental Waste Management
- ISSN: 3065-8799
Godspower Oke Omokaro
Earthworms play a crucial role in ecosystem functions and services, particularly in shaping soil structure and promoting water infiltration, litter decomposition, and nitrogen mineralization. Their activities modify physical and chemical soil properties, which in turn affect microbial community composition and activity. Several analyses revealed that earthworm casts serve as organic soil amendments that positively impact soil physical, chemical, and biological properties. Earthworms influence microbial communities by selectively digesting microorganisms and promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria. These findings demonstrate the importance of earthworms as ecological mediators that can enhance soil functions and promote sustainable agricultural practices. This review paper has summarized earthworm casting as a soil amendment and its effects on microbial communities by reviewing relevant related works. To achieve this goal, the Google Scholar, Frontier in Microbiology, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Science Direct and Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) databases were explored to identify studies on earthworm casting as a soil amendment in relation to microbial communities.