The Morphological Identification and Biodiversity of Earthworms in Babylon Province-Iraq

Abstract

The present study is passing through the city of Babylon–Iraq during the period from Autumn 2023 to Spring 2024. Three stations representing various habitats were chosen for sampling. Our study involve the morphological identification of Earthworms and confirm the identification of nine species (Aporrectodea tuberculata, Aporrectodea rosea, Aporrectodea caliginosa, Amynthas grasilis, Dendrobaena platyura, Hormogaster redii, Lumbricus terrestris, Lumbricus rubellus and Polytoreutus finni). As well as measured some physiochemical parameters such as soil temperature ranged between (17.3-25.83C°), pH (5.66-7.06), Electrical conductivity (420-787.67µs/cm), Total Dissolved Solids (333.66-683.66 mg/L), Moisture content (5.22-9.24 %) and soil texture were Sandy clay in all stations. In order to get insight into the overall ecosystem health, various biodiversity indices were utilized such as Shannon-Wainer Index ranged between (1.26-2.75) and Simpson Index (0.15-0.59) to evaluate the basic Earthworms community structure, species distribution, and interactions. The study also demonstrates a significant relationship between species distribution and the environmental factors.