Surviving the summer as the climate changes: investigating drivers and costs of aestivation in earthworms

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Climate change has resulted in an increase in extreme weatherincluding the frequency of drought events.Earthworms are "ecosystem engineers" that help to aerate thesoil, improve water retention and circulate nutrients through theirburrowing activity. One strategy that some earthworm speciesdeploy for surviving periods of drought is aestivation, in whichthe earthworm curls up into a ball and maintains a low level ofmetabolic activity until conditions are favourable. Followingdrought, earthworms show increased feeding, which suggestsProject outlinethat aestivation is energy demanding. The precise conditionsthat initiate aestivation, how frequently and for how long anearthworm can aestivate, and how costly this process is are allunknownWith increased likelihood of droughts, aestivation may becomea less effective way for earthworms to survive inhospitableconditions that not only reduce their abundance and diversitybut are likely to have an impact on soil quality and productivity.