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

气候变化导致极端天气的增加，包括干旱事件的频率。蚯蚓是“生态系统工程师”，它们通过挖洞活动帮助土壤透气、提高保水能力和循环养分。一些蚯蚓在干旱时期生存的一种策略是冬眠，在这种情况下，蚯蚓蜷缩成一个球，保持低水平的代谢活动，直到条件有利。在干旱之后，蚯蚓表现出增加的摄食，这表明昆虫是需要能量的。由于干旱的可能性增加，蚯蚓在不适宜生存的条件下生存的方式可能会变得不那么有效，这不仅会减少蚯蚓的丰度和多样性，而且可能会对土壤质量和生产力产生影响。

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.