Soil Invertebrates

Barreto, Carlos et al. “How Soil Invertebrates Deal with Microplastic Contamination” https://kids.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frym.2021.625228, August 2021.

The purpose of this specific article is to inform readers on the degrading effects microplastics have on soil invertebrates. This website explains the significant relationship between the two subjects by providing a stable structure that makes it easy to follow. In order to answer the question, “How do soil invertebrates deal with microplastic contamination?”, it is divided into five main categories besides the acknowledgements which are an abstract, general information about soil invertebrates, microplastic threats and effect on the health of soil, and instruction on what people can do to protect soil invertebrates. Due to this, the website is able to prove that soil invertebrates, such as earthworms, “regularly ingest microplastic particles and transport them deep into the soil”, further decreasing not just the health of such organisms, but the soil as well. Alongside the organization of the website, relevant graphics and tables make the website user-friendly with information that is thorough but not too difficult to understand. This website gets a 9.0 +.

Bertone, M, et al. "Terrestrial Flatworms, Land Planarians & Hammerhead Worms" https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/terrestrial-flatwormshammerhead-worms, December 2020.

This site is a North Carolina State University webpage about terrestrial flatworms and some other similar types of soil invertebrates. The article covers basic facts about flatworms as well as their risks and ways to get rid of them. It is separated into five sections: Introduction, Identification, Biology, Environmental & Health Concerns, and Management. It has various photos of invertebrates in order to assist readers in identifying them, as well as other helpful visuals. There are several authors such as Matt Bertone, Sydney Crawley, and Michael Waldvogel, all of which are experts in the field of Entomology and Plant Pathology, as well as several linked sources throughout the article. Overall, the article scored an 8.33 on a 0-10 point scale.

 Boyce, R, Ecology Center of America. “Life Under Your Feet: Measuring Soil Invertebrate Diversity” https://tiee.esa.org/vol/v3/experiments/soil/description.html, 2005.

This source explains the function of soil invertebrates and what is working in ecosystems. The source talks about diversity in soil invertebrates; how different terrestrial invertebrates help an ecosystem, and how differences in ecosystems can change biodiversity. Soil invertebrates contribute to ecosystems in many ways, one of which is decomposition which the article states litter decomposition is helpful in nutrient cycles. The experiment also tests the density of soil invertebrates in different forest types. The article has methods for an experiment that tests for density in soil invertebrates. The report is formal but it was published over 15 years ago and lacks an author, otherwise, is a worthy source and receives a 7 on a 1-10 scale.

Bray, N, & Wickings, K. “The Roles of Invertebrates in the Urban Soil Microbiome” https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2019.00359/full#h2, September 2019.

This article looks specifically at invertebrates in Urban Soils. The article is divided into 12 sections, each easily accessible through the links on the side. Each section uses and cites outside resources, making them lengthy but useful. Subjects include a general description of the Urban Soil Microbiome and the effect of invertebrates on other organisms in urban soils. Edited and reviewed by a number of professors, the article would widely be accepted as reliable.  On a scale of 1-10, this site earns an 8+.

Zheng Caixiong. “Soil invertebrates can be climate warriors, finds study” https://www.sysu.edu.cn/newsen/info/1791/112842.htm, February 2025. 

In this article, a team of international researchers studied and examined the role of invertebrates such as termites, ants, and worms, in improving soil health and overall crop yields. The study focuses on data from over 1,000 studies globally, analyzing 12,975 data points. The study found that these organisms increase the soil's nutrients which include carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus. The researchers also noted that warming temperatures strengthen the effects of invertebrates, especially in tropical regions. However, they mention that the invertebrate populations are declining due to climate change and human activity. The article emphasizes the need to conserve these “ecosystem engineers” for the soil and overall ecological health. Overall, this article was very well written and the links were easily accessible. This research study earns a well deserved 7.9+.

Cifuentes-Croquevielle, Camila. “Soil invertebrate diversity loss and functional changes in temperate forest soils replaced by exotic pine plantations” https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-64453-y#:~:text=Soil%20invertebrates%20directly%20or%20indirectly,roots%2C%20leaves%20or%20seeds25, May 2020. 

This article is a lab report that hypothesized plantation soils are less fertile than native forest soils which have diverse populations of soil invertebrates. The experiment tested for soil carbon levels in both types of soils as carbon content typically indicates fertility in soil. The results showed that total soil carbon content was significantly lower in pine plantation sites than native soils with diverse invertebrates, proving that having a diverse population of soil invertebrates can be the difference between fertile and infertile soils. The results are accompanied by clear graphs and figure descriptions. The article has contact information for the people who conducted this experiment, giving this source an 7.6 on a 1-10 scale.

Dad, K et al. “Pesticides Uses, Impacts on Environment and their Possible Remediation Strategies- A Review” https://www.proquest.com/centralk12/docview/2706500873/32F6CDB2BB5449D9PQ/14?accountid=297, June 2022.

This article, or scholarly journal aims to educate people on the significance of the environmental impacts of pesticide use, especially on soil invertebrates. The journal includes an abstract, providing a general overview of the “toxic nature of different pesticides…as well as ways to minimize their impacts on plants and animals”, especially targeting soil invertebrates. When downloaded as a pdf, the article is easy to navigate, as it is organized into seven main sections: An introduction, types of pesticides, pesticide behavior, pesticide impacts on organisms, technologies for pesticide removal, and a conclusion with acknowledgments following afterward. Throughout the article, there are several notable references providing a foundation that there has been thorough research conducted to prove the importance of the harmful effects of pesticide use on soil invertebrates. In addition to this, the use of color coding, graphic choice, and organization can make it relatively easy to navigate and recognize, granting it an 8.7+.

Davies, Emma. “Biological Indicators of Soil Health”

https://businesswales.gov.wales/farmingconnect/news-and-events/technical-articles/biological-indicators-soil-health, February 2022.

The purpose of this website is to inform people on the relationship between the health of soil and the quantity and quality of soil invertebrates. Due to the flow of the website, it is able to explain three points which it addresses at the beginning, being that biological indicators alongside chemical and physical tests can monitor soil quality, a thriving soil ecosystem is associated with biodiversity, and the health status of the soil ecosystem can help inform farmers whether they should change their practices or not. It is organized into six sections regarding the introduction/general information, healthy soil, soil ecosystem, biological indicators of soil health, selection of indicators, and a summary. Within this structure, the article provides several images and reference links that guide the viewer and grant additional information that can help further their understanding. This article gets a 8.0-.

Dubey, A. Gunstone, T. “The Impact of Pesticides on Soil Invertebrates” 

https://www.pan-uk.org/the-impacts-of-pesticides-on-soil-invertebrates/, August 2021.

This article discusses the harmful impacts of pesticides on soil invertebrates. It provides an explanation of how pesticides were tested on a small percentage of soil. Then, it describes how soil invertebrates are impacted by this pesticide exposure. This article gives an in-depth analysis with detailed explanations. Although, it does only have one image which shows a picture of soil organisms. Overall, this article gets a +7.2 on a scale of 1-10

Efroymson, R. et al. "Toxicological benchmarks for contaminants of potential concern for effects on soil and litter invertebrates and heterotrophic process: 1997 Revision" https://rais.ornl.gov/documents/tm126r21.pdf, November 1997.

This study was used to determine the benchmarks for soil contaminant screening using the amount of different soil invertebrates in a given amount of soil. For example, it was concluded that an abundance of earthworms in the soil indicates soil toxicity and determined the benchmark number of earthworms that indicates soil toxicity for several species of earthworms. The article determined these benchmarks for the United States Department of Energy for ecological risk assessments and outlines their procedures for determining these benchmarks. This report is very detailed, thorough, well-sourced, and peer-reviewed.

Griffiths, H et al. "The Impact of Invertebrate Decomposers on Plants and Soil" https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nph.17553, June 2021.

This article explores how soil invertebrates impact decomposition. It highlights how they are usually disregarded because microbes are considered the “primary agents of decay.” The article builds off of several studies and has many reliable sources cited. The site is broken up into four categories: Introduction, Decomposition: chemical breakdown by both microbes and invertebrates, Decomposition and soil processing by invertebrates and the consequences for plants, and Outlook. Each section is accompanied by helpful visuals with detailed descriptions, as well as a glossary. This makes the article very accessible to non-experts. Overall, the site earned an 8.6 on a 0-10 point scale.

Gunstone, T et al. "Pesticides and Soil Invertebrates: A Hazard Assessment" https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2021.643847/full#h4, May 2021.

This article looks at how pesticides affect soil invertebrates by reviewing around 400 previously conducted studies. The authors explain why soil invertebrates are important parts of the soil ecosystem, listing a variety of their roles including aiding in transporting nutrients and increasing soil porosity. The review concludes that pesticides negatively affect invertebrates in a majority of situations (70.5% of the time). However, it also acknowledges that they can have positive effects 1.4% of the time. The study description is somewhat lengthy and requires prior scientific knowledge but contains helpful information. On a scale from 1-10, this article earns a 7.8+.

 Hotopp, K. "Land Snail Ecology" https://www.carnegiemnh.org/science/mollusks/landsnailecology.html, 2005.

This article is a detailed description of land snails. It goes in depth about how land snails are able to show various facts about the soil that they live in, such as calcium levels, pollution, past natural disasters, and soil moisture. It also describes how land snails interact with other organisms and potential threats they offer to other parts of the ecosystem. Furthermore, the site discusses where and how land snails could be found, highlighting their ability to live in a wide range of environments, even cities. Despite not having any visuals, the site offers a large amount of information without being highly technical or too difficult to understand. The site is easy to navigate and user-friendly, however the author cited does not have many credentials. Other than being a research associate at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. This site earned a 7.6 on a 0-10 point scale.

Landscape Water Conservation. “Beneficial Soil Invertebrates” https://landscape-water-conservation.extension.org/beneficial-soil-invertebrates/, July 2019.

This article describes what a soil invertebrate is and their negative and beneficial effects on soil health. Although it is brief, this article provides a clear explanation of the basic facts about soil invertebrates. There are visuals of these microorganisms including ladybugs and earthworms. It also provides additional resources on soil invertebrates at the bottom of the article. Overall this site gets a 7.5- on a scale of 1-10.  

Osvatic, J, & Peterson, J . "Microbiomes In Natura: Importance of Invertebrates in Understanding the Natural Variety of Animal-Microbe Interactions" https://journals.asm.org/doi/full/10.1128/mSystems.00179-17, March 2018.

In the research paper, authors Jillian Peterson and Jay Osvatic explain the importance of invertebrates in understanding the natural variety of animal and microbe interactions. The paper was published in 2018, earning it an 8 out of 10 for currency, and the .org source earns an 8 out of 10. The article is peer reviewed and its bibliography is well organized and concise. The authors’ info is easily found and an email is available to contact the authors. Its visuals correlate with the topic and provide added knowledge to the paper. The overall score for the research paper is an 8+

NM Healthy Soil Working Group. “Soil Invertebrates As Bioindicators.” https://www.nmhealthysoil.org/2025/03/31/soil-invertebrates-as-bioindicators/, March 2025 

Although short, this article contains a pocket guide to what soil invertebrates can indicate about soil health. For example, a sample profile of an earthworm explains how they influence the structure of soil by mixing organic matter into it. A definition of “bioindicator” is provided at the beginning, helping the reader understand the topic fully before going more in depth. There is also an image and webinar presented, which encapsulates much more information. In total, this article receives an 8.5- and could be extremely useful in the context of E.S.S.R.E. 

Phillips et al. “Putting soil invertebrate diversity on the map.” https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7305945/, February 2020 8.3- 

In a study conducted by Bastida et al. in 2020, soil samples were collected from eighty-three locations spanning across six continents, making it the first soil diversity map with data as its leading factor. Using the Structural Equation Model, it was revealed that climate and vegetation were the primary factors in soil diversity. This study was especially useful in establishing a baseline to push for more research for soil diversity, which pairs with the functioning of an ecosystem. This article is semi-useful to E.S.S.R.E participants because it is linked to lab work conducted, but it requires a little bit of additional knowledge of terms. Overall, this is a very useful article, and it receives an 8.3-.

Reiche, D. E.. "The Role of Soil Invertebrates in Nutrient Cycling" www.jstor.org/stable/20112575, 1977.

This paper discusses the role soil invertebrates have in ecosystem mineral cycling and nutrition. It also highlights the major problems and challenges in this area of research. The paper is full of diagrams and data presented visually allowing for an easier understanding. It is well-written and there are several citations.

Selonen, S et al. "Exploring the impacts of plastics in soil – The effects of polyester textile fibers on soil invertebrates" https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134451, November 2019.

This study explores the effects of polyester fibers on soil invertebrates. A sizable amount of the microplastic fibers going into wastewater, end up in sewage sludge which is used as fertilizer in many countries. Because the impacts of these fibers is largely unknown, the authors of this paper studied the effects of polyester fibers on several different types of invertebrate that are vital to a healthy ecosystem. Overall, the effects were minimal, with only slight effects in some of the invertebrates, however the long-term effects are still unknown. A possible concern is the digestion of microplastics by the invertebrates affecting terrestrial food webs. The paper is well written with reliable sources and high credibility. Overall, the research study earns a score of 9.4+, well within the range of acceptable sources.

Smith, Cathy. "Soil Invertebrates, and their ecological role in the garden" https://www.suffolkwildlifetrust.org/news/soil-invertebrates-and-their-ecological-role-garden, July 2020.

This article discusses the various roles of invertebrates in a garden. The author identifies and describes various soil invertebrates including pill woodlice and millipedes. Along with descriptions of each invertebrate, the article includes pictures to depict them. The author identifies and discusses both helpful and harmful invertebrates. The author uses comprehensive language, which makes the article suitable for all ages. On a scale from 1-10, this article earns a 7-.

University at Buffalo. "Invertebrates" https://soil.evs.buffalo.edu/index.php/Invertebrates, May 2023.

This article is from the University at Buffalo soil ecology webpage, and has no author listed . The site’s purpose is to educate students about soil invertebrates, giving information about where they can be commonly found, their behaviors, and role in ecosystems. The site describes a variety of soil invertebrates, going in depth about each type. The site is easy to navigate, with an array of sources that are easily accessible. However, there is no author cited, so while this site  may appear credible,  it is unclear who created it. In addition, the site has several visuals, but they are just pictures of various invertebrates and not educational. The site is very recent (last updated in 2023) and the information is relatively easy to understand, not using any highly specialized terms. It received an 8 on a scale from 0-10.

Vrije University Amsterdam. "Climate Change Alters Forest Soil Invertebrate Populations." https://vu.nl/en/news/2024/climate-change-alters-forest-soil-invertebrate-populations, June 2024.

This webpage talks about a study done on the effects of climate change on soil invertebrates.  It shows how drought has the largest impact on invertebrate populations, causing about a 35% decrease, and puts emphasis on the amount of biodiversity in soil and its role in the environment.  This would be beneficial for E.S.S.R.E. students to read because of its emphasis on the importance of these organisms and their role in our studies.  The website also makes the information easy to read and understand for most people, and can be used in classrooms as well.  This website in rated an 8.3+.

Wu, B et al. "Precipitation Seasonality and Soil pH Drive the Large-Scale Distribution of Soil Invertebrate Communities in Agricultural Ecosystems." https://academic.oup.com/femsec/article/99/11/fiad131/7317690#423110982, October 2023.

This article explains a study done on soil samples in China to identify the concentrations of soil invertebrates as affected by the yearly precipitation distribution in that area.  This study explains the importance of soil invertebrates to an ecosystem, as well as the severe lack of research that has been done on them.  Students in E.S.S.R.E. could benefit from reading this article because of the similarities their experiment bears to ours, and seeing how our research skills could be applied in the field.  Interns could also learn the importance of invertebrates in the soil and how they play a role in ecosystems.  This website is rated a 9.5-.

The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. “Soil Life.” https://xerces.org/soil-life#:~:text=The%20life%20and%20biological%20productivity,on%20the%20Xerces%20YouTube%20Channel, January 2025 

This article briefly discusses the importance of invertebrate soil animals, gives a few common examples and their collective “jobs” as a species, then offers guidance on how to protect the animals’ habitats. For example, when gardening, the Xerces Society recommends trying to minimize soil disturbance to protect the habitat and keep the invertebrates safe. Since the article is relatively short, there are only two visuals, both being examples of species commonly found in soil, although the first image does not have a caption. At the end of the article, resources are linked to aid in learning more about soil, habitats, invertebrates, conservation, and observation. Overall, this article gives some relevant data to E.S.S.R.E, but there are other useful ones out there- the author is neither listed nor has contact information, and there are no references- it receives a 7.0-.

Zhu, Dong et al. “Trophic level drives the host microbiome of soil invertebrates at a continental scale” https://microbiomejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40168-021-01144-4, September 2021.

This article talks about the differences and effects of soil invertebrates in microbiomes. The source states that soil invertebrates have crucial jobs in ecosystems such as decomposition, climate influence, and nutrient cycling. It is a lab report on an experiment which hypothesized that neutral processes of certain soil invertebrates (collembolans, oribatid, and predatory mites)would have different effects from another select set of invertebrates (nematodes, potworms, and earthworms)which was formally written with colorful graphs and informative figure descriptions. The source has many credible authors and references that make it easy to navigate the site. This is a relevant source because it describes the purposes of various different soil invertebrates. This source gets an 8 on a 1-10 scale.