Nature – Calogiuri et al. (2025): Alive and dead earthworms capture carbon during mineral weathering through different pathways
Tullia Calogiuri, Mathilde Hagens, Jan Willem Van Groenigen, Florian Wichern, Reinaldy P. Poetra, Lukas Rieder, Ivan A. Janssens, Jens Hartmann, Anna Neubeck, Harun Niron, Abhijeet Singh, Siegfried E. Vlaeminck, Sara Vicca and Alix Vidal, IN: Communications Earth & Environment, www.doi.org/s43247-025-02766-4
Enhanced rock weathering aims at capturing atmospheric carbon dioxide as inorganic carbon, while potentially stabilizing soil organic carbon. However, the role of soil biota in this process remains underexplored. Earthworms, being key soil engineers, may impact carbon dynamics both when alive, through mineral ingestion and casting activities, and when dead, through microbial processes. Using stable isotope tracing, the authors investigate how live and dead earthworms affect carbon dynamics during rock weathering.