Faculty of Technical Sciences

The recording and evaluation of the diversity of soil organism communities has made considerable progress within the last decade (see, e.g., the results of the European FP7-project,,EcoFinders"). In particular, the large influence of these organisms on the ecological functions of the soil has been highlighted (e.g., maintenance of soil structure. organic matter decomposition). Equally important, it was shown that not only flagship species such as the deep-burrowing earthworm species Lumbricus terrestris, but also the highly diverse meso-and microfauna have to be considered. However, in Germany no regional coverage and comprehensive information regarding the biodiversity of soil invertebrates is available. Reasons for ignoring soil invertebrates are the lack of trained taxonomists, the only recent implementation of standard (i.e. ISO) sampling methods as well as the general lack of interest in these often small and inconspicuous species. In order to improve this situation, the German Federal Environmental Agency (UBA) started a project in 2018, aiming to develop a standardized, comprehensive and efficient program to monitor selected soil invertebrate groups all over Germany, representing different soils, land use forms (i.e. meadows, crop sites and forests) and regions. Currently, sampling started at 25 Permanent Soil Monitoring Sites (PSMS), looking in particular at earthworms (Lumbricidae), springtails (Collembola) and potworms (Enchytraeidae), and using ISO standard sampling methodology. Species belonging to these groups are determined by classic morphological methods but also by using modern genetical methods such as DNA-barcoding or cDNA and eDNA measurements. The final aim of the project is to develop an efficient, cost-effective, and routinely applicable soil invertebrate monitoring system, as a tool for the evaluation of soil invertebrate biodiversity under stress. First results of this project will be presented.