Deep-burrowing (anecic) earthworm Lumbricus terrestris contributes to the crucial ecosystem service of water regulation. Their deep, vertical burrows facilitate water flow and deeper rooting, the former supporting the prevention of flooding and waterlogging, the latter improving drought tolerance. In Europe, these earthworms occur in agricultural grasslands on various soil types. However, their distribution pattern can be very heterogeneous. There is no conclusive set of soil biotic or abiotic factors that determines whether L. terrestris occurs or not. Through a better understanding of the L. terrestris distribution patterns we hope to gain more insight into their potential for climate adaptive water regulation.

We executed a field inventory (n = 62) to assess the relationship between L. terrestris population density in grassland on sandy soils and soil silt content (loaminess), gley depth, epigeic earthworm population density and grassland age.

We found positive correlations between soil silt concentrations and L. terrestris population densities. Gley depth slightly correlated with population density when presented in a model with silt concentration as a predictor. Presence and population density of L. terrestris correlated negatively with L. rubellus abundance. The number of years without mechanical soil disturbance and L. terrestris population density were not significantly related. Unexpectedly, we found L. terrestris in some very sandy soils. Our data was fitted into an existing predictive model based on land use and texture (by Lindahl et al., 2009), yielding 63% accuracy. Overall, this correlative study provides further insights into L. terrestris habitat selection, which helps us understand the species’ potential for water regulation in the widespread grassland agro-ecosystems.

深穴蚯蚓Lumbricus terrestris为水调节这一重要的生态系统服务做出了贡献。它们的深而垂直的洞穴有利于水流和更深的扎根，前者有助于防止洪水和涝灾，后者提高了耐旱性。在欧洲，这些蚯蚓出现在各种土壤类型的农业草地上。然而，它们的分布模式可能非常异构。没有一组决定性的土壤生物或非生物因素来决定L. terrestris是否出现。通过更好地了解L. terrestris 的分布模式，我们希望能够更深入地了解它们在气候适应性水调节方面的潜力。

我们进行了实地清查（n = 62），以评估沙质土壤草地中的土生蚯蚓种群密度与土壤淤泥含量（壤土）、灰土深度、表层蚯蚓种群密度和草地年龄之间的关系。

我们发现土壤淤泥浓度与L. terrestris种群密度之间呈正相关。当在以淤泥浓度作为预测因子的模型中呈现时，隐窝深度与人口密度略有相关。L. terrestris的存在和种群密度与L. rubellus丰度呈负相关。土壤无机械扰动的年数与土生植物种群密度无显着相关性。出乎意料的是，我们在一些非常沙质的土壤中发现了L. terrestris 。我们的数据被拟合到基于土地利用和纹理的现有预测模型中（Lindahl 等人，2009 年），准确率达到 63%。总体而言，这项相关研究提供了进一步的见解L. terrestris栖息地选择，有助于我们了解该物种在广泛的草原农业生态系统中调节水分的潜力。