A field study to assess pesticide effects on oligochaetes and soil functioning

Agriculture intensification and in particular pesticide usecan affect soil fauna and its related ecological functions (e.g. organic matter decomposition). In our study, we tested the effects of two fungicides (the copper and the dimoxystrobine, used respectively in organic and conventional agriculture) on oligochaetes (Lumbricidae and Enchytraeidae) and on the feeding activity (bait lamina method). The trial consisted on four replicates of five experimental treatments (control, copper and dimoxystrobine at 1× and 10× the agronomic dose) in a meadow located near the Versailles castle (France). After one month of experiment, we compared the species composition of annelids and the feeding activity between treatments. We made the assumption that enchytraeid and earthworm diversity and community structure vary in plots treated with pesticides leading to lower consumption rate