geoworm

Earthworms (Annelida: Oligochaeta) are of great economic significance to mankind, they are among the most ecologically important soil macrofauna, keystone organisms in soil food webs, decomposition processes and carbon cycling or sequestration. They play a major role in breakdown of dead plant and animal materials in soil and forest litter, and in maintenance of soil structure and porosity. At the same time, they take part in soil formation and are essential for soil fertility. About 3,500 species are distributed all over the world. In Korea, not only the taxonomy but also the field of biology of this group has been explored poorly at the present time. There are 100 Korean earthworms species reported come from 3 families and 8 genera. In this study, the database system with 40 species of Korean earthworm is built. Taxonomists, environmentalists, farmers, and the public may have an access to the DB based on Internet. The DB provides information on native species from Korea, species found in agro-ecosystem, and also biological characteristics and geographic distribution of species both in English and in Korean.