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Welcome to SoilRise!

A project for research and protection of soil biodiversity!

What is SoilRise?

SoilRise is a project to study the biodiversity of earthworms in Europe. Earthworms play crucial roles in soils and are considered important ‘soil engineers’. With the help of citizen science, i.e. interested members of the public, we collect data on the distribution and diversity of earthworms in Europe.

SoilRise is more than just scientific research. We aim to build an interactive network between scientists, the public and stakeholders to raise awareness of the importance of soil biodiversity. Our goal is to research, protect and conserve the diverse habitats beneath our feet. By participating in SoilRise, you are actively contributing to preserving the health of our soils and making a positive impact on the environment.

Goals

1. Improving data availability on earthworm communities in Europe

We will improve and expand the database on earthworms in Europe.

2. Raising awareness of soil biodiversity

By involving stakeholders and the public in the SoilRise network, we aim to raise awareness of the importance of soil biodiversity.

3. Investigation of earthworm species

We investigate the earthworm populations in individual European countries (Poland, Ireland, Germany, France and Austria) to see whether

a) There are differences within an earthworm species (so-called ‘cryptic species’). We pay particular attention to two very common species called Aporrectodea caliginosa and Allolobophora chlorotica.

b) there are endangered species.

c) there are non-native species.

4. Research and description of earthworm biodiversity

We investigate earthworm diversity in rural and urban areas and compare site-specific characteristics (size and management of gardens, fields and public spaces) to paint a comprehensive picture of earthworm biodiversity.

5. Determination of earthworm species

Wouldn’t it be easy to analyse a spoonful of soil and see which earthworms live there? We are still a long way from that, but we are working on it…

6. Our SoilRise network

We are also interested in how well our citizen science network works. How well is it implemented? What can we change? What you and we have learned? Was our information helpful? Has awareness of earthworm biodiversity increased?…

What do we offer?

Training and continuing education:

SoilRise offers training to learn the basics of soil ecology and sampling, as well as workshops to provide more in-depth knowledge about earthworms.

Engagement and impact:

Your participation supports our scientific research project and makes a direct contribution to environmental protection. By taking samples, you and we expand our knowledge of soil biodiversity.

Community and networking:

Become part of our SoilRise network, exchange ideas with each other and with us, and make contacts with other participants and experts. Together we can research how we can protect earthworms.

Flexibility and initiative:

Your participation is flexible. The time required per location is around 3 to 5 hours and you can start, pause, resume or stop your participation at any time.

Information:

Discover the ground beneath your feet, meet interesting people and experience nature from a new perspective. You collect earthworms and we tell you which earthworms you have found.

10 reasons to participate in research at SoilRise

1. Researching earthworms

At SoilRise, we want to research, together with colleagues from Germany, France, Austria and Poland, where there are particularly large numbers of earthworm species. We want to know what habitat earthworms need and what their requirements are. To do this, we are relying on a project involving farmers and gardeners in order to find as many earthworms as possible. We will also determine the DNA of the earthworms we find in order to track down any undiscovered species.

2. Maintain biodiversity

One wider goal is to promote earthworms in order to preserve biodiversity. Biodiversity is important for maintaining resilient ecosystems, whether in the city or in the countryside. Only when many different living creatures live in an ecosystem can potential failures due to extreme weather, construction, management, etc. be dealt with. Biodiversity can be roughly compared to the human immune system. Only when the immune system is resilient can we survive stress unscathed and overcome extremes.

3. Promote earthworms

We want to promote earthworms to ensure their diverse ecosystem services.

4. Co-creation of knowledge

In order to make this research a success, we rely on the knowledge of many. In other words, on your knowledge! We need your knowledge, your observations and your research in order to learn from you and with you.

5. Workshops

We provide you with the basis for your research and share our current knowledge about earthworms and soil with you. In workshops and field days, we tell you about the way earthworms live, how you can promote earthworms now, how many species there are in Ireland and how you can collect samples for your own research.

6. Many hands make light work

To support you in your research, we have not only planned workshops, but also helpers. Mentors and researchers will help you with data collection. If possible, directly on site.

7. Networking

One advantage of research networks is the ability to exchange ideas. We want to facilitate exchange between researchers, i.e. you and science.

8. Where are the earthworms?

One of our assumptions is that earthworms need a variety of structures to thrive. Structures include trees, hedges, streams, ponds, many plant species, rich food, etc.

In general, earthworms have low demands. All they need is soil, water, food, and not to be disturbed. Earthworms need moist soil to be active, otherwise they go into “winter” or “summer sleep”.

Cultivatling the soil reduces their numbers, and they do best when left alone. Earthworms need food, this can come from crops, leaf litter or compost.

But how big does a habitat need to be? Do you need a 20-hectare field? Or is a small vegetable patch enough? Are there more earthworms in the city or in the countryside?

9. 3 to 5 hours for research

If you would like to participate, we offer you training and materials for your research. Data collection will run from September 2024 to December 2026 and will take place in autumn and spring, when earthworms are most active. The earthworm search takes about 3 to 5 hours each time. You are welcome to try it out and join or drop out at any time.

10. Our research takes it to the surface

Your research and ours can help to make the little earthworms known. Get earthworms out of the soil and into the public consciousness.

How can you participate?

Registration:

Email the Irish SoilRise team: soilrise@ucd.ie

Sampling:

Sample your areas with a spade in the months of March to May and/or September to November. Sampling one site takes about 3 to 5 hours. Enter the data collected in the form provided. Our team will support you every step of the way, including on-site if possible.

Documents

We provide you with all the materials you need, including instructions for taking samples. Our seminars for preparation and for delving deeper into the world of earthworms are also available as webinars and are recorded.

Exchange:

After sampling, we invite you to exchange ideas with other participants and the research team.

Feedback:

To ensure an effective process, we ask for your feedback on the evaluation of data collection and communication.

What data do we need?

What happens to the data?

Your contact details are required to invite you to the training, to provide further information about sampling and to arrange a date for the joint sampling. If you agree, we will send you your personal results by email or post. If you agree, you will also receive our newsletter with information about events, results of the overall project and news. You can find more detailed information about the processing of your data in the privacy policy.

Dig for Data: Uncover Soil’s Secrets!

Grab your spade and head out to the field!

Join the SoilRise team!