Soil isopods are among the few terrestrial crustaceans, and the most common group of terrestrial isopods are the woodlice. Many woodlice species can roll themselves into balls to defend against predators or to conserve moisture. Woodlice often seek moderately humid soil, sheltering under bark, leaves, stones or leaf litter.
Woodlice are macro-detritivores that play an important role in the decomposition of plant materials. They breakdown plant residues into smaller pieces accelerating its degradation by earthworms and microbes, and are therefore welcomed in healthy compost and vermicompost food web.
Woodlice are considered beneficial in agriculture for their role in controlling certain pests, producing compost and overturning the soil, but they have also been known to feed on living plants when litter is unavailable. To avoid problems of woodlice eating seedlings of plant roots, keep a healthy layer of mulch in your soil.
Similar to earthworms, the guts of woodlice contain a number of microbes that help them feed on dead organic matter. They possess the ability to detoxify heavy metals from soils, including lead, cadmium and arsenic. They crystallize these ions into spherical deposits in their guts making them unavailable to other organisms. Woodlice can help to re-establish soil health and prevent toxic metal ions from leaching into the groundwater.
4 окт 2024
