Biology and Ecology of Earthworms is established as a key valuable text for students of agriculture, soil science, and soil invertebrate zoology and ecology. This is the 4th Edition of the popular textbook which reviews all aspects of earthworm biology and ecology. The book has been fully revised and updated throughout. Particular changes include: new treatments of earthworm taxonomy, diversity, migration and geographical distribution; interactions between earthworms and other soil organisms, especially microorganisms and soil-borne pests and diseases; as well as the importance of earthworms in organic waste management.

Clive A. Edwards was appointed as Chair of the Department of Entomology at the Ohio State University in 1985. He has published extensively on soil ecology, environmental toxicology, and sustainable agriculture, and he is currently recognized as a world authority on earthworms. His book, The Biology and Ecology of Earthworms, is the first comprehensive book on earthworms since Charles Darwin's The Production of Vegetable Mould Through the Action of Earthworms which was published in 1881. In 1996, Professor Edwards's above book won a Presidential Citation from the U.S. Soil & Water Conservation Society. A prolific writer, he has published more than 450 scientific publications including writing, editing or co-editing more than 35 books. He remained a distinguished Emeritus Professor until his death in 2021.Norman Q. Arancon is a faculty member of the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Science Management at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. He obtained M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Environmental Science from The Ohio State University (OSU), Columbus, Ohio USA after Fulbright fellowship at The Ohio State University from 1997 to 2001. Together with Dr. Clive Edwards and his students at the Soil Ecology Laboratory, they pioneered research on vermicompost applications in the field using other commercially important vegetables to investigate their effects on chemical and biochemical changes in soils. He received Hawaii Legislature, Gubernatorial and Hawaii House of Representatives citations for his contributions in science and technology in 2012, 2019 and 2021, respectively.

Preface.- Earthworm Morphology.- Earthworm Biodiversity and Biogeography.- Earthworm Biology.- Earthworm Physiology.- Earthworm Ecology: Populations.- Earthworm Ecology: Communities.- The Influence of Environmental Factors on Earthworms.- The Role of Earthworms in Organic Matter and Nutrient Cycles.- Earthworms and Micro-Organisms.- Role of Earthworms in Soil Structure, Fertility and Productivity.- Earthworms as Pests and Benefactors.- Earthworms in Environmental Management.- Effects of Agricultural Practices and Chemicals on Earthworms.- Appendix: Summary of Results on Laboratory and Field Experiments on Testing the Toxicity of Chemicals to Earthworms.- Glossary.- Bibliography.-Index.