Compaction is an important and increasing threat for forest soils. In addition to preventive approaches, remediation solutions are needed. Among them, the release of anecic earthworms is thought to be a promising approach. However, most previous attempts in compacted forest soils failed to retrieve the introduced earthworms. To gain more insight on the feasibility of releasing Lumbricus terrestris adults, we performed both a laboratory and a field study. Under laboratory conditions, the L. terrestris behavior was assessed in repacked soil cores with increasing soil bulk density (1.3, 1.4, 1.5 and 1.6 g cm⁻³ for a silt-loam soil). We found that burrowing (burrow volume, diameter and maximal burrow depth) as well as casting and feeding behavior were significantly reduced (−95%, −50% and −65%, respectively) at the highest bulk density compared to the lowest. For the field study, we released L. terrestris in a 10-year old experimental forest site in which two factors were studied: soil compaction and liming. To prevent them from escaping, the earthworms were caged in PVC cylinders in compacted (or not) and limed (or not) plots. After six months, we assessed the burrowing behavior and litter consumption of the earthworms. L. terrestris showed a good survival rate (>52%), as assessed by surface activity, in all situations. Liming had no detectable effect whereas the increase in bulk density in compacted plots (from 1.29 to 1.36 g cm⁻³) led to a significant decrease in the burrow volume. This suggests that, when forced to do so, L. terrestris is able settle in compacted and acidic soils and then perform its functional role (burrow creation and litter burial).

压实是森林土壤的一个重要且日益严重的威胁。除了预防方法外，还需要补救解决方案。其中，释放厌食蚯蚓被认为是一种很有前景的方法。然而，以前在压实的森林土壤中的大多数尝试都未能取回引入的蚯蚓。为了更深入地了解释放Lumbricus terrestris成虫的可行性，我们进行了实验室和实地研究。在实验室条件下，L.蒺藜行为在重新包装土壤芯评估随土壤堆积密度（1.3，1.4，1.5和1.6g厘米^-3为粉砂壤土）。我们发现，与最低堆积密度相比，最高堆积密度下的掘穴（掘穴体积、直径和最大掘穴深度）以及铸造和喂食行为显着减少（分别为 -95%、-50% 和 -65%）。在实地研究中，我们在一个有 10 年历史的实验林地释放了L. terrestris，其中研究了两个因素：土壤压实和石灰。为了防止它们逃跑，蚯蚓被关在压实（或不）和石灰（或不）地块的 PVC 圆筒中。六个月后，我们评估了蚯蚓的穴居行为和垃圾消耗量。L. terrestris根据表面活性评估，在所有情况下都显示出良好的存活率 (>52%)。石灰没有可检测到的影响，而压实地块中堆积密度的增加（从 1.29 到 1.36 g cm ^-3）导致洞穴体积显着减少。这表明，当被迫这样做时，L. terrestris能够在压实的酸性土壤中定居，然后发挥其功能作用（挖洞和掩埋垃圾）。