ABSTRACT
Implications for agriculture can be found in nearly all the range of topics cov ered at both ISEE IV and ISEE V. This is partly due to the fact that many 1
researchers are interested specifically in agriculture and the potential influences of earthworms on agricultural production, soil conservation, environmental quality, and so on. But from a broader perspective, agricultural systems often are more easily studied than more complex natural ecosystems, and earthworm effects on soil processes and plant growth are more conspicuous in agroecosystems than in natural ecosystems. Thus, agricultural systems provide a crucible in which to test ideas about earthworms, beyond their role in agriculture.
