A six year study of earthworm (Lumbricidae) populations in pasture woodland in southern England shows their responses to soil temperature and soil moisture

By P. Eggleton, Kelly Inward, Joanne Smith, David T. Jones, E. Sherlock. 2009

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Soil fauna responses to natural disturbances, invasive species, and global climate change: Current state of the science and a call to action (2017, background): “A severe drought reduced populations of the epigeic earthworm D. octaedra so much that adults were not captured at all during the four driest months of one summer whereas they were routinely collected during wetter summers of the six year study period (Eggleton et al., 2009).”
Earthworms as Bioindicators of Soil Quality (2011, background): “Other authors found soil moisture to be the key limiting factor for earthworm populations (Auerswald et al. 1996; Eggleton et al. 2009).”
Tree Species Identity Shapes Earthworm Communities (2017, background): “Epigeic species can endure short drought periods by producing drought-resistant cocoons, but when drought periods take too long they can go extinct locally [57].”
Climate Change and Biosphere Response: Unlocking the Collections Vault (2011, background): “Historical occurrence records also can be used to determine whether an apparently recent immigrant species is in fact a longtime resident (Frey 2009).”