# Earthworms regulate soil microbial and plant residues through decomposition

*PRI Rank #7 · Topics and Trends in Most Cited Invertebrate Taxonomy and Ecology Papers, Class of 2026*

*Canonical URL: https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/invertebrate-taxonomy-and-ecology/2026/rank-7*

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Rank | #7 |
| 18m citations | 14 |
| Journal | Geoderma |
| Year | 2024 |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.geoderma.2024.117040 |
| Corresponding authors | Honghua Ruan |
| Institution | Nanjing Forestry University, China |

**Ranking page:** [Topics and Trends in Most Cited Invertebrate Taxonomy and Ecology Papers, Class of 2026](https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/invertebrate-taxonomy-and-ecology/2026)

**Paper link:** [10.1016/j.geoderma.2024.117040](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2024.117040)

## Topics

earthworms · Drawida gisti · Metaphire guillelmi · endogeic earthworms · microbial cellular residues · microbial extracellular residues · amino sugars · extracellular polymeric substances · EPS-protein · EPS-polysaccharide · plant residues · lignin phenols · Particulate organic matter · Particulate organic matter · fast-decaying plant residues · slow-decaying plant residues · Microcosm experiment · soil organic matter composition · decomposition regulation

## Cite this ranking

```
Pepkio Research Index (PRI). Topics and Trends in Most Cited Invertebrate Taxonomy and Ecology Papers, Class of 2026. https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/invertebrate-taxonomy-and-ecology/2026. Accessed 2026-07-31.

Zheng Su, Tinsley Li, Thematic Shifts in Early-High-Impact Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics Research: A Bibliometric and Semantic Analysis. bioRxiv 2026.07.04.736459; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.07.04.736459
```