Earthworms can increase nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, particularly in no-tillage systems where earthworms are abundant. Here, we study the effect of residue incorporation depth on earthworm-induced N2O emissions. We hypothesized that cumulative N2O emissions decrease with residue incorporation depth, because (i) increased water filled pore space (WFPS) in deeper soil layers leads to higher denitrification rates as well as more complete denitrification; and (ii) the longer upward diffusion path increases N2O reduction to N2. Two 84-day laboratory mesocosm experiments were conducted. First, we manually incorporated maize (Zea mays L.) residue at different soil depths (incorporation experiment). Second, 13C-enriched maize residue was applied to the soil surface and anecic species Lumbricus terrestris (L.) and epigeic species Lumbricus rubellus (Hoffmeister) were confined to different soil depths (earthworm experiment). Residue incorporation depth affected cumulative N2O emissions in both experiments (P similar to
