Fig. 1

Layout of the sampling method being undertaken in a 100-m² oak forest plot (adapted from Spetich 2007). Dashed white lines within deadwood indicate sections divided into separate pieces. All deadwood ≥10 cm in diameter and within the plot were measured for total length and midpoint diameter (dark grey), and five randomly selected pieces also sampled for earthworms within the deadwood and in the soil beneath (using 0.1 m² soil pits). All deadwood < 10 cm in diameter or outside the plot were excluded from the survey (light grey). Five standalone 0.1 m² soil pits (indicated by crosses) were sampled for soil-dwelling earthworms