Feeding behavior and trophic relationship of earthworms and other predators in vermifiltration system for liquid-state sludge stabilization using fatty acid profiles

•Feeding behavior and trophic level of VF earthworms have never been reported.•Earthworm activity increased the percentage of protozoa on VF biofilm.•Fatty acid composition of earthworms was changed due to their feeding behavior.•The trophic level order of predators was leeches > earthworms > lymnaeidaes > limaxes.•Earthworms optimized microbial community structure and extended VF food web.

The sludge reduction capability (VSS reduction) of vermifilter (VF) was 14.7% higher than that of conventional biofilter (BF) due to the fact that there was a net loss of biomass and energy when the food web in VF is extended. Therefore, feeding behavior and trophic relationship of earthworms and other predators (leeches, lymnaeidaes and limaxes) in VF were investigated using fatty acid (FA) profiles for the first time. Compared with BF biofilm, microbial community structure of VF biofilm got optimized by earthworms that the percentage of protozoa increased from 14.2% to 20.4%. Furthermore, analysis of specific microbial FAs composition in each predator suggested different trophic level of predators resulted from their selective ingestion of different microorganisms, and earthworms were at the second high trophic level in VF food web. Overall findings indicated earthworms modified microbial community and extended the food web of VF and thus enhanced the sludge reduction.