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• Earthworms.
• 's third-grade students became fascinated with earthworms. Although she had never used earthworms in the science classroom before, and she knew she could use any of a number of small animals to meet her goals, Ms. ... She called the local museum of natural history to talk with personnel to be sure she knew enough about earthworms to care for them and to guide the children's explorations. She learned that it was relatively easy to house earthworms over long periods. She was told that if she ordered the earthworms from a biological supply house, they would come with egg cases and baby earthworms and the children would be able to observe the adult earthworms, the egg cases, the young earthworms, and some of the animal's habits.
• Before preparing a habitat for the earthworms, students spent time outdoors closely examining the environment where the worms had been found. This fieldtrip was followed by a discussion about important aspects of keeping earthworms in the classroom: How would students create a place for the earthworms that closely resembled the natural setting? An earthworm from outside was settled into a large terrarium away from direct sun; black paper was secured over the sides of the terrarium into which the children had put soil, leaves, and grass. A week later the earthworms arrived from the supply company and were added to the habitat.
• She wanted the students to become familiar with the basic needs of the earthworms and how to care for them. ... She also felt that this third grade class would be able to design simple experiments that would help the students learn about some of the behaviors of the earthworms.
• In the first 2 weeks, the students began closely observing the earthworms and recording their habits. The students recorded what the earthworms looked like, how they moved, and what the students thought the earthworms were doing. The students described color and shape; they weighed and measured the earthworms and kept a large chart of the class data, which provoked a discussion about variation. They observed and described how the earthworms moved on a surface and in the soil. Questions and ideas about the earthworms came up continually. ... turned to what else the children might want to find out about earthworms and how they might go about doing so. Among the many questions on the chart were: How do the earthworms have babies? Do they like to live in some kinds of soil better than others? What are those funny things on the top of the soil? Do they really like the dark? How do they go through the dirt? How big can an earthworm get?.

• Illinois Earthworms: Indicators of Soil Health?.
• The soil is home to a complex community of organisms that includes bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes, potworms, earthworms, mites, springtails, millipedes, centipedes, and other arthropods, so there are many potential candidates for biological indicators of soil quality. ...
• Earthworms are the largest and most familiar soil invertebrates in Illinois soils. ... Furthermore, because of the ability of earthworms to redistribute large amounts of soil and organic matter (roughly as much as their own body weight each day), they may shape the rest of the soil community and important ecosystem processes such as water infiltration, nutrient cycling, and decomposition. In Illinois, about 35 species of earthworms have been reported. ...
• We hand sorted the earthworms from each sample, then counted, weighed, and (in the case of adults) preserved them for identification. ...
• Because of our method of sampling, we collected mostly endogeic earthworms--worms that tunnel back and forth through the topsoil and feed on buried decaying organic matter and organic matter-rich soil. We did not collect anecic earthworms, such as the nightcrawler, Lumbricus terrestris, that form permanent vertical burrows 3-9 feet down into the soil and pull plant residues from the soil surface into their burrows to feed.
• The most striking observation was the difference in abundance of earthworms between cultivated fields and their uncultivated grassy borders. ... The difference between in-field and grassy border populations was even greater when we considered the living weight of the earthworms: an average of 78 pounds per acre within fields, with a maximum of 179 pounds per acre, and almost 30 times that weight--an average of 2,263 pounds per acre and a maximum of 5,909 pounds per acre--in the grassy borders. Thus, topsoil-dwelling earthworms were not only less abundant within fields than in borders but they were also smaller. In contrast to the difference between fields and grassy borders, we were unable to detect a difference in the number or weight of topsoil-dwelling earthworms among the fields with different management practices.
• The grassy borders may also provide a more abundant, stable, and nutritious food supply to support larger populations of earthworms. Agricultural practices and chemicals may result in higher mortality of earthworms within the field than occurs in uncultivated border areas. ...

• htm Earthworms: under-valued, under-rated and unloved.
• Earthworms are bio-indicators of the soil's fertility. ...
• The 15 species of earthworms identified in Quebec are of european origin. ...
• Earthworms have been classified according to their relationship with the environment: the EPIGES, the ENDOGES, and the ANECIQUES. ...
• With a high population of earthworms, a soil can drain water 4-10 times more quickly than a soil without any earthworms. Indirectly, earthworms improve plant growth by improving soil physical properties, thereby allowing better plant root growth. ...
• Organic matter and earthworms.
• Because earthworms feed for the most part on organic matter, they are active participants in the recycling process that occurs in the soil. ...
• In Europe where winters are mild, it has been calculated that in apple orchards, earthworms can incorporate more than 90% of the fall litter during the season (about 1. ...
• Dead earthworms decompose rapidly and therefore are a source of nitrogen that is readily available to soil organisms and plants. ...
• By acting as incorporaters and recyclers, earthworms act as soil reservoirs for nitrogen in the ecosystem. In systems with no plowing, researchers have estimated that the equivalent of 63 ???? N/ha/year passes through earthworms.
• Fertilization using synthetic fertilizers does not appear to harm earthworms if done in moderation. ... However, in general, earthworms benefit indirectly through the increased amount of plant residues left on the soil. ... 5-5, earthworms benefit from applications of lime. ...
• Fertilization with manure is better for maintaining good populations of earthworms. ...

• However, under favourable conditions, earthworms, lowly creatures to many people, can speed up this process to only five years. As agriculture, and ultimately civilization, depend on the maintenance of a fertile topsoil (Hyams, 1952; Mitchell, 1946), it is in our best interest to encourage earthworms in their soil building activities. ...
• Long before the invention of agricultural implements, earthworms ploughed the soil, mixing, tilling and building topsoil as they burrowed through the earth. ... , Aristotle, it is said, aptly referred to earthworms as "the intestines of the earth" though he may well have been referring to their appearance rather than to their function. But what do we know about these animals? The following will help us to understand earthworms and how we may be able to benefit from their activities. ...
• Where are earthworms found?.
• Relatively few people realize that the "common" earthworms, of which the best known species, but not always the commonest, is called Lumbricus terrestris by biologists, are just as much newcomers to North America as we are. During the last glaciation period even native earthworms were unable to survive in those areas covered with ice and have only been reintroduced (often accidentally) to these soils by man, the familiar ones since European settlement. In fact, there are many areas in Canada where earthworms are absent and where the productivity of the soils could be substantially increased if they were introduced. ...
• Earthworms are most numerous in grassland and mull soils, relatively rare in acidic (or mor) soils, and intermediate and variable in numbers in arable lands. However, other factors such as soil texture, moisture, temperature, and food supply also determine whether a field may have more earthworms than one on a neighbouring farm. ...
• There are many species of earthworms and each generally has different preferences for soil conditions. ... Cultivation of the soil may enable earthworms to penetrate further into the soil. ...
• How do earthworms influence soil fertility?.
• The accidental introduction of earthworms to North America may have been the best outcome of contact between the early settlers and native peoples. While the Indians suffered from lack of exposure and immunity to European diseases, the fertility of many North American soils was greatly enhanced through the recycling of organic matter by earthworms. ...

• The City Naturalist - Earthworms.
• EARTHWORMS: Lumbricus terrestris .
• Some scientists estimate that there are approximately 50,000 earthworms per acre of moist soil. Earthworms live in deep, dark, long, and narrow tunnels or burrows under the ground, They cannot tolerate heat and sun and so during the summer they come up to the surface only at night. ... After a rain you will notice multitudes of earthworms on the surface. ...
• BENEFITS OF EARTHWORMS: Gardeners, farmers, foresters and soil scientists all love the earthworm because of the good they do for flowers, crops, and plants and animals of the forest. Earthworms are active animals and feed by bringing organic debris into their burrows from the surface and by eating their way through the soil. ...
• In this way, earthworms have helped produce the fertile humus that covers the land. ... When earthworms die, usually in the dry summer, the organic material making up their bodies is gradually released providing additional nutrients for plants. ...
• EARTHWORM BURROWS: the tunnels earthworms make beneath the topsoil do a tremendous service to the trees and plants above. Their burrowing aerates the soil, which is why earthworms are called "nature's plough". ...
• LIFE CYCLE: Earthworms are hermaphrodites with both male and female reproductive organs. ...
• HISTORY: Earthworms were brought to North America by the early European settlers in the 17th and 18th centuries. If earthworms existed in North America prior to this, they were probably wiped out during the last ice age, 10,000 to 50,000 years ago .
• Earthworms, Dorothy Childs Hogner, 1953, Thomas Y. ...
• Earthworms, John Mertus, 1993.

• New book on earthworms-JUST ARRIVED!.
• Since 1996, VermiCo has been pleased to provide a wealth of information and products to thousands of people worldwide wanting to know more about earthworms and their many uses. ...
• We have discovered that there are many different types of interest in vermiculture (breeding earthworms) and vermicomposting (converting organic waste into worm castings—a valuable soil amendment that acts like a bio-fertilizer and bio-insecticide). ...

• POSTED 31 AUG 2000 Northern forests are under attack by a silent, invisible and deadly plague: an army of introduced earthworms. ...
• Earthworms are a blessing in gardens, where they mix the soil, increase porosity, and leave fertile droppings, and it's always seemed logical that they would similarly benefit other soils. ...
• Spring flowers and tree seedlings both suffer when earthworms munch the decaying litter on the ground. ...
• In research presented this spring to the Ecological Society of America (but not yet published), Hale reported that within just 100 meters, the forest changes from worm-free to containing five to seven species of earthworms. ...
• "It's like a wave, you can draw a line in the forest, on one side there are no earthworms -- or very few. ...
• Above: Forest soil without (left) and with (right) introduced earthworms. ...
• "In natural habitat, in lush hardwood forest, plants have evolved in absolute absence of worms, and plant germination, establishment, and nutrient dynamics of the ecosystem are fundamentally designed to work in absence of powerful detritovores like earthworms detritovores, naturally, eat detritus, like duff slowly decaying on the forest floor . When you introduce exotic earthworms, by changing the decomposition and nutrient dynamics, you turn the ecosystem upside down, you change the environment for all the plants on the forest floor. ...
• And since earthworms tamper with the root of forest processes, the research also reinforces the grim picture of ecological chaos due to invasive exotic species. ... "Earthworms are a great example because they attack the forest floor, and that's the center of nutrient cycling and plant regeneration. ...

• Agriculture News Tips: Earthworms work as nature's plow; new test for potato disease; low-tech berries .
• EARTHWORMS ARE SOIL'S BEST FRIEND .
• When farmers turn their attention to plowing this spring, they might be better off leaving at least part of the job to earthworms, a University of Guelph soil scientist says. ...
• "There is a definite lack of appreciation for the precise contribution earthworms have on soil structure," said Prof. ... VandenBygaart is working with Cathy Fox from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to accurately determine what proportion of soil structure is largely influenced by the natural tunneling activity of earthworms. ...
• The problem is that plowing can lead to erosion and loss of valuable soil, and kill earthworms, VandenBygaart said. ...
• "We need to understand earthworms' impact on soil, so their benefits can be built upon and current agricultural practices improved," he said. ...
• By digging small tunnels through the soil, earthworms build porous networks that promote efficient water and nutrient cycling. ...

• EARTHWORMS: THATCH-BUSTERS.
• Earthworms, called the "intestines of the earth" by Aristotle, are very important soil organisms that aid in the decomposition of plant litter, such as the thatch layer, and in recycling of nutrients. ...
• Earthworms may be viewed as pests because their burrows and castings create a roughened surface. Also, since earthworms are a preferred food for moles, pesticides are sometimes applied in an effort to remove food so that the moles will go elsewhere. There is no scientific evidence that elimination of earthworms will reduce problems with moles. Earthworms make significant contributions to a fertile, healthy soil. ...
• Use of certain fertilizers or pesticides may encourage an accumulation of thatch by increasing turf growth and/or killing beneficial organisms, such as earthworms. ... Earthworms break apart the thatch and pull organic matter into the soil. ...
• Earthworms are generally found in the top 12" to 18" of the soil because this is where food is most abundant. ... Pesticides and Earthworms .
• Pesticides applied to control turf diseases or insect pests may severely affect earthworms. ... Products commonly used on turf areas vary greatly in their toxicity to earthworms. ... Preservation of earthworms is important where thatch is a problem. ...
• The following toxicity information for earthworms was obtained during a 3-year research project by the University of Kentucky Entomology Department. ...
• apply pesticides only when needed; eliminate preventive applications, especially in the spring when earthworms are near the soil surface .
• select products that are least injurious to earthworms and do not exceed labeled rates. ...

• Animals: Worms - Aquatic & Terrestrial; Segmented, Earthworms, Leeches - Phylum Annelida, Images by Wernher Krutein and PHOTOVAULT.
• Included in the Vault are images of: Earth Worms, Ice Worms, Nightcrawlers, Earthworms, etc.

• Earthworms.
• Facts About Earthworms .

• Earthworms for Composting -- Earthworm Farming .
• We supply earthworms especially suited for composting food wastes .
• Earthworms are in great demand around the world. ...

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