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Earthworms are environmental indicators of soil health. Earthworms feed on the decaying matter in the soil and analyzing the contents of their digestive tracts gives insight into the overall condition of the soil. The earthworm gut accumulates chemicals, including heavy metals such as cadmium, mercury, zinc, and copper. The population size of ...
Fecundity, growth, maturation and biomass production were all significantly greater at 25 °C than 15°, 20°or 30°. {25 °C = 77 °F} The growth of individual earthworms increases as the population density lowers, but the greatest overall earthworm biomass production occurs at the highest population density.
However, this cannot be the case since L. terrestris, like other earthworms, can live in oxygenated water for long periods of time, stretching to weeks. Under less severe environmental conditions where air temperature and moisture are sufficient, the worm often moves around on the surface.
An adult specimen. Little is known about the giant Palouse earthworm. Typical adult specimens are about 8 in (20 cm) in length. [5] They are related to a species in Australia that is a true giant at 3.3 ft (1.0 m), the giant Gippsland earthworm.
In ecosystems, earthworms such as Lumbricus rubellus increase the rate of transfer between trophic levels by making it easier for plants to uptake nutrients. In food chains, earthworms such as Lumbricus rubellus are primary consumers whose role is converting the energy synthesized by photosynthetic plants into food for animals at higher trophic ...
The European nightcrawler (Dendrobaena hortensis) is a medium-small earthworm averaging about 1.5 g when fully grown. Generally blueish, pink-grey in color with a banded or striped appearance, the tips of their tails are often cream or pale yellow.
The average thickness of the drilosphere (lining of an earthworm burrow) is 2 mm, [4] but it can be much wider (about 8 mm) around the burrows of litter-feeding earthworms. [ 5 ] Through the drilosphere, earthworms influence soil microbial communities, with effects on microbial processes related to soil organic matter and nutrient dynamics. [ 6 ]
Earthworms are found in all parts of the world except for deserts. They have a requirement for moist surroundings and the larger species create burrows that may go down several metres (yards) while young individuals and smaller species are restricted to the top few centimetres of soil. The largest numbers are found in humus-rich soils and acid ...