Download What do earthworms eat

What do earthworms
eat?
How do worms eat?
Earthworms eat dirt! Their nutrition comes from
things in soil, such as decaying roots and leaves.
Animal manures are an important food source
for earthworms. They eat living organisms such
as nematodes, protozoans, rotifers, bacteria,
fungi in soil. Worms will also feed on the
decomposing remains of other animals.
They don't have teeth but they have strong
mouth muscles. Dew worms or nightcrawlers
often surface at night to pull fallen leaves down
into their burrow. When the leaf softens a little
they pull off small bits to munch on. Worms also
"swallow" soil as they burrow.
How much do
earthworms eat in
one day?
They can consume up to one third of
their own body weight in a day.
Do earthworms
come to the surface
after heavy rains to
avoid drowning?
Not exactly. Earthworms can survive for
several weeks under water providing
there is sufficient oxygen in the water to
support them. They surface as a response
to high relative humidity after rain
because they can move around safely
without drying out.
How can I tell if
there are earthworms
in the soil?
When trying to find evidence of
earthworms, look at the soil surface first.
Earthworms often leave small piles or
pellets of soil on the surface. Dig a
spadeful of soil and sort through it for
earthworms. Experience will also allow
you to find cocoons.
Why do robins tug at
earthworms in the
soil?
Why are some
earthworms colored
and others aren’t?
What are some
earthworm enemies?
How do earthworms
move?
What happens
when I cut an
earthworm in half?
Worms use the many tiny bristles or
setae on each of their body rings to help
them crawl as well as to anchor
themselves firmly in their burrows. The
robin has to tug because the worm is
gripping the soil!
Earthworms have colored skin for similar
reason why people get tan, to protect them
from the sun. Earthworms that feed on the
surface often have dark backs to avoid damage
from the suns harmful ultraviolet rays. If you
look at a night crawler (Lumbricus terrestris) it
has a dark head and a light tail which reflects
the fact that when night crawlers feed they
keep their tail stuck in the ground.
Snakes, birds, moles, toads and even foxes
are known to eat earthworms. Beetles,
centipedes, leeches, slugs and flatworms
also feed on earthworms. Some types of
mites parasitize earthworm cocoons or the
worms themselves.
Earthworms have tiny stiff hairs (setae) on
almost every segment, and these little hairs
help the earthworm move. As earthworms
stretch out and then contract their muscles
the setae grab the soil and move the
earthworm forward. The setae are visible
under a microscope and their position on
the body is used for identification.
Most earthworms do not have the
ability to regenerate into two worms
when cut in half. However, if you cut
the tail off an earthworm, the head
section can still continue to live just fine.
Some earthworms actually use this for
defense and might drop their tail off in
an attempt to avoid being eaten!
Can earthworms see?
Earthworms do not have eyes, so they
cannot see like people do. However
they can sense light through their skin
which allows them to respond to light.
How big can
earthworms get?
Earthworms can get to be very large! The
largest earthworm in the world is the giant
Gippsland earthworm from Australia. Although
it is only 2 cm (<1 inch) wide it can be 3 meters
(9 feet) long! In North America, the biggest
earthworm is the giant Palouse earthworm
from Washington and Idaho. It can grow to 1
meter (3 feet) long
Why do earthworms
come out of the
ground when we pour
on mustard?
The oil from mustard seeds is a skin
irritant for earthworms. When the
mustard touches the earthworms they
try to avoid it by crawling through their
burrows, and since most of their
burrows go up to the surface they crawl
out. The mustard doesn’t kill the
earthworms, it just gets them moving.
If earthworms weren’t
here originally, how
did they get here?
No one knows for sure, but it they most
likely come over with the plants from
Europe and Asia. When the people
came to North America, they brought
plants along, and those plants were
often in soil, and that soil probably
contained earthworms or cocoons!
Can worms crawl
forward and reverse?
Yes. Even though worms can move both
frontward and backward they tend to
travel forward more.
Why are worms
slimy?
Earthworms breathe through their skin.
They need humid conditions to prevent
drying out.
How do earthworms
breathe?
They coat themselves in mucus, which
enables dissolved oxygen to pass into
their bloodstream.
How are earthworms
helpful?
Earthworms are nature's little farmers in
our fields and lawns. Earthworms "plow"
and mix up the soil. Their tunneling
loosens the soil so water and nutrients
can go downward. The nutrients in
worm castings enrich the soil. The slime
they secrete contains nitrogen, an
important nutrient for plants.
What is an earthworm
cocoon like?
At first, the cocoon is quite soft. Soon
after it is deposited in the soil it
becomes slightly amber, leather-like,
and very resistant to drying and
damage. Cocoons are very tiny, and the
shape of a lemon. They can survive
underground until conditions are right
for hatching.
How long does it take
earthworms to
mature?
Worms mature in 10 - 55 weeks,
depending on the species.