Earthworms: what you need to know about garden helpers
Many gardeners and gardeners, preparing beds, met earthworms. These animals bring many benefits, thanks to their vital activity, the soil is enriched with oxygen and becomes loose due to the moves made.
Content
What does an earthworm look like: photo
Description of earthworms
Name: Earthworm or earthworm
Latin: LumbricinaClass: Belt worms - Clitellata
Squad: Squad - Crassiclitellata
 | Habitats: | everywhere except Antarctica |
 | Benefit or harm: | useful for household and garden |
 | Description: | common animals used to create biohumus |
Earthworms or earthworms belong to the suborder of small bristle worms and live on all continents except the Arctic and Antarctica. There are many representatives of this suborder, which differ in size.
The length of the earthworm can be from 2 cm to 3 meters. The body may consist of 80-300 segments, on which the setae are located, on which they rest during locomotion. Setae absent on first segment.
The circulatory system of the earthworm consists of two main vessels, through which blood moves from the front of the body to the back.
The worm breathes through skin cells that are covered with protective mucus saturated with antiseptics. He doesn't have lungs.
The life span of individuals is from two to eight years. They are active in March-April and then in September-October. In a hot period of time, they crawl into the depths, and fall asleep so soundly, as if they were hibernating. During the winter cold, earthworms sink to such a depth where frost does not reach. As temperatures rise in spring, they rise to the surface.
Reproduction
Earthworm.
Earthworms are hermaphrodites reproduce sexually, each individual has both a female and a male reproductive system. They find each other by smell and mate.
In the girdle, located in the anterior segments of the worm, eggs are fertilized, where they develop for 2-4 weeks. Small worms come out in the form of a cocoon, in which there are 20-25 individuals, and after 3-4 months they grow to their usual size. One generation of worms appears per year.
What do earthworms eat
Earthworms swallow a large amount of soil, eat rotted leaves, assimilating the organic matter that is there.
They process everything, except for strongly solid particles, or those with an unpleasant odor.
If you want to breed or increase the population of earthworms, you can plant cereals, clover and winter crops on the site.
But the presence of worms in the soil is a good indicator of fertility.
In the diet of animals, in addition to plant residues that they get for food along with the earth, there are:
- rotting remains of animals;
- manure;
- dead or hibernating insects;
- peels of gourds;
- pulp of fresh herbs;
- cleaning vegetables.
To digest food, worms mix it with the earth. In the middle intestine, the mixture combines well and the output is a product enriched with organic matter, with a greater proportion of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in the composition. Slow worms do not immediately digest everything, but make supplies in special chambers so that there is enough food for the family. One raincoat per day can absorb an amount of food equal to its weight.
Mechanism of eating fresh food
Fresh leaves, and especially worms, love lettuce and cabbage, they eat them in a certain way. Worms prefer soft parts of the plant.
- With protruding lips, the worm captures the soft part of the leaf.
- The front of the body is slightly tightened, due to which the pharynx sticks to the pulp.
- Due to the expansion of the middle of the body, a vacuum is created and the worm swallows a piece of the soft tissues of the leaf.
- He does not eat veins, but he can drag the remains into the hole to cover it in this way.
Enemies of earthworms
Birds are very fond of feasting on earthworms, moles living underground find them by smell and eat them. Hedgehogs, badgers and foxes also feed on worms. They have enough natural enemies.
Worm: insect or not
Worms are considered an obsolete concept. Carl Linnaeus attributed to this species of animals all invertebrates, but excluding arthropods.
They constitute a separate family of Lumbiricides, the closest relative of the earthworm are leeches and polychaete worms. This is a group of soil inhabitants, which, according to a number of morphological features, were united in the family of oligochaetes.
Earthworms: the benefits of animals on the site
Quite a lot can be said about the benefits of earthworms. They are distributed almost everywhere, except for deserts and cold regions.
- They fertilize the soil with their feces.
- Moves loosen the layers and promote aeration.
- Dispose of plant residues.
- Their emissions hold the ground together, cracks do not appear on it.
- From the bottom layer of soil, worms transport minerals, which renew the soil.
- Improves plant growth. It is more convenient for the roots to penetrate into the passages that the worms have made.
- They create a cloddy soil structure and improve its cohesion.
How to help earthworms
Earthworms bring benefits to the economy, but often the people themselves ruin their lives. To improve their lifestyle, you can follow a number of requirements.
| Pressure | Minimize the pressure on the ground with all sorts of mechanisms and machines. |
| Weather | Work the soil when it is dry and cold, then the worms are deep. |
| Plowing | It is better to limit plowing, and only on the surface to carry it out if necessary. |
| The calendar | During periods of high activity in spring and autumn, limit work deep in the ground as much as possible. |
| Plants | Compliance with crop rotation, the introduction of green manure and planting perennials improves nutrition. |
| Feeding | Proper fertilizers will help make the existence of worms more favorable. |
Interesting facts from the life of earthworms
It seems that the unusual can happen in such simple animals.
- Australian and South American species reach a length of 3 meters.
- If the worm loses the end of the body, then it often grows a new one, but if it is torn in half, then two worms will not grow.
- One earthworm brings 6 kg of excrement to the surface of the earth per year.
- The reasons why worms come to the surface after rain still remain a mystery to many.
Conclusion
Earthworms or earthworms bring many benefits to enrich the soil with oxygen, process fallen leaves, manure. The passages dug by the worms contribute to the ingress of moisture to the depth. Thanks to their activity, mineral substances from the lower soil layer move to the upper layer, and it is constantly updated.
