Jenna F Class 703 How can human action improve the terrestrial ecosystem that is the habitat for

the Washington Giant Earthworm? The legendary Washington Giant Earthworm was reported to the science world in 1897, and there have only been three more discoveries of this species in the late 1980s, 2005 and most recently in 2010. Many people questioned if these fabled earthworms had ever existed, seeing that they were thought to be extinct from the 1980s to 2005. We are not sure if there are still Washington Giant Earthworms living today, as their habitat, the Palouse prairies, continues to be destroyed. Although less than 1% of the Palouse prairies remains today, humans can take action in order to restore the ecosystem of these rarely seen earthworms. This essay will discuss some of the ways that humans may be able to improve the terrestrial ecosystem that is the habitat of the Washington Giant Earthworm. The Washington Giant Earthworm is classified as an invertebrate. An invertebrate is an animal that does not have a vertebral column, or a backbone. This also means that invertebrates do not have vertebrae, or the bones that form the vertebral column. Invertebrates are divided into groups called phyla. Some examples of different phyla include Porifera, which includes animals with pores, known as sponges, and Echinodermata, which contains animals with external spines. Some phyla include invertebrates as well as vertebrates. An example of this is the phylum Chordata, which includes animals with a stiff structure of bone or cartilage in their backs. Chordata is further divided into the lower chordates, which are considered invertebrates, and the higher chordates, which are considered vertebrates.1 The Washington Giant Earthworm is also classified into the phylum Annelida. The phylum Annelida includes worms with segmented bodies, which makes the worms appear ringed, or broken up into segments. The phylum Annelida is made up of three groups: polychaete

Source used: World Book Advanced article Invertebrate by Lawrence C. Wit

Jenna F Class 703 How can human action improve the terrestrial ecosystem that is the habitat for the Washington Giant Earthworm? worms, oligochaete worms, and leeches. Polychaete worms have tentacles, parapodia, and bristles. Parapodia are used for crawling, and bristles also called setae, are used to grasp the surfaces they crawl on. Oligochaete worms comprise of earthworms and other freshwater species. Unlike polychaete worms, they have some setae, but no parapodia. The Washington Giant Earthworm along with all other earthworms are oligochaete worms. Leeches have a flat body and suckers at each end of their body. Most live in aquatic ecosystems and feed on the blood of other water organisms. 2 The Washington Giant Earthworm is believed to grow up to 1 meter long. These worms are also albino in appearance, meaning that they lack important color pigments. Before the Washington Giant Earthworm was rediscovered in 2010, it was thought that the worms gave off a lily-like scent, and could spit as a method of self-defense. The earthworms recently discovered in 2010 were translucent and the inner organs of the worms were visible. The worms also had pink heads and bulging tails.3 Humans can improve the terrestrial ecosystem that is the habitat for the Washington Giant Earthworm by attempting to decrease the number of weeds and alien annual plants in the Palouse region, where the Washington Giant Earthworm lives. According to the article, Restoring Palouse and Canyon Grasslands, written by Bertie J. Weddell, Alien annual plants are now the primary impediment to restoration of grassland sites. Alien annual plants are plants that are not native to an ecosystem that grow, develop, and die throughout the course of one year. By decreasing the number of alien annual plants and weeds in the ecosystem, native grass species

2 3

Source used: World Book Advanced article Worm by David F. Oetinger Sources used: http://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/99602-Driloleirus-americanus, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/27/palouse-earthworm-found-l_n_554139.html

Jenna F Class 703 How can human action improve the terrestrial ecosystem that is the habitat for the Washington Giant Earthworm? will not be as threatened. Some of the ways we can experiment decreasing the number of weeds in the Palouse region are by pulling the weeds out by hand, using fire, and using chemicals to rid of the pestering weeds. Fire is considered an effective way to conserve the very few remaining parts of the Palouse prairies. However, this is also a dangerous method for decreasing the number of weeds in the Palouse prairies because the small number of species left in the prairies, including the Washington Giant Earthworm, may be annihilated in the fire. If humans try to take action and try to decrease the number of weeds and alien annual plants in the ecosystem, the terrestrial ecosystem may have a chance of being restored and improved.4 Humans can also improve the terrestrial ecosystem that is the habitat for the Washington Giant Earthworm by planting more of the plants native to the Palouse region. Planting more native plants will increase the possibility that native plants will be able to regain their territory back from non-native plants which have invaded the area. To add on, planting native plants will help to control the number of weeds in the prairies, which is mentioned in paragraph 6. Although it may be a long time until native grasses will be able to beat out weeds, humans can use chemicals to keep weeds and other alien annual plants from reseeding and continue to plant more native plants. Weeds and alien annual plants will not be as much of a hindrance to newly planted native plants if they are not able to reseed. As a result of this, perhaps one day native plants will be able to regain their habitat back. Another viable option would be to transplant, or relocate young plants to the Palouse prairies. The article, Restoring Palouse and Canyon Grasslands, written by Bertie J. Weddell, states Weddell (1997) reported that transplanting plugs of

Source used: http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/id/publications/technical_bulletins.Par.80640.File.dat/TB%200115.pdf, Article "Restoring Palouse and Canyon Grasslands: Putting Back the Missing Pieces." By Bertie J. WeddellThesis.

Jenna F Class 703 How can human action improve the terrestrial ecosystem that is the habitat for the Washington Giant Earthworm? bluebunch wheatgrass was moderately successful in the short term at Rose Creek Preserve, and Youtie et al. (1998) found that the survival of transplanted bunchgrasses (Idaho fescue, bluebunch wheatgrass, and squirreltail, Elymus elymoides) at the Lawrence Memorial Grassland ranged from 43-87% per mound after one year. If transplanting plants was successful at places such as the Rose Creek Preserve and Lawrence Memorial Grassland, there is a chance that transplanting plants may be successful in the Palouse prairies. One day humans might be able to reestablish native plants in the Palouse prairies, and improve the terrestrial ecosystem of the Washington Giant Earthworm.5 Lastly, humans can improve the terrestrial ecosystem that is the habitat for the Washington Giant Earthworm by focusing on restoring the microorganisms and other animals living in the soil, also known as soil biota. In order to restore the ecosystem, we must also restore the organisms living in the soil and soil crusts, which make up a big part of the Palouse prairies. One way humans can do this is through mycorrhizal inoculation. Mycorrhizal inoculation is the process of removing the mycelia, or the vegetative part of a fungus, and introducing it into something else. Using the method of mycorrhizal inoculation can help new plants grow in areas of soils where few plants remain. According to the article, Restoring Palouse and Canyon Grasslands, written by Bertie J. Weddell, Thorne et al. (1998) demonstrated that the inoculation with native arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi enhanced establishment and growth of the cultivar

Source used: http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/id/publications/technical_bulletins.Par.80640.File.dat/TB%200115.pdf, Article "Restoring Palouse and Canyon Grasslands: Putting Back the Missing Pieces." By Bertie J. WeddellThesis.

Jenna F Class 703 How can human action improve the terrestrial ecosystem that is the habitat for the Washington Giant Earthworm? secar bluebunch wheatgrass on mine spoils. If humans focus on restoring the soil biota in the prairies, we will be one step closer to restoring all of the Palouse prairies.6 In conclusion, humans can take action in order to improve and restore the Palouse prairies, the habitat of the Washington Giant Earthworm. One way humans can take action is by attempting to decrease the number of alien annual plants and weeds in the Palouse prairies. In addition, humans can plant more native plants, and restore the soil biota in the ecosystem by using methods such as mycorrhizal inoculation. Although the Palouse prairies and the species living there have been damaged severely, with the help of humans, the Palouse prairies may one day return to its original state.

Source used: http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/id/publications/technical_bulletins.Par.80640.File.dat/TB%200115.pdf, Article "Restoring Palouse and Canyon Grasslands: Putting Back the Missing Pieces." By Bertie J. WeddellThesis.

Jenna F Class 703 How can human action improve the terrestrial ecosystem that is the habitat for the Washington Giant Earthworm? Bibliography: 1. Wit, Lawrence C. Invertebrate. World Book Advanced. World Book, 2009. Web. 7 Dec. 2009 2. Oetinger, David F. Worm. World Book Advanced. World Book, 2009. Web. 21 Dec. 2009. 3. Kaste, Martin. "Scientists Capture Elusive Giant Palouse Earthworm." NPR. NPR, n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2014. 4. Goldstein, Katherine. "Giant Palouse Earthworm FOUND: Legendary Giant Worm Identified By Scientists." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 27 Apr. 2010. Web. 10 Feb. 2014. 5. "Palouse Grasslands." WorldWildlife.org. World Wildlife Fund, n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2014. 6. Weddell, Bertie J. "Restoring Palouse and Canyon Grasslands: Putting Back the Missing Pieces." Thesis. 2001. Restoring Palouse and Canyon Grasslands: Putting Back the Missing Pieces. Web. 10 Feb. 2014. <http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/id/publications/technical_bulletins.Par.80640.File .dat/TB%2001-15.pdf>. 7. "Palouse Grasslands Edit Classification Publishing Workflow Featured Settings Delete Content Palouse Grasslands." Palouse Grasslands. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2014. 8. "INaturalist.org Giant Palouse Earthworm (Driloleirus Americanus)." INaturalist.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2014.