EARTHWORM

An earthworm is a terrestrial invertebrate that belongs to the

phylum Annelida. They exhibit a tube-within-a-tube body plan; they are
externally segmented with corresponding internal segmentation; and they
usually have setae on all segments.[1] They occur worldwide where soil,
water, and temperature allow.[2]
Earthworms are commonly found in soil, eating a wide variety of organic
matter.[3] This organic matter includes plant matter,
living protozoa, rotifers, nematodes, bacteria, fungi, and other
microorganisms.[4] An earthworm's digestive system runs the length of its
body.[5]
An earthworm respires (breathes) through its skin. It has a double transport
system made of coelomic fluid that moves within the fluid-filled coelom and
a simple, closed circulatory system.
Earthworms are hermaphrodites: each carries male and female
reproductive organs. When mating, two individual earthworms will
exchange sperm and fertilize each other's eggs. Each individual has
both male and female genital pores. As invertebrates, they lack a
true skeleton, but they maintain their structure with fluid-filled
coelom chambers that function as a hydrostatic skeleton.
 Habit and habitat of Earthworm
•Earthworms are segmented invertebrates, that are reddish brown in color.
•Being terrestrial in nature, it mostly inhabits the upper layer of the moist
soil.
•It is also fossorial in nature, i.e. it burrows the soil and lives inside burrows
made in moist soil.
•They feed on organic matter present in the soil and the undigested
substances are expelled in the form of castings.
•The holes of earthworm can be recognized by the presence of castings
termed as pellets.
•Earthworms are generally known as farmer’s friend as the fecal deposits of
earthworm helps to increase the fertility of soil and burrowing aids in
adequate aeration of the soil.
•They are distributed globally and are ranged from sea level to altitude of
3000m.
•However, it is more abundant during the rainy season.
•The earthworm is nocturnal in nature, meaning it stays active at night.
 Types of Earthworms

Earthworms are classified into 3 ecological groups (epigenic, anecic and

endogeic). What group an earthworm belongs to depends on where they
are found in the soil, their feeding behaviour, and how they burrow
through the soil.
1.Epigeic earthworms
Epigeic’ is the Greek translation for ‘on the earth,’ because these worms
do not build burrows, and instead reside amongst decaying organic matter
on the soil surface. Epigenic earthworms are 1 to 2.5 mm in diameter, live
and feed above the soil surface, forest litter. These are also sometimes
called compost earthworms, or surface-dwelling earthworms, as they live
on the surface of the soil amongst piles of leaves or compost heaps. They
feed on decaying plant matter, leaf litter, and dung. They are weak
burrowers, and therefore prefer to live amongst loose organic materials
and topsoil.
2. Endogeic earthworms
Endogeic’ translates from Greek to mean ‘within the earth,’ and
accordingly, these worms burrow within the top layers of soil and rarely
come up to the surface, preferring instead to literally live within the
earth. Endogeic earthworms are 2 to 4.5 mm in diameter. These worms
can usually be found 10 -15 cm below the soil’s surface. They are most
commonly found in the uppermost layers of soil where they create semi-
permanent, horizontal burrows or under rocks and logs, though some will
burrow deep into the soil. They typically only make an appearance on the
ground surface in instances of heavy rain, as the extra moisture prevents
them from drying out.
These worms are fairly small and generally measure between one and
twelve inches. They tend to be very pale or translucent and colorless, and
they have weaker muscles than epigeic worms, which means they move
more slowly. They help to mix minerals and air within the soil and help
with aeration as they eat the soil itself.
3. Anecic earthworms
‘Anecic’ is greek for ‘out of the earth,’ because although these worms live
below ground, they come up to soil level for their food. Anecic earthworms are
4 to 8 mm in diameter, feed at the ground surface and decaying organic
residues. These worms are those that burrow vertically in the mineral layers of
soil, creating permanent burrows as deep as six feet below surface level. Their
burrow systems are quite extensive and can be as big as one inch in diameter.
These worms collect food from above ground in the form of organic matter
such as fallen leaves and drag them back underground to their burrows. They
are also known to eat soil and some litter.
These worms encompass some of the most common types of earthworms,
worms used for fishing bait, and night crawlers. They have very weak muscles
and are the slowest moving of all types of worms, as they do not have any need
to move quickly. They have some pigmentation but are often a milky color,
especially native worms, as they predominantly reside underground. They can
drastically range in size, anywhere from one inch to a huge sixty inches in
length.
Factors affecting earthworm’s population dynamics and activity

Several environmental factors affect activity, population density, abundance and

distribution of earthworms. Soil organic matter content, soil type, soil moisture
content, soil temperature, soil pH are most critical factors that frequently regulate
the earthworm population (Wood, 1972; Lee, 1985 and Werner et al., 2005).
Climatic conditions and biotic factors strongly affect abundance and distribution of
earthworms (Werner et al., 2005).
1.Organic matter
Organic matter is the major food source of earthworms. Many researchers found a
positive correlation between soil organic matter content and earthworm number
and biomass. A soil with low organic matter content cannot support higher number
of earthworms whereas large numbers of earthworms in pasture land are due to
large amounts of dead roots and other organic matter .
2.Soil type
The soil environments in which earthworms inhabit affect their abundance and
distribution. Soil texture affects earthworm populations since it influences other
soil properties like moisture, nutrients and CEC (Edwards and Bohlen, 1996).
Higher numbers of earthworms are found in light and medium loam soil than in
heavy clay, sandy and alluvial soils (Edwards and Bohlen, 1996).

3.Moisture
Earthworms generally require adequate moisture for their proper growth and
development. Water constitutes about 75-90% body weight of earthworms. They
respire through a moist skin and the blood capillaries on the surface should get
enough moisture to perform respiratory activity (Eckert and Randal, 1988).
Earthworm activity is determined by adequately available soil moisture.
Earthworm’s activities are higher in moist soil than in dry soil and thus protection
against desiccation is required.
4.Temperature
Temperature greatly affects the growth, metabolism, activity,
reproduction and respiration of earthworms. Higher temperatures
above the critical limit for survival can kill earthworms. Cold and
moist conditions can be better tolerated by earthworms than hot
and dry conditions

5.Soil pH
Earthworms are very sensitive to soil pH. Abundance, distribution
and species composition of earthworms are affected by soil pH.
According to Edwards and Bohlen (1996) a neutral soil pH is
preferred by most species of the earthworms, but pH of 5.0 to 8.0
can be tolerated by them. Low or high pH is generally unfavorable
for many species of earthworms and increase or decrease in soil
pH may cause decline in earthworm count.
Characteristics of an Red Wigglers
•Suitable for all types of indoor or outdoor vermicomposting - worm
bins, outdoor composting, and windrows.
•Tight banding pattern from tail to head
•May have a yellowish tip on tail
•Distinctive, raised clitellum
•Can handle a temperature range of 40-95 degrees F
•Moves in a slower, more methodical manner than Indian Blue

Characteristics of an Indian Blues

•Suitable for all types of indoor or outdoor vermicomposting - worm
bins, outdoor composting, and windrows.
•Not blue, but can have a bluish sheen in the right light
•Clitellum is flush with body
•Suitable temperature range of 45-90 degrees F
•Moves in a jerky, fast manner and can jump around when exposed to
light
Characteristics of an Earthworm
•Long, cylindrical and segmented body.
•It is a hermaphrodite, having both male and female sex
organs.
•It has a hydrostatic skeleton.
•It has a central and peripheral nervous system.
•The setae present in the epidermal pits help in
locomotion.
•The epidermis is made up of columnar epithelial cells.
1.Differentiate between epigeic and anecic
earthworm.
2.How earthworm influence soil fertility and
productivity?
3.How earthworm influence soil physical,
chemical and biological properties /
agricultural environment of soil?