Worms in the Farm Ecosystem

Earthworm diagram


Earthworms are an important part of the life in the soil. There can be 80,000 worms in every acre of soil! Earthworms are segmented worms that dig through the soil by eating it, digesting it, and then excreting it.

Eco Info
The worms in one acre of soil can eat ten tons of organic matter in a year!

They keep the soil healthy and help the plants grow by doing the following things:

Earthworms can tell farmers how much water is in their soil: worms are dark in rich, well-drained soil, while worms in water-logged soil are pale. Earthworms have have no eyes, ears or legs, but they can taste soil and sense light through their skin!

Eco Info
A worm can move a stone fifty times its weight by wiggling and squirming!

Why would counting the earthworms in the soil give farmers an estimate of the health of their soil?
Are there earthworms in the soil where you live?

Image from Worm World, Inc.

The Farm Ecosytem



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