Koval Alexander, 4th grade student of MBOU "Tashlinskaya secondary school", Orenburg region Tyulgansky district with. Tashla. The work was carried out under the guidance of the teacher Olga Anatolyevna Litvinenko.
Material description: The development can be useful for both primary school teachers and biology teachers.
Topic. The dweller is an earthworm.
Table of contents
Introduction ................................................. ................................................ 3
Chapter 1. Theoretical part ............................................. ...............4
1.1 Who are earthworms? ............................................ ..............4
1.2 Life of earthworms .............................................. .................five
1.3 The benefits of worms ............................................... .................................. 6
1.4 Why do earthworms come to the surface after
rain ................................................. ............................................ 7
1.5 Interesting facts from the life of worms .............. …………… ...… ..8
1.6 Application in alternative medicine ................................ 10

Chapter 2. Practical part ............................................. ..............10
2.1 Questionnaire ................................................ ............................10
2.2 Experiment ................................................ ................................12
2.3 Interview ................................................ .....................12
Conclusion................................................. .........................................13
Bibliography................................................. .....................................fourteen
Applications ................................................. ........................................fifteen
Appendix 1 …………………………………………………… ..15
Appendix 2 …………………………………………………… ..15
Appendix 3 …………………………………………………… ..18

Introduction
Many of us have seen how earthworms massively crawl to the surface of the earth during rain, but few know why they do it. However, scientists have many interesting hypotheses on this score. Some believe that worms are driven to the surface by the urge to travel, while others believe that the reason for this behavior is the fear of moles. There are those who believe both of these hypotheses to be true.
For a successful struggle to increase yields, all the forces of nature related to plant life must be fully taken into account and used.
One of these forces is the activity of soil animals. Until recently, its significance for soil formation was underestimated, despite the fact that the basic facts in this area were established long ago.
Earthworms occupy a prominent place among the soil fauna.
Relevance of research work. Many do not pay attention to worms, and many also try to crush them. Maybe because they don't like their look?
Earthworms do a tremendous job of improving and improving the soil, they are "fighters of the invisible front", whose work is invisible, and therefore few appreciate the worms at their true worth.
How did the research topic come about?
In the spring, my classmates and the class teacher were raking leaves in the school lot and noticed a lot of worms. There was nowhere to step. Where do so many worms come from? I wonder why they got out? I shared my observations with the teacher, and she invited me to study earthworms.
Object research work is an earthworm.
Subject research is the role and significance of the earthworm in nature.
The purpose work is to consider the behavior of the earthworm after rain.
To achieve this goal, I was faced with a number of the following tasks:
1. Study the literature on this topic.
2. Clarify the idea of ​​the earthworm, its adaptability to life underground and trace the life of worms on the surface.
3. Find out why earthworms crawl to the surface after rain
4. Find out what role earthworms play in our environment.
Various methods:
1. Study of literature on this topic.
2. Collection of information on the Internet.
3. Questioning.
4. Interviewing.
5. Experiment.
Hypothesis.
I think worms are useful. If it rains, then the worms underground become unable to breathe, and therefore they crawl to the surface.
The research work was carried out in the village. Tashla of the Tyulgan region in the summer-autumn period.

Chapter 1. Theoretical part
1.1 Who are earthworms?
The word "worm" does not have a strict scientific meaning - this is how a wide variety of invertebrates with an elongated soft body are usually called.
Annel worms originated from the common ancestors of worms under the influence of evolutionary factors. An important moment in their evolution is the division of the body into segments (rings). In connection with the active movement of annelids, a circulatory system appeared, supplying the body with nutrients and oxygen. Ancient annelids were more complex than other worms.
1.2 Life of earthworms.
Soil moisture, temperature and amount of food are the main conditions necessary for the life and reproduction of worms. In dry weather, they burrow to a depth of 2 - 2, 5 meters.
The earthworm lives in various soils, loosening and cultivating them (this activity is especially favorable on the soils of vegetable gardens and orchards). These animals, passing the soil through their intestines, constantly improve it, saturating it with organic residues and mixing, loosen it, providing air access to deeper layers, and increase fertility. In some cases, the transfer of earthworms to soils, where they were not previously present, increases the productivity of garden crops. In countries with a humid climate, there are more earthworms. However, the earthworm does not live in waterlogged soils, as well as in swamps, especially peat bogs.
They cannot live in the sand.
During the day, the worm hides in a mink (a mink is a narrow long channel, which in hot summer can reach a depth of 1.5 meters, with an extension at the end for a turn) head towards the entrance, which is covered with leaves, pine needles and other debris, and comes to life at dusk ... It crawls out to the surface with almost the whole body, only the rear end holds on to the edge of the burrow, and the front part of the body makes circular movements, rising above the ground, and feels everything around. He feels with his lips a fallen leaf of a tree, grabs it and drags it into his burrow. Worms spend their whole lives in the ground, dig deep passages, and thus loosen the ground. But sometimes they are forced to leave their burrows flooded with water after heavy rains so as not to suffocate.
Worms feed on rotting leaves, swallowing lumps of earth, grains of sand. The worms breathe with the entire surface of the thin delicate skin, permeated with blood vessels.
It is precisely the peculiarity of respiration that makes earthworms leave their burrows.
During the rain, remaining in them, the worm runs the risk of simply choking. After waiting for the end of the "flood", vulnerable creatures again rush to take refuge in the earth.
In winter, they curl up into a ball and sleep. When we see a worm on the surface, it means that it is looking for a new home or more nutritious soil. Worms cannot live in sunlight.
The annelids in the soil provide food for many animals. They are eaten by moles, frogs and some reptiles.
1.3 The benefits of worms.
The earthworm can be called the most important animal in the world. Important, of course, from the point of view of man, since the activity of these creatures prepares the soil for the growing season on which life depends.
In the forests, in the meadows, a lot of dried, withered plants and animal remains are constantly accumulating. You have to do something with them! Here are earthworms and their work colleagues (snails and beetles) and play the role of scavengers and orderlies. They turn unnecessary residues and waste into the soil necessary for everyone, dig tunnels, loosen the soil. Water and air easily pass through these passages to the roots of plants. Grass and trees grow better on such land. So worms should be welcome guests in our gardens. The more there are, the richer the soil in the beds will become, and this will result in a better harvest.
The fertilizer produced by earthworms contains lime, which enriches the soil. The importance of this can be seen in one example. Scientists have discovered an area with one of the most fertile soils. They estimate that there are 108 tons of earthworm waste per half hectare. This is why this area has been so fertile for hundreds of years!
1.4 Why do earthworms come to the surface after rain.
We asked a question on the Internet:
"Why do earthworms come to the surface after rain?"
And we got interesting answers.
The first possible reason earthworms crawl out after rain is the change in soil temperature they feel when rain falls. Most earthworms live deep underground, thanks to the warm temperatures under the soil.
The second possible reason why earthworms crawl out after rain is due to changes in soil pH. Other experts also believe that some soil types tend to get higher cadmium concentrations when it rains.
The third likely answer to the question of why earthworms crawl out after rain is inconsistency, phenotypic in nature. There may be some worms that cannot submerge in water for a long time.
The fourth reason why earthworms crawl out after rain is the fact that some worms need little air. Water saturates the surface of the earth with a large amount of oxygen.
The fifth reason earthworms crawl out after rain is because of their natural behavior. Perhaps they crawl out after the rain because most of them do just that, and not because they need more or less oxygen.
Another possible reason earthworms crawl out after rain is because they love moisture. Worms like to rise to the surface to enjoy the moisture on the ground.
And yet, the most plausible version is:
The earthworm breathes over the entire surface of the body, which is covered with mucous, moist skin. Too little air is dissolved in the water, and therefore the earthworm suffocates there. Therefore, in rainy weather, it is much easier for worms to breathe on the surface of the earth.
After viewing the works, we found out: the worms are forced to leave their burrows flooded with water after heavy rains so as not to suffocate.
1.5 Interesting facts from the life of worms.
Earthworms - belong to the kingdom of invertebrates, a suborder of earthworms. The body of the earthworm consists of ring-shaped segments, the number of segments can reach up to 320. Moving, the earthworms rest on short bristles, which are located on the segments of the body. Earthworms are common throughout the planet, except for Antarctica.
The appearance of an earthworm. Adult earthworms are 15 to 30 cm long. In the south of Ukraine, it can reach large sizes. The body of the worm is smooth, slippery, has a cylindrical shape and consists of piece-piece rings - segments. The ventral side of the body is flat, the dorsal side is convex and darker than the ventral side. About where the front of the body ends, the worm has a thickening called a girdle. It contains special glands that secrete a sticky liquid. During reproduction, an egg cocoon is formed from it, inside which the eggs of the worm develop.
The earthworm moves by crawling. At the same time, he first draws in the front end of the body and clings to the bristles located on the ventral side, for the unevenness of the soil, and then, by contracting the muscles, pulls the rear end of the body. Moving underground, the worm makes holes in the soil. At the same time, he pushes the ground with the pointed end of the body and squeezes between its particles.
Moving in dense soil, the worm swallows the earth and passes it through the intestines. The worm usually swallows the earth at a considerable depth, and throws it out through the anus at its mink. So on the surface of the earth, long "laces" of the earth and lumps are formed, which can be seen on garden paths in summer.
This method of movement is possible only with well-developed muscles. Compared to hydra, the earthworm has more complex muscles. It lies under his skin. Muscles together with the skin form a continuous musculocutaneous sac.
The muscles of the earthworm are arranged in two layers. Under the skin is a layer of annular muscles, and under them is a thicker layer of longitudinal muscles. Muscles are made up of long contractile fibers. With the contraction of the longitudinal muscles, the body of the worm becomes shorter and thicker. Contraction of the annular muscles, on the contrary, makes the body thinner and longer. Contractions alternately, both layers of muscles determine the movement of the worm. Muscle contraction occurs under the influence of the nervous system, which branches out into muscle tissue. The movement of the worm is greatly facilitated by the fact that there are small bristles on its body on the ventral side. They can be felt by running a finger soaked in water along the sides and along the abdominal side of the body of the worm, from the back to the front. With the help of these bristles, the earthworm moves underground.
On half a hectare of the garden, worms pass about 16 tons of soil through their organisms in 1 year.
There are so many earthworms in the soil that if you take them all, for example, from the United States, their weight is 10 times the weight of the population.
The earthworm does not have eyes, but it does have sensitive cells on the surface of its body. This enables him to distinguish light from darkness and to feel subtle touches.
According to legend, St. Francis of Assisi collected and carried the earthworms that came across to him on the way to a safe place so that they would not be crushed by travelers, in memory of the prophetic words attributed to Jesus Christ: "I am a worm, not a man."
1. 6 Application in alternative medicine.
It is often mentioned that a wriggling worm was dragged around the child's neck to treat whooping cough or sore throat. If a fisherman happened to cut himself while fishing, he immediately grabbed a large sandworm from his bait can, pressed it to the wound, and then threw it into the water. Then the cut was washed with water. Behind all this was the belief that the worm would draw evil out of the wound, and the water would cleanse it. It is possible that English beliefs about the medicinal properties attributed to worms correlate with popular beliefs about the medicinal properties of snakes.
In Western Europe, washed earthworms or powder from dried worms were put on wounds to heal them, for tuberculosis and cancer, a tincture of powder was used, a decoction was used to treat ear pain, worms boiled in wine - jaundice, oil infused with worms - fought against rheumatism. The German physician Stahl (1734) prescribed a powder of dried worms for epilepsy. The powder was also used in Chinese traditional medicine as part of a drug to get rid of atherosclerosis. And in Russian folk medicine, the liquid that flowed out from salted and heated earthworms was buried in the eyes with cataracts.
Chapter 2. Practical part
2.1 Questionnaire
In order to find out what the students know about earthworms, a survey was conducted among primary school students (37 people in total).
The survey was carried out on the following questions.
1. Have you encountered earthworms? (Not really)
2. Where did you see them? (in the beds, in manure, on the roads)
3. Where do they live? (underground, in the garden, in manure)
4. Why are worms called earthworms? (they go outside when it rains, they love the rain, they are always wet)
5. Are these worms useful? (yes, no, I don't know)
6. Why do worms crawl out to the surface after rain? (It is hard for them to breathe underground, wash, swim, breathe fresh air)
In general, according to the results of the survey, we can conclude that most of the surveyed students are familiar with the earthworm. Many students agreed with our hypothesis. Most of the respondents are not aware of the usefulness of earthworms.
2.2 Experiment
We dug up the worms and put them on paper. It turns out that they move very well.
Then they took earth into a transparent plastic glass and put the worm. After a while, the worm buried itself in the ground. After that, we started sprinkling water into the glass. The worm gradually began to creep out to the surface of the soil. This means that the earthworm breathes through the entire surface of the body, which is covered with mucous, moist skin. Too little air is dissolved in the water, and therefore the earthworm suffocates there. Therefore, in rainy weather, it is much easier for worms to breathe on the surface of the earth.
2.3 Interviewing
As part of this research, we interviewed a biology teacher, Natalya Nikolaevna Kryuchkova. She said that worms are called "the plow of the earth" because they began to loosen the earth earlier than humans. They are called "orderlies of the earth" because by passing the earth through their stomach, they relieve us of harmful microorganisms, and hence from diseases. They are said to be "live fertilizers" for plants, because they enrich the soil with nutrients. This means that they can be called "treasures that live underground."
Natalya Nikolaevna also told us a theory about worms and why worms crawl to the surface after rain. She offered us books about worms. (Appendix 3)
After interviewing, we came to the conclusion that our hypothesis is confirmed.
Conclusion
In our area, earthworms are quite common. I watched earthworms, read about them in books. Found material on the Internet. After studying the literature and conducting research, I came to the conclusion that they are a treasure for plants, animals and humans. Earthworms are a valuable product that, after certain processing, is used as a feed additive in poultry and fish farming, as well as a raw material for the pharmaceutical industry.
And that's why they creep out to the surface after rain, now I know the exact answer.
And during the rain, we will just look at our feet so as not to crush them, because worms play an important ecological role and need protection.
As you can see, the mystery of earthworms crawling to the surface during the rain has not yet been fully solved. However, zoologists continue their research, and it is possible that in the near future in the field of applied zoology one mystery will become less ...
The knowledge gained from conducting independent observations will help me and other students understand the importance of the activity of earthworms in the process of soil formation, apply their knowledge during practice on the school site.

Bibliography
1. Biology: Animals: Textbook. For 7-8 cl. general education. institutions / B.E. Bykhovsky, E.V. Kozlova, M.A.Kozlov and others; Ed. M.A.Kozlova. - 25th ed. - M .: Education, 1997.
2. Biology: Ref. materials. Textbook. manual for students / D.I. Trayrak, N.I. Klinkovskaya, V.A. Karyenov, S.I. Baluev; Ed. DI. Trayraka. - M .: Education, 1983 .-- 208 p.
3. Zakharov VB, Sonin NI Variety of living organisms: Textbook. For general education. study. institutions. - 4th ed., Stereotype. - M .: Bustard, 2001.
4. Likum A. Everything about everything. Popular encyclopedia for children AST. Moscow 1995.Vol. 1.
5. Visual Dictionary Animals "Dorling Kindersley", London 2001. Visual Dictionary Series "
6. Teremov A., Rokhlov V. Entertaining zoology. A book for students, teachers and parents. - M.: AST - PRESS, 1999. -528 p .: ill. - ("Entertaining lessons")
7. "Fidget" children's magazine. No. 14 - 2012

In order to know who earthworms are, you do not have to go to school or study biology specifically. Any child knows: in spring or summer, after the rain has passed and the sun comes out, such small "trenches", dug by earthworms, appear in the ground.

And if there are puddles on the asphalt, then there you can "meet" something long, reddish and wriggling. And this something will turn out to be an earthworm. But those who have already studied at school know that earthworms are the animal kingdom of invertebrates. And that the body of the earthworm consists of rings, the so-called segments. Moreover, there may be more than three hundred of them. An earthworm is a "tube" from ten to thirty centimeters long.

By the way, it is interesting: the warmer the climate where the earthworm met you, the longer it will be. In the warmth, the worms grow longer. These worms are called earthworms because they are most often seen on the surface of the earth after a good generous rain. Generally, worms live in oily, humus soil, but they avoid sands. And all because they breathe with the entire surface of the body, therefore drying out is deadly for an earthworm. But they are also unable to live in water, also due to the peculiarities of the respiratory system. Since worms breathe with their whole body, they simply have nothing to breathe in the water, although a certain amount of oxygen is dissolved in it. But this is not enough for a worm. So it creeps out to the surface in wet, damp weather, right after the rain, when it is wet and fresh at the same time.

Even earthworms crawl to the surface of the earth at night, also due to high humidity and the absence of the scorching rays of the sun. But we usually sleep at night. Otherwise, if we were awake at night, we could well call earthworms "nocturnal".

It is also possible not to see earthworms for a long time even when a drought sets in, or cold weather comes with prolonged rains. It is interesting to watch how the earthworm moves. He crawls, cutting all his rings. It draws in, "picks up" at first its front, grabbing the ground with bristles, and then pulls up the "rear". It's on the surface. In the ground, it seems to "push apart" the soil particles and digs whole underground passages. If it is impossible to "move" the soil, the earthworm ... eats it. It begins to swallow even at great depths, and throws out the processed one already at its habitat. So, you can often see areas of "dug up", loosened earth: earthworms have tried.

In addition to the greasy soil, earthworms feed on leaves and the almost decayed remains of other plants. They get all this, as a rule, at night, and fill their burrows with this nutrient material before dawn. And they find food for themselves, focusing on ... the sense of smell. Yes, the earthworm has a well-developed sense of smell. By the way, earthworms have blood. And, accordingly, the circulatory system. The worm's blood is red, just like a human's! Despite the fact that earthworms can reproduce remarkably sexually, they are also capable of division and regeneration. That is, if an earthworm is cut in half, after a while both parts of it will restore the lost parts and become separate organisms.

18.06.2017 11:49 1422

Why are earthworms called earthworms.

In the warm season, after rain, you can often see many long, pink worms on the ground or asphalt. in the people they are called rain. In fact, they are earthy, because they live in the earth.

And they are called worms because worms crawl out to the surface precisely after (and sometimes during) rain. What makes these creatures leave the depths of the earth? Maybe they don't like wet soil?

As it turned out, in the ground flooded with water, earthworms simply suffocate and crawl out to the surface just to breathe. And since they do not have gills (like fish), they naturally cannot breathe in water. The respiratory organ for earthworms is their ... skin.

However, in the air (especially in the sun), worms also feel uncomfortable, since their skin dries up and, as a result, loses the ability to secrete the mucus that moisturizes the body, which is necessary for breathing.

In the cold season, earthworms are in a state of hibernation, twisting into a ball at a depth of 2-3 meters underground. And with the onset of spring warmth, they wake up and move closer to the soil surface - to warm up. They dig passages 60-80 cm deep.

These hardworking creatures spend almost their entire lives underground. As they move, they make a way for themselves with their own head, confidently pushing and even swallowing the soil.

Earthworms feed on organic matter - rotten leaves, etc. And if they do not find enough food underground, they crawl out on a night "hunt", dragging plants, straws, feathers and even pieces of paper into the ground.

However, in search of food, they do not move far from their burrow, but hold on to its edges with the rear end of the body. And at the first sign of danger, the worms return to their underground home.

Many people (especially children) are afraid of these creatures or feel disgust and disgust towards them. Yes, an earthworm cannot be compared to, for example, a beautiful, bright butterfly. However, these creatures are very useful for humans as well.

The benefit of the earthworm lies in the fact that by making moves in the soil, it promotes the penetration of air and water into its depths. Thus, he himself, without knowing it, accelerates the decomposition (decay) of the remains of rotten plants, creating a strong granular structure, as well as digesting plant residues.

Simply put, the earthworm helps fertilize the earth with natural, natural fertilizers. Due to this, the content of substances useful for plants increases in the soil.

As the great scientist Charles Darwin once noted, the earthworm, found in many countries with a humid climate, has played a huge role in the history of the earth.

"Earthworms, - said the scientist, - at regular intervals, carefully shovel all the soil, like a gardener preparing crushed soil for his most beautiful plants." And it is true.

Despite their frightening and repulsive appearance, these useful creatures are very harmless and defenseless. They are hunted not only by animals (hedgehogs, shrews, etc.) and birds of prey, but even some birds that feed on grains and seeds.

If you do not know why the earthworm belongs to annelids, then in our article you will find answers to your questions.

Why is the earthworm called that?

Ringed worms- a type of highly organized worms (worms), which includes about 15 thousand species.

So why the earthworm belongs to the annelids, here is the answer: this type of worm has bilateral symmetry, their body is divided into separate rings, they are called "segments". Segments - part of the body of animals, which are located throughout the body in a certain order one after the other. It is through this that the earthworm is called annelid and is classified as annelid.

What is the manifestation of the earthworm's adaptability to life in the soil? Fitness is manifested in the fact that worms have a large role in the formation of soil and increasing its fertility. Earthworms improve both the chemical composition and physical properties of the earth, for example, by their activity, they increase aeration (the process of gas exchange between soil and air), improve porosity, water permeability, moisture capacity, and the like. They enrich the lower soil layer with fertilizer, which is formed in their intestines as a result of food digestion. They ensure soil fertility.

Interesting Historical Annelid Facts:

1) They were called "sacred" by Queen Cleopatra;

2) Aristotle called them the intestines of the earth ”;

3) Charles Darwin believed that they are an integral part of our life and take their rightful place in world history and the like.

Earthworms or earthen - a suborder of small-bristled worms from the order Haplotaxida .

Structure

The body length of representatives of different species varies from 2 cm (genus Dichogaster) up to 3 m ( Megascolides australis). The number of segments is also variable: from 80 to 300. When moving, the earthworms rely on short setae located on each segment except the anterior one. The number of setae varies from 8 to several dozen (in some tropical species).

The circulatory system in worms is closed, well developed, the blood is red. Breathing is carried out through the skin rich in sensitive cells, which is covered with protective mucus. The nervous system of earthworms consists of a poorly developed brain (two nerve nodes) and an abdominal chain. They have a developed ability to regenerate.

Earthworms are hermaphrodites, each sexually mature individual has a female and male reproductive system (synchronous hermaphroditism). They reproduce sexually using cross fertilization. Reproduction takes place through the belt, within which the eggs are fertilized and developed. The girdle occupies several anterior segments of the worm, standing out relative to the rest of the body. Exit from the girdle of small worms occurs in 2-4 weeks, and after 3-4 months they grow to the size of adults.

Applied value

Charles Darwin was one of the first to point out the importance of earthworms in the process of soil formation in 1882. Earthworms create holes in the soil (at least 60-80 cm deep, large species - up to 8 m), contributing to its aeration, moisture and mixing. The worms move through the soil, pushing particles apart or swallowing them. During the rain, earthworms come to the surface, probably mistaking the sounds of falling raindrops for the sounds of the movement of a predator - a mole, which is why they got the name "earthworms".

Small individuals are used as live bait in recreational fishing.

Breeding

Breeding earthworms (vermiculture) allows you to process various types of organic waste into a high-quality environmentally friendly fertilizer - vermicompost.

In addition, due to the fertility of worms, it is possible to increase their biomass for use as feed additives to the diet of farm animals and poultry.

For breeding worms, compost is prepared from various organic waste: manure, chicken droppings, straw, sawdust, fallen leaves, weeds, tree branches and bushes, waste from the processing industry, vegetable stores, etc.

After the environmental conditions in the compost are brought to optimum, the worms are settled in the compost. After 2-3 months, a sample of the multiplied worms is made from the resulting vermicompost.

Founder of Vermiculture Dr. Thomas J. Barrett (1884-1975) at their Earthmaster Farms Thomas J. Barrett worms in agricultural production.

In his writings, Dr. Barrett talked about carrots weighing 2.7 kg; parsnips weighing 1.8 kg; turnips, which weighed 3.5 kg; a potato yield of more than 100 t / ha; onion yield more than 80 t / ha. All of this was grown as part of his Earthmaster Farms project with his own earthworm population (Eisenia fetida).

Earthworms play an important role in creating fertile soils, loosening the soil, ensuring its air permeability, improving the soil, supplying plants with carbon dioxide, destroying weed seeds in piles, and in many other things. By the way, worms belong to the Kingdom.

Well-known earthworms make up a large group of species belonging to different families of oligochaetes.

Our common earthworm, which reaches 30 centimeters in length and centimeters in thickness, belongs to the most fully studied family Lumbricidae, which includes about 200 species, of which about a hundred are found in Russia.

Types of earthworms

According to the characteristics of the biology, earthworms can be divided into two types: the first includes worms that feed on the soil surface, and the second - those that feed in the soil.

In the first type, litter worms can also be distinguished, which live in the litter layer and under no circumstances (even when the soil dries out or freezes) do not sink deeper into the ground 5-10 centimeters.

The same type includes soil-litter worms that penetrate into the soil deeper than 10-20 centimeters, but only under unfavorable conditions, and burrowing worms that make permanent deep passages (up to 1 meter or more), which they usually do not leave, and when feeding and mating, only the front end of the body is protruded onto the soil surface.

The second type can be divided into burrowing worms that live in the deep soil horizon, and burrowing worms that have constant passages, but feed in the humus horizon.

Litter and burrowing worms inhabit places with waterlogged soils - the banks of reservoirs, swampy soils, soils of humid subtropics.

In the tundra and in the taiga, only litter and soil-litter forms live, and in the steppes only the soil itself. They feel best in the conditions of coniferous-deciduous forests: all types of lumbricides live in these zones.

Worms lifestyle

By the way of life, worms - animals nocturnal, and at night one can observe how they swarm around in large numbers, while remaining in their burrows with their tails.

Stretching out, they ransack the surrounding space, capture with their mouths (in this case, the worm's throat turns out slightly, and then retracts back) the raw fallen leaves and drag them into the burrows.

Since the body of the worms is unusually stretchable, and besides, it is covered with bristles slightly bent back, they hold on to the burrow so tightly that it is very difficult to remove them from the ground without tearing them apart.

Earthworms are omnivorous... They swallow a huge amount of earth, from which they assimilate organic matter, in the same way they eat a large amount of all kinds of half-rotten leaves, with the exception of very hard or having an unpleasant odor for them.

Very interesting observations of earthworms were carried out by Charles Darwin, who devoted a large study to these animals. In 1881, his book "The Formation of the Vegetation Layer by the Activity of Earthworms" was published.

Charles Darwin kept earthworms in pots of soil and conducted interesting experiments to study the nutrition and behavior of these animals.

So, in order to find out what food worms can eat besides leaves and earth, he pinned pieces of boiled and raw meat on the surface of the earth in a pot and watched how every night the worms fiddled with the meat, and most of the pieces were eaten.

They also ate pieces of dead worms, for which Darwin even called them cannibals.

Semi-rotten or fresh leaves are dragged by worms through holes in minks to a depth of 6-10 centimeters and are eaten there. Darwin observed how worms capture food objects.

If fresh leaves are pinned to the surface of the earth in a flower pot, then the worms will try to drag them to their burrows. They usually tear off small pieces by grasping the edge of the leaf between the protruding upper and lower lip.

At this time, the thick powerful pharynx protrudes forward and thereby creates a fulcrum for the upper lip. If a worm bumps into a flat, large surface of a leaf, it acts differently.

The front rings of the body are slightly retracted into the subsequent ones, due to which the front end of the body expands, becomes blunt with a small fossa at the end.

The pharynx moves forward, is pressed against the surface of the sheet, and then, without detaching, is pulled back and slightly expanded. As a result, a "vacuum" is formed in the fossa at the anterior end of the body, applied to the sheet.

The pharynx acts like a piston, and the worm sticks very firmly to the leaf surface. If you put a thin wilting cabbage leaf on the worm, then on the back of the worm you can see a depression just above the head end of the animal.

The worm never touches the veins of the leaf, but sucks out the delicate tissues of the leaves.

The worms use the leaves not only for food, but also plug the entrances to the burrows with them. To this end, they also drag pieces of stems, wilted flowers, scraps of paper, feathers, and scraps of wool into their holes. Sometimes bunches of leaf petioles or feathers stick out from the worm's hole.

Leaves dragged into the worms' burrows are always crumpled or folded in a large number of folds. When the next leaf is pulled in, it is placed outside of the previous one, all the leaves are folded tightly and squeezed against each other.

Sometimes the worm expands the hole in its burrow or makes another one next to it in order to collect even more leaves. The worms fill the spaces between the leaves with the moist earth thrown out of their intestines in such a way that the minks are completely clogged.

Such clogged minks are especially common in the fall before worms overwinter. The upper part of the passage is lined with leaves, which, according to Darwin, prevents the worm's body from contacting the cold and wet earth near the soil surface.

Darwin also described how earthworms dig burrows. They do this either by pushing the earth apart in all directions, or by swallowing it.

In the first case, the worm pushes the narrow front end of the body into the gap between the earth particles, then swells and contracts it, and thereby the soil particles move apart. The front end of the body works like a wedge.

If the earth or sand is very dense, compacted, the worm cannot push the soil particles apart and acts in a different way. He swallows the earth, and, passing it through himself, gradually sinks into the ground, leaving behind a growing pile of excrement.

The ability to absorb sand, chalk or other substrates completely devoid of organic matter is a necessary adaptation in the case when a worm, plunging into the soil from excessive dryness or cold, finds itself in front of unloosened dense layers of soil.

Mink worms run either vertically or slightly obliquely. Almost always, they are lined from the inside with a thin layer of black earth processed by animals. Lumps of earth ejected from the intestines are tamped along the walls of the mink by vertical movements of the worm.

The lining formed in this way becomes very hard and smooth and closely adheres to the body of the worm, and the backward bristles have excellent support points, which allows the worm to move very quickly back and forth in the burrow.

The lining, on the one hand, strengthens the walls of the mink, on the other hand, protects the body of the worm from scratches. Minks leading downward usually end with an extension, or a chamber.

Here the worms spend the winter, singly or intertwining into a ball of several individuals. The mink is usually lined with small stones or seeds, which creates a layer of air for the worms to breathe.

After the worm swallows a portion of the earth, regardless of whether it is done for feeding or for digging a passage, it rises to the surface to throw the earth out of itself.

The discarded soil is saturated with intestinal secretions and, as a result, becomes viscous. When dry, the lumps of excrement harden. The earth is thrown out by the worm not chaotically, but alternately in different directions from the entrance to the hole. At the same time, the tail works like a shovel.

As a result, a kind of turret of excrement lumps forms around the entrance to the burrow. Such turrets in worms of different species have different shapes and heights.

The exit of the earthworm

When the worm protrudes out of the burrow to eject excrement, it stretches its tail forward, and if it sticks out its head to collect leaves.

Consequently, worms have the ability to roll over in their burrows. Worms do not always throw excrement onto the soil surface. If they find some kind of cavity, for example, near the roots of trees, in newly dug soil, then they deposit their excrement there.

It is easy to see that the space under rocks or fallen tree trunks is always filled with small pellets of earthworm excrement. Sometimes animals fill the cavities of their old burrows with them.

Life of earthworms

Earthworms in the history of the formation of the earth's crust have played a much more important role than it might seem at first glance. They are plentiful in almost all wet areas.

Due to the burrowing activity of worms, the surface layer of the soil is in constant motion. As a result of this "digging", soil particles are rubbed against each other, new layers of soil brought to the surface are exposed to the action of carbon dioxide and humic acids, which contributes to the dissolution of many minerals.

The formation of humic acids is due to the digestion of semi-decomposed leaves by earthworms. It was found that worms contribute to an increase in the content of phosphorus and potassium in the soil.

In addition, when passing through the intestinal tract of worms, the earth and plant residues are glued together with calcite - a derivative of calcium carbonate secreted by the calcareous glands of the digestive system of the worms.

The excrement compressed by the contractions of the intestinal muscles is thrown out in the form of very strong particles, which are washed out much more slowly than simple lumps of the same size and are elements of the granular structure of the soil.

The amount and weight of excrement produced annually by earthworms is enormous. During the day, each worm passes through its intestines an amount of earth, approximately equal to the weight of its body, that is, 4-5 grams.

Every year, earthworms throw a layer of excrement 0.5 centimeters thick onto the surface of the earth. Charles Darwin counted up to 4 tons of dry matter per hectare of pastures in England.

Near Moscow, in a field of perennial grasses, earthworms annually form 53 tons of excrement per hectare of land.

Worms prepare the soil for the growth of plants in the best way: they loosen it so that no lump remains larger than they can swallow, facilitate the penetration of water and air into the soil.

Dragging the leaves into their burrows, they grind them, partially digest them and mix them with earthen excrement. By evenly mixing the soil and plant debris, they prepare a fertile mixture, like a gardener.

The roots of plants move freely in the soil along the paths of earthworms, finding in them rich nutritious humus. One cannot help but be surprised when you think that the entire fertile layer has already passed through the bodies of earthworms and will pass through them again in a few years.

It is doubtful, Darwin believes, that there are still other animals that in the history of the earth's crust would occupy such a prominent place as these essentially lowly organized creatures.

Thanks to the activity of worms, large objects, stones gradually sink into the depths of the earth, and small fragments of stones are gradually frayed in their intestines to sand.

Darwin, describing how abandoned castles in old England are gradually sinking into the ground, emphasized that archaeologists should be indebted to earthworms for the preservation of a large number of ancient objects.

After all, coins, gold jewelry, stone tools, etc., falling on the surface of the earth, are buried under the excrement of worms for several years and are thus reliably preserved until in the future the earth covering them is removed.

Earthworms, like many other animals, are affected by human economic activities. Their number is decreasing due to the excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides, cutting down of trees and bushes, under the influence of overgrazing.

11 species of earthworms are included in the Red Book of the Russian Federation. Repeatedly successful attempts were made to relocate and acclimatize worms of various species to areas where they are insufficient. Such events are called zoological reclamation.

What do earthworms eat? Anything that can be swallowed by the mouth opening. That is, any organic matter, including aerobic bacteria, and at the same time pass grains of sand, dust and the smallest plates of clay through themselves.

I publish a drawing with the structure of the worm:

Earthworms and their reproduction

It makes sense to take care of increasing the number of earthworms in the soil - first of all, in the soil of the garden and garden. Since worms work most fruitfully and reproduce under certain conditions (temperature 20-25 degrees, humidity 80%, acidity 7 pH, lack of illumination and drafts), I will try to create such conditions in ( BVK) and vermicomposting boxes ( JVC), and from there to settle them around the site. IN JVC processes are going on more intensively, but you can't get enough of the boxes!

According to Professor A. Igonin before chemicalization in pastures, the average number of earthworms was 2000 individuals per square meter. m. If we calculate the volume of a 15-centimeter soil layer from 1 sq. m. m., we get 150 liters. The worm capacity turns out to be on average 2000/150 = 13.33 worms in each cube of soil with sides of 10 cm, that is, in a liter of soil.

Now imagine how many meters of moves earthworms will dig in this cube in the course of their life! It is they who ensure the air permeability of the soil and provide air oxygen to all soil inhabitants.

This means that the plan for worms is 250 million earthworms in a couple of years and a billion worms in 4 years!

First, we define the worm capacity ( WH) the soil of the future garden. To do this, after sunset, we will type with a pitchfork 10 -liter bucket from a 15-centimeter layer of soil, pour the soil onto a film in a thin layer and select the worms, counting their number.

Be sure to write down the indicator WH(we will express it in CVL- worms per liter) on a separate page of the diary to compile a table WH by date and place (garden, vegetable garden, BVK, experimental fields, etc.). In the columns - the place marked with a stake and numbered, and in the rows - the dates. Let's return the worms to the soil and pour the soil with the worms back where they took them. We will strive for annual tripling CVL.

In the spring, we will transport several buckets of balls of worms and compost from the dacha to the new site BVK... Let's place them in the previously prepared BVK No. 1 and No. 4, where we use different technologies to compare and choose the best one.

We will buy several thousand technological worms Prospector in the NGO " Green Peak"And several thousand technological worms Dendrobena at Victor Dulin or one of his followers. These worms differ from ordinary earthworms in higher rates of fertility (a hundred times!) And productivity.

If you buy and distribute worms Prospector and worms Dendrobena, it is possible to raise the soil fertility of the ecopark as quickly as possible.

Note that the worms Dendrobena tend to flee from JVC and BVK... Well, let them creep! As they say, where will they go from the submarine!

We will send half of the purchased worms for breeding in JVC and the other half in BVK No. 2 and No. 3.

When ready, vermicompost from JVC and the southern slope BVK we will send to the garden and the garden, introducing cocoons of worms and small worms that did not have time to go to the upper JVC on the rack. So we will build up worm capacity vegetable garden and garden soil. In autumn, at sunset, at the same points, we measure the worm capacity and compare the indicators with the spring ones.

I invite everyone to speak out in