Earthworms (Phylum - Annelida, Class - Chaetopoda, Order - Oligochaeta) occupy a unique position in animal kingdom and are the first group of multi cellular and eucoelomate invertebrates who have succeeded to inhabit terrestrial environment. The knowledge about the importance of earthworms is not a very modern phenomenon. The Ancient Greeks regarded the earthworm to play an important role in improving the quality of the soil. The Greek philosopher Aristotle (384 – 322 B.C.) regarded worms as “the intestines of the earth”. Probably, ancient Egyptians were the first to recognize the beneficial status of the earthworm. Cleopatra (69 – 30 B.C.) recognized the earthworms’ contribution to Egyptian agriculture and declared them to be sanctified. In Egypt, removal of earthworms was punishable by death. Egyptian farmers were not even allowed to touch an earthworm for fear of offending the god of fertility. The excessive fertility of the soil in the Nile valley was large part due to the work of earthworms. The ancient Chinese also considered earthworms as “angels of the earth.”
Awareness about the eco friendly role of earthworms in pedogenesis and soil fertility did not emerge until the late eighteenth century. Charles Darwin (1809 –1882) studied earthworms for more than forty years and devoted an entire book (The Formation of Vegetable Mould through the Action of Worms) to the study of earthworms. Darwin said, “It may be doubted that, there are many other animals which have played so important a part in the history of the world as have these lowly organized creatures”. The first paper of Charles Darwin described the activities of earthworms and was the central theme of his presentation to the Geological Society in 1837 (Darwin, 1838), 22 y...
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...nd found that genetic similarities within and among the populations were similar (Kautenburger, 2006b).
Several authors have reported that earthworms are strongly influenced by diverse use of pesticides, cultural practices and crop rotations leading to genetic variability (Brooks et al., 1992; Pfiffner and Mader, 1997; Blakemore, 2000). But, Lentzsch and Golldack (2006), while analyzing genetic diversity of Aporrectodea caliginosa from agricultural sites in Germany using RAPD-PCR method, indicated that intraspecific diversity of A. caliginosa and the abundance of A. caliginosa genotypes were significantly influenced by earthworm species richness, but not soil properties and glacial topographic features. In earthworms, RAPD technique has been applied to Lumbricus terrestris (Kautenburger, 2006b) and Aporrectodea spp. (Dyer et al., 1998; Lentzsch and Golldack, 2006).
Bess beetles range in size all the way from 21 millimeters to 80 millimeters. The beetles are named after the French word baiser, which means “to kiss”, due to the fact that they often make a smooching sound with their legs. They have a small horn that protrudes from their head, and use their antennae to drive them forward when experiencing new smells. Though the beetles may look quite menacing, they are surprisingly docile. They enjoy feasting on rotten wood, moss, and adult beetle fecal matter after it has been partially digested by bacteria. A scientific experiment was conducted to test these beetle’s pulling power in relation to their mass. The hypothesis stated,
ImageText BoxImageOne of the biggest threats to the environment of Ontario is the Gypsy Moth (Lymantria dispar dispar). The species itself is native to Europe and Asia. How this affects us is by weakening trees across Ontario and North America. The first time the gypsy moth was found in Ontario was 1969. The gypsy moth can be found in southern Canada (Ontario), New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and British Columbia. It is known to weaken trees and the caterpillar form live in trees and during most outbreaks its caterpillar feces would fall from the trees to the ground or even on top of humans. The average Gypsy Caterpillar can grow 5-6 centimeters long. With five pairs of blue spots and six pairs of bright red dots on their back. The female moth are white and can fly on the other hand, the male moth are brown and can also fly. The female have a 5cm wing span but male have a 2.5cm wing span. The gypsy moth usually lives in open forests and other forests and take up at least 20% of the space. The Gypsy moth are about 4cm long, tan coloured and can be located on tree trunks, furniture, and buildings. (OFAH Invading Species Awareness Program, 2012)
I learned that the phylum Annelids can consist of many creatures such as earthworms, leeches, and scale worms can adapt to a variety of environments. Annelids’ bodies are divided into segments which are seen as rings by the naked eye. They have muscles which help them move by contracting their longitudinal and circular muscles. When Annelids take in food, the food particles travel through one end of the body and are excreted out the other side. The video enhanced my understanding about Annelids because without seeing different species and what classified them as Annelids I would have never known an earthworm or a leech fell into that phylum.
Thomas, Lewis. The Medusa and the Snail: More Notes of a Biology Watcher. New York: Viking, 1979.
Worms. It's not something that most dog-owners want for their beloved pups; but unfortunately, it's something that happens all too often. Worms and other parasites aren't just disgusting to think about, they are also potentially dangerous. At the first suspicion—or sight—of worms, you should take action quickly, so that your family pet doesn't suffer from upset tummy, grumpy behavior, or death.
Ecosystems are the basic biological units of ecology, and consist of biotic organisms and their interactions amongst other living organisms, as well as the surrounding abiotic environment (Putman and Wratten 1984). One facet of ecosystems that is less-often mentioned is the process of decomposition, as it many may view it as an unclean, unpleasant process that occurs after an organism has ceased to exist. To those with an ecological framework, however, decomposition is viewed as the opposite – an interesting, intricate process teeming with biological activity and life (Swan and Kominoski 2012). What is decomposition? Formally, decomposition is defined as the process to which complex organic matter is broken down to its basic constituents (i.e.
Forensic entomology is the learning of all types of insects and how they connect with criminal investigation. Forensic entomology can tell us how long since the offspring’s death which is known as postmortem interval (PMI) and whether the body has been relocated since putting one foot in the grave, and what injuries it may have suffered. At the start of decomposition, insects launch a new community by hatching eggs on the remains; the eggs will emerge into cankers (larvae) that will graze upon the human organs and tissues. A Forensic entomologists can figure out what specific bugs are presently in the body and gauge how long the body has been left unprotected by investigating how far along the cankers have come; although, what is found isn’t
This is caused by large round worm Ascaris lumbricoides. Estimated to be the most widespread soil transmitted helminthes infection and affecting ap...
Mao Dun, author of "Spring Silkworms", was a twentieth century Chinese novelist, critic, organizer, editor, and advocate for Chinese Communism. According to David Wang, Mao Dun was one of the most versatile Chinese literati among the May Fourth generation. Mao Dun was an advocate and practitioner of European naturalism. Motivated by history and politics, Mao Dun has introduced western literary ideas to China in his novels. As a left wing writer Mao Dun focuses on the peasant's point of view and relies on his depiction of reality to evoke change. A good example of this style of writing is the story "Spring Silkworms".
You probably think horseshoe crabs are crustaceans, but you’d be wrong. They actually aren’t crabs at all, and there’s more about the horseshoe crab that you wouldn’t believe. This weird-looking marine animal survived two mass extinctions and lived in the Ordovician Period.
“Modern man does not experience himself as a part of nature but as an outside force destined to dominate and conquer it. He even talks of a battle with nature, forgetting that if he won the battle he would find himself on the losing side” (E.F. Schumacher, 1974).
in order to ascertain how it brought about Earth's thriving ecosystem and how important it
Providing extremely fertile soil is one, if not the most important, roles the Nile River played in the life of the ancient Egyptians. By providing fertile soil, the Nile made it easy for cities and civilizations to grow alongside the banks of the river. This fertile soil comes from the annual flooding of the Nile. This replenishes the top soil with silt deposits that hold much needed nutrients for crops to grow. Ancient Egyptians developed highly complex irrigation methods to maximize the effect of the Nile waters. When the Nile overflows in mid summer, Egyptians divert the waters through the use of canals and dams. As the water seeped into the farm land, rich deposits of silt ensured a good harvest for the year. This allows the civilizations of Egyptians to grow enough food to feed the community. Without the annual flooding of the Nile, Egyptians would have a very difficult time growing necessary amount food to sustain life. Most of the land in the Egyptian nation is dry desert. Very little rain falls year round here. The river provides the needed water to grow the crops as well as provide drinking water for the people. Th...
There are few animals in the world that have as medically significant biology as mosquitoes. Carrying diseases that annually kill thousands, if not millions, of people worldwide, mosquitoes and the way they interact with pathogens are topics of concern for many researchers. As invertebrates, mosquitoes possess various immune responses designed to rid themselves of pathogens. Study of these immune responses has led to a deeper understanding of the ways in which the immune cells of mosquitoes, hemocytes, function and serve the purpose of killing the invasive pathogen. In conjunction with the circulatory system of the mosquito, these immune cells react in various ways upon infection with a pathogen such as a bacterium or virus. The Hillyer Lab
An ecosystem is a community of plants, animals and smaller organisms that live, feed, reproduce and interact in the same area or environment. Each individual plant and animal could not exist by itself on planet Earth. All living organisms need millions of other living organisms to survive. How these organisms interact with the sun, soil, water, air and each other in a specific are is called an ecosystem. In the following paragraphs I will be organization that make up an ecosystem and their organizations.