EVER wonder what is the most influential (defined as the species that has most changed life on Earth) species in the history of the planet? Homo sapiens? You got it wrong. Though we’d like to think we are the masters of the universe, we don’t even make it in the top five.
It is … the earthworm. Yeah, you read that right. Climate change and human intervention are fast-tracking the world’s loss of biodiversity. The plight of the tiger in India and the orangutan in Indonesia are well known, but scientists are also becoming concerned about earthworms, which we can’t afford to lose.
[ihc-hide-content ihc_mb_type=”show” ihc_mb_who=”2,3,5″ ihc_mb_template=”1″ ]Charles Darwin in his last book, The Formation of Vegetable Mould through the Action of Worms (1881) said: “It may be doubted whether there are many other animals which
have played so important a part in the history of the world, as have these lowly organised creature.”
Here are why the earthworms are so important:
1) Earthworms are recyclers. As they move, they eat. What comes out the other end – known as a worm cast – is full of nutrients and bacteria that are beneficial for plants. They literally eat old plants and turn them into new plant food. Earthworms also break larger particles down into smaller ones, and make them available for microorganisms to use. The microorganisms – bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and more – deconstruct the soil even further, contributing to the process of decomposition and compost. Nature has the recycling thing down pat.
2) Earthworms “engineer” soil. As they move through the soil, earth worms loosen and mix it up, helping to aerate and drain it. Keeping the soil oxygenated is key for the growth of beneficial bacteria. The more oxygen-rich the soil, the more bacteria can live there – more decomposition, nitrogen fixation, and nitrification.
3) Earthworms are barometers of soil health and toxicity. They are very sensitive to soil pollutants such as pesticide residues or unwanted heavy metals. They are badly affected by changes in land use such as deforestation for intensive farming. This means the health of local worms can be a useful tool to assess the impact of different land usage and
pollutants.
4) Earthworms are an important food source. They are rich in protein and feed a number of animals.
5) Earthworms help repair damaged soil and may provide solutions to man-made problems. Research suggests that earthworms could help to clean up land contaminated with toxic heavy metals.
The next time you see this amazing creature, avoid stepping on them. Pick them up and drop them off in your garden – you’ll be doing the both of you a great favor.
