7 Do Different Diets Affect Earthworms and the Soil They Enrich?

Emma Cleffi

Table

Conclusion

My hypothesis was accurate to the data found. I had hypothesized that the environment with spinach would do better off and it did. For more accuracy, I could have added more food types, had more worms in bigger containers, and sealed them all off as properly as possible. Additionally, if I had more time I would have tested more times and waited a longer time to check on the worms.

Abstract

Do Different Diets Affect Earthworms and the Soil They Enrich?

For my project I wanted to experiment with animals and environmental science. Earthworms had always interested me with the way they could enrich the soil and tend the ground. I thought testing their diets and ecosystems would help people looking to garden out and the ecosystem. I hypothesized that the spinach would suit the earthworms the best, making them bigger and stronger and that the spinach would easily decompose to help the soil.

I bought 9 earthworms from the bait and tackle shop and put them equally into 3 different plastic containers that were 8’’ by 6’’. I then covered the containers with plastic wrap and duct tape. I took a pair of scissors and cut out small holes so the earthworms could breathe. All three containers were filled with soil and leaves . I had picked the soil after it had rained because earthworms like wet and leafy soil more than plain gardening soil. All of the earthworms weighed . 02llbs. I then observed the earthworms for three weeks. In the end I went and weighed the earthworms and took a final examination of each earthworms habitat. I counted how many had died and how many had survived.

The data showed that the worms mainly did the same, but overall the earthworms with spinach did the best. The earthworms seemed to do worse in the containers with apples. The average for the spinach habitat was 6 grams, the average for plain dirt was 5 grams, and the apple habitat was 4.5 grams. The earthworms did try to escape a few of the habitats and those habitats where the control, plain dirt, and the apples.

I conclude that earthworms are affected by their habitats and enjoy leafy greens to plain dirt and fruits. My hypothesis was correct and the earthworms benefited from the spinach more than anything else. My experiment was not the most accurate in the world and it would of been more just if I had experimented with different worms too. It would of been better data if I had bigger habitats and more dirt and space for the worms. Overall, earthworms benefit better with leaf greens and salad compared to other healthy ingredients that people lay in dirt to decompose into the soil.

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