How does an earthworm eat? Detailed answer

BIG ENCYCLOPEDIA FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS
Free library / Directory / Big encyclopedia for children and adults

How does an earthworm eat? Detailed answer

Big encyclopedia for children and adults

Directory / Big encyclopedia. Questions for quiz and self-education

Did you know?

How does an earthworm eat?

The earthworm can be called the most important animal in the world. Important, of course, from a human point of view, since the activity of these creatures prepares the ground for the growing season on which life depends.

Earthworms loosen the soil, crush it in the process of eating. On half a hectare of the garden, worms pass through their bodies about 16 tons of soil in 1 year. With their help, the roots of plants receive air and moisture, they contribute to the decay of dead plants and animal remains, and plant seeds of plants. This happens when they drag leaves into their burrows while grabbing seeds from the surface.

Earthworm fertilizer 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 calculated that there are 108 tons of earthworm waste per half a hectare. That's why this area has been so fertile for hundreds of years!

There are so many earthworms in the soil that if we take them all, for example, from the United States, then their weight will be 10 times the weight of the population.

The body of the worms consists of two tubes nested one inside the other. The internal is the digestive system. When the worm wants to eat, it turns its throat out and grabs pieces of soil. Then he advances them into the tube with the help of special muscles. The earth first enters the pantry, which is called the goiter, and then into the second stomach. The sand helps the worm break up the soil. It is then digested and exits the body as waste.

The earthworm does not have eyes, but it does have sensory cells on the surface of its body. This gives him the ability to distinguish light from darkness and feel subtle touches. He breathes through his skin.

Earthworms live in good, moist soil. They cannot live in sand. They come to the surface only at night. In winter, they curl up into a ball and sleep. When you 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.

Author: Likum A.

Random interesting fact from the Great Encyclopedia:

What are freckles?

To understand what freckles are and how they appear, we must understand what gives skin its color in the first place.

The most important pigment in the formation of skin color is melanin. We can say that the difference in skin colors of different races depends entirely on the amount of melanin.

By the way, in the lower forms of life, it is melanin that makes it possible for some fish and lizards to change their color. Its most important function for humans, besides color management, is to protect us from the harmful effects of too much exposure.

Melanin is produced by a network of special cells that are scattered throughout the lower layer of the epidermis - the thin outer part of our skin. These cells are called "melanocytes". Now we come to the question: what are freckles? So, freckles are just clusters of melanocytes in specks. This is why freckles have such a brownish color, the color of melanin pigment. Why do some people have freckles and others don't? The reason is heredity. Our parents decide for us whether we get freckles!

The color of freckles (actually the color of the melanin in them) can range from light tan to dark brown, depending on sun exposure and heat. Not only can sunlight darken freckles, it also produces new melanin.

Test your knowledge! Did you know...

▪ Why are leaves colored differently in autumn?

▪ Who lived on Olympus, and who lived on Parnassus?

▪ What is common between our dog and foreign monkeys and snails?

See other articles Section Big encyclopedia. Questions for quiz and self-education.

Read and write useful comments on this article.

<< Back

Latest news of science and technology, new electronics:

Machine for thinning flowers in gardens 02.05.2024

In modern agriculture, technological progress is developing aimed at increasing the efficiency of plant care processes. The innovative Florix flower thinning machine was presented in Italy, designed to optimize the harvesting stage. This tool is equipped with mobile arms, allowing it to be easily adapted to the needs of the garden. The operator can adjust the speed of the thin wires by controlling them from the tractor cab using a joystick. This approach significantly increases the efficiency of the flower thinning process, providing the possibility of individual adjustment to the specific conditions of the garden, as well as the variety and type of fruit grown in it. After testing the Florix machine for two years on various types of fruit, the results were very encouraging. Farmers such as Filiberto Montanari, who has used a Florix machine for several years, have reported a significant reduction in the time and labor required to thin flowers. ... >>

Advanced Infrared Microscope 02.05.2024

Microscopes play an important role in scientific research, allowing scientists to delve into structures and processes invisible to the eye. However, various microscopy methods have their limitations, and among them was the limitation of resolution when using the infrared range. But the latest achievements of Japanese researchers from the University of Tokyo open up new prospects for studying the microworld. Scientists from the University of Tokyo have unveiled a new microscope that will revolutionize the capabilities of infrared microscopy. This advanced instrument allows you to see the internal structures of living bacteria with amazing clarity on the nanometer scale. Typically, mid-infrared microscopes are limited by low resolution, but the latest development from Japanese researchers overcomes these limitations. According to scientists, the developed microscope allows creating images with a resolution of up to 120 nanometers, which is 30 times higher than the resolution of traditional microscopes. ... >>

Air trap for insects 01.05.2024

Agriculture is one of the key sectors of the economy, and pest control is an integral part of this process. A team of scientists from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Central Potato Research Institute (ICAR-CPRI), Shimla, has come up with an innovative solution to this problem - a wind-powered insect air trap. This device addresses the shortcomings of traditional pest control methods by providing real-time insect population data. The trap is powered entirely by wind energy, making it an environmentally friendly solution that requires no power. Its unique design allows monitoring of both harmful and beneficial insects, providing a complete overview of the population in any agricultural area. “By assessing target pests at the right time, we can take necessary measures to control both pests and diseases,” says Kapil ... >>

Random news from the Archive

The physical theory of superconductivity is called into question 20.11.2019

Scientists at Stanford University have discovered a phenomenon in superconducting metals that has not yet been explained. It questions the current physical theory of superconductivity and requires quantum computers to describe it.

The researchers studied the transition phase in the Bi-2212 (Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x) superconductor using angular resolution photoelectron spectroscopy (ARPES). Intense ultraviolet light knocks electrons out of the sample, and the behavior of electrons in the metal is determined by the energy and speed of the particles.

Superconductivity is caused by electrons which, below a certain critical temperature, form Cooper pairs and can pass through the crystal unhindered. Above this limit, a "strange" phase appears in high-temperature superconductors, in which electrons do not behave as independent particles, as in ordinary metals, but seem to gather in collectives.

In addition to temperature, the degree of doping, that is, the presence of impurities in the metal, affects the phase transition. At a relatively high temperature, the transition between normal and "strange" metal occurs at an impurity content of 19-20 percent. The researchers showed that in this case, the distribution of electron energy changes abruptly. If the temperature is lowered to the superconducting phase, then the jump is smoothed out, and the properties begin to change gradually.

According to a physical principle called a quantum phase transition, this should not happen: a jumplike character should also occur at low temperatures. According to scientists, the phenomenon can be explained by quantum entanglement, and the behavior of particles can only be satisfactorily described using a quantum computer.

Superconductors are materials that conduct electricity with zero resistance. This phenomenon was first discovered at very low temperatures (a few degrees above absolute zero), but then superconductivity was achieved at higher temperatures (92 kelvin).

Other interesting news:

▪ The danger of e-waste

▪ AMD discontinues 500MHz Athlon processors

▪ Grass Fuel

▪ High performance PIC32 family with large memory

▪ The cheapest tablet

News feed of science and technology, new electronics

Interesting materials of the Free Technical Library:

▪ section of the site Audio and video surveillance. Selection of articles

▪ article 3D pictures (anaglyph). Encyclopedia of visual illusions

▪ article Which military organization gives the current location of Santa Claus by phone in December? Detailed answer

▪ Blue Holes article. Nature miracle

▪ article Temperature controller on a microcontroller. Encyclopedia of radio electronics and electrical engineering

▪ article LED voltage indicator. Encyclopedia of radio electronics and electrical engineering

Leave your comment on this article:

All languages of this page

Home page | Library | Articles | Website map | Site Reviews