| Earthworms consume large quantities of soil and detritus, and in doing so, they alter and disperse soil constituents, including microorganisms. Because of these activities, earthworms may play important roles in processes associated with the ecology of indigenous as well as introduced microbes. Some earthworms, such as Eisenia fetida, have been used to process, stabilize or detoxify various organic wastes (e.g., sewage sludge, farm residues, and municipal solid waste). E. fetida occupies a unique ecological niche: it is not so much a soil dwelling earthworm as an earthworm which can process large amounts of organic material in the presence of soil. Additionally, E. fetida can withstand higher temperatures than most other temperate-zone earthworms can tolerate. This combination of attributes has led to E. fetida being called the "compost worm.";Viable bacteria were found to coexist with developing embryos in E. fetida egg capsules (cocoons). Cocoons weighing 12 mg and incubated 19 days contained a mean viable bacterial population of near 10... |
