Earthworms

The Earthworm is a crucial component of the environment due to their interactions with soil which then, in turn, provides benefits to other living organisms such as their burrowing behavior, which allows nutrients, air, and water to delve deeper into the soil. After soil is swallowed by the pharynx, the food matter is sent through the esophagus and into the crop, where the soil is stored until it interacts with the gizzard. The main function of the gizzard to grind the soils so that it can enter the intestine, where gland cells within release fluid to aid in the process. When organic matter is finally excreted from the intestine to the anus through the worm through the process of casting, more nutrients are introduce into the soil that benefit plant life. The earthworm also has a brain located behind its pharynx, called the cerebral ganglia, that is crucial for movement. The

Rain washes the pesticides that are used in our Australians households and then become run-off in drains and sewers. They then make their way into nearby water bodies, wether that be creeks, rivers or even oceans and settle within the soil by sticking to small particles, including tiny living organisms like phytoplankton (M. Barwick, 2003, pp. 471-502). Small fish consume these tiny organisms, which may then be eaten by a larger organism and this continues until the top order consumer is reached. The concentration that first began in the phytoplankton and has multiplied sufficiently as it moves along the food chain. The amount of the pesticide has reached a highly toxic level in the top order predator, whether that is birds or even humans. As a result of the biomagnification of pesticides and other chemical the marine environment and the organisms that live within it are heavily affected. The build up of heavy metals, for example, it interferes with the formation of red blood cells, creates liver and kidney implications and forms reproductive defects in many organisms. This hinders an organism’s ability to survive and reproduce and can create a decline in species

Studies of Daphnia presented information which elluded to the idea that Daphnia would react to environmental pollutants within a relatively short timeframe; therefore, a lab was constructed to find the effects of copper sulfate in a Daphnia’s system. Before beginning, the hypothesis was gathered: if the concentrations of copper sulfate in the water are high, then the Daphnia would be afflicted with symptoms associated with physical decline. Daphnia, known as water fleas, are small crustaceans who get their common name from their jerky movements. The organisms reside within lakes and ponds often in limestone-based areas found all over the world. Daphnia consume algae, specifically the free-living green type, yeasts, and bacteria; therefore,

species group. The location of this earthworm was in Australia, where they claimed their habitat

When society thinks about crayfish and earthworms they become extremely curious about how their bodies operate because of how they are made up. I will give a brief synopsis of both animals before going into major detail about them. According to the online website named dictionary.com, it says that an earthworm is a burrowing annelid worm that lives in the soil. Earthworms play an important role in aerating and draining the soil and in burying organic matter (Dictionary). Crayfish are nocturnal freshwater crustacean that resembles a small lobster and inhabits in streams and rivers (Dictionary). Crayfish and earthworms are some very interesting animals that possess some exclusive qualities both similar and different.

Copper concentrations that exceed 20 micrograms per gram can be toxic to any living thing (Solomon). Copper binds easily to organic matter, which means it levels are rather high in animals that can filter materials from water; although biomagnification doesn’t occur in the food web. In terms of aquatic organisms and ecosystems, copper is one of the most toxic metals, and aquatic organisms tend to be more sensitive to its effects.

They play a key role in regenerating and displacing soil. Earthworm activities changes both physical and chemical characteristic of soil. They help convert organic matter to humus. Additionally, they ingest other particles (sand grains) and when it is digested and excreted, it is accessible for plants to take advantage of its minerals and nutrients. Physically, the earthworm creates tunnels for air and water to navigate the soil. () They play an essential role in fighting erosion and are vital to plant growth. Healthy soil is depended on a thriving worm population. The ability to break down organic matter and excrete nutrients makes the earthworm valuable to restoration projects. Some people have employed earthworms to prepare soil for the return of native flora. Individuals that utilized this idea have seen better results in the return of their soil ecosystem than previously used methods. The number of

Most people are surprised to learn that their bodies are contaminated with heavy metals. This is a little-known problem that has grown into a widespread issue. There are many different ways your body becomes contaminated with heavy metals, such as through the type of cookware you use, the tap water you drink and the fillings you have in your teeth. Fortunately, there are natural ways to cleanse your body of these harmful toxins, such as with chlorella. This is an algae found in nature and is oftentimes used in integrative medicine by naturopathic doctors in Arizona.

In my comparative anatomy class I was able to distinguish the difference and the similarities between a earthworm, crayfish, and a chordate. The earthworm and the crayfish are both divided into parts. The earthworm is divided internally and externally into defined segments. These segments may also be divided as well. The crayfish is divided into two main parts.

In the past several decades years, human activities - particularly polluting the environment, have quickly revolutionized the complex life-forms. Atlantic Tomcod, for example, are now resistant to toxic PCBs (polychlorinated biphenuls) dumped in lake, rivers, and coastal waters during the 20th century. In addition, yellow perch, a type of Canadian fish, also managed to be adapt to 80 years of heavy metal. As you can see, these problems are now growing, where brown trout (Salmo trutta) living in England, are also facing the same problem. Areas where brown trout lives, have history of mining, “Dating back to the bronze age, and zinc, copper, tin, arsenic and other heavy metals, continue to get washed into the watercourse.” In fact, certain rivers

The amount of mercury uptake into the rice is enough to rival the dangers of mercury in fish in certain populations [18], [19]. It is possible that the same connection existed in South Carolina. The combination of mercury from gold mining, rice fields and high intake of rice mirrors the environment of the 19th century but many rice plantations moved to the coast during this time [20]. It is unknown if the mercury would have affected the rice plantations over that area or if any negative effects were noted at the time

The American consumer market is twenty nine per cent of world market aside from the basic essentials we need to sustain life. We need to breathe, eat and drink water but we consume a large amount of other resources and services that eventually contaminate the soil we live on. There are so many new inventions and with everyone trying to have the next best thing that allows us to pollute more and waste more into the soil. In this paper I will focus on: What is soil contamination, the type of toxins found in soil contaminated areas and solutions on how to lower the chances of soil contamination.

The mealworm is the larva of the mealworm beetle which is a specie of darkling beetle (Animals.mom.me, 2016). The darkling beetle has a metamorphic life cycle that begins with an egg hatching into a small mealworm over a four week period (Sandhyarani, 2016). The second life stage of a darkling beetle is the larva stage where the egg will hatch into a small brown mealworm that eats and grows for about eight to ten weeks till its next stage as a darkling beetle pupa (Sandhyarani, 2016). The larva stage of a darkling beetle is the stage in which the mealworms will be investigated. The mealworm will then enter the pupa stage during one of its shell sheds causing the mealworm to

Earthworm samples were collected from the moist soil at Wilcuts trail by Hess Creek within a 152 meter area. Due to the isolation of this environment, there were an abundant amount of undisturbed soil with many earthworms that could be collected as test subjects. Several holes were dug to be 1-3 cm deep with a shovel, the soil was hand sifted to find the earthworm subjects. More than 60 adult earthworm samples were collected within six 40 ounce plastic containers. Each earthworm was checked for a clitellum band around their body which indicates the worm is adult. Each plastic container was filled with 30 ounces of soil that was weighed out via a portable scale. The worms were stored in the soil in which they were found so that they

The inorganic metals that often plague brownfields include arsenic, cadmium, zinc, nickel and copper. However, the bioavailability of other problematic metals such as lead and chromium are very low and require more advanced resources and strategies in order to be extracted. In addition to these toxic metals, it has been suggested that phytoextraction techniques can be used to remove radionuclides that exist in sites with mixed wastes. Radionuclide refers to any element that emits radiation and that can cause cancer through drinking water that it contaminates. In addition to the environmental and health concerns that brownfields pose, there are also many sociological impacts associated with them.