ISEE9

Earthworms (phylum Annelida, belonging to the Oligochaeta Class) are a group of organisms which play a major role in the soil's sub-ecosystem. It is therefore of fundamental importance to understand how they behave in the soil if we are to consider their use in sustainability, restoration and remediation. In 1881 Darwin wrote about the importance of earthworms in his book "The formation of the vegetable mould through the action of earthworms with observation on their habitats". Aristotle also gives them worthy mention as "the soil's intestines"... It is a known fact that a population of earth-worms in a single field in Veracruz is able to digest more than 400 tons of soil per hectare each year, and in some other ecosystems this figure may be as high as 1,500 tons. Thus, the importance of the impact of their presence in the soil has led them being referred to as "engineers of the ecosystem". It is because of this peculiarity that earthworms participate widely in so many environmental..