A MATTER OF TASTE.THE North East's worm hunters will be using a diluted solution of mustard in their quest. The solution, which is poured on to the ground, is disliked by worms, which rise to the surface to avoid it and are then identified and counted. Newcastle University zoologist Dr Gordon Port says: "Worms are sensitive to chemicals in the soil because of their moist skin surface and they will try to escape from the mustard solution. "Mustard is a natural compound and the worms are unharmed by the process." There are 25 different species of worms in the UK. A square metre Noun 1. square metre - a centare is 1/100th of an are centare, square meter area unit, square measure - a system of units used to measure areas of ground will usually contain between 20 and 40 worms. The biggest UK worm is the lobworm, which lives in burrows Burrows is a provincial electoral division in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It was created by redistribution in 1957, and formally came into existence in the provincial election of 1958. The riding is located in the northern part of Winnipeg. deep beneath the surface and emerges mainly at night to drag down leaves and other organic material to digest in its burrow. Brandling brand·ling n. A common reddish-brown earthworm (Eisenia foetida) often used as fish bait. [brand (from its markings) + -ling1.] worms, with their reddish and yellow banding, love rich organic matter and are used in wormeries and are found in compost heaps. In ideal conditions, a worm can produce up to 800 offspring a year although many will die from starvation or predation predation Form of food getting in which one animal, the predator, eats an animal of another species, the prey, immediately after killing it or, in some cases, while it is still alive. Most predators are generalists; they eat a variety of prey species. . Charles Darwin was particularly interested in worms and wrote a book on the subject "We don't appreciate how much worms do. They are really important in maintaining the fertility of the soil," says Dr Port. The worms aerate aerate Physiology verb To add air or O2 into a liquid. See Waste treatment. the soil and bring material from underground to the surface, mixing the organic and the mineral. "They are little biological spades, and they are vital," says Dr Port. "Worms are little creatures which help make the world work." The worm population helps land absorb rain and combat flooding. Due to worm activity, a stone placed on the surface will sink by around two inches in 10 years. Dr Port says that too much digging in gardens, and intensive agriculture, can hit worm numbers. "If you want to encourage worms in your garden leave organic matter on the surface and they will thrive." On the worm survey, Dr Port says: "Although we know a lot about earthworms, we need information on their distribution and numbers. |
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