The Earth Moved: On the Remarkable Achievements of Earthworms.

THE EARTH MOVED: On the Remarkable Achievements of Earthworms. AMY STEWART

Being blind, deaf, and spineless, earthworms would seem to lack the tools to be high-impact players in life on Earth. These creatures, however, are pivotal for their role in cleaning and enriching the soil that sustains most of the animals on the planet. This point was not lost on Charles Darwin, who spent the last few years of his life studying earthworms. Stewart shares Darwin's fascination. She is an amateur oligochaetologist who keeps some 10,000 earthworms in a composting bin on her porch and has documented almost every worm activity known. Blending her own observations with those of Darwin and his contemporaries, she details how worms destroy plant diseases, break down toxins, and transform forests and how their services are being employed in toxic cleanups and are informing the study of regeneration. Stewart also documents the long history of this creature, which has survived two mass extinctions, including the one that wiped out the dinosaurs. In all, she offers a fascinating look at a truly unsung creature. Originally published in hardcover in 2004. Algonquin, 2005, 223 p., paperback, $12.95.