Nervous system in earthworms. Earthworm: lifestyle, habitat and benefits for the soil. General characteristics and structure of the earthworm

22.04.2020

Animals, suborder earthworms. The body of an earthworm consists of annular segments, the number of segments can reach up to 320. When moving, earthworms rely on short bristles that are located on the body segments. When studying the structure of an earthworm, it is clear that, unlike the whipworm, its body looks like a long tube. Earthworms are distributed throughout the planet, except for Antarctica.

Appearance

Adult earthworms are 15 - 30 cm in length. In the south of Ukraine, it can reach large sizes. The body of the worm is smooth, slippery, has a cylindrical shape and consists of piece rings - segments. This form of the body of the worm is explained by the way of its life, it facilitates movement in the soil. The number of segments can reach 200. The ventral side of the body is flat, the dorsal side is convex and darker than the ventral side. Approximately where the front of the body ends, the worm has a thickening called a girdle. It contains special glands that secrete a sticky liquid. During reproduction, an egg cocoon is formed from it, inside which the eggs of the worm develop.

Lifestyle

If you go out into the garden after rain, you can usually see small piles of earth thrown out by earthworms on the path. Often at the same time, the worms themselves crawl along the path. It is because they appear on the surface of the earth after rain that they are called rain. These worms crawl out to the surface of the earth also at night. The earthworm usually lives in humus-rich soil and is not common in sandy soils. He also does not live in swamps. Such features of its distribution are explained by the way of breathing. The earthworm breathes on the entire surface of the body, which is covered with mucous, moist skin. Too little air is dissolved in the water, and therefore the earthworm suffocates there. He dies even faster in dry soil: his skin dries up, and breathing stops. In warm and humid weather, earthworms stay closer to the surface of the earth. During a prolonged drought, as well as during a cold period, they crawl deep into the ground.

moving

The earthworm moves by crawling. At the same time, it first draws in the anterior end of the body and clings with the bristles located on the ventral side to the unevenness of the soil, and then, contracting the muscles, pulls up the posterior end of the body. Moving underground, the worm makes its own passages in the soil. At the same time, he pushes the earth apart with the pointed end of the body and squeezes between its particles.

Moving in dense soil, the worm swallows the earth and passes it through the intestines. The worm usually swallows the earth at a considerable depth, and throws it out through the anus at its mink. So on the surface of the earth long "laces" of earth and lumps are formed, which can be seen in the summer on garden paths.

This method of movement is possible only in the presence of well-developed muscles. Compared to the hydra, the earthworm has more complex musculature. She lies under his skin. Muscles together with the skin form a continuous musculocutaneous sac.

The muscles of the earthworm are arranged in two layers. Beneath the skin lies a layer of circular muscles, and beneath them is a thicker layer of longitudinal muscles. Muscles are made up of long contractile fibers. With the contraction of the longitudinal muscles, the body of the worm becomes shorter and thicker. When the circular muscles contract, on the contrary, the body becomes thinner and longer. Contracting alternately, both layers of muscles cause the movement of the worm. Muscle contraction occurs under the influence of the nervous system, branching out in muscle tissue. The movement of the worm is greatly facilitated by the fact that there are small bristles on its body from the ventral side. They can be felt by running a finger dipped in water along the sides and along the ventral side of the worm's body, from the rear end to the front. With the help of these bristles, the earthworm moves underground. With them, he lingers when he is pulled out of the ground. With the help of bristles, the worm descends and rises along its earthen passages.

Nutrition

Earthworms feed mainly on half-decayed plant remains. They drag, usually at night, leaves, stems and other things into their minks. Earthworms also feed on humus-rich soil, passing it through their intestines.

Circulatory system

The earthworm has a circulatory system that the hydra does not have. This system consists of two longitudinal vessels - dorsal and abdominal - and branches that connect these vessels and carry blood. The muscular walls of the vessels, contracting, drive blood throughout the body of the worm.

The blood of the earthworm is red, it is very important for the worm, as well as for other animals. With the help of blood, the connection between the organs of the animal is established, metabolism occurs. Moving through the body, it carries nutrients from the digestive organs, as well as oxygen entering through the skin. At the same time, the blood carries carbon dioxide out of the tissues into the skin. Various unnecessary and harmful substances formed in all parts of the body, together with the blood, enter the excretory organs.

Irritation

The earthworm does not have special sense organs. He perceives external stimuli with the help of the nervous system. The earthworm has the most developed sense of touch. Sensitive tactile nerve cells are located all over the surface of his body. The sensitivity of the earthworm to various kinds of external irritation is quite high. The slightest vibrations of the soil make him quickly hide, crawling into a mink or into deeper layers of soil.

The value of sensitive skin cells is not limited to touch. It is known that earthworms, having no special organs of vision, still perceive light stimuli. If at night you suddenly illuminate the worm with a lantern, it quickly hides.

The response of an animal to stimulation, carried out with the help of the nervous system, is called a reflex. There are different types of reflexes. The contraction of the body of the worm from touch, its movement when suddenly illuminated by a lantern, has a protective value. This is a protective reflex. Grabbing food is a digestive reflex.

Experiments also show that earthworms smell. The sense of smell helps the worm find food. Charles Darwin also established that earthworms can smell the leaves of the plants they feed on.

reproduction

Unlike the hydra, the earthworm reproduces exclusively sexually. It does not have asexual reproduction. Each earthworm has male organs - the testes, in which the gums develop, and the female genital organs - the ovaries, in which the eggs are formed. The worm lays its eggs in a slimy cocoon. It is formed from a substance secreted by the girdle of the worm. In the form of a clutch, the cocoon slides off the worm and is pulled together at the ends. In this form, the cocoon remains in the earthen burrow until young worms emerge from it. The cocoon protects the eggs from moisture and other adverse effects. Each egg in the cocoon divides many times, as a result of which tissues and organs of the animal are gradually formed, and, finally, small worms similar to adults emerge from the cocoons.

Regeneration

Like hydras, earthworms are capable of regeneration, in which lost parts of the body are restored.

26.01.2018

Dear colleagues! Today we will continue the topic "earthworms", in which we will consider the structure of an earthworm. Who knows, maybe among those reading these lines there are those who consider earthworms to be harmful such as: "they gnaw roots in pots, eat seedlings, sprouts, seeds ...", etc. Therefore, a variety of methods are invented to destroy worms, the most harmless of which - freezing of the soil. And they talk all sorts of nonsense about earthworms. I myself talked with such people, convincing them of the opposite, namely, of the invaluable help and benefit these tireless workers bring.

So, let's start studying the earthworm in order to figure out how its vital activity is supported.

To absorb food, worms have an organ called pharynx. It works on the principle of a rubber pear: when compressed and then unclenched, a vacuum is created, due to which food is drawn inward. It is clear that there are no teeth in the mouth, therefore, the worm is not able to gnaw or bite something.

In order to pass through a rather small mouth opening, the food must be sufficiently soaked or softened. Therefore, plant foods (shoots, leaves) should not be freshly picked (or freshly bitten), but already dried, with softened fibers. Therefore, earthworms so love to live and feed in half-rotted humus, under last year's fallen leaves, in mowed or cut vegetation that has lain on the surface of the soil for a long time.

Goiter- This is a large thin-walled cavity in which swallowed food accumulates. What happens next? How to be without teeth? It turns out that the worm also has them, only they are located ... in the stomach!

Stomach is a muscular, thick-walled chamber, the inner surface of which consists of hard, tooth-like protrusions. When the walls of the stomach contract, they crush (grind) food into small particles. And already in this state, the food enters the intestines, where, under the action of digestive enzymes, it is digested, and the nutrients released during this are absorbed. By the way, the stomach is arranged in a similar way in crocodiles and most birds.

Features of digestion make earthworms detritivorous, that is, they feed on detritus- decaying plant organic matter located on the surface of the earth or in their underground burrows, as well as in the soil itself, biting into the soil itself. Therefore, the coprolites that the earthworm leaves behind are lumps of soil enriched with nitrogen, microelements, and having low acidity due to the alkaline environment of its intestines.

Upon careful examination of the picture, you will see that the worm has a brain, and nerves, and a heart (which is not even one, but five!). That is, the earthworm feels and understands everything, but it cannot say. Here is another tragic secret, still not understood by biologists and not revealed by forensic scientists: why do they crawl out onto the footpaths after the rain, and die en masse there?

The earthworm has its own "Achilles heel", its weak point. the thing is that worms need energy for normal life. And they get it due to respiration (and oxygen oxidation), and it requires gas exchange between the body and the environment.

The structure of the earthworm is such that the worm does not have a special organ for gas exchange (such as lungs or gills), so it breathes skin. To do this, it must be thin and constantly moisturized. Since the worms do not have any protective shell, the most common reason for their death is drying out.

The body of earthworms consists of many annular segments (from 80 to 300) that can be easily seen. A worm can be both slippery and rough at the same time. He rests bristles- they are on each ring and are visible in an ordinary magnifying glass.

The bristles are the main support in the life of the worm, they are very convenient to grab hold of the tiny unevenness of the soil, which is why it is so difficult to pull the worm out of the mink - it will rather let itself be torn in half. Thanks to the bristles, inactive on the surface, it deftly eludes danger.

If necessary, the body of the worm is covered with abundant mucus, which serves as an excellent lubricant for squeezing through the ground. The same mucus does not allow the body to waste water, which in the worm is as much as 80% of the total weight.

Under certain conditions, worms can restore missing parts of the body. For example, the back will grow back if it is torn off in an accident. But this does not always happen. So let's take care of our underground architects, "angels of the earth", and create favorable conditions for them. And they, in turn, will thank us with improved soil on the plots and a generous harvest.

Representatives of the type Annelids (rings) are considered the most highly developed worms. This type includes the class Small-bristle worms. What features of the structure and life activity distinguish them from other worms?

Everyone has seen how, after a summer rain, earthworms appear on the surface of the earth (Fig. 18.1). They are driven out of the soil by water that fills all the passages of the worm. It quickly dissolves carbon dioxide, which is released as a result of decay of organic residues in the soil. Feeling a lack of oxygen and an excess of carbon dioxide, the worms crawl to the surface. But they don't stop here. As soon as there is less water in the soil, the worms return to their permanent habitat.

The earthworm spends the day underground, and at dusk it crawls out of the mink for a supply of food. Feeling the fallen leaf, the worm grabs it with its mouth and pulls it into the hole (Fig. 18.2). It feeds on leaves, organic debris and various microorganisms.

The length of the earthworm is 10-13 cm. Its body resembles a hose from a washing machine: it consists of segments - dense rings connected by thin elastic ligaments. Thanks to them, the worm can freely fold and stretch. Several segments on the front of its body are thicker and noticeably paler than others. This is the so-called "yasok", which plays an important role in the reproduction of the worm.

The body of the animal is covered with a wet cuticle. If you run your finger over it from the front to the back end, you will feel that it is slippery and smooth, and when you do it in the opposite direction, it will seem rough to you. The fact is that on the body of the worm there are rows of bristles (Fig. 18.3), directed towards its rear end, like the hair of a smooth-haired cat. The slippery cuticle and bristles are adaptations of the worm to life in the soil. To advance in it, you need to have a smooth and slippery body. However, while moving against gravity, an animal with such a body will slide down. To avoid this, the worm and the necessary bristles.

Integument and movement of the earthworm. The earthworm, like all previously studied worms, has a skin-muscular sac covered with a cuticle. Rings have two muscle groups: circular and longitudinal. material from the site

Rice. 18.5. The scheme of movement of the earthworm

How is the movement of an earthworm (Fig. 18.5) related to the work of its muscles? To make a move in the soil, the worm in the anterior segments of the body contracts the annular muscles, and in the segments located farther, the longitudinal ones. The front part of the body becomes thinner, increases in length and penetrates the soil. The next section of the body at this time shortens and thickens, resting against the walls of the passage.

Then the worm relaxes the annular muscles in the anterior region, and contracts the longitudinal ones. So it expands the hole in the soil. At the same time, in the segments of the next part of the body, the circular muscles contract, and the longitudinal muscles relax. Rhythmically contracting the annular and longitudinal muscles in the segments of different parts of the body, the worm makes a move. Sometimes, in order to make a move, the worm swallows lumps of earth that come across in its path.

On this page, material on the topics:

The structure of the ring earthworm photo Grade 7
What is the average size of an earthworm
Why do you need an earthworm in nature
Why the earthworm cannot stay on the surface of the earth for a long time
Ok google earthworm movement diagram for biology lesson homework

Questions about this item:

The earthworm is known to everyone and everyone, probably since childhood. Everyone remembers the pink creatures that appear out of nowhere after the rain. But not everyone knows that the earthworm is a real treasure for the earth, they play a big role in the ecosystem, enrich the earth with nutrients, and are food for many birds and animals. There are many interesting facts that reveal all the secrets of the "extraordinary" inhabitant of the earth's interior, which does not look attractive at all, but is of great importance in nature and human life.

The structure and description of worms
Earthworms are a type of annelids. They live mainly in moist soil rich in humus. Interestingly, the habitat is 5 continents - all except Australia. Features of their appearance are as follows:
And also on each segment there are bristles that help move underground. In the tubular body, bones and cartilage are completely absent, the body cavities are filled with fluid. An earthworm is perhaps the most amazing creature that lives in the soil, it has no eyes, no lungs, no ears. Breathing is done through the skin. The worm has several hearts, the digestive system runs along the entire length of the body.
The mucous glands located between the segments secrete mucus, which protects against overdrying, helps in moving underground, and prevents the earth from sticking to the body. As well as it scares off predators because it tastes very bad.
The average life expectancy is from 4 to 8 years. However, there are cases when the age of the worm reached even 10 years. It is difficult to meet such centenarians in nature, since any bird or rodent and, of course, a person are dangerous for them. The greatest threat currently posed by chemicals - fertilizers, generously added to the soil, most of them are deadly to worms.

Favorite food
The question of what earthworms eat is very interesting. Their "menu" is rather modest, the basis of the diet is fallen rotting leaves, as well as other organic residues - roots, rotten pieces of wood. The teeth of worms are in the stomach. Liquid-like soft food is absorbed through the pharynx, then it is muscularly pushed further - into the goiter, and then into the stomach, where it is crushed and ground with the help of the so-called teeth - hard growths similar to the incisors we are used to. With the contraction of the gastric muscles, these hard tooth-like processes come into motion. Digestion takes place in the intestines.
Undigested food residues are deposited in the soil. In one day, an adult earthworm is able to process a pound of earth!

Lifestyle
As you know, earthworms are underground inhabitants. They spend most of their lives digging underground passages and burrows, the network of such corridors can reach a depth of 2-3 meters. Worms are nocturnal animals by way of life. Their body is not at all protected from ultraviolet radiation, so the peak of activity comes in the evening and at night. As a "home" they prefer moist soil rich in humus. Animals do not like both sandy and too wetlands. It has to do with breathing patterns.
They take in oxygen with their skin, and there is very little air in the excessively moist earth, which causes inconvenience, the animal begins to suffocate. This explains their behavior after the rain. The ground becomes so wet that the worms are forced to crawl to the surface so as not to suffocate.
In dry land, the mucus that covers the skin dries up, making it impossible for the worms to both breathe and move comfortably. With the advent of cold weather, earthworms go into the deep layers of the soil.

Reproduction of worms
A small soil inhabitant has the specifics of the reproduction of offspring. Reproduction of earthworms occurs mainly in the warm season and stops during drought and cold snap, when they go into the deep layers of the soil to winter.
Everyone knows that earthworms are hermaphrodites. In the body of the worm there are both male and female genital organs. However, this is not enough for reproduction. Invertebrates need another individual with which the mating process will take place - the exchange of genetic material. Worms find a partner by smell, as the bodies produce pheromones that other earthworms sense. Reproduction occurs as follows.
They mate on the surface of the earth in wet weather. In the process, the worms are pressed against each other so that the back end of one worm is pressed against the front end of the other, in other words, with a jack. The mucous membrane provides for the exchange of spermatozoa. After separation from each other, each worm retains a part of the shell saturated with spermatozoa, which gradually hardens and thickens and passes to the anterior end of the worm, where fertilization occurs. Then the shell slides off the body and closes, a kind of cocoon is formed, very dense in structure.
It reliably stores about 20-25 eggs. This cocoon is able to protect eggs even in drought or extreme cold conditions. However, as a rule, only one worm hatches from one cocoon, the rest die.

Role in nature
Some gardeners mistakenly consider earthworms to be harmful "insects" that eat young shoots and gnaw on the roots of plants. This opinion is absolutely wrong. On the contrary, they play a crucial role in creating fertile soil. Worms are a kind of factory, a system for the production of humus. And also worms dig passages and holes, enriching the soil with oxygen and moisture. They improve fertility, mineral composition and soil structure. This process is gradual and occurs in stages.:
Such is the role of invertebrates in soil formation.
In nature, everything is interconnected, so worms are little helpers not only in agriculture, but also have their own function in the entire ecosystem. They are the cleaners of the earth help in the decomposition of organic remains. And finally, the presence of worms is a good indicator of soil fertility.

Increasing quantity
Undoubtedly, the earthworm is a good friend of the gardener and gardener. Therefore, you should not be too lazy and create favorable conditions for them to live and reproduce, for which useful invertebrates will pay back handsomely. The main factor in their vital activity is moisture (which is why, having lifted an old stump or garden bricks from the ground, one can observe wriggling pink ponytails under them). They do not live in dry land, but go to the depths.
Mulching is the best way to keep the soil moist. This is covering the beds with a small layer of straw, leaves or humus. And also do not be too zealous with chemical fertilizers.

Self-breeding
You can breed worms at home to use them for fishing, feeding pets - hedgehogs, bats, birds, as well as to obtain vermicompost - a universal and environmentally friendly fertilizer. Vermicompost is a unique product made from recycled earthworm waste.
Breeding worms is available to everyone, simply and without investment. What for this it is necessary:
These simple rules will allow you to make a home vermifarm. These representatives of the class "girdle worms" are unpretentious in care and nutrition, so it will not be difficult to breed the required number of them. An unusual farm will help show children the life cycle of familiar invertebrates.

The story of Charles Darwin and the earthworm is very instructive. The great scientist is known to everyone since the school bench as the founder of the theory of evolution. But few people know that this researcher was very interested in the study of ordinary worms. He devoted much time to their study, even writing scholarly works on the subject. As an experiment, Darwin placed several individuals in pots of earth and watched them. During the experiments, it turned out that the worms are able to eat even meat. The scientist fixed small pieces of meat on the surface of the pots and checked after a few days - the product was eaten almost completely.
And they could also eat pieces of dead brothers, for which the biologist even called the worms the bloodthirsty nickname “cannibals”.
Decaying leaves are used by worms not only for food. They can drag and plug the entrances to their minks with leaves, old grass, tufts of wool. Sometimes you can find a mink clogged with bunches of leaves and grass. Darwin assumed that this was warming before the cold season.
According to the scientist, it is the worms that help in the preservation of historical values and treasures. Over the course of several years, stone tools and gold jewelry are gradually covered with worm excrement, which reliably preserves them from the influence of time.
Currently, 11 species of earthworms are listed in the Red Book.

Invertebrates are 82 percent pure protein, making them a nutritious food for some of the world's populations. It is not uncommon for stranded travelers or soldiers who find themselves in the jungle to survive by eating worms. In addition, such a diet is good for health! Scientists have found that eating worms lowers cholesterol levels.
The largest earthworm was found in South Africa, its length was 670 cm. This is a real giant!
Many people believe that if a worm is cut or torn in half, both parts can survive. But it's not. Only the front part, the head, survives, since the worm feeds on the front part, and for life it needs to eat, like all living creatures. A new tail will grow at the front, the back, unfortunately, is doomed to death.
The earthworm is a special inhabitant of our planet. It brings her great benefits. Therefore, one should not forget about its significance in the natural system. Surprisingly, Charles Darwin considered earthworms even somewhat similar to humans and suspected the presence of the rudiments of intelligence in them.

The common earthworm is of great importance for improving soil fertility, and is also an important part of the diet of many birds and mammals.
   Class - Oligochetes
   Family - Lumbricides
   Genus/Species - Lumbricus terrestris
   Basic data:
DIMENSIONS
Length: usually up to 30 cm, sometimes more.
BREEDING
Puberty: from 6-18 months.
Mating period: damp, warm summer nights.
Number of eggs: 20 in a cocoon.
Incubation period: 1-5 months.
LIFESTYLE
Habits: loners; on cold or dry days lie motionless in the ground.
Food: land that contains the remains of organic matter, sometimes small carrion.
Lifespan: in captivity up to 6 years.
RELATED SPECIES
About 300 species belong to the family of true earthworms. Their closest relatives are leeches and marine polychaete worms.
   An ordinary earthworm gnaws its way through the ground. Thanks to the activity of earthworms, a fertile layer of soil has formed over millions of years. In rainy weather, these animals can be seen on the surface of the earth, but it is not easy to catch a worm, because thanks to its developed muscles, it instantly disappears under the ground.
BREEDING
   Each earthworm has male and female genital organs in its body, that is, it is a hermaphrodite. However, in order to reproduce, the worm needs to find another individual with which it exchanges genetic material, since the worm is not able to fertilize itself. Mating of worms occurs at night on the surface of the earth, in wet weather, for example, after rain. Attracted by pheromones, they lie pressed against each other so that the front of one is pressed against the back end of the other. Earthworms are covered with a mucous membrane, under which sperm exchange takes place. Separated from each other, earthworms take part of the shell, which gradually becomes more and more dense, and then slowly slides off the body to the anterior end, where fertilization occurs.
   When the shell slides off the body of the worm, it closes tightly at both ends and a dense cocoon is formed, which can contain up to 20-25 eggs. It is very rare for more than one earthworm to hatch from a cocoon.
ENEMIES
   At any time of the day, on a lawn or in a clearing, you can see a starling or a black and song thrush, which, with their heads bowed, listen to see if there is a worm somewhere nearby under the ground. However, a captured earthworm can defend itself. The bristles on its body and powerful circular and longitudinal muscles help the rainy worm to refrain in the ground.
   Especially large and strong earthworms sometimes manage to escape from the beak of a bird. Sometimes only a piece of earthworm remains in the bird's beak. If this is the back of the body of the worm, then the animal usually survives, and grows back the lost part of the body. Ordinary worms become the prey of hedgehogs, badgers, foxes and even wolves. However, their main enemy is the mole, which also lives underground.
LIFESTYLE
   The earthworm spends most of its life underground. He digs a network of underground corridors, which can reach a depth of 2-3 m. The body of an earthworm consists of segments. Under the skin are two layers of muscles. Some stretch along the inside of the body, while others cover the body of the worm with rings. During movement, the muscles pull out the body or compress and thicken it.
   The earthworm, tensing the circular muscles in the front of the body, moves forward. The wave of muscle contractions then passes through the body to move the back of it. Then comes the turn of the longitudinal muscles, which attract the back of the body. At this time, the front end is pulled forward again. Thanks to the secreted mucus, the earthworm can move in very hard ground. Sunlight is a serious danger for earthworms, since they are covered with only a thin layer of skin. Worms are not protected from ultraviolet radiation, so they appear on the surface only in rainy weather. Very often they go outside on rainy nights to collect pieces of straw, paper, feathers, leaves on the ground and pull them into a mink.
FOOD
   Many species of animals look for food in the earth, but the earthworm eats the earth itself. It feeds on organic matter found in the soil. The worm kneads the earth in the muscular stomach, digests part of it, and excretes the rest outward in the form of a stool. Some species excrete their feces on the surface of the earth in small piles visible to the naked eye, others excrete undigested remains underground.
   Most of all, earthworms love the ground under lawns - about 500 worms can live there in 1 cubic meter of soil. The result of their activity is a dry, well-ventilated soil. Such soil is rich in the remains of plants that are laid out. A large concentration of earthworms in the ground is a guarantee of its productivity. Earthworms live in neutral and alkaline soils. In acidic soil, for example, next to peat bogs, there are few of them. Earthworms also feed on the surface of the earth. In the forest, they collect leaves, draw them into their underground corridors and eat there.

DO YOU KNOW WHAT...
- In 1982, an earthworm 1.5 m long was found in England. However, it is much smaller than the Australian and South American species (their length is 3 m).
- Fossil worms resembling modern earthworms have been found in geological strata dating back approximately 600 million years.
- If an ordinary earthworm loses the end of its body, it often grows a new one. However, two earthworms will never appear from two parts. An ordinary earthworm that is cut in half dies.
- Based on the weighing of the waste of ordinary earthworms on an area of 1 m2 during the year, it can be concluded that the earthworm brings 6 kg of excrement to the surface of the earth during this time.
HOW EARTHWORMS REPRODUCE
   Pairing: earthworms are hermaphrodites. They find each other by smell and, connected by a mucous membrane, exchange spermatozoa on the surface of the earth.
   The appearance of the mucous membrane: mucus is secreted from the girdle - a light, thickened part at the front end of the body, where numerous glands open. From the mucus secreted, the mucous membrane is formed.
   Fertilization: the mucous membrane moves around the body and collects eggs and sperm.
   Mucous membrane: through the head slides off the body of the worm.
   Cocoon: the slimy container containing up to 20 eggs closes and forms a cocoon that is able to withstand even extremely adverse conditions. Most often, only one earthworm hatches from it.

PLACES OF ACCOMMODATION
Earthworms are found all over the world. Common earthworms live throughout Europe and Asia, wherever they find the right soil and climate conditions.
PRESERVATION
Some gardeners destroy earthworms to get rid of traces of their activity. By doing this, they harm the entire ecosystem.