British Earthworms

Earthworms and Soil Pollutants

Although the toxicity of metal contaminated soils has been assessed with various bioassays, more information is needed about the biochemical responses, which may help to elucidate the mechanisms involved in metal toxicity. We previously reported that the earthworm, Eisenia fetida, accumulates cadmium in its seminal vesicles. The bio-accumulative ability of earthworms is well known, and thus the...

Collagen of the Earthworms

The problem of the complex configuration of the collagen in the Oligochaeta has not yet been conclusively solved. Since the last century, evidence has been found of a fibrous structure lying above the epidermis (constituting the cuticle) and of another one lying below it (constituting the supporting structures). The cuticle, easily examined by physical and chemical methods, was analyzed minutel...

Earthworms and Vermiculture Biotechnology

Earthworms and vermicomposting

A review is presented summarizing the global state-of-the-art, including the gist of the studies conducted by the authors, on vermicomposting. Studies on the impact of vermicast on plant growth are also reviewed. The paper brings out the suitability or otherwise of different species of earthworms to ‘bioprocess’ different types of organic waste. The paper also presents the gist of the studies–w...

Purification of Enzymes from Earthworms

Earthworms are a very rich source of enzymes useful for bioremediation of contaminated soils, in animal feeds for improving the digestion of proteins, lipids and carbohydrates, in detergents, in the saccharification of starch, and in human and animal therapeutics. Powdered earthworms are very popular in the Orient due to their properties as antipyretic, diuretic and fibrinolytic. However, in or...