tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5460788270738656369.post7275118449998807789..comments2023-12-24T07:02:43.274+08:00Comments on Catalogue of Organisms: Earthworms of the Amazon (Taxon of the Week: Urobenus buritis)Christopher Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11075565866351612441noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5460788270738656369.post-84704110811336116042010-07-01T16:07:22.245+08:002010-07-01T16:07:22.245+08:00Reprints are always welcome :)Reprints are always welcome :)Christopher Taylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11075565866351612441noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5460788270738656369.post-37767074945359044312010-06-24T21:32:30.490+08:002010-06-24T21:32:30.490+08:00I could probably get hold of some Righi reprints i...I could probably get hold of some Righi reprints if you are interested.Paulinohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10015154569808443805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5460788270738656369.post-89452912573124479122010-06-24T18:40:37.252+08:002010-06-24T18:40:37.252+08:00I recently learned that the reason truffles smell ...I recently learned that the reason truffles smell nice is to attract earthworms to burrow through them and distribute spores.<br /><br />As for poor dispersal... worms are absent from Canada and the northern U.S. (except where introduced -- damned fishermen) because as the glaciers retreated they haven't kept up.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00831355954619691739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5460788270738656369.post-69259556535814271942010-06-23T15:11:48.169+08:002010-06-23T15:11:48.169+08:00I thought they, or at least their eggs, are actual...<i>I thought they, or at least their eggs, are actually rather good dispersers.</i><br /><br />The impression that I got while looking stuff up was that most earthworm species have fairly small ranges except for a small number of so-called 'peregrine' species. Only one glossoscolecid qualifies as a peregrine, <i>Pontoscolex corethrurus</i> (which James & Brown say is possibly the world's most abundant earthworm). I don't know what distinguishes the peregrines from other earthworm species though I presume it relates to their ability to withstand adverse factors. Certainly <i>P. corethrurus</i> rapidly outcompetes other glossoscolecids in disturbed habitat in Brazil while other peregrines are elbowing out native earthworms in various places around the world.<br /><br /><i>Earthworms that climb trees?</i><br /><br />The description of their climbing in James & Brown is rather neat: "<i>they extend the anterior part of the body and remain still until the secreted mucus binds to the trunk, after which they retract the posterior part, which subsequently adheres to the trunk and allows the following upward movement of the anterior portion. Keeping the body in an 'S-shaped' form seemed to facilitate upward movement. If the individuals were mechanically disturbed, they fell to the forest floor. The animals move upwards only at night, when the high nocturnal humidity prevents desiccation. During the day, the animals hide in moist places along the trunk, such as under the bark. When the waters recede they descend to the ground and resume life in the soil-litter interface</i>".Christopher Taylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11075565866351612441noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5460788270738656369.post-41545754675307219192010-06-23T14:47:36.658+08:002010-06-23T14:47:36.658+08:00getting hold of some of the reference for it requi...<i>getting hold of some of the reference for it required me to enter a real library and locate an actual journal physically printed on paper</i><br /><br />I, for one, appreciate the lengths you are willing to go to for providing us with information.<br /><br /><i>Earthworms are poor dispersers</i><br /><br />Is that really true in general? I thought they, or at least their eggs, are actually rather good dispersers. For instance, at least one species of earthworm has managed to reach (though perhaps not establish itself on) the island of <a href="http://www.surtsey.is/pp_ens/biola_4.htm" rel="nofollow">Surtsey</a>. Are there any studies on how widely spread earthworms are on oceanic islands?<br /><br /><i>Other species, such as </i>Andiorrhinus tarumanis<i>, climb up the nearest tree during the wet season and take up residence in patches of leaf litter trapped in the forest canopy while the ground is flooded.</i><br /><br />Earthworms that climb trees? Considering that rainforest leeches also climb trees I guess I shouldn't be too surprised to learn that, but still...Dartiannoreply@blogger.com