mon in a various ecosystems including natural forests, grasslands, agroecosystems, including turfgrass and even aquatic ecosystems. There are about 42 species in southern states North Carolina while in more northern regions of the United States including Michigan and Minnesota there are less than have as many species.
cuticle) by coarse minerals. Among the three species reported in managed turfgrass, L. terrestris, often referred to as the night crawler, is the primary earthworm species that creates earthen casts. Night crawlers are reported to construct semi-permanent, vertical burrows that can extend up to several feet deep in the soil. In turfgrass ecosystems A bunch of worms. Photo courtesy of animaliaz-life.com where reguEarthworms lar irrigation are typically more common in meand food supplies (i.e., grass clipdium-textured soils compared to pings and soil organic matter) are sandy soils. It is understood that relatively constant and abundant, soil texture likely directly affects earthworms tend to remain close to earthworm activity when abrasive the turf surface, migrating up and or gravelly soils exist. To this end, down in the soil profile with fluctuaearthworms are often much less tions in soil moisture content and abundant or rare in soils with very temperature, and atmospheric prescoarse texture, likely due to physical sure. abrasion of the body surface (i.e., Page 20