For those who don’t know me yet I am Mason Sylvester and I am
doing a project on earthworms and how chemical fertilizers impact them. I am
measure this by how many die in a fish tank over a three week period. Time
might change but is going to be around the time frame. The types of worms that I
am going to be using are night crawlers which are the most common type of
earthworm we have around here or that everyone is familiar with.The picture to the right is a night crawler. Their vertical
burrowing earthworms which is perfect for my project. The way I am going to be
doing this is I will have 4 fish tanks that are five gallons each and then I will
put soil from my backyard that is not been fertilized and then put ten worms
in. From
their I will spray water four times a week, that number might change but should
be around four. I will then put fertilizer into three of the tanks and using
the instructions on the fertilizer so I don’t have anything that is different
from any of the tanks except the amount that is being applied. The type of fertilizer
I used will be in the link I provide (fertilizer)
. The fourth tank will not have any fertilizer. They will be place in a dark
area with no sunlight so they don’t fry. After three weeks I will count the number of
dead worms for each tank and record the data into a graph for comparison. I will also put organic matter into each fish
tank for food so that they don’t die of starvation instead of the fertilizer.IMES
Sunday, October 18, 2015
Mason: The Worm Plan
For those who don’t know me yet I am Mason Sylvester and I am
doing a project on earthworms and how chemical fertilizers impact them. I am
measure this by how many die in a fish tank over a three week period. Time
might change but is going to be around the time frame. The types of worms that I
am going to be using are night crawlers which are the most common type of
earthworm we have around here or that everyone is familiar with.The picture to the right is a night crawler. Their vertical
burrowing earthworms which is perfect for my project. The way I am going to be
doing this is I will have 4 fish tanks that are five gallons each and then I will
put soil from my backyard that is not been fertilized and then put ten worms
in. From
their I will spray water four times a week, that number might change but should
be around four. I will then put fertilizer into three of the tanks and using
the instructions on the fertilizer so I don’t have anything that is different
from any of the tanks except the amount that is being applied. The type of fertilizer
I used will be in the link I provide (fertilizer)
. The fourth tank will not have any fertilizer. They will be place in a dark
area with no sunlight so they don’t fry. After three weeks I will count the number of
dead worms for each tank and record the data into a graph for comparison. I will also put organic matter into each fish
tank for food so that they don’t die of starvation instead of the fertilizer.
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According to what source are nightcrawlers the most common type of earthworm in your area? Per University of Florida (http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/MISC/MISC/Earthworm.htm), it sounds like your nightcrawlers may be anecic, meaning they "come to the surface to [eat], often at night." If you keep them in a constantly dark room instead of mimicking day and night time, what potential sources of error may you need to consider?
ReplyDeleteNice catch, Angela! Looks like more research needed to have been conducted on this topic before the method was determined.
DeleteI did not think of that. I will do some research on what to do with this. Just for an idea, I could set up a light in the dark area that is on a timer. Very easy to use, my father has used this for his fish tank for years.
ReplyDeleteThe timer is a great idea. Also, maybe lean some cardboard or tape dark paper around the glass so any worms within the dirt near the glass won't adversely be affected by the light, but it would still allow you to take a glimpse at the sides whenever/if you choose to do so.
DeleteRegarding my source question: if I was at your presentation I would 100% ask questions about unsupported statements. It is important for you to be able to back up statements you make with reputable sources, unless of course it is your own data, but in this case I don't think you went out and took a survey of all the different types of worms within a certain depth of dirt to ascertain which is the most common. I think for your research it is very important to try and use the worm that is most commonly found in your area versus the one that is known by most (if the nightcrawler does fit both categories that is great, but make sure this is true).
Looking forward to reading more about your research and findings!