We still can't map earthworms underground—but a worm detector could change that
On building a worm detector
Earthworm movement remains a blind spot in soil ecology. The only in-situ mapping study, from 1988, tracked Lumbricus terrestris on a dirt road and found they travel at least 9 meters per night. The author proposes a worm detector using ground-penetrating radar or buried probes, combined with GPS and modeling, to create 3D maps or 2D heatmaps of worm activity at paddock scale. This could reveal worm speed, movement patterns, and help farmers manage soil health more precisely.
In short, we know the average L. terrestris can travel at least 9.0m per night (n=30).
- yorwba
How about feeding worms a radioactive tracing agent to follow their trails?
Also, PSA from my high-school biology teacher that has been living rent-free in my head so far: If you intend to eat earthworms, letting them feed on coffee grounds helps clean their intestines so you don't get sand in your teeth.
- andai
The article mentioned Caecilians, which which I was not familiar.
It's like a snake worm thing.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caecilian
And apparently they produce something like milk to feed their young.
Wild!
- bgoated01
I imagine in soil with any amount of rocks at all, ground penetrating radar and seismology are going to detect the rocks better than they would worms. I wonder if the worms make enough "noise" or vibration to be detected passively? I imagine not, but that seems like it has at least as much potential as the active detection methods for this case.