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Continued...
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Expedition 1: July 20, 2002  From my background research, I had learned that worms need to live in soil that provides moisture, shade, food, and the proper temperature (Nancarrow and Taylor Hogan, 1998, p. 15). The factor I most wanted to investigate was moisture, as it enables worms to inhale oxygen. The first collection site I chose, next to Prospect Park Lake, was near people who were barbecuing. As I started digging, I found many more species than I had expected to find. The soil was filled with a diversity of creatures, and it didn't smell that great, either! The hole I dug was packed with maggots, caterpillars, baby spiders, ants, termites, beetles, and centipedes. At Area 1 (not pictured), I collected only two worms. I placed the worms in a container filled with grass and moist soil. After I finished my search in Area 1, I walked approximately 25 meters south to Area 2. The second area I selected had a few people fishing at the lake. At first I thought this area would be packed with plenty of worms. I stayed there for nearly half an hour, pulling grass out and digging and wondering where all the worms had gone. When I finally stopped digging, I was a little disappointed because I had not found any worms. To my dismay, an earthworm ambled by just as I was about to move on to Area 3. I picked up the worm and walked to the next location in the park. |
  Area 2 before it was flooded (top). Area 3 as it appeared in July (bottom). My last site (Area 3) was located west of Area 2 in the quiet zone in Prospect Park near many water plants. As I started to dig, I immediately collected five worms. So I continued to dig deeper. The more I dug, the more earthworms appeared. The hole I excavated was about 30 centimeters deep. I collected a total of 23 worms from this site. After I completed my first expedition, I went home to develop a worm population graph and to record data in my field journal. The longest worm that I collected was 14.5 centimeters (measured when the worm had extended to its fullest), and the shortest was 3.1 centimeters. After compiling measurements, I jotted down some notes and questions in my journal. I wondered why Areas 1 and 2 had such a low population of earthworms compared to Area 3. Were the arthropods I found in Area 1 predators or enemies of the earthworm? What were the factors that may have contributed to the tiny earthworm population at Area 2? Were there more worms in Area 3 because it was undisturbed and had fewer insects? These were some of the questions I set out to answer on my next two expeditions.
Expedition 2: August 21, 2002 |
