tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19323221.post114624757194523837..comments2020-06-14T23:38:15.745-07:00Comments on Finca Project: A little tour of the farmFinca Project Video Blog 1.0http://www.blogger.com/profile/09021217520074728494noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19323221.post-1151611227538539902006-06-29T13:00:00.000-07:002006-06-29T13:00:00.000-07:00Pardon the flippancy, but this theme is familiar t...Pardon the flippancy, but this theme is familiar to most serious worm growers. Earthworms typically do not eat any living plant material. A large part of their diet has already been partially decomposed by anaerobic microorganisms that work in the absence of air. The rainforest floor is thin due to rapid decomposition. Slower decomposition encourages the burrowing worms to transport humus to lower levels, producing deeper topsoils, as in Iowa. The scraping of glaciers is a phenomena limited to regions farther north. Consult C. Darwin, a famous vermiculturalist, to learn that earthworms are responsible for the creation of topsoils throughout the world. The concept of a forest creating topsoil without decomposers is incorrect.<BR/>TomasAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19323221.post-1151003448585062582006-06-22T12:10:00.000-07:002006-06-22T12:10:00.000-07:00Great Blog! The "earthworms" called "California Re...Great Blog! The "earthworms" called "California Redworms" by the Ticos are "Eisenia fetida". You may test this by breaking one open and receiving a strong "fetid" odor. There is a "native" composting worm that also works in the forest litter. It is much larger and longer than Ef. I am still waiting for significant proof of the rumored ecohazard of worms. I suspect that the research was done subject to a thesis deadline and large doses of Budweiser somewhere in the vast forests of the Porcupine Mountains. In their defense, the Ice Age probably refers to the Tico preference for ice cubes in the Pilsen.<BR/>ThomasAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19323221.post-1148807770972540282006-05-28T02:16:00.000-07:002006-05-28T02:16:00.000-07:00Hmm, sorry about the link. Try this:http://tinyur...Hmm, sorry about the link. Try this:<BR/>http://tinyurl.com/eot9a<BR/><BR/>That is a link to a blog post which provides an overview and includes a list of references. Here is one project:<BR/>http://tinyurl.com/pw2rx<BR/><BR/>If you send me an email address, I'll send more info (I'm at nannothemis AT gmail.com). <BR/><BR/>The non-native earthworms in the upper Midwest are European, and not so dissimilar to the nearby native fauna. The problem is that the forest ecosystem evolved without any earthworms (to the extent of the last glaciation) and with a suite of soil decomposers that work much more slowly and differently than earthworms. In these forests, the litter layer is much thinner (or absent), which in turn changes soil temps, nitrogen and other nutrient cycling, etc. Considering that tropical systems are far more complex, I wonder what might happen when you add a highly efficient decomposer to the mix.<BR/><BR/>Sorry to hijack the comment section here. Feel free to write me.JAChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03852586012508613542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19323221.post-1148502694681003422006-05-24T13:31:00.000-07:002006-05-24T13:31:00.000-07:00The earthworms are not native to this region, they...The earthworms are not native to this region, they are the California Reds. However they were introduced to this region over ten years ago. Many, many farmers in this region are using them. I collected mine from a friends pile of goat poop. I am interested to know more about the ecological problems that they could cause or more likely have caused. The ecosystem of this region of Costa Rica suffer from many many problems. The link to the website you quoted didnt work, please send more information.Finca Project Video Blog 1.0https://www.blogger.com/profile/09021217520074728494noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19323221.post-1148087332059546442006-05-19T18:08:00.000-07:002006-05-19T18:08:00.000-07:00Are the earthworms native to Costa Rica? Non-nati...Are the earthworms native to Costa Rica? Non-native earthworms can cause huge ecological changes in areas where they are not indigenous by completely altering the litter composition. See<BR/>http://www.bootstrap-analysis.com/2005/08/invasive_specie.htmlJAChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03852586012508613542noreply@blogger.com