Invertebrates?

Question

Similarities and Differences of an Earthworm and a Mealworm?

What is the Function of the erthworm in the grand scheme of the environment in which it leaves?

What would occur if one of these invertebrates( earthworm or mealworm) were eliminated from the food chain in which they exist?

please help me

thnks

^.^

Another one

What is a mealworm and what is its function in the metamorphic life of a grain beetle?

thnks ^.^

Answer 1

Meal worms are insects. They are beetle larvae. They live in grain silos (they like to eat grains), but in nature, I think they are scavengers. They are food source for birds, other insects, reptiles, etc.

Earthworms are annelids (segmented worms, related to leeches). They live in moist soil and injest soil particles. As soil particles move through their body, they digest organic matter in it (dead leaf particles, bacteria, fungi, etc). They aerate the soil and help with decomposition. They are food sources for birds and other animals.

Not all earthworms are good. There are exotic earthworms in the midwest (they're isn't suppose to be earth worms there), and their actions are actually drying up the soil, and causing extinction of several native plant species.

In regards to the food web question, the answer will depend on what other organisms are in the web. If the food web is very complex, taking out one or two prey sources will not affect the predator population. Since both mealworms and earthworms are scavengers, they have minimal impact on their food source themselves.

Meal worms undergo complete metamorphosis. This means that they go from egg-->larvae-->pupa-->adult. Meal worms are in larval stage.

Answer 2

mealworms are are more like maggots-baby flies.

Anyways, earthworms airate the soil, allowing water to soak in more easily and much-needed oxygen to get to the root. If there were no more earthworms, crops would die.