Worms and fossilization question
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Surposinin
- Junior Lid
- Berichten: 1
- Lid geworden op: 28 okt 2024, 03:50
Worms and fossilization question
Hey all,
So, I live in the Midwest (USA, Ohio) and recently a bunch of people have been saying that the earth worms here are invasive because they can’t find them in the fossil record for the last 10,000 years but, they do appear before that, pre-ice age and the glaciers that covered this area for a while.
However, I don’t quite agree with those people because I think looking for earth worms in the fossil record over the last 10k years is a bit optimistic for the area. But, I’m not sure if I’m right… so here’s what I’m thinking.
1: worms are invertebrate soft bodied creatures who don’t fossilize easily. (?)
2: the region has been relatively geologically stable for the last 10k years with very few events or moments that would even lead to favorable fossil conditions.
3: they are worms, even if we hit them with some earth movement like a mudslide they are very capable of just wiggling out of it.
4: geologically speaking, 10,000 years is nothing and the chances for fossils is always very low under regular conditions so it seems a bit too optimistic to expect to just find them…
4a: on that point, what kind of fossils do we even find from the last 10,000 years? -it seems like that’s barely enough time to fossilize something.
So, thoughts?
-I’m asking because I run an environmentally friendly, alternative lawn and landscaping company and worms can be amazing for our work in this area.
-worms aerate soil like no machine can. -worms deposit organics in the soil like nothing can. -worms eat lawn clippings which removes the need for de-thatching and helps to reduce CO2 released from decaying waste, and it adds that to the organic of the soil which is great for lawns and landscaping.
-oh and people say they are invasive because if left unchecked in our forests the worms eat through our duff layers very rapidly (duff = leaves on the forest floor).
But, from what I can see that problem mostly exists because of farming and the over stocking of fields, the lack of organic material that is left on the fields after harvest to act as worm food, and the displacement of prey species that eat worms, do to other factors.
Okay thanks for reading and discussing and just to reiterate the main question is: should we expect to see worms in our fossil record from the last 10k years?
So, I live in the Midwest (USA, Ohio) and recently a bunch of people have been saying that the earth worms here are invasive because they can’t find them in the fossil record for the last 10,000 years but, they do appear before that, pre-ice age and the glaciers that covered this area for a while.
However, I don’t quite agree with those people because I think looking for earth worms in the fossil record over the last 10k years is a bit optimistic for the area. But, I’m not sure if I’m right… so here’s what I’m thinking.
1: worms are invertebrate soft bodied creatures who don’t fossilize easily. (?)
2: the region has been relatively geologically stable for the last 10k years with very few events or moments that would even lead to favorable fossil conditions.
3: they are worms, even if we hit them with some earth movement like a mudslide they are very capable of just wiggling out of it.
4: geologically speaking, 10,000 years is nothing and the chances for fossils is always very low under regular conditions so it seems a bit too optimistic to expect to just find them…
4a: on that point, what kind of fossils do we even find from the last 10,000 years? -it seems like that’s barely enough time to fossilize something.
So, thoughts?
-I’m asking because I run an environmentally friendly, alternative lawn and landscaping company and worms can be amazing for our work in this area.
-worms aerate soil like no machine can. -worms deposit organics in the soil like nothing can. -worms eat lawn clippings which removes the need for de-thatching and helps to reduce CO2 released from decaying waste, and it adds that to the organic of the soil which is great for lawns and landscaping.
-oh and people say they are invasive because if left unchecked in our forests the worms eat through our duff layers very rapidly (duff = leaves on the forest floor).
But, from what I can see that problem mostly exists because of farming and the over stocking of fields, the lack of organic material that is left on the fields after harvest to act as worm food, and the displacement of prey species that eat worms, do to other factors.
Okay thanks for reading and discussing and just to reiterate the main question is: should we expect to see worms in our fossil record from the last 10k years?
Re: Worms and fossilization question
I love how you break down complex ideas into easy-to-understand points. It makes learning about [subject] so much more enjoyable. plab exam