Lab: Study of External and Internal Anatomy of Earthworm

Executive Summary:

The main focus of this lab was to perform the anatomical study of internal and
external structures of Earthworm. During the lab, students were supposed to collect
the information about the various organs that help the earthworm to survive as well
as the role they play in the ecosystem.

Materials Required:

This lab was online, so virtual lab was mandatory. Beside that, lab manual was
used to identify the structures and the function of several structures of
earthworm.

Procedure:

The classification of earthworm is as follows:

Kingdom: Animal

Phylum: Annelida

Class: Oligochaeta

Order: Opisthopora

Family: Lumbricidae

Genus: Lumbricus

Species: Lumbricus terrestris

The earthworm has a segmented body. The anterior end of an earthworm is more
cylindrical than the posterior end. The ventral side of earthworm is pale and
slightly flattened while the dorsal side is dark and rounded. The best feature
 of earthworm is that they have cylindrical bodies which are divided into
series of segment. The mouth is located on the ventral surface of first
segment and the anus is in the center of last segment. The saddle-shaped
opening swelling on the dorsal surface closer to the anterior than the
posterior end of earthworm is called clitellum. The sperm duct openings are
slits on the ventral surface of segment fifteen. The two sperm grooves run
between the innter and outer rows of setae from the sperm duct openings to
the clitellum. The seminal receptacle openings are in the grooves between
the nine and tenth, as well as the tenth and eleventh openings. During
mating, two earthworms exchange sperms while the clitellum of one
earthworm is aligned with the seminal receptacle openings. The dorsal pores
are openings from the coelom to the outside of body. Most segments have a
small excretory opening near the anterior edge. The nephridia eliminates the
metabolic wastes through the openings.

Earthworm has a complete digestive tract. It is a tube that runs from the
mouth tp the anus. It begins with the mouth cavity, followed by pharynx.
The slender esophagus is hidden under the parts of the circulatory and
reproductive systems. The esophagus leads into the crop, a thin walled sac
that holds soil before it is passed to the gizzard. Nutrients are absorbed as the
food passes through the intestine. Undigested food and any remaining soil
are eliminated through the anus.

The simple brain is located on the dorsal surface of the pharynx. It has two
tiny masses that coordinate the nerve fibers of earthworm.

Data:
Fig: Internal anatomy of Earthworm

Fig: External anatomy of Earthworm

Conclusion:

Hence, through the help of virtual lab, I was able to successfully perform the
internal and external anatomical study of an earthworm. Even though, these
species are small in size, they play a huge role in maintaining the
equilibrium in the soil and land ecosystem. Making the soil nutritious and
fertile by burrowing, decaying the organic matter so that the nutrients can be
utilized by the plants, and those plants are certainly eaten by herbivores.
Those herbivores get finally eaten by the big predators. Hence, we can see
how big the role of earthworm is in maintaining the balance in ecosystem.

Journal Questions

What part of the digestive system would you see in a cross-section anterior to the
gizzard?

Ans: The Crop

What structure in the earthworm has a similar function as the human heart?
Explain your answer.

Ans: The aortic arches. They pump blood through dorsal and ventral vessels to the
rest of the worm like our aorta pumps blood through vessels to the rest of
our body.

What do two earthworms exchange during mating? Explain your answer.

Ans: They join at the clitellum to exchange sperm and egg since earthworms have
both.

Describe the difference between a closed and an open circulatory system.

Ans: A closed system has blood closed completely in vessels but in an open one
blood is released straight into tissues and cells.

Do earthworms have a front and a back end? Explain your answer.

Ans: Yes. They have a mouth and brain at one end and an anus at the opposite end.

What characteristics distinguish an annelid from other worms?

Ans: Annelids have segmented bodies and a coelom which is a tube filled with and
contains most of the organs.
References:

http://glencoe.mheducation.com/sites/dl/free/0078802849/383950/BL_14.html

Cultivating life in value chains. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.earthworm.org/