Name:_________________________________________ Period:__________ Date:________________

Living Earthworm Observations Lab

Part 1 – Earthworm Anatomy:

1. Place the earthworm on a moist paper towel in a dissecting pan. Observe the worm as it moves. The
leading end is the anterior end, the opposite is the posterior end. Roll the worm over and observe what
happens. The side that the worm prefers UP is the dorsal side. The side it prefers down is the ventral
side. Identify the dorsal/ventral/anterior/posterior sides of your earthworm.
2. Locate the thickening of the earthworm's body at about segment 30. (Segments are numbered 1 to
30, one being the first segment on the head. This swelling is called the CLITELLUM

Draw your worm: LABEL the anterior end, posterior end, dorsal side, ventral side, clitellum and one
segment.

3. Observe the Earthworm for five minutes. Describe how the worm moves. Write your observations on
your data sheet.

Observation of how the worm moves:

1) _____________________________________________________________________

2) _____________________________________________________________________

3) _____________________________________________________________________

4. Earthworms Sizes--Use a ruler to measure the length of your worm in centimeters. Worms are divided
into segments. Count the number of segments on your worm (hint you may want to count a small portion
of the worm and multiply).

Measuring the earthworm

Your Worm Worm 2

Length (cm)

Number of
Segments

Longer worms have ________________ segments. (more, or less, or the same)

 Part 2 – Earthworm Behavior:

What response will the worm have to moisture stimuli?

Hypothesis:
_______________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Response to Moisture (Touch stimulation) Procedure:

1. Place a dry paper town on one side of the pan and a moist paper towel on the other.
2. Stretch the worm so that it lies with it’s head on the dry paper towel.
3. Observe the worm for 30-60 sec and record the earthworm's response on your data sheet. Which
direction does it move?
4. Conduct 2 more trials.
5. Stretch the worm so that it lies with it’s head on the moist paper towel.
6. Observe the worm for 30-60 sec and record the earthworm's response. Which direction does it move?
7. Conduct 2 more trials.
8. Remove the dry paper towel from the pan and place the wet towel across the whole bottom of the
pan; let the worm just move around for a while.

Response to Moisture (Touch)

Head starts on dry Response (moves toward wet or dry)

Trial 1
Trial 2
Trial 3
Head starts on wet
Trial 1
Trial 2
Trial 3

9. Use a pipette to drop a water droplet on its anterior end. Record its reactions. Drop water on its
posterior end and record its reactions on your data sheet.

Response to water drop on anterior end ________________________________

Response to water drop on posterior end _______________________________

What response will the worm have to light stimuli?

Hypothesis:
_______________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Response to Light Procedure:

 1. Stretch the worm so that it lies fairly straight in the middle of the pan.
2. Turn on the flashlight and hold it about 2 inches above the worm so that the circle of light is
concentrated on the anterior end of the worm.
3. Do not move the light for the duration of the observation.
4. Observe the worm for 30-60 sec and record the earthworm's response on your data sheet. Which
direction does it move?
5. Conduct 2 more trials.
6. Now repeat the experiment except focusing the light directly on the posterior end of the worm.
7. Observe the worm for 30-60 sec and record the earthworm's response. Which direction does it move?
8. Conduct 2 more trials.

Response to Light
Head starts in light Response (moves toward light or dark)

Trial 1
Trial 2
Trial 3
Head starts in dark
Trial 1
Trial 2
Trial 3

Conclusions:

1) Which environment did the worm prefer- moist or dry? Explain how you know.

2) Which environment did the worm prefer- light or dark? Explain how you know.

3) In the experiment “What response will the worm have to moisture stimuli?”, what was your dependent or
responding variable?

4) In the experiment “What response will the worm have to moisture stimuli?”, what was your independent
or manipulated variable?

5) In the experiment “What response will the worm have to light stimuli?”, what was your dependent or
responding variable?
6) In the experiment “What response will the worm have to light stimuli?”, what was your independent or
manipulated variable?

7) What were some constants in these experiments?

8) In which kingdom and phyla do you worms belong?

9) Based on what you learned about worm behaviors today, where would you expect to find a worm outside if
you went looking for one?

10) Summarize what gives worms the capabilities to respond to these various stimuli, and how it helps them
survive.