![]() ![]() ![]() In some areas on the western side of the Smokies, the Jumping Worm population is so high there is almost no leaf litter left. If you were a leaf-litter-feeder such as a millipede, fly larvae, or springtail, this would be a big problem because your food source would be gone! It would also be bad if you were a creature that ate these invertebrates, if you were a salamander or wildflower tuber that lived in the organic layer of the soil. That same tenacious appetite means that when people release their bait (or their bait escapes) and the worms make their way to the forest, they consume massive amounts of leaf litter. You may know this worm already, although when the Asian Jumping Worm ( Amynthas agrestis) is sold for bait or composting as the Alabama Jumper or Georgia Jumper, there is no mention of the destruction it can bring to forests.Ĭomposting ads boast that the worm can eat and process more than its body weight in organic matter (vegetable scraps, leaves, lawn trimmings, etc.) each day. Asian Jumping Worms have a wide clitellum (band) around their bodies. ![]()
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