A SIMPLE TECHNIQUE FOR FIELD INCUBATION OF EARTHWORMS USED TO ASSESS POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF LOW-LEVEL ELECTRIC-FIELDS

A technique for incubating earthworms under field conditions is descri bed. Flat-bottomed cylinders fashioned of fiberglass windowscreening w ere embedded in the soil. They were filled with soil, settled by manua l compaction and addition of water, and stocked with adult Aporrectode a tuberculata. Mechanisms and rates of loss of experimental animals fr om mesh bags were detailed. Bag construction allowed penetration of 46 % of ambient electric fields created by an ELF antenna system. From th e data I conclude that low-level electric fields can curtail reproduct ive activity of A. tuberculata. Variations and improvements of the tec hnique were discussed.