1;Preface;6 2;Contents;10 3;Contributors;12 4;Chapter 1: Antimicrobial Vermipeptides: From Methods to Characteristics;16 4.1;1.1 Introduction;16 4.2;1.2 Protocol of Antibacterial Vermipeptide Preparation and Activity Assays;17 4.2.1;1.2.1 Animal and Bacterial Strains;17 4.2.2;1.2.2 Preparation of Crude Specimen;18 4.2.3;1.2.3 Purification of the Peptide;19 4.2.3.1;1.2.3.1 DE-52 Ion Exchange Chromatography;19 4.2.3.2;1.2.3.2 Gel Filtration;19 4.2.3.3;1.2.3.3 HPLC Purification of Peptide;19 4.2.4;1.2.4 Assessment of Peptide Characters;20 4.2.4.1;1.2.4.1 Molecular Weight Determination;20 4.2.4.2;1.2.4.2 Amino Acid Sequence Determination of the Isolated Peptide;20 4.2.4.3;1.2.4.3 Antibacterial Assays;20 4.2.4.4;1.2.4.4 Antitumor Activity Assays;20 4.2.4.5;1.2.4.5 Antiviral Activity Assays;21 4.3;1.3 Antibacterial Characteristics from Coelomic Fluid to Pure Peptide;21 4.3.1;1.3.1 Antibacterial Effects of Raw Coelomic Fluid of Earthworm;21 4.3.2;1.3.2 Antibacterial Effects of Earthworm Crude Antibacterial Peptides;22 4.3.3;1.3.3 Antibacterial Effects of Pure Antibacterial Peptides;22 4.3.4;1.3.4 Antimicrobial Chart of AVPF;23 4.3.5;1.3.5 Antitumor Activity of AVPF;23 4.3.6;1.3.6 Antiviral (PRV) Activity;25 4.4;1.4 Inducement of Peptides;25 4.4.1;1.4.1 Inducement Methods and Effects of Vermipeptide;25 4.4.1.1;1.4.1.1 Bacterial Treatment;25 4.4.1.2;1.4.1.2 Physical Treatment;26 4.4.1.3;1.4.1.3 Chemical Treatment;26 4.4.2;1.4.2 Characteristics of Induced Peptides;26 4.4.2.1;1.4.2.1 Antibacterial Vermipeptide Inducement;26 4.4.2.2;1.4.2.2 Spectrum of Fortypeptide;27 4.4.2.3;1.4.2.3 Evaluation of Different Inducements for Antimicrobial Peptides;27 4.4.2.4;1.4.2.4 Comparison of Antibacterial Components of Coelomic Fluid Extraction;28 4.5;1.5 Antibacterial Vermipeptide Family Found;29 4.6;1.6 Conclusion;31 4.7;References;31 5;Chapter 2: Optimizing Earthworm Sampling in Ecosystems;33 5.1;2.1 Introduction;33 5.2;2.2 How to Sample? Optimizing Earthworm Sampling Methods;34 5.2.1;2.2.1 Material and Methods;35 5.2.1.1;2.2.1.1 Preparation of Expellants;35 5.2.1.2;2.2.1.2 Earthworm Sampling;36 5.2.2;2.2.2 Salient Observations;37 5.2.2.1;2.2.2.1 Concentration Optimization;37 5.2.2.2;2.2.2.2 Efficiency Assessment;38 5.2.3;2.2.3 Interpretation;40 5.2.3.1;2.2.3.1 Concentration Optimization;40 5.2.3.2;2.2.3.2 Efficiency Assessment;41 5.3;2.3 Where to Sample? Optimizing Spatial Sampling Design;43 5.3.1;2.3.1 Spatial Autocorrelation and Sampling Design;43 5.3.2;2.3.2 Sample Unit Size and Shape;44 5.4;2.4 How Many Samples? Optimizing Sample Size;47 5.5;2.5 Conclusion;50 5.6;References;50 6;Chapter 3: Earthworms and Soil Structure;53 6.1;3.1 Introduction;53 6.2;3.2 Soil Aggregates and Structure;53 6.3;3.3 Earthworms and Soil Structure;55 6.3.1;3.3.1 Earthworm Species Effects on Burrowing and Casting;57 6.3.2;3.3.2 The Effect of Burrows on Soil Structure;58 6.3.3;3.3.3 The Effect of Casts on Soil Structure;59 6.4;3.4 Conclusion;61 6.5;References;61 7;Chapter 4: Comparative Anatomy of the Calciferous Gland of Lumbricid Earthworms;65 7.1;4.1 Introduction;65 7.2;4.2 Materials and Methods;67 7.3;4.3 Calciferous Gland Types Based on Anatomy;67 7.3.1;4.3.1 Well Developed Esophageal Pouches in Segment X and Lateral Enlargements in Segments XI and XII (Subtype I: Anterior and Posterior Lateral Enlargements of Similar Size);67 7.3.2;4.3.2 Well-Developed Esophageal Pouches in Segment X and Lateral Enlargements in Segments XI and XII (Subtype II: Glandular Portion in Segment XII Smaller in Size);70 7.3.3;4.3.3 Small Esophageal Pouches in Segment X and Lateral Enlargements (Subtype I: Glandular Portion in Segment XI Bigger in Size);71 7.3.4;4.3.4 Small Esophageal Pouches in X and Lateral Enlargements (Subtype II: Variable Number of Dilated Segments);72 7.3.5;4.3.5 Well-Developed Esophageal Pouches in X But No Lateral Enlargements;73 7.3.6;4.3.6 Esophageal Pouches in X Absent But Lateral Enlargements Present in Segments XI and XII (Subtype I: Segment X Not Enlarged);76