Abstract
LITTLE is known of the digestive enzymes of the earthworm. The presence of protease, amylase and lipase has been reported in the gut contents in isolated instances. Since up to 10 per cent of the top four inches of soil in grassland may pass through the intestines of worms in a year1, their digestive abilities are of a relevance to transformation of soil organic matter.
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References
Evans, A. C., Ann. App. Biol., 35, 1 (1948).
Tracey, M. V., Biochem. J., 47, 431 (1950).
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TRACEY, M. Cellulase and Chitinase of Earthworms. Nature 167, 776–777 (1951). https://doi.org/10.1038/167776a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/167776a0
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