Microscolex dubius produces about 50 A. trapezoides about six to 10. They are ready to produce a second capsule seven days after the first. The life span of earthworms has been measures at up to 12 years in laboratory environments. In the field this would be considerably less. Food Earthworms can survive on a diet of mineral soil but lose weight without good quality organic matter, which is organic matter high in nitrogen.
Earthworms process a vast amount of food, turning it into energy used for movement.
They need a ready supply of easily digested organic matter. There is some evidence that earthworms need soil fungi and other microflora for some of their nutrients. Effects of earthworms on soil Earthworms affect soil structure by burrowing through soil, by mixing organic litter into the soil and by producing casts. They ingest and mix large amounts of soil and organic matter in their gut and deposit material as casts. Earthworm activity may make some nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, more available to plants.