Microorganisms were observed in both body and cocoons of earthworms.They came from the worm's environment.During passage of food through earthworm gut,vegetative hypha and most of bacteria were killed,only fungal spores and some bacteria remained viable.After passage through the gut,the population of the slow growing bacteria declined.However the fast growing ones reproduced rapidly in the gut so that their number in excreta could be larger than that in the uningested materials.Earthworms enhance the vert...