Earthworms feed on living plants

BBC - Earthworms eat live seeds and plants, scientists find

Earthworms have long been assumed to be a farmer/gardener's friend, recycling soil with nutrients. However, when scientists gave a genus of earthworm, Lumbricus terrestris, the opportunity to eat slow-germinating, nitrogen-rich seeds and young plants, the worms not only did so but gained mass. Scientists tested for nitrogen isotope levels in the worms offered the variety of foods, and found that the worms opted for the legumes (seeds) over grasses, as evidenced by a lower level of a nitrogen isotope commonly found in the seeds. This indicated a preference for eating seeds and young plants over grasses. While the nutrient production of earthworms is still important, the predatory nature of worms may affect farms and gardens.