Eco Comment – The Importance of Invertebrates

Some of you might have seen the advance notice of an event that we are hosting in the cathedral on 09 April. The Eco Group, with the support of Just transition Wakefield, are showing the film Six inches of Soil, a film which, as the name suggests, is about the importance of good quality soil in our lives. With this in mind, I was interested to see that the Guardian Newspaper is looking for suggestions for ‘Invertebrate of the Year’, an event that was started last year because they felt ‘that invertebrates were rather overlooked and neglected’. One of the reasons for this is that we humans are apparently drawn to species that look like us; think of the World Wildlife adverts and the panda. Cute, cuddly and big eyes! But, I also found out that we creatures with back bones account for less than 5% of all living creatures on earth. Maybe it’s time we started looking more carefully at the other 95%. 

The Guardian’s Patrick Barkham wrote about ‘how he’s grown to love the world of the spineless (and why we should perhaps stop using that term as a synonym for cowardly).’ www.theguardian.com 12.2.25  

‘They are the unsung heroes of the planet – the silent majority, the innovators, the grafters, our overlooked friends and protectors.’ I hadn’t realised that invertebrates make up the majority of animals on Earth numbering 1.3 million species and include insects, arachnids, snails, crustaceans, corals, jellyfish, sponges and echinoderms. Whilst some of them like butterflies are visually pleasing to our eyes some are not so beautiful: slugs and snails. But all are necessary to our continued survival on earth. 

In the article Patrick goes on to list some of the most interesting facts about the huge variety of invertebrates; where they can be found and some of the jobs they do. In 1987 a US biologist warned us that ‘the truth is that we need invertebrates, but they don’t need us.’ This puts us humans in an awkward situation. If our survival depends on their presence in the world, it’s possibly a good thing that we are being asked to learn more about them.  

The largest invertebrate that is mentioned in the article is the ‘colossal squid’ which on further research I learn lives in the deep seas surrounding Antarctica. We humans don’t know that much about it as very few specimens have been captured. We do know that it has the largest eyes of any animal on earth and can reach a combined body and tentacle length of up to 46 feet (14m) and weighs at least 1100 pounds (500kg). This makes me think of those Hollywood films that scared the life out of me when I was younger and make me realise that the special effects used were not that far from the truth.  Biologists know that it engages in fierce battles with sperm whales, leaving both species injured. Other diving mammals, including the southern elephant seal, feed on juvenile colossal squid but the sperm whale is the only species known to take adults for food. 

At the other end of the scale is the myxozoans, the smallest animal ever known to have lived. It is 10micrometers in size (a fifth of the diameter of a human hair).  According to Wikipedia it is a ‘slime or mucus and is a parasite’. Over 2,180 species have been described but it is thought that there are over 30,000 undiscovered species and that they can live in both freshwater and marine habitats.  

The information on just these two creatures brings home to me my lack of knowledge about the world in which I live. I am increasingly aware of how much we humans can be an influence on and to nature. In trying to be a force for good, we must all of us learn more. With greater knowledge, we can affect change.  

So, if you’re interested in finding out more about soil and probably the humble earthworm and other creatures that are necessary for us to have healthy soil, do come along to our film showing. After all, the quality of soil affects all aspects of our food. Animals depend on plant life, which depends on the quality of the soil. Whatever we eat, whether plant or animal based also depends on that same soil. We are aware that nutrients from the soil goes into the water courses which in turn feed into the seas and oceans. My mind has now gone to the song ‘On Ilkley Moor Bah’t Tat’, and we will all have ‘etten thee’. 

Book your ticket now here and join us on our journey of knowledge and help us make a difference. 

Susan Morgan
Eco Group