Spicing Up the Forest Floor
Ajay Dhillon, Cam Appleby, Ryan Leffers
Cinnamon
Cinnamon contains a similar compound to
both garlic and mustard, called
cinnamaldehyde .We feel however that
cinnamon didn’t get the same results due to
its lack of solubility in water.
#of Adult Worms
Collected
Mustard Powder
5
6
Garlic Powder
Cayenne Pepper
3
1
5
--
Cinnamon
Ginger
1
9
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Invasive worms are an issue because they change soil properties,
resulting in a cascading effect on the biodiversity and proper functioning
of the ecosystem, leading to “Forest Decline Syndrome”
• All worms identified were invasive
Garlic Powder
Garlic contains the irritating chemical
allicin . Of the 5 adult worms, 2 were
identified as Aporrectodea Rosea, and
three were not able to be precisely
identified due to lack of sexual maturity.
Ginger
Ginger contains terpenoids such as
geranyl acetate which are naturally
irritant and are commonly used in
citronella to act as insect repellents.
# of Juvenile
Worms Collected
The adult Worms that couldn’t be precisely identified were of the following 3
types.
• Dendrobaena Octaedra
• Lumbricus Castaneus
• Bimastos Parvus
Mustard Powder
Main irritating chemical is Allyl
Isothiocyanate .Of the 6 adults, 2 were
identified as Aporrectodea Rosea, and
the remaining 4 couldn’t be identified
accurately due to lack of sexual
maturity.
Cayenne Pepper
The active ingredient in cayenne is
Capsaicin. Although it is very spicy is
appears to have no irritant effect on
the worms.
Type of Spice
Allyl Isothiocyanate
•
•
•
Allicin
Organosulfur compound in mustard • Organosulfur compound in garlic
Serves as the plants defense against • Repelling component of the garlic
• Allicin is produced by an
herbivores
enzymatic reaction when raw
Synthetically used as insecticide
garlic is either crushed or
somehow injured
Allicin, allyl disulfide (garlic), Allyl isothiocyanate, and cinnamaldehyde
are all known to activate TRPA1 resulting in release of pain signals. This
is the same receptor activated by tear gas and chlorine gas.