Archive for January 22nd, 2009

Invasive earthworms paper

An interesting paper on the effects of exotic earthworms in Minnesota. Here’s the conclusion.

Contradictory results in research may be due to some short term or containerized experiments. However, the effect of invasive earthworms on soils in forest or grassland is well documented. The additional understory depletion that occurs from deer populations eating remaining herbaceous plants, seeds unable to germinate for lack of fibrist layers, and seedlings with no duff cover, accelerates the loss of established habitat. The change in soil structure and elluviation of nutrients to the deeper soil limits nutrient availability to plants and increases leaching. The raised bulk density combined with slick channels from earthworm burrows lowers moisture capacity and the soil drains more quickly. With the expanding invasion of European earthworms nitrogen availability declines (Hale et al. 2005a). Phosphorous leaches away in deep horizons or runs off in surface water (Suarez et al 2004), and cascading ecosystem impacts continue undeterred (Freilich, 2006).

2 comments January 22nd, 2009

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