for National Geographic News
While most earthworms are credited for their beneficial effects on soil, recent research suggests that several invasive European earthworm species could be causing a decline in some North American plants.
A new study suggests that one European invader may be responsible for extirpating close to 30 percent of a highly endangered and unusual goblin fern growing in Minnesota's Chippewa National Forest.
"There is growing concern about invasions of exotic earthworms, especially in [formerly] glaciated regions of North America, where there are few, if any, native species," said Peter M. Groffman of the Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, New York.
Few native earthworms exist in the nothern-most reaches of the continental United States. Most species were forced south in the last major glaciation, which ended 10,000 years ago.
While American earthworm species have been slow to recolonize the northern-most reaches of the U.S., European earthworm species, first introduced by colonial settlers, have made themselves at home in the country's northern climes for several centuries.
European worms likely arrived in the mud-packed root-balls of transported plants or the discarded soil used as ballast in ships, said forest ecologist and study author, Michael Gundale, formerly of Michigan Technical University in Houghton. Gundale said invasive earthworm species continue to arrive in the U.S. as fishing bait or as part of composting kits used by gardeners.
Tiny and Unusual
Gundale first became interested in how earthworms might affect rare plants when he was working as a botany technician in Minnesota's Chippewa National Forest.
One of the plants he studied was the rare goblin fern (Botrychium mormo), which is found only in the surrounding Great Lakes region. These tiny and unusual plants spend the majority of their lives submerged in the forest floor, sending a few stunted leaves up briefly during the summer months. Goblin ferns are thought to gain most of their energy from fungi growing underground, instead of from sunlight.
Gundale began to wonder if the invasive earthworms might be a factor in the fern's decline when he noticed that otherwise suitable areas lacking the fern seemed to have thinner forest floors of decomposing plant litter at the surface of the soil. Other scientists working nearby, had determined that earthworms could reduce the thickness of this layer.
In order to test whether or not worms might be linked to fern declines, Gundalenow at the school of forestry at the University of Montana in Missoulaexamined 28 woodland spots where the fern had previously been located. He surveyed each site for earthworms and ferns and measured the thickness of the forest floor.
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