Earthworm invasion impacts biodiversity

What is it about?

Invasive species have strong impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning across the globe, yet the impacts of ‘unseen’ belowground invaders remain largely unknown. Earthworms - introduced to North America from Europe and Asia – are known to accelerate nutrient cycling and increase CO2 emissions and may influence biodiversity. Using data from invaded forests across North America, we found that plant diversity declined and the abundance of grasses and non-native plants increased in the presence of introduced earthworms. Our results suggest that earthworm-mediated changes in the composition of North American forests may lead to long-lasting effects on ecosystem functioning.

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Why is it important?

We find that invasive earthworms are generally associated with declines in plant diversity in North American forests.