|
|
Article: Earthworms changing ecology of northeastern U.S. forests.
- Article from:
- Life Science Weekly
- Article date:
- July 14, 2003
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 NewsRX. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
2003 JUL 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Some forests throughout the northeastern U.S. are rapidly changing, but most observers won't notice it unless they take a close look at the soil beneath their feet.
That's because the driving force behind the changing forests are earthworms, which play a key role in recycling nutrients in the soil but which may also be altering habitat for plants, salamanders, birds, and other wildlife.
Only a few forest stands are known to be affected to date, according to University of Rhode Island soil scientists Josef Gorres and Jose Amador, but they say the threat to forests is real. Most of the earthworm species found in ...