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Worm chewing changes soil chemistry

http://www.nature.com/news/2007/070827/full/070827-2.htmlEarthworm invasion into North America could alter carbon sinks.

Earthworms have an unexpected impact on forests, researchers have found: they can change soil chemistry, and so are expected to affect how quickly carbon dioxide is emitted from a forest floor.

Read the story here

Posted by Katharine Sanderson on August 28, 2007 06:11 PM |

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seems like some of the concern is the release of even more CO2 which will cause global warming to increase even more rapidly.

Posted by: Bill Charleston | August 28, 2007 06:34 PM

Earthworms--another invasive species from Europe! How many biology courses--secondary or beyond--don't even mention that Earthworms are an invasive species to North America.
Interesting, and thought provoking.

Posted by: Jerry M. Weikle | August 30, 2007 05:15 PM

This is fascinating, and another disturbing bit of news about alien invaders. A small point: it's bad enough that the wood-products industry calls Liriodendron tulipifera "tulip poplar;" I learned it's not a poplar at all, and I don't want to hear this misnomer in a scientific journal. In the copy I saved for personal use, I changed it to the correct common name, "tuliptree."

Posted by: Jean SmilingCoyote | September 3, 2007 08:32 PM

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