Invasion of the earthworms
The soil ecology of North America is being turned over
EARTHWORMS’ BENIGN image as aerators, drainers and fertilisers of field and garden belies a darker secret. They are actually fierce competitors with other invertebrates, voraciously consuming rotting plant matter and tiny organisms such as protists, nematodes, bacteria and fungi, all of which might otherwise sustain a wide variety of soil dwellers.
This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “News from the underground”
From the April 2nd 2022 edition
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