Alien Invasion: Non-native earthworm species threaten US ecosystem, warn Stanford scientists
United States could pose significant ecological consequences, scientists at Stanford University have warned, DailyMail reported. As many as 70 different types of earthworms native to Asia, Europe and South America have been identified as potential threats, it said. The identified earthworms consist of 23 percent of the 308 species in North America and consume more aboveground leaf litter than their native counterparts.
This excessive consumption could destroy plants and cause a ripple effect by starving insects and amphibians, the scientists warned. To understand the invasion's origin and spread, researchers combined records of intercepted alien earthworms at the US border from 1945 to 1975 with machine learning techniques. The resulting dataset, using information from 2000-2021, revealed that these invasive species currently reside in 97 percent of the soil across North America.
Also Read | EPFO fixes 3-year high 8.25% interest rate on employees' provident fund for 2023-24: Sources The jumping worm, or Amynthas spp., is one such invasive species that has already caused damage in Washington, DC, killing plants and trees by draining essential nutrients from the soil. While alien earthworms are more widespread in Canada, the US and Mexico face a growing threat due to human activities facilitating the development of these invasive species. Initially, the introduction of these earthworms was overlooked due to their positive impact on crops for farmers and gardeners, by creating tunnels containing air, water, and nutrients essential for crop growth.
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