Abstract
In the 500 years since their introduction from Europe, earthworms have basically conquered the North American continent. They have changed the structure of soils by mixing layers; speeding up degradation of grasses, leaves, and other plant litter; and changing the water regime. This has had far-reaching ecological consequences and altered the competiveness of plant species in favor of Eurasian ones. For agriculture, their presence has been a major bonus, especially economically, but for forestry, not necessarily so. Lately, Asian earthworm species have also been introduced and spread, and likewise, the North American species, which survived the last glaciation(s) in refuges like California, have with Man’s help passed the deserts and mountain ranges that kept them in place and are now found spot wise over the continent. They all have more or less the same ecological effects.
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Jernelöv, A. (2017). Earthworms in North America. In: The Long-Term Fate of Invasive Species. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55396-2_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55396-2_1
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