Industrial heavy metal pollution is contaminating earthworms, threatening entire ecosystems
Earthworms in New England forests are absorbing heavy metal pollution,
thereby poisoning the animals that feed on them, according to a study
conducted by researchers from Dartmouth College and the University of
Vermont, and published in the journal Soil Biology and Biochemistry.
This phenomenon may partially explain an observed decline in the populations of wildlife in the area, the researchers said.
Earthworms have long been known to play a complex role with North American environments, both human and wild. Although prized for their promotion of soil health in agricultural and garden settings, earthworms are not, in fact native to the northern United States or Canada. After being driven from the region by a cooling climate, they were reintroduced by European settlers and proceeded to dramatically change the character of East Coast forests.
This phenomenon may partially explain an observed decline in the populations of wildlife in the area, the researchers said.
Earthworms have long been known to play a complex role with North American environments, both human and wild. Although prized for their promotion of soil health in agricultural and garden settings, earthworms are not, in fact native to the northern United States or Canada. After being driven from the region by a cooling climate, they were reintroduced by European settlers and proceeded to dramatically change the character of East Coast forests.
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