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Side-swiped: ecological cascades emanating from earthworm invasions
Corresponding Author
Lee E Frelich
Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN
([email protected])Search for more papers by this authorBernd Blossey
Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Search for more papers by this authorErin K Cameron
Global Change and Conservation Group, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
Department of Environmental Science, Saint Mary's University, Halifax, Canada
Search for more papers by this authorAndrea Dávalos
Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Department of Biological Sciences, SUNY Cortland, Cortland, NY
Search for more papers by this authorNico Eisenhauer
German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
Search for more papers by this authorTimothy Fahey
Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Search for more papers by this authorOlga Ferlian
German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
Search for more papers by this authorPeter M Groffman
Advanced Science Research Center at the Graduate Center, and Brooklyn College Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, City University of New York, New York, NY
Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY
Search for more papers by this authorEvan Larson
Department of Geography, University of Wisconsin–Platteville, Platteville, WI
Search for more papers by this authorScott R Loss
Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK
Search for more papers by this authorJohn C Maerz
Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA
Search for more papers by this authorKyungsoo Yoo
Department of Soil, Water, and Climate, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN
Search for more papers by this authorPeter B Reich
Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN
Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, University of Western Sydney, Richmond, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Lee E Frelich
Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN
([email protected])Search for more papers by this authorBernd Blossey
Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Search for more papers by this authorErin K Cameron
Global Change and Conservation Group, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
Department of Environmental Science, Saint Mary's University, Halifax, Canada
Search for more papers by this authorAndrea Dávalos
Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Department of Biological Sciences, SUNY Cortland, Cortland, NY
Search for more papers by this authorNico Eisenhauer
German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
Search for more papers by this authorTimothy Fahey
Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Search for more papers by this authorOlga Ferlian
German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
Search for more papers by this authorPeter M Groffman
Advanced Science Research Center at the Graduate Center, and Brooklyn College Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, City University of New York, New York, NY
Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY
Search for more papers by this authorEvan Larson
Department of Geography, University of Wisconsin–Platteville, Platteville, WI
Search for more papers by this authorScott R Loss
Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK
Search for more papers by this authorJohn C Maerz
Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA
Search for more papers by this authorKyungsoo Yoo
Department of Soil, Water, and Climate, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN
Search for more papers by this authorPeter B Reich
Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN
Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, University of Western Sydney, Richmond, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
Non-native, invasive earthworms are altering soils throughout the world. Ecological cascades emanating from these invasions stem from rapid consumption of leaf litter by earthworms. This occurs at a midpoint in the trophic pyramid, unlike the more familiar bottom-up or top-down cascades. These cascades cause fundamental changes (“microcascade effects”) in soil morphology, bulk density, and nutrient leaching, and a shift to warmer, drier soil surfaces with a loss of leaf litter. In North American temperate and boreal forests, microcascade effects can affect carbon sequestration, disturbance regimes, soil and water quality, forest productivity, plant communities, and wildlife habitat, and can facilitate other invasive species. These broader-scale changes (“macrocascade effects”) are of greater concern to society. Interactions among these fundamental changes and broader-scale effects create “cascade complexes” that interact with climate change and other environmental processes. The diversity of cascade effects, combined with the vast area invaded by earthworms, leads to regionally important changes in ecological functioning.
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