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Volume 17, Issue 9 p. 502-510
Reviews

Side-swiped: ecological cascades emanating from earthworm invasions

Lee E Frelich

Corresponding Author

Lee E Frelich

Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN

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Bernd Blossey

Bernd Blossey

Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

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Erin K Cameron

Erin 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

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Andrea Dávalos

Andrea Dávalos

Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

Department of Biological Sciences, SUNY Cortland, Cortland, NY

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Nico Eisenhauer

Nico Eisenhauer

German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany

Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany

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Timothy Fahey

Timothy Fahey

Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

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Olga Ferlian

Olga Ferlian

German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany

Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany

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Peter M Groffman

Peter 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

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Evan Larson

Evan Larson

Department of Geography, University of Wisconsin–Platteville, Platteville, WI

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Scott R Loss

Scott R Loss

Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK

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John C Maerz

John C Maerz

Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA

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Victoria Nuzzo

Victoria Nuzzo

Natural Area Consultants, Richford, NY

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Kyungsoo Yoo

Kyungsoo Yoo

Department of Soil, Water, and Climate, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN

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Peter B Reich

Peter B Reich

Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN

Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, University of Western Sydney, Richmond, Australia

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First published: 28 August 2019
Citations: 67

Abstract

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.