Human activities over the last 100 years have introduced exotic earthworms into many pristine northern forests. These earthworm invasions are moving north at 15-30 feet per year, bringing with them radical changes to forest ecology and soil chemistry. Our study is designed to examine whether earthworms increase or decrease carbon storage in forest soils, with consequences to greenhouse gases and climate change.
(Project details may change over the lifespan of a project. The project description listed here is from the annual report of the most recent project year.)
Funded by: U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Principal Investigator: Anthony K. Aufdenkampe
Collaborators: Kyungsoo Yoo (University of Delaware), Cindy Hale (University of Minnesota, Duluth)
Project Years: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
Related Publications
- Impact of exotic earthworms on organic carbon sorption on mineral surfaces and soil carbon inventories in a northern hardwood forest
- Invasive earthworms deplete key soil inorganic nutrients (Ca, Mg, K, and P) in a northern hardwood forest
- Elemental and mineralogical changes in soils due to bioturbation along an earthworm invasion chronosequence in Northern Minnesota
- Carbon–mineral interactions along an earthworm invasion gradient at a Sugar Maple Forest in Northern Minnesota
