Policy and management responses to earthworm invasions in North America

Callaham, Mac A.; González, Grizelle; Hale, Cindy M.; Heneghan, Liam; Lachnicht, Sharon L.; Zou, Xiaoming

doi:10.1007/s10530-006-9016-6

Cited by 60 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Controlling the spread is the most promising management technique, as earthworms move only 7.5 m annually on their own accord (Hale et al 2005a). Callaham et al (2006) suggested that controlling the spread of invasive plant species may be an effective management technique to limit the spread of invasive earthworms, and we show here that removing the invasive bucksuckle shrub complex is an effective method to reduce earthworm populations that have already become established. While it is entirely possible that invasive earthworms primed the soil for invasive shrubs to become dominant by increasing nutrient cycling rates and removing the litter layer (Heneghan et al 2007;Knight et al 2007), removing the invasive shrubs breaks the positive feedback cycle that contributes to an invasion meltdown.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 51%

“…Current invasive earthworm management efforts focus on controlling the spread of earthworms via soil and bait movement (Callaham et al 2006). Controlling the spread is the most promising management technique, as earthworms move only 7.5 m annually on their own accord (Hale et al 2005a).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As ecosystem engineers, earthworms have the capacity to alter basic ecosystem functioning, thereby exerting long-term impacts on plant and animal communities. Most control efforts focus on preventing the further spread of invasive earthworms (Callaham et al 2006). Heneghan et al (2007) report a positive correlation between buckthorn and invasive earthworm populations along a natural buckthorn gradient in northeastern Illionois, USA.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Removal of invasive shrubs reduces exotic earthworm populations

Madritch

Lindroth

2008

Biol Invasions

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Invasive species are a leading threat to native ecosystems, and research regarding their effective control is at the forefront of applied ecology. Exotic facilitation has been credited with advancing the success of several aggressive invasive species. Here, we suggest using the knowledge of exotic facilitations to control invasive earthworm populations. In northern hardwood forests, the invasive shrubs Rhamnus cathartica (buckthorn) and Lonicera x bella (honeysuckle) produce high quality leaf litter, and their abundance is positively correlated with exotic earthworms, which increase nutrient cycling rates. We performed an invasive plant removal experiment in two northern hardwood forest stands, one dominated by buckthorn and the other by honeysuckle. Removal of invasive shrubs reduced exotic earthworm populations by roughly 50% for the following 3 years. By targeting invasive species that are part of positive feedback loops, land managers can multiply the positive effects of invasive species removal.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 51%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Removal of invasive shrubs reduces exotic earthworm populations

Madritch

Lindroth

2008

Biol Invasions

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“…Finally, the presence of non-native earthworms in the riparian zones of POW streams may have significant impacts on plant biodiversity, soil structure, and nutrient cycling. To protect the function of these crucial habitats from the deleterious effects of non-native earthworms (Callaham et al 2006), managers should consider the potential for downstream dispersal from upstream introductions stemming from logging and other anthropogenic activities.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Non-native earthworms have been unintentionally introduced to these previously earthworm-free areas through multiple anthropogenic mechanisms including the transport of roots and soil associated with plants, in soil stuck in tire treads, and by the bait and vermicomposting industries (Bohlen et al 2004b;Callaham et al 2006;Edwards 2004;Keller et al 2007). Timber harvest can facilitate the growth and spread of exotic earthworm populations through transport in the tire treads of heavy equipment (Marinissen and van den Bosch 1992), movement along new logging roads (Dymond et al 1997), and by promoting early successional tree species (e.g., alder) that offer better earthworm food and habitat (Zimmer et al 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do non-native earthworms in Southeast Alaska use streams as invasional corridors in watersheds harvested for timber?

2010

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Exotic earthworms from Europe and Asia have invaded previously earthworm-free areas of North America where they consume leaf litter, mix soil horizons, and alter nutrient cycling. Primarily, earthworm introductions occur through human activities; we hypothesized that the combination of logging (i.e., road construction and soil disturbance) and stream transport (i.e., hydrochory) allows earthworms to invade new ecosystems and spread within watersheds. On Prince of Wales Island, AK, we surveyed riparian zones in 11 watersheds with varying timber harvest intensity for terrestrial oligochaetes. Additionally, common invasive earthworms were experimentally submerged in a local stream to test for tolerance to prolonged immersion: all taxa survived immersion for at least 6 days. Using principal components analysis, watershed and harvest variables describing the watersheds upstream of our sampled riparian areas were reduced to two principal components describing harvest intensity (PC1) and harvest style (PC2). Logistic models successfully predicted earthworm abundance (r 2 = 0.70) from PC1, which indicated that watersheds with older, intense upstream timber harvest contained larger earthworm populations. Earthworm species richness was best predicted by PC2 (r 2 = 0.39), which suggested that earthworm communities in watersheds containing large clear-cut stands were more species-rich. Collectively, these results suggest that (1) invasive earthworms may use streams for dispersal and (2) upstream introductions via timber harvest can initiate downstream earthworm invasions. Hydrochory would allow invasive earthworms to spread at rates (tens of km d -1 ) that are much greater than previously reported rates of terrestrial spread (5-10 m y -1 ). Effective control of exotic earthworms in riparian zones will require watershedlevel management and surveillance.

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Predictive mapping to identify refuges for plant communities threatened by earthworm invasion

Fleri

Arcese

2021

Ecol Sol and Evidence

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1. Biological invasions by cryptic ecosystem engineers can alter the ecological and socio-economic values of ecosystems in ways that may take decades to detect.The invasion of North American glacial refuges by non-native earthworms offers a prominent but understudied example of a cryptic invasion. Non-native earthworms are known to alter carbon sequestration, disrupt mycorrhizal networks and homogenize plant communities, but natural resource managers still lack robust protocols to identify and safeguard high conservation value communities (HCVCs) from such invasions. In the absence of such protocols, or reliable methods to eradicate nonnative earthworm populations once established, there is an urgent need for methods to identify HCVCs at risk of or potentially shielded from earthworm invasion by the existence of abiotic barriers to their dispersal or persistence in such sites.2. We developed species distribution models (SDMs) using in situ field surveys and remotely sensed data to (1) identify factors limiting the occurrence of non-native Lumbricus earthworms in imperilled coastal Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) forest and Garry oak (Quercus garryana) and maritime meadow ecosystems endemic to glacial refugia of the Pacific Northwest of North America and to (2) evaluate their influence on plant species diversity and identify abiotic factors capable of preventing their dispersal or persistence at a site.3. As predicted, shallow, drier soils and steeper terrain limited earthworm occurrence and abundance in our highly heterogeneous study area, and earthworm presence appeared to reduce plant species richness. Our results indicated that HCVCs endemic to shallow-soil (< 12 ± 3 cm) sites that experience regular summer drought appear to act as refuges from invasion by non-native earthworms. Our results also elevate concerns for the conservation of deep-soil habitats not isolated from earthworm invasions by shallow soil, saltwater or other barriers to earthworm dispersal. 4. The SDMs developed here offer guidance to the identification of potential refuges for the conservation of imperilled native species and communities from the detrimental effects non-native earthworms in glacial refugia of western North America and should thereby facilitate proactive planning by conservation practitioners.This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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Policy and management responses to earthworm invasions in North America

Cited by 60 publications

References 35 publications

Removal of invasive shrubs reduces exotic earthworm populations

Removal of invasive shrubs reduces exotic earthworm populations

Do non-native earthworms in Southeast Alaska use streams as invasional corridors in watersheds harvested for timber?

Predictive mapping to identify refuges for plant communities threatened by earthworm invasion

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