Investigation Into the Effects of Lumbricus rubellus on Soil pH
Abstract
Since the end of the last ice age, there have been no
native earthworms in the northern United States. Lumbricus
rubellus is a common invasive which was introduced to North
America form Europe for farming purposes. From these farm
plots several earthworm species have moved into new habitats
(Marinissen and Bosch, 1990). Although earthworms are
commonly known as beneficial, recent studies have found that
their activities in forested plots can alter the native ecosystem
(Hale, 2005). The full extent of these damages are unknown.
Many studies have determined pH to be one of the major
factors in determining earthworm distributions (Edwards,
1998). However, the possibility that L. rubellus is effecting pH
rather than being effected by it, has not been explored.
By determining if L. rubellus can in fact change the pH of
its environment we can further our understanding of how
invasive earthworms effect non-agricultural plots.