Changing climate (e.g., higher temperature), altered land use (e.g., transforming forests into agricultural fields), or species invasions (the introduction of new species to an ecosystem) all have the potential to disrupt ecosystems in ways that can alter their functions and the services they provide. Perturbations to an ecosystem can alter its biodiversity and the interactions of species within it. However, these services depend on the diversity and interactions of the species present. We humans rely on the functions and services that intact ecosystems provide to us. All organisms carry out ecosystem functions, such as decomposition, pollination, and many others. Other organisms help plants to produce flowers and seeds.
These species recycle materials and provide them back to the ecosystem. Some species have particularly important roles in ecosystems because they eat dead leaves or animals. They all have their unique roles in nature. Every species consumes its resources and is eaten by other species. Within an ecosystem, different species interact, for example by eating, helping, or providing habitat for each other. Interacting Organisms Help Ecosystems Provide Services to Humans In this article, we summarize the known consequences of earthworm invasion, report on how scientists study these, and highlight remaining knowledge gaps that you might help solving should you decide to become an ecologist. As so-called ecosystem engineers, earthworms dramatically alter many ecosystem characteristics. In many cases, introduced earthworms find a perfect environment, because no other organisms have been able to use the resources that these earthworms now consume. For example, in northern North America, earthworms have been absent for more than 10,000 years and have only been re-introduced over the past ~400 years. Some regions of the world have developed without earthworms for over thousands of years. This is because other organisms need to be used to the activities of earthworms to benefit from their presence. However, in some cases, earthworms have more negative effects. We all know earthworms as important friends in our garden: they help plants to grow better by providing nutrients, water, and air in the soil.
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