Discovery Reveals Earthworms More Diverse Than First Thought

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Added: 10-Oct-08

Scientists have found that the UKs common or garden earthworms are far more diverse than previously thought, a discovery with important consequences for agriculture.

BBSRC-funded scientists at Cardiff University have found that many of the common earthworm species found in gardens and on agricultural land are actually made up of a number of distinct species that may have different roles in food chains and soil structure and ecology. This discovery was made when efforts to develop better tools to identify earthworm DNA in the guts of slug and worm-eating beetles produced some very unexpected results.