Exotic Asian pheretimoid earthworms (<i>Amynthas</i> spp., <i>Metaphire</i> spp.): Potential for colonisation of south-eastern Canada and effects on forest ecosystems
Bibliographic record
Abstract
Exotic species invasions are among the most significant global-scale problems caused by human activities. They can seriously threaten the conservation of biological diversity and of natural resources. Exotic European earthworms have been colonizing forest ecosystems in northeastern United States and southern Canada since the European settlement. By comparison, Asian earthworms began colonizing forests in the northeastern United States more recently. Since Asian species have biological traits compatible with a greater potential for colonization and disturbance than some European species, apprehension is growing about their dispersal into new territories. Here we review the extent of the current northern range of Asian earthworms in northeastern North America, the factors facilitating or limiting their propagation and colonization, and the potential effects of their invasion on forest ecosystems. Data compilation shows that Asian earthworms are present in all northeastern American states. So far, only one mention has been reported in Canada. Data confirm that their distribution has now reached the Canadian border, particularly along the Michigan–Ontario, New York–Ontario, Maine–New Brunswick, and Vermont–Québec frontiers. Studies report that the presence of Asian earthworms is strongly associated with human activities such as horticulture, vermicomposting, and the use of worms as fish bait. Some climatic (temperature, soil moisture) and edaphic (soil pH) factors may also influence their distribution. Controlling their dispersal at the source is essential to limiting their spread, as there is currently no effective way to eradicate established earthworm populations without unacceptable nontarget effects. Proposed management options in the United States include the prohibition of fish bait disposal and better management of the international trade of horticultural goods, commercial nurseries, and vermicomposting industries. We conclude that although regulations and awareness may delay their expansion, Asian earthworms are likely to spread further north into Canada. They are expected to cause important changes to biodiversity and dynamics of the newly invaded forest ecosystems.
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How this classification was reachedexpand
Full frame machine prediction
Teacher imitationNot calibrated prevalence, not ground truth. Human validation pending. The Gemma side is a direct model label for every work in the frame, read from the title-only record. The Codex side is a classifier learned from the 10,348 direct Codex labels and calibrated to design-weighted sample rates; fields without enough sample support carry no Codex call. Candidate is the union of the two sides; consensus is their intersection. These outputs are machine_predicted_unvalidated and are not human labels.
Distilled classifier scores by category (both heads)
| Category | Codex | Gemma |
|---|---|---|
| Metaresearch | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Meta-epidemiology (narrow) | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Meta-epidemiology (broad) | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Bibliometrics | 0.001 | 0.001 |
| Science and technology studies | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Scholarly communication | 0.001 | 0.000 |
| Open science | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Research integrity | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Insufficient payload (model declined to judge) | 0.001 | 0.000 |
Machine scores (provisional)
The two teacher heads of the student model, read on this work. A score orders the frame for review; it never asserts a category, and the validation status ships verbatim with every row.
Baseline scores from an immature model (maturity gate not passed, 7 training rounds). Scores rank; they never assert a category.
score_only:v0-immature-baseline · verbatim from the scoring run: score_only means the number may rank works, and no category label ships from itClassification
machine, unvalidatedMachine predicted; a candidate call from one source (direct Gemma or distilled Codex), not a consensus.
How this classification was reached, model by model and score by score, is at the end of the page under "How this classification was reached".