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Published online 28 August 2007 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news070827-2
Corrected online: 29 August 2007

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Worm chewing changes soil chemistry

Earthworm invasion into North America could alter carbon sinks.

Earthworms have an unexpected impact on forests, researchers have found: they can change soil chemistry, and so are expected to affect how quickly carbon dioxide is emitted from a forest floor.

The result is particularly interesting to those studying North American forests, because earthworms have historically been rare in this part of the world.

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