Just one day of digging by pocket gophers helps revive life in the land near Mount St. Helens after the eruption in 1980.
The record-breaking eruption of Mount St. Helens in the United States in 1980, which released massive amounts of lava and ash, devastated the landscape for miles around. The area undoubtedly required a significant amount of time to recover. However, a group of scientists at the time devised a way to accelerate this process: by introducing pocket gophers to “work” for a day. After approximately 40 years, the results were published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiomes, as reported by IFL Science on November 11.
Pocket gophers working near a fence in 1982. (Photo: Mike Allen/UCR).
While the soil below may still be rich in bacteria and fungi, the upper layers were destroyed by the eruption and the flow of lava. “Except for a few types of grass, most plant roots cannot obtain the necessary nutrients and water on their own. Fungi transport these essentials to the plants in exchange for carbon needed for their growth,” explained Michael Allen, co-author of the study and microbiologist at the University of California, Riverside (UCR).
“Pocket gophers are often considered pests, but we believed they would help transport old soil to the surface, which is where the recovery occurs,” Allen added.
The scientists introduced local pocket gophers to Mount St. Helens about two years after the eruption. They were placed in enclosed areas for experimentation and spent one day digging, bringing beneficial bacteria and fungi to the surface.
Even though the gophers’ work only lasted 24 hours, the impact was still significant. After six years, more than 40,000 plants thrived in the areas they had dug, while the surrounding land remained largely desolate. Over 40 years later, the research team found that these gophers had left an astonishing “legacy.” “The areas where the gophers had worked had a more diverse community of bacteria and fungi compared to the surrounding old-growth forests,” the research team explained.
In addition to pocket gophers, another “star” of the recovery was fungi. Following the eruption, scientists were concerned that the nearby coniferous forests would take a long time to recover due to ash covering the needles, causing them to drop. However, this did not happen thanks to fungi.
“These trees have mycorrhizal fungi, which take nutrients from fallen needles and help promote rapid regrowth. The trees recover almost immediately in some areas. They did not die out completely as many thought,” said Emma Aronson, environmental microbiologist at UCR and co-author of the study.
