Every ecosystem is complex and unique. In some places, specific plants, animals, fungi, or bacteria will have a dramatic effect on how the other things in the area will live.

Most of the time, if one particular species suffers, the ecosystem will adapt and continue on. Sometimes it causes a lot of damage, but other times it can actually improve the area. This is how places can continuously adapt while the numbers of a particular species ebb and flow over time.

In some situations, however, one seemingly small change to an area can have incredible effects that last for decades. A prime example of this took place in the region around Mount St. Helens after it erupted in 1980. Not surprisingly, the area around this devastating eruption was destroyed.

The lava that went through burned all life above the surface, and even destroyed all the microscopic organisms at the surface. To make matters worse, the ash from the eruption covered everything, making it difficult for new plants to get established. Two years after the eruption, very few signs of life could be seen in the area.

So, some scientists had an idea. What if they fenced off an area and dropped off some gophers to dig through and see what happens? The results went beyond anything they could have imagined.

It has been more than 40 years since the gophers spent the day on the mountain, but recently, some researchers looked at the area where they were to see what dramatic changes they could find. They wrote a study on it, which is published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiomes.

The authors explained:

“Soil microorganisms regulate nutrient cycling, interact with many other organisms, and therefore may support successional pathways and complementary ecosystem functions, even in harsh conditions. “With the exception of a few weeds, there is no way most plant roots are efficient enough to get all the nutrients and water they need by themselves. The fungi transport these things to the plant and get carbon they need for their own growth in exchange.”

The hope was that the gophers would dig around, bringing old soil to the surface. From there, plants, microorganisms, and fungi could take hold and spread. And that is exactly what happened.

Six years after the gophers did their thing, the researchers returned to the area and found over 40,000 plants living in the area. This was in stark contrast to the plots of land where the gophers did not have access.

It wasn’t just new plants either, as the team explained:

“Plots with historic gopher activity harbored more diverse bacterial and fungal communities than the surrounding old-growth forests. We also found more diverse fungal communities in these long-term lupine gopher plots than in forests that were historically clearcut, prior to the 1980 eruption, nearby at Bear Meadow.”

They went on:

“In the 1980s, we were just testing the short-term reaction. Who would have predicted you could toss a gopher in for a day and see a residual effect 40 years later?”

Even without the gophers, the area would eventually recover, but it would take decades longer than would otherwise be possible. Introducing gophers dramatically speeds up the process that allows the soil to be accessed by plants and fungi so that they can grow and spread.

As the plants take root, they push the soil up with their roots, allowing new plants to take hold and spread. So, while Mother Nature typically knows best, sometimes she can use a little help from gophers.

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