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On the other hand, in the Americas it's an invasive species and many crops were doing fine before it's introduction so I'm not sure I'd call it critical for pla

On the other hand, in the Americas it's an invasive species and many crops were doing fine before it's introduction so I'm not sure I'd call it critical for plants health. In the end we can compare yield in fields with roundup applied and those without and compare yields to find out the overall effect on plants. But the dangers of it affecting other animals' nervous systems the same way it affects roundworms is a serious worry.

dekhn 4y ago
The roundworm in this study, C. Elegans is not invasive. It's one of the critical components of an ecosystem. You are thinking of other roundworms.
- Symmetry 4y ago
  Hmm, I was assuming the OP was extending the c elegans result to earthworms since I've never heard of c elegans aerating soil. And now that I go google it I'm seeing lots of stuff on c elegans requiring aerated soil but none on it doing it itself so I think I'm correct in my assumption?
  - dekhn 4y ago
    c. elegans help maintain the decomposition pipeline, not soil aeration. There are a few things that if they were lost globally would greatly affect the necessary process of decomposition. A lot of what's written about c. elegans environment has been overturned. It was thought to be a soil nematode, but it's really most common in rotting fruit.
pvaldes 4y ago
Footnote: Roundworms and Earthworms are different animals. The animals cited in this study are roundworms and belong to the Filum Nematoda, one of the most frequent animals in this planet and also one of the most overlooked. Most of them are not parasite animals, but we know more about the parasites because they cause gross diseases in humans. Earthworms are the common pink worms found on soil, they belong to Filum Annelida (and is true that some european earthworms invaded America a few thousands years ago). Earthworms and humans are basically not directly linked in the trophic chain. We don't feed on them, and they don't feed on us directly or cause us diseases.

dekhn 4y ago

The roundworm in this study, C. Elegans is not invasive. It's one of the critical components of an ecosystem. You are thinking of other roundworms.

Symmetry 4y ago
Hmm, I was assuming the OP was extending the c elegans result to earthworms since I've never heard of c elegans aerating soil. And now that I go google it I'm seeing lots of stuff on c elegans requiring aerated soil but none on it doing it itself so I think I'm correct in my assumption?
- dekhn 4y ago
  c. elegans help maintain the decomposition pipeline, not soil aeration. There are a few things that if they were lost globally would greatly affect the necessary process of decomposition. A lot of what's written about c. elegans environment has been overturned. It was thought to be a soil nematode, but it's really most common in rotting fruit.

pvaldes 4y ago

Footnote: Roundworms and Earthworms are different animals. The animals cited in this study are roundworms and belong to the Filum Nematoda, one of the most frequent animals in this planet and also one of the most overlooked. Most of them are not parasite animals, but we know more about the parasites because they cause gross diseases in humans. Earthworms are the common pink worms found on soil, they belong to Filum Annelida (and is true that some european earthworms invaded America a few thousands years ago). Earthworms and humans are basically not directly linked in the trophic chain. We don't feed on them, and they don't feed on us directly or cause us diseases.