09
Jul
25
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In May 1980, Mount Saint Helens erupted. It was the most destructive volcanic event in American history. The event claimed 57 lives and caused extensive ecological damage . After the volcano devastated the country, scientists sought to speed up the process of rebuilding the country.
The scientists released ground squirrels, Thomomys talpoides, which resemble ground squirrels and are often considered pests, into the damaged areas for a day . Microbiologist Michael Allen of the University of California, Riverside, noted that they expected to move old soil to the surface , where it would then regenerate.
By Lyn Topinka – CVO Photo Archive Mount St. Helens
Only a few plants had emerged from the pumice slabs that the Mount St. Helens eruption had transformed into soil before the rodents were released. Six years later , after the rodents were placed on two pumice plots for one day, 40,000 plants had begun to thrive. The surrounding area remained barren .
The benefits of the single day the rodents were released are still evident today. Over the course of more than 40 years, a microbial community has developed on the land. Specific mycorrhizal fungi have developed there, which are responsible for the growth of plants in the area.
Mycologist Mia Maltz from the University of Connecticut stated that we cannot ignore the interdependence of all components of nature , especially those we cannot see, such as microbes and fungi.
