Gopher DayTrip to Mt St Helens 2 years after the eruption shows benefits 4 Decades later ⨀ᴥ⨀

[SorellaLaBefana]

Image: https://www.wta.org/news/magazine/features/mount-st-helens-2014-40-years-after-the-blast

When Mount St. Helens erupted in 1980, lava, ash, and debris left the landscape barren for miles. It was obvious that recovery would take decades. But one team of scientists had an unconventional idea to help jumpstart the process: send a few gophers on a one-day mission to the mountain...

"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."...

Two years after the eruption of Mount St Helens, local gophers were sent to the area in what must have been quite a confusing day trip, even if the animals were not aware of the news. The gophers were placed in enclosed areas for the experiment and spent their day digging around in the pumice.

Despite only spending one day in the area, the impact they had was remarkable. Six years after their trip, there were over 40,000 plants thriving where the gophers had gotten to work, while the surrounding land remained, for the most part, barren. Studying the area over 40 years later, the team found they had left one hell of a legacy...

https://www.iflscience.com/scientists-dropped-gophers-on-mount-st-helens-for-24-hours-four-decades-later-the-impact-is-astonishing-79573

[SARose]

1. Wow!

This is awesome! Thank you so much.