How Earthworms and Invasive Plants Team Up in Polluted Soil

In some places, the soil is not very healthy. It has something called Cadmium (Cd) in it. This is not good for plants. But, some plants are better at dealing with this than others. These are called invasive plants. They are not from around here. They come from other places and take over. Earthworms live in the soil. They are like tiny farmers. They help plants grow. But, they seem to like the invasive plants more than the local ones. This is a problem. The earthworms help the invasive plants grow bigger and stronger. They do not help the local plants as much. This is not fair to the local plants. They are struggling to grow in the polluted soil. The invasive plants are getting help from the earthworms. This makes it even harder for the local plants to survive. The invasive plants are also good for the earthworms. The earthworms get bigger and healthier when they are around the invasive plants. This is a bad cycle. The earthworms help the invasive plants, and the invasive plants help the earthworms. This is a big problem. The invasive plants are taking over. They are spreading and making it hard for the local plants to grow. This is bad for the environment. It can also be bad for people. The Cadmium in the soil can get into the food chain. This can make people sick. Something needs to be done. Maybe we can control the earthworms. If we can stop them from helping the invasive plants, we can give the local plants a better chance. This is important for the environment and for people's health.