Burrowing Engineers Spark Plant Revival on Mount St. Helens
After Mount St. Helens’ 1980 eruption left vast areas bare, scientists released pocket gophers in 1983 to stir the soil and lift buried microbes. Their underground activity revived microbial and mycorrhizal networks, jump‑starting plant growth; by about six years later treated plots housed more than 40,000 plants, unlike nearby barren areas. Decades on, the revived soil communities remain active and continue to support a thriving ecosystem, illustrating the long‑term impact of underground life on restoration.
