British researchers have found that earthworm populations have declined by 80% in recent years.
As EcoPravda writes, this can have unfortunate consequences, as they play an important role in decomposing dead tissues and turning them into food for the soil.
Although earthworms are widespread around the world, some human actions have led to significant reductions in their numbers.
For example, the use of fertilizers, pesticides and land reclamation.
Experts compared hundreds of studies over the past 100 years in the United Kingdom.
It turned out that the population decline is not as significant as previously thought.
However, the scientists warned that this does not always reflect the trend across the UK.
More research is planned to examine the issue in detail.