Gophers' Role in Reviving Mount St. Helens Ecosystem

After the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, scientists introduced gophers to the devastated landscape to test their potential in aiding ecological recovery. The gophers' activity helped bring beneficial bacteria and fungi to the surface, significantly enhancing plant regrowth. This experiment, initially intended to observe short-term effects, has shown lasting benefits, with the gopher-affected areas still thriving 40 years later. The study highlights the critical role of microbes and fungi in ecosystem recovery, as seen in the contrasting regrowth between old-growth and clearcut forests affected by the eruption.