A USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station scientist is one of the recipients of this year’s Fulbright awards. Research ecologist Mac Callaham, Ph.D., was recently granted a Fulbright Fellowship to study the extent and effects of invasive earthworms in Brazil’s Atlantic rainforests.
"There are some similarities between the forests of the southeastern United States, where I’ve conducted the majority of my earthworm research, and Brazil's Atlantic rainforests, in that, both have non-native earthworm species that are affecting native species and forest ecosystems in a variety of ways," said Callaham. "The ultimate goal of this research project is to find generalities in invasion patterns that could lead to better strategies for avoiding future invasions, as well as to better management of existing invasions."
The Fulbright Program is a U.S. government-sponsored international, educational exchange program designed to "increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries."The program gives participants the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns. Program participants are chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential.
Beginning this August and continuing into January, Callaham will collaborate on a project designed to increase our understanding of the biodiversity of earthworms and their use as environmental indicators in Brazil. The National Brazilian Science Agency and the U.S. National Science Foundation jointly fund the project. Mac will work primarily with George Brown, Ph.D., a scientist with Brazil's equivalent of the USDA Forest Service.
In addition to determining the extent of earthworm invasions, Mac will also spend time collecting and identifying earthworm species in parts of Brazil's Atlantic rainforests that have not yet been surveyed. His research could possibly lead to the discovery of new species. Callaham plans to publish his research results in peer-reviewed journals and hopes the scientific work will help in the development of a strategy for conserving the native diversity of earthworm communities in both the United States and Brazil.
Exotic, non-native earthworms have the potential to disrupt the functional attributes of native communities or reduce native earthworm diversity in forests around the world. With Brazil's Atlantic forests being among the world's most endangered forest types, Callaham and other scientists are concerned about the impacts invasive earthworms might have on soil processes in these forests. The Atlantic forests of Brazil are known to be "hotspots" of biodiversity for other animal groups, and this is expected to be the case for earthworms as well.
Most of Callaham’s scientific career has centered on understanding the relationships between native and non-native earthworms in North America and the effects of land management and land-use history on the soil animal community. Mac is a team leader in the Southern Research Station’s Center for Forest Disturbance Science, based in Athens, GA. He holds a doctorate degree in biology from Kansas State University. He received his master’s degree in agronomy and bachelors’ degrees in zoology and English from the University of Georgia.
Congress established the Fulbright Program in 1946 as the result of legislation introduced by then-Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas. The U.S. Department of State sponsors the program, which operates in more than 150 countries worldwide.