Asian pheretimoid earthworms of the genera Amynthas and Metaphire
(jumping worms) are leading a new wave of co-invasion into
Northeastern and Midwestern states, with potential consequences for
native organisms and ecosystem processes. However, little is known
about their distribution, abundance, and habitat preferences in urban
landscapes – areas which likely influence range expansion via
human-driven spread. We led a participatory field campaign to assess
jumping worm distribution and abundance in Madison, Wisconsin in
September of 2017. By compressing 250 person-hours of sampling effort
into a single day, we quantified presence and abundance of three
jumping worm species across different land-cover types (forest,
grassland, open space, residential lawns and gardens), finding that
urban green spaces differed in invasibility. We show that community
science can be powerful for researching invasive species while
engaging the public in conservation. This approach was particularly
effective here, where broad spatial sampling was required within a
short temporal window.