How Earthworms Digest Dead Leaves Despite the Plant Toxins

To protect themselves from being eaten by herbivores, plants produce chemical defenses that mess with their gut enzymes. Below the surface, an earthworm’s diet centers on dead plant matter, and scientists have finally figured out how these important decomposers, or detritivores, do it. Their guts produce a unique compound that counters the effects of plant defenses, enabling the digestion of otherwise toxic material. The findings were published in Nature Communications this week. 

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