Scientists believe they may have uncovered a part of the mystery behind how one notoriously slow invasive species is spreading more widely in French gardens.
Research recently published in PeerJ suggests that household pets may be aiding the spread of a specific type of land flatworm.
Scientists knew going into the study that these flatworms made their way outside of their native ranges via exported plants. In the new location, they could continue their spread to garden centers and customers' households.
What was less certain was how the flatworms expanded their range outward, given their slow movements.
The scientists tapped into 12 years of citizen science records via sources like iNaturalist that unearthed 15 reports involving cats (13) and dogs (2) with flatworms attached to their fur.
It turned out that all 15 reports included the Caenoplana variegata — or two-tone planarian — species of flatworm. That is despite it not being the most prevalent type of flatworm in France.
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This was no coincidence, according to the researchers. They posited that the two-tone planarian's uniquely adhesive mucus allowed it to attach itself to pets and speed up its journey.
This specific type of flatworm also reproduces asexually, which means the journey of one is enough to kickstart a new cluster.
The study co-authors estimated that France's dogs and cats travel 18 billion kilometers (11.18 billion miles) annually. With that in mind, if only a small fraction of pets are carrying two-tone planarians, they could still be playing a huge role in spreading the invasive species far and wide.
This would be troubling, as flatworms can disrupt local ecosystems in myriad ways. Like other invasive species, they can outcompete beneficial native species like earthworms, and their impact can trickle up and down the food chain with negative consequences.
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The researchers suggested that the phenomenon they observed could apply to other countries where two-tone planarians are present, such as Australia and the United States, though more research is needed.
For pet owners, they noted that the flatworms are not parasites but that the worms might stress the animals in the short term. Still, the potential link is concerning if pets are allowing two-tone planarians to expand their territory.
"In addition to the initial stages of invasion, which are human and mechanized, there may be a final stage, which is non-human and non-mechanized," the study co-authors noted in their conclusion.
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