Moles belong to the family Talpidae, small, specialized mammals adapted for a subterranean existence. These burrowing creatures are often perceived negatively by homeowners and gardeners due to the mounds and raised tunnels they create on lawns. However, this perspective overlooks the extensive ecological services these animals provide beneath the surface. Moles play a significant role in maintaining healthy soil ecosystems.
Moles as Natural Soil Engineers
The constant tunneling activity of moles acts as a natural tilling process, fundamentally improving soil structure. As the animals push through the earth, they break up compacted layers, which allows for greater exchange of gases between the soil and the atmosphere. This process, known as aeration, ensures that oxygen reaches plant roots and beneficial soil microorganisms.
The extensive networks of mole tunnels also enhance soil drainage. By creating underground channels, moles allow surface water to penetrate deeper into the earth, preventing localized flooding and reducing standing water. This improved drainage is particularly beneficial in clay-heavy soils, where water can often pool and suffocate root systems.
Furthermore, mole digging redistributes nutrients throughout the soil profile. Soil excavated from deeper layers is brought closer to the surface, mixing subsoil minerals with the upper, organic-rich topsoil. This movement helps to cycle organic matter and nutrients, making them more accessible to plant roots.
The Mole Diet and Garden Pest Management
Moles are primarily carnivorous, and their constant search for food turns them into effective, natural pest controllers within the garden ecosystem. They patrol their tunnel systems, which function as traps for passing invertebrates. A significant portion of their diet includes insect larvae, such as white grubs, cutworms, and wireworms, which are known to cause damage to turf and plant roots.
By preying on these soil-dwelling pests, moles regulate populations that might otherwise become destructive to cultivated plants. The removal of these larvae can mitigate the risk of widespread plant damage without the need for chemical interventions. Moles also consume slugs, snails, spiders, and centipedes, contributing to a balanced invertebrate community.
It is important to distinguish moles from rodents like voles, which often use the same tunnels but consume plant material. Moles have a diet consisting almost entirely of living organisms and do not typically eat plant roots or bulbs. Damage to roots sometimes attributed to moles is often caused by voles or mice utilizing the established mole runs.
Supporting the Local Ecosystem
Beyond their impact on soil health and pest control, moles occupy a place within the broader food web, supporting local wildlife populations. Moles serve as a source of sustenance for various predators that hunt in or near their habitat, such as foxes, weasels, hawks, and owls.
The complex, extensive tunnel systems created by moles also provide shelter for other small underground organisms. Abandoned or shared burrows become microhabitats for small reptiles, amphibians, and various invertebrates, contributing to the diversity of the subterranean community. Moles act as ecosystem engineers, physically shaping the environment to benefit multiple species.
The presence of moles often suggests a healthy and balanced ecosystem, as they require a plentiful supply of invertebrates to thrive. Their activities indirectly promote biodiversity by enhancing soil conditions that favor diverse plant life.