The lowly earthworm’s feeding and burrowing mixes in organic residues and enhances nutrient cycling, decomposition and the structural development of soil. But rampant pesticide use threatens the existence of these crucial invertebrates, according to a new study. Researchers at the University of Maryland, Friends of the Earth U.S. and the Center for Biological Diversity were involved in what they’re calling “the largest, most comprehensive review of the impacts of agricultural pesticides on soil organisms ever conducted.” The journal Frontiers in Environmental Science published the study on Tuesday. Related: Topsoil is disappearing from Midwest farms “Below the surface of fields covered with monoculture crops of corn and soybeans, pesticides are destroying the very foundations of the web of life,” study co-author Nathan Donley said in a statement.