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Black rats dominate a handful of islands in the Indian Ocean, with "dramatic effects" on nearby coral reefs
Black rats dominate a handful of islands in the North Sea. 39, Indian Ocean, with dramatic effects. "On the nearby coral reefs."
Rats on tropical islands wreak havoc on nearby coral reefs, says new study published yesterday in the journal Nature . Islands of the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, producing a surprisingly negative impact on nearby reefs.
According to the article, rodents – black rats that are believed to have were introduced on these islands in the late 1700s and early 1800s, Notes Phys.org – feed on the seabird population of the region, triggering a whole chain of Effects that has permanently changed the ecosystem
of the islands because they are able to fly to highly productive areas of the high seas for food .Then they return to their homes Islanders where they breed and breed nt, depositing guano – or bird droppings – on the ground, "says Professor Nick Graham, marine ecologist at Lancaster University in the United Kingdom
. have taken the badault islands decimate the seabird populations, attack their nests and feed on their eggs and birds themselves.
So it is not surprising that seabirds have learned to avoid these islands. Graham Newsweek
Research examined a dozen islands in the Chagos Archipelago – six of them infested with rats and the other six free of rats – and compared the ecosystem of nutrient-rich foods. Ecological effects that these rodents have not only on the island's fauna, but also on the marine ecosystem that surrounds the islands.
Rats! Coral reefs do not get the shit of the bird they need #coralreefs #nature #science #poophttps: //t.co/RK3DKIa27v
– Indy Science Thinker (@indyscienceblog) July 12, 2018
The unique conditions of this remote group of tropical islands – half of them being infested with rats and half immaculate – allowed scientists to make an unprecedented series of observations which ended up in an unexpected conclusion.
In order to protect both marine birds and marine fauna, including vulnerable coral reefs in the region, rat populations on these islands must be reduced
"The eradication of rats should be a high conservation priority on oceanic islands: Getting rid of rats would benefit terrestrial ecosystems and improve coral reef productivity and functioning by restoring nutrient subsidies derived from seabirds in large ocean areas. " Graham
]
In what may seem like an ironic turn of events, advocates of nature advocate the end of an animal's life
The coauthor of the # 39, study by Professor Aaron MacNeil of Dalhousie University in Canada, explains why, 19659003] "These results show how much conservation can is to be a bloody affair, where to do just through the ecosystem means that there is a time to kill. For these invasive rats, this time is now. "
Here's why the rats that infest these tropical islands must be eliminated, according to the team.First of all, the study found that, in the absence of rats, the Seabird populations thrived and fed the island soil with nitrogen and phosphorus which were found in abundance in their droppings
. wide range of marine creatures, including macroalgae, filter sponges, algae and fish on adjacent coral reefs.
The reefs themselves are doing much better because a balanced intake of nitrogen and Phosphorus is known to help these organisms grow faster and better cope with heat stress, Graham said Wired .
Eradicate rats to strengthen coral reefs https://t.co/JD4NTyNhDH pic .twitter.com / aNboOfDKen
– ScienceDaily (@ScienceDaily) July 11, 2018 [19659011] The total count showed that the rat-free islands harbored 750 times more seabirds, which allowed to deposit nitrogen at a much higher rate. The element was soaked in the soil and dragged into the seawater, feeding terrestrial and marine vegetation, as well as the fish population in the vicinity of the islands.
The largest number of fish – the study showed nearly 50% more biombad of fish near the rat-free islands – nibbled on algae and dead corals in adjacent reefs.
These two processes, called grazing and bioerosion, are vital to the health of the reef ecosystem and help the corals to reproduce. Near islands where there were no rats, grazing and coral reef bioerosion were 3.2 and 3.8 times higher, respectively.
"These results show not only the dramatic effect that rats may have on the composition of biological communities, but also on how these vulnerable ecosystems function (or work)," said the co-author of the report. Study, Dr. Andrew Hoey, of the ARC Center of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies in Australia.
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