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Scientists have discovered that mice pose a direct threat to coral reef survival and advocate eradication to save the reefs. The conclusion is contained in a study conducted in the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean
The Chagos Archipelago offered this group of scientists a large-scale natural laboratory in which it was possible to understand how rats damage the reefs. coral. Although the islands are uninhabited, some harbor invading rats that arrive by ships and shipwrecks.
The mouse is a predator that feeds on eggs and seabirds. What happens is that as seabird populations are decimated, coral reefs are affected, since bird droppings are one of the natural fertilizers of marine ecosystems.
Therefore, scientists claim that they should be taken steps to eradicate rats from these islands
The islands that do not have rats are full of birds, they are noisy , the sky is full of birds and they have a clean smell because the feces that the birds release on the island feel intensely " " If you go on an island with rats, you will not find of marine birds " said researcher Nick Graham of Lancaster University who led the study at the BBC "
Seabirds fly on hundreds kilometers to feed in the oceans, and when they return to the islands, they deposit their excrement, which is rich in nutrients for the coral reefs. that the fish on the reefs adjacent to the islands with seabirds grew faster and was larger than the fish on the reefs near the infested island rats " Graham Revealed
Coral Reefs Cover less than 0, 1% of the ocean area, but they harbor about one-third of the ocean's biodiversity.The diversity of marine life, in turn, provides a livelihood for millions of people around the world. 19659005] Coral reefs are in crisis due to climate change.We are desperately trying to find ways to improve coral reef resilience and enable them to cope with climate change. one of the clearest examples to date, where the eradication of rats will lead to an increase in the number of seabirds, which will reinforce the reefs " concludes Professor Graham
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