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While coral reefs around the world are under threat, a team of scientists has come up with an unusual strategy to save them – eradicating mice on nearby islands.
A team of British scientists working in the Chagos Islands of the Indian Ocean found that invasive rats from islands near coral reefs brought in by destroyed ships represent a "major problem" for these ecosystems.
Plants that grow only on land, but also in coral gardens under water, these birds are unfortunately the prey of favorite mice that have swept many islands of the world's coral reefs.
Nick Graham and his colleagues said that mice contain more than 800 times the amount of birds
Dr. Graham's team analyzed soil samples in six islands without a mouse and six others "infested" rodents, and recorded a number of algae, fish and surrounding reefs.
The analysis revealed that birds provided nutrients to fish. Away from the consumption of sponges and algae that grow in coral reefs and are an important component of their survival.
Mice have already been eliminated in more than 500 islands around the world. Dr. Graham estimates that the cost of exterminating rats throughout the Chagos Archipelago is between $ 2 and $ 3 million, but it would be worth it if it allowed to preserve the precious coral reefs.
Source: Independent
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