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Vulnerable Coral Reefs
It is not that rats directly affect corals, but that they decimate seabird populations. It is estimated that invasive predators such as rats, which feed on bird eggs, chickens and even adult birds, have decimated seabird populations in 90% of the groups of birds. 39, temperate and tropical islands of the world.
It was made in a set of remote tropical islands in the central Indian Ocean, the Chagos Islands. According to the main author of this study published in the journal Nature, Nick Graham:
Seabirds are crucial for these types of islands as they can fly into highly productive high seas areas to feed. Then they return to their homes on the island where they descend and breed, depositing guano (or bird droppings) on the ground. This guano is rich in nutrients, nitrogen and phosphorus. Until now, we did not know how much it made a difference to adjacent coral reefs.
Having demonstrated how islands are different from rats than those that are free of them, the eradication of rats should be a conservation priority. in the oceanic islands. Getting rid of rats could benefit terrestrial ecosystems and improve the productivity and functioning of coral reefs.
Source: xatakaciencia / MF
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