Data from: Habitat use and seed removal by invasive rats (Rattus rattus) in disturbed and undisturbed rainforest, Puerto Rico
Despite frequent occurrences of invasive rats (Rattus spp.) on islands, their known effects on forests are limited. Where invasive rats have been studied, they generally have significant negative impacts on native plants, birds, and other animals. This study aimed to determine invasive rat distribut...
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ftdans:oai:easy.dans.knaw.nl:easy-dataset:125955 2023-07-02T03:33:36+02:00 Data from: Habitat use and seed removal by invasive rats (Rattus rattus) in disturbed and undisturbed rainforest, Puerto Rico Shiels, Aaron B. Ramírez de Arellano, Gabriela E. 2019-02-20T20:04:14.000+01:00 http://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:nl:ui:13-7x-a5ic https://easy.dans.knaw.nl/ui/datasets/id/easy-dataset:125955 unknown doi:10.5061/dryad.tf806g8/1 doi:10.1111/btp.12640 http://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:nl:ui:13-7x-a5ic doi:10.5061/dryad.tf806g8 https://easy.dans.knaw.nl/ui/datasets/id/easy-dataset:125955 OPEN_ACCESS: The data are archived in Easy, they are accessible elsewhere through the DOI https://dans.knaw.nl/en/about/organisation-and-policy/legal-information/DANSLicence.pdf Life sciences medicine and health care 2019 ftdans https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.tf806g8/110.1111/btp.1264010.5061/dryad.tf806g8 2023-06-13T13:38:23Z Despite frequent occurrences of invasive rats (Rattus spp.) on islands, their known effects on forests are limited. Where invasive rats have been studied, they generally have significant negative impacts on native plants, birds, and other animals. This study aimed to determine invasive rat distribution and effects on native plant populations via short-term seed removal trials in tropical rain forest habitats in the Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico. To address the first objective, we used tracking tunnels (inked and baited cards inside tunnels enabling animal visitors’ foot prints to be identified) placed on the ground and in the lower canopy within disturbed (treefall gaps, hurricane plots, stream edges) and undisturbed (continuous forest) habitats. We found that rats are present in all habitats tested. Secondly, we compared seed removal of four native tree species (Guarea guidonia, Buchenavia capitata, Tetragastris balsamifera, and Prestoea acuminata) between vertebrate-excluded and free-access treatments in the same disturbed and undisturbed habitats. Trail cameras were used to identify animals responsible for seed contact and removal. Black rats (R. rattus) were responsible for 65.1% of the interactions with seeds, of which 28.6% were confirmed seed removals. Two plant species had significantly more seeds removed in disturbed (gaps) than undisturbed forest. Prestoea acuminata had the lowest seed removal (9% in 10 d), whereas all other species had >30% removal. Black rats are likely influencing fates of seeds on the forest floor, and possibly forest community composition, through dispersal or predation. Further understanding of rat-plant interactions may be useful for formulating conservation strategies. Other/Unknown Material Rattus rattus Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS): EASY (KNAW - Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen) |
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Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS): EASY (KNAW - Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen) |
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ftdans |
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Life sciences medicine and health care |
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Life sciences medicine and health care Shiels, Aaron B. Ramírez de Arellano, Gabriela E. Data from: Habitat use and seed removal by invasive rats (Rattus rattus) in disturbed and undisturbed rainforest, Puerto Rico |
topic_facet |
Life sciences medicine and health care |
description |
Despite frequent occurrences of invasive rats (Rattus spp.) on islands, their known effects on forests are limited. Where invasive rats have been studied, they generally have significant negative impacts on native plants, birds, and other animals. This study aimed to determine invasive rat distribution and effects on native plant populations via short-term seed removal trials in tropical rain forest habitats in the Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico. To address the first objective, we used tracking tunnels (inked and baited cards inside tunnels enabling animal visitors’ foot prints to be identified) placed on the ground and in the lower canopy within disturbed (treefall gaps, hurricane plots, stream edges) and undisturbed (continuous forest) habitats. We found that rats are present in all habitats tested. Secondly, we compared seed removal of four native tree species (Guarea guidonia, Buchenavia capitata, Tetragastris balsamifera, and Prestoea acuminata) between vertebrate-excluded and free-access treatments in the same disturbed and undisturbed habitats. Trail cameras were used to identify animals responsible for seed contact and removal. Black rats (R. rattus) were responsible for 65.1% of the interactions with seeds, of which 28.6% were confirmed seed removals. Two plant species had significantly more seeds removed in disturbed (gaps) than undisturbed forest. Prestoea acuminata had the lowest seed removal (9% in 10 d), whereas all other species had >30% removal. Black rats are likely influencing fates of seeds on the forest floor, and possibly forest community composition, through dispersal or predation. Further understanding of rat-plant interactions may be useful for formulating conservation strategies. |
author |
Shiels, Aaron B. Ramírez de Arellano, Gabriela E. |
author_facet |
Shiels, Aaron B. Ramírez de Arellano, Gabriela E. |
author_sort |
Shiels, Aaron B. |
title |
Data from: Habitat use and seed removal by invasive rats (Rattus rattus) in disturbed and undisturbed rainforest, Puerto Rico |
title_short |
Data from: Habitat use and seed removal by invasive rats (Rattus rattus) in disturbed and undisturbed rainforest, Puerto Rico |
title_full |
Data from: Habitat use and seed removal by invasive rats (Rattus rattus) in disturbed and undisturbed rainforest, Puerto Rico |
title_fullStr |
Data from: Habitat use and seed removal by invasive rats (Rattus rattus) in disturbed and undisturbed rainforest, Puerto Rico |
title_full_unstemmed |
Data from: Habitat use and seed removal by invasive rats (Rattus rattus) in disturbed and undisturbed rainforest, Puerto Rico |
title_sort |
data from: habitat use and seed removal by invasive rats (rattus rattus) in disturbed and undisturbed rainforest, puerto rico |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
http://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:nl:ui:13-7x-a5ic https://easy.dans.knaw.nl/ui/datasets/id/easy-dataset:125955 |
genre |
Rattus rattus |
genre_facet |
Rattus rattus |
op_relation |
doi:10.5061/dryad.tf806g8/1 doi:10.1111/btp.12640 http://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:nl:ui:13-7x-a5ic doi:10.5061/dryad.tf806g8 https://easy.dans.knaw.nl/ui/datasets/id/easy-dataset:125955 |
op_rights |
OPEN_ACCESS: The data are archived in Easy, they are accessible elsewhere through the DOI https://dans.knaw.nl/en/about/organisation-and-policy/legal-information/DANSLicence.pdf |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.tf806g8/110.1111/btp.1264010.5061/dryad.tf806g8 |
_version_ |
1770273615465414656 |