Indirect effects of invasive rat removal result in recovery of island rocky intertidal community structure

Abstract Eleven years after invasive Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) were eradicated from Hawadax Island, in the Aleutian Islands, Alaska, the predicted three-level trophic cascade in the rocky intertidal, with native shorebirds as the apex predator, returned, leading to a community resembling those...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific Reports
Main Authors: Carolyn M. Kurle, Kelly M. Zilliacus, Jenna Sparks, Jen Curl, Mila Bock, Stacey Buckelew, Jeffrey C. Williams, Coral A. Wolf, Nick D. Holmes, Jonathan Plissner, Gregg R. Howald, Bernie R. Tershy, Donald A. Croll
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2021
Subjects:
Medicine
R
Science
Q
Norway
Hawadax Island
Alaska
Aleutian Islands
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-84342-2
https://doaj.org/article/684156bc0a1e4a0a828640b187ad9b34
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Summary:Abstract Eleven years after invasive Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) were eradicated from Hawadax Island, in the Aleutian Islands, Alaska, the predicted three-level trophic cascade in the rocky intertidal, with native shorebirds as the apex predator, returned, leading to a community resembling those on rat-free islands with significant decreases in invertebrate species abundances and increases in fleshy algal cover. Rats had indirectly structured the intertidal community via their role as the apex predator in a four-level trophic cascade. Our results are an excellent example of an achievable and relatively short-term community-level recovery following removal of invasive animals. These conservation successes are especially important for islands as their disproportionately high levels of native biodiversity are excessively threatened by invasive mammals.

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