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Impacts of rodent eradication on seed predation and plant community biomass on a tropical atoll
Biotropica ( IF 1.8 ) Pub Date : 2020-10-07 , DOI: 10.1111/btp.12864
Ana Miller‐ter Kuile 1 , Devyn Orr 1 , An Bui 1 , Rodolfo Dirzo 2 , Maggie Klope 1 , Douglas McCauley 1 , Carina Motta 1 , Hillary Young 1
Affiliation  

Invasive rodent eradications are frequently undertaken to curb island biodiversity loss. However, the breadth of rodents’ ecological impact, even after eradication, is not always fully recognized. For example, the most widespread invasive rodent, the black rat (Rattus rattus), while omnivorous, eats predominantly seeds and fruit. Yet, the effects of seed predation release after eradication on plant communities and ecological functions are not well understood, posing a gap for island restoration. We examined the role of seed predation release following black rat eradication in changes to tree composition and aboveground biomass across an islet network (Palmyra Atoll) in the Central Pacific. We conducted repeated surveys of seed, juvenile, and adult tree biomass and survival in permanent vegetation plots before and after the eradication of rats. We observed a 95% reduction in seed predation for an introduced, previously cultivated tree population (Cocos nucifera). Juvenile tree biomass of all species increased 14‐fold, with C. nucifera increasing the most, suggesting that eradication increased this tree's competitive advantage. Indeed, based on stage‐structured demographic models, rat eradication led to a 10% increase in C. nucifera population growth rate. The effect of invasive rodent seed predation varies considerably among the plant species in a community and can shift competitive dynamics, sometimes in favor of invasive plants. These bottom‐up effects should be considered in evaluating the costs and benefits of eradication. Documenting the variation in invasive rodent diet items, along with long‐term surveys, can help prioritize island eradications where restoration is most likely to be successful.

中文翻译:

灭鼠对热带环礁种子捕食和植物群落生物量的影响

经常进行消灭啮齿动物的活动以遏制岛屿生物多样性的丧失。然而,即使在根除后,啮齿动物的生态影响的广度也不总是被人们完全认识到。例如,最广泛的侵入性啮齿动物是黑老鼠(Rattus rattus),虽然杂食性,但主要吃种子和水果。然而,根除后种子捕食释放对植物群落和生态功能的影响尚不为人所知,这为岛屿恢复提供了空白。我们检查了黑鼠根除后种子捕食释放在整个太平洋中部小岛网络(帕尔米拉环礁)的树木组成和地上生物量变化中的作用。我们对根除大鼠之前和之后的永久植被地块中的种子,幼年和成年树的生物量以及存活进行了反复调查。我们观察到,引入的,先前栽培的树木种群(Cocos nucifera)的种子捕食减少了95%。所有物种的幼树生物量增加了14倍,其中C. nucifera增加最多,表明根除增加了这棵树的竞争优势。的确,根据阶段结构的人口统计学模型,根除大鼠可将真核梭菌种群的增长率提高10%。入侵性啮齿动物种子捕食的效果在一个社区中的植物物种之间差异很大,并且可以改变竞争动态,有时有利于入侵性植物。在评估消灭成本和收益时应考虑这些自下而上的影响。记录有创啮齿动物饮食项目的变化以及进行长期调查,可以帮助确定最有可能恢复成功的根除岛屿的优先次序。
更新日期:2020-10-07
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