Passa al contingut principal

A review on the effects of alien rodents in the Balearic (Western Mediterranean Sea) and Canary Islands (Eastern Atlantic Ocean)


Abstract Invasions of alien rodents have shown to have devastating effects on insular ecosystems. Here we review the ecological impacts of these species on the biodiversity of the Balearic and the Canary Islands.
A total of seven species of introduced rodents (two rats, three mice, one dormouse, and one squirrel) have been recorded (six in the Balearics and four in the Canaries).
Some of them can occasionally be important predators of nesting seabirds, contributing to the decline of endangered populations in both archipelagos. Rats are also known to prey upon terrestrial birds, such as the two endemic Canarian pigeons. Furthermore, rats actively consume both vegetative and reproductive tissues of a high number of plants, with potential relevant indirect effects on vegetation by increasing erosion and favoring the establishment of alien plants.
In the Balearics, rats and mice are important seed predators of endemic species and of some plants with a restricted distribution. In the Canaries, rats intensively prey upon about half of the fleshy-fruited tree species of the laurel forest, including some endemics.
In both archipelagos, alien rodents disrupt native plant–seed dispersal mutualisms, potentially reducing the chances of plant recruitment at the same time that they modify the structure of plant communities. We further suggest that alien rodents played (and play) a key role in the past and present transformation of Balearic and Canarian native ecosystems.
Keywords Balearic Islands Canary Islands  Predation Rodents Western Mediterranean Sea

Traveset, A (2009). Biol Invasions 11

Comentaris

Entrades populars d'aquest blog

Origin and abundance of beach debris in the Balearic Islands

RESUMEN: ORIGEN Y ABUNDANCIA DE RESIDUOS EN PLAYAS DE LAS ISLAS BALEARES. En un estudio realizado durante el año 2005 se analizó la abundancia, naturaleza y posibles orígenes de los residuos presentes en 32 playas de las Islas Baleares (mar Mediterráneo). La abundancia media de objetos en verano fue de aproximadamente 36 objetos por metro lineal, con un peso correspondiente de 32±25 g por metro lineal, lo cual es comparable a otros estudios en el Mediterráneo. El estudio mediante análisis multivariantes (Análisis de Componentes Principales y Análisis de Redundancia) confirma importantes similitudes entre islas, además de una evolución estacional estadísticamente significante en la composición y abundancia de los residuos. La contaminación durante el verano, expresada en términos de abundancia de objetos en la playa, duplica el valor registrado en invierno. Además, los objetos hallados durante esta época son de naturaleza heterogénea lo que se asocia c...

Seagrass ecosystems as a globally significant carbon stock

The protection of organic carbon stored in forests is considered as an important method for mitigating climate change. Like terrestrial ecosystems, coastal ecosystems store large amounts of carbon, and there are initiatives to protect these ‘blue carbon’ stores. Organic carbon stocks in tidal salt marshes and mangroves have been estimated, but uncertainties in the stores of seagrass meadows—some of the most productive ecosystems on Earth—hinder the application of marine carbon conservation schemes. Here, we compile published and unpublished measurements of the organic carbon content of living seagrass biomass and underlying soils in 946 distinct seagrass meadows across the globe. Using only data from sites for which full inventories exist, we estimate that, globally, seagrass ecosystems could store as much as 19.9 Pg organic carbon; according to a more conservative approach, in which we incorporate more data from surface soils and depth-dependent declines in soil carbon stocks, we est...

Autumn Migration of Eleonora’s Falcon Falco eleonorae Tracked by Satellite Telemetry

Falco eleonorae tracked by satellite telemetry. Zoological Studies 48(4): 485-491. The migration route of Eleonora,s Falcon Falco eleonorae has largely been a mystery. To date, the most widely accepted hypothesis on Eleonora,s Falcon’s migration suggested a coastal route through the Mediterranean Sea eastwards, crossing the Suez Canal, and proceeding southwards through the Red Sea following the East coast of Africa to the wintering grounds in Madagascar and the Mascarene Is. This study provides the first description of autumn migration routes of 2 Eleonora,s Falcons (a juvenile male and an adult male) tracked by satellite telemetry from their breeding colonies in the Western Mediterranean to their wintering grounds in southeastern Africa. Contrary to previous suggestions, Eleonora,s Falcons migrated inland across the African continent and did not follow the presumed migration route across the Mediterranean Sea. We discuss the possible origin of this migratory b...