https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/03/210308111904.htm
"Along the western edge of Alaska's Aleutian archipelago, a group of islands
that were inadvertently populated with rodents came to earn the ignominious
label of the "Rat Islands." The non-native invaders were accidentally
introduced to these islands, and others throughout the Aleutian chain, through
shipwrecks dating back to the 1700s and World War II occupation. The resilient
rodents, which are known to be among the most damaging invasive animals,
adapted and thrived in the new setting and eventually overwhelmed the island
ecosystems, disrupting the natural ecological order and driving out native
species.
A coordinated conservation effort that removed the rats from one of the islands
formerly known as Rat Island has become a new example of how ecosystems can
fully recover to their natural state in little more than a decade. The
ecological rebound at newly named Hawadax Island (a return to the original
Aleut name meaning "the island over there with two knolls") extended from land
to the island's interconnected marine community. Results of a study published
in Scientific Reports and led by a University of California San Diego
researcher has documented the remarkable recovery."
Via Esther Schindler.
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
