Invasive rats strengthen predation pressure on bird eggs in a South Pacific island rainforest  

作　　者：Quiterie DURON Edouard BOURGUET Helene DE MERINGO Alexandre MILLON Eric VIDAL 

机构地区：[1]Institut Mediterraneen de Biodiversite et d'Ecologie Marine et Continentale (IMBE) Aix Marseille Universite, CNRS, IRD, Avignon Universite, Centre IRD Noumea - BP A5, 98848 Noumea Cedex, Nouvelle-Caledonie, France [2]Institut Mediterraneen de Biodiversite et d'Ecologie Marine et Continentale (IMBE) Aix Marseille Universite, CNRS, IRD, Avignon Universite, Technopole Arbois-Mediterranee, Bat. Villemin - BP 80, F-13545 Aix-en-Provence cedex 04, France

出　　处：《Current Zoology》2017年第6期583-590,共8页动物学报（英文版）

摘　　要：Invasive rats （Rattus spp.） are known to have pervasive impacts on island birds, particularly on their nesting success. To conserve or restore bird populations, numerous invasive rat control or eradication projects are undertaken on islands worldwide. However, such projects represent a huge investment and the decision-making process requires proper assessment of rat impacts. Here, we assessed the influence of two sympatric invasive rats （Rattus rattus and R. exulans） on native bird eggs in a New Caledonian rainforest, using artificial bird-nest monitoring. A total of 178 artificial nests containing two eggs of three different sizes were placed either on the ground or 1.5 m high and monitored at the start of the birds＇ breeding season. Overall, 12.4% of the nests were depredated during the first 7 days. At site 1, where nests were monitored during 16 days, 41.8% of the nests were depredated. The main predator was the native crow Corvus moneduloides, responsible for 62.9% of the overall predation events. Rats were responsible for only 22.9% of the events, and ate only small and medium eggs at both heights. Our experiment suggests that in New Caledonia, predation pressure by rats strengthens overall bird-nest predation, adding to that by native predators, Experimental rat control operations may allow reduced predation pressure on nests as well as the recording of biodiversity responses after rat population reduction.

关 键 词：bird-nest predation forest birds invasive rodents island conservation rat management. 

分 类 号：Q1[生物学—普通生物学]