Jul

25

2007
 
 

Can rodents save the planet?



Invasive species can have a dramatic effect on carbon sequestration

rat on a ropeRats profoundly change the amount of carbon stored in island plants, according to a paper published today in Biology Letters. Landcare Research ecologist David Wardle and colleagues measured the amount of carbon stored above and below ground at eighteen forested islands off the New Zealand coast. Burrowing seabirds, whose eggs and chicks form a tasty part of an introduced rat’s diet, damage plant root systems as they dig. This can reduce the growth rate of trees; at the same time, carbon-laden material is brought down from the surface. Rat predation causes drastic reductions in seabird numbers, shifting the pattern of carbon sequestration in favor of aboveground storage within healthier, more vigorously growing plants. All told, a rat invasion increases total ecosystem carbon uptake by 37%. Hands up who saw that one coming! Source: Wardle DA, Bellingham PJ, Fukami T & Mulder CPH (2007) Promotion of ecosystem carbon sequestration by invasive predators. Biology Letters DOI 10.1098/rsbl.2007.0163

Image © Heiko Etzrodt

Filed Under Climate change, Habitat, Invasive species, Monitoring | 

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2 Responses to “Can rodents save the planet?”

  1. Earthworms steal the floor : Journal Watch Online on July 26th, 2007 8:51 am

    […] Related stories in Conservation magazine: Nonnative Earthworms May Be Wiping Out Rare Plants | Can Rodents Save The Planet? […]

  2. Earthworms steal the floor : Journal Watch Online on July 26th, 2007 8:51 am

    […] Related stories in Conservation magazine: Nonnative Earthworms May Be Wiping Out Rare Plants | Can Rodents Save The Planet? […]

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