Genetic evidence for invasive rat‐caused vegetation damage has implications for endemic Caribbean mammal management
Notice bibliographique
Résumé
Abstract Invasive murid rodents have disrupted native biodiversity, including vegetation composition and structure, across island systems such as the Caribbean ecoregion. However, translocations of the Bahamian hutia ( Geocapromys ingrahami ), a threatened Caribbean rodent, have also prompted concerns about vegetation damage, raising complex challenges for management of this species. Extensive vegetation damage reported on John Higgs Cay (Turks and Caicos Islands), along with the presence of abundant large faecal pellets and local traditions of large‐bodied rodents called ‘hootees’, was suggestive of possible survival of a remnant hutia population. Fieldwork was conducted to document vegetation damage and collect faecal samples for genetic analysis, which was carried out using ancient DNA protocols for degraded specimens. Extensive areas of damaged shrubs exhibiting stripped vegetation and gnawed branches were present on John Higgs Cay, with damage to 15 species including the highly toxic Metopium toxiferum . Although observed vegetation damage differed somewhat from a Bahamian cay exhibiting damage reportedly made by hutias, differences in local ecology and plant diversity between islands could influence rodent food selection and plant survival. An ancient DNA approach designed to remove PCR inhibitors provided robust identification of faecal pellets as being from black rats ( Rattus rattus ) based upon mitochondrial and nuclear genomic data, indicating that vegetation damage on John Higgs Cay was caused by this invasive species rather than by hutias. Local respondent descriptions of ‘hootees’ were found to refer to invasive brown rats ( Rattus norvegicus ) that nested in mangroves. Practical implication . Our findings highlight the potential for species misidentification when using indirect signs to survey small mammals in ecologically novel landscapes, providing an important note of caution when assessing unverified reports of species survival. Our study also demonstrates that invasive rodents can cause extensive disruption to native vegetation on tropical islands, highlighting the possibility that damage previously blamed upon hutias may instead be made by rats. Invasive rodents have been present in Caribbean ecosystems for centuries, and the vegetation damage they cause may now be overlooked and perceived as ‘natural’, raising important questions about interpreting native biodiversity states and defining management targets.
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Comment cette classification a été obtenuedéplier
Prédiction distillée sur la base complète
Imitation des enseignantsNi prévalence calibrée, ni vérité terrain. Validation humaine à venir. Apprise à partir de 10 348 étiquettes directes de Codex et de 10 348 étiquettes directes de Gemma. Le mode candidate est l'union des têtes enseignantes seuillées; le consensus est leur intersection. Ces sorties portent le statut machine_predicted_unvalidated et ne sont ni des étiquettes humaines ni des étiquettes directes de modèles de pointe.
Scores Codex et Gemma par catégorie
| Catégorie | Codex | Gemma |
|---|---|---|
| Métarecherche | 0,000 | 0,001 |
| Méta-épidémiologie (sens strict) | 0,000 | 0,000 |
| Méta-épidémiologie (sens large) | 0,000 | 0,000 |
| Bibliométrie | 0,000 | 0,000 |
| Études des sciences et des technologies | 0,001 | 0,001 |
| Communication savante | 0,000 | 0,000 |
| Science ouverte | 0,000 | 0,000 |
| Intégrité de la recherche | 0,000 | 0,000 |
| Charge utile insuffisante (le modèle a refusé de juger) | 0,000 | 0,000 |
Scores machine (provisoires)
Les deux têtes enseignantes du modèle étudiant, lues sur ce travail. Un score ordonne la base pour la relecture; il n'affirme jamais une catégorie, et le statut de validation accompagne chaque rangée tel quel.
Scores de référence d'un modèle non mature (critères de maturité non atteints, 7 itérations). Un score ordonne; il n'affirme jamais une catégorie.
score_only:v0-immature-baseline · tel quel depuis la passe de notation : score_only signifie que le nombre peut ordonner les travaux, et qu'aucune étiquette de catégorie n'en découleClassification
machine, non validéePrédiction automatique; un appel candidat d’une seule tête enseignante, pas un consensus.
Le détail, modèle par modèle et score par score, se trouve en fin de page sous « Comment cette classification a été obtenue ».