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Abstract Hurricanes cause dramatic changes to forests by opening the canopy and depositing debris onto the forest floor. How invasive rodent populations respond to hurricanes is not well understood, but shifts in rodent abundance and foraging may result from scarce fruit and seed resources that follow hurricanes. We conducted studies in a wet tropical forest in Puerto Rico to better understand how experimental (canopy trimming experiment) and natural (Hurricane Maria) hurricane effects alter populations of invasive rodents (Rattus rattus[rats] andMus musculus[mice]) and their foraging behaviors. To monitor rodent populations, we used tracking tunnels (inked and baited cards inside tunnels enabling identification of animal visitors' footprints) within experimental hurricane plots (arborist trimmed in 2014) and reference plots (closed canopy forest). To assess shifts in rodent foraging, we compared seed removal of two tree species (Guarea guidoniaandPrestoea acuminata) between vertebrate‐excluded and free‐access treatments in the same experimental and reference plots, and did so 3 months before and 9 months after Hurricane Maria (2017). Trail cameras were used to identify animals responsible for seed removal. Rat incidences generated from tracking tunnel surveys indicated that rat populations were not significantly affected by experimental or natural hurricanes. Before Hurricane Maria there were no mice in the forest interior, yet mice were present in forest plots closest to the road after the hurricane, and their forest invasion coincided with increased grass cover resulting from open forest canopy. Seed removal ofGuareaandPrestoeaacross all plots was rat dominated (75%–100% rat‐removed) and was significantly less after than before Hurricane Maria. However, following Hurricane Maria, the experimental hurricane treatment plots of 2014 had 3.6 times greater seed removal by invasive rats than did the reference plots, which may have resulted from rats selecting post‐hurricane forest patches with greater understory cover for foraging. Invasive rodents are resistant to hurricane disturbance in this forest. Predictions of increased hurricane frequency from expected climate change should result in forest with more frequent periods of grassy understories and mouse presence, as well as with heightened rat foraging for fruit and seed in preexisting areas of disturbance.
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Habitat use and seed removal by invasive rats ( Rattus rattus ) in disturbed and undisturbed rain forest, Puerto Rico
Abstract Despite frequent occurrences of invasive rats (Rattusspp.) on islands, their known effects on forests are limited. Where invasive rats have been studied, they generally have significant negative impacts on native plants, birds, and other animals. This study aimed to determine invasive rat distribution and effects on native plant populations via short‐term seed removal trials in tropical rain forest habitats in the Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico. To address the first objective, we used tracking tunnels (inked and baited cards inside tunnels enabling animal visitors’ footprints to be identified) placed on the ground and in the lower canopy within disturbed (treefall gaps, hurricane plots, stream edges) and undisturbed (continuous forest) habitats. We found that rats are present in all habitats tested. Secondly, we compared seed removal of four native tree species (Guarea guidonia,Buchenavia capitata, Tetragastris balsamifera,andPrestoea acuminata) between vertebrate‐excluded and free‐access treatments in the same disturbed and undisturbed habitats. Trail cameras were used to identify animals responsible for seed contact and removal. Black rats (Rattus rattus) were responsible for 65.1% of the interactions with seeds, of which 28.6% were confirmed seed removals. Two plant species had significantly more seeds removed in disturbed (gaps) than undisturbed forest.Prestoea acuminatahad the lowest seed removal (9% in 10 days), whereas all other species had >30% removal. Black rats are likely influencing fates of seeds on the forest floor, and possibly forest community composition, through dispersal or predation. Further understanding of rat–plant interactions may be useful for formulating conservation strategies.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1831952
- PAR ID:
- 10461567
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley-Blackwell
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Biotropica
- Volume:
- 51
- Issue:
- 3
- ISSN:
- 0006-3606
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- p. 378-386
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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