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  • Tags / Keywords casuarina equisetifolia
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  • Tags / Keywords phoebastria nigripes
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Control of house mice preying on adult albatrosses at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge
Island and Ocean Ecosystems, BRB
Available Online

Duhr,M.

,

Flanders, B.

,

Flint, E.N.

,

Howald, G.

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Hunter, S.A.

,

Norwood, D.

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Taylor, R.V.

2019
Sand Island, Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge (MANWR), is home to 21% of all nesting black-footed albatross (Phoebastria nigripes) and 47% of all nesting Laysan albatross (P. immutabilis) worldwide. During the 2015–2016 nesting season predation and disturbance by non-native house mice (Mus musculus), here documented for the first time, resulted in 70 abandoned nests, 42 adult birds killed and 480 wounded. In the following nesting season the affected area increased, resulting in 242 dead adults, 1,218 injured birds and 994 abandoned nests. Mouse predation activities triggered a mouse control response to reduce mouse densities in the affected areas using multi-catch live traps, kill traps, and limited use of anticoagulant rodenticides in bait stations. In 2016–2017 we applied a pelleted cholecalciferol rodenticide, AGRID (Bell Laboratories, Madison, WI), at a rate of 20 kg/ha in all affected areas. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of using AGRID to reduce mouse density and rate of mouse attacks on nesting albatrosses on Sand Island. Mouse attacks decreased and mouse abundance was reduced following rodenticide applications in the plots treated in December but changes in attack rates in the plots treated in January were not detectable and mouse abundance increased subsequent to treatment. The plots in the December treatments were much larger than those used in January and rainfall rate increased after December. A minimum size of treatment area may be necessary to achieve a reduction in injury rates in albatrosses. No deleterious effects were observed in non-target organisms. The casualties resulting from mouse predation (mostly Laysan albatross) represent a small proportion of the 360,000 pairs nesting on Sand Island. However, the risk to adult breeding albatrosses representing such a large fraction of the global population prompted the United States Fish & Wildlife Service to prioritise mouse control efforts.
Invasive alien species on islands: impacts, distribution, interactions and management
BRB
Available Online

Holmes, Nick D

,

Meyer, Jean-Yves

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Pagad, Shyama

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Russell, James C.

2017
Invasive alien species (IASs) on islands have broad impacts across biodiversity, agriculture, economy, health and culture, which tend to be stronger than on continents. Across small-island developing states (SIDSs), although only a small number of IASs are widely distributed, many more, including those with greatest impact, are found on only a small number of islands. Patterns of island invasion are not consistent across SIDS geographic regions, with differences attributable to correlated patterns in island biogeography and human development. We identify 15 of the most globally prevalent IASs on islands. IAS impacts on islands are exacerbated through interactions with a number of other global change threats, including over-exploitation, agricultural intensification, urban development and climate change. Biosecurity is critical in preventing IAS invasion of islands. Eradication of IASs on islands is possible at early stages of invasion, but otherwise is largely restricted to invasive mammals, or otherwise control is the only option. Future directions in IAS management and research on islands must consider IASs within a broader portfolio of threats to species, ecosystems and people’s livelihoods on islands. We advocate for stronger collaborations among island countries and territories faced with the same IASs in similar socio-ecological environments.
The impact of Hurricane Frances (2004) on the invasive Australian pine (Casuarina equisetifolia L.) on San Salvador Island, the Bahamas
BRB
Available Online

Gamble, Douglas W.

,

Rodgers, John C.

2008
On September 2, 2004 Hurricane Frances (Category 3) passed directly over San Salvador Island, The Bahamas. This event offered the opportunity to gather baseline data regarding the impact of hurricanes on populations of the invasive Australian pine (Casuarina equisettifolia L.) in the Bahamas. Results of vegetation surveys within both forest stands and beach environments suggest that the overall impact of this hurricane was minimal. Less than 13% of forest individuals and 17% of beach individuals surveyed were damaged, and the majority of damage was restricted to just one location for both the forest and beach study sites. The most common damage type within the forest sites was “snapped” trees (8%) and this primarily occurred within trees ranging in size from 7–12 cm in diameter. Browning of the entire foliage was the most common damage type within the beach sites (9.3%) but this damage type only occurred within tree sizes less than or equal to 90 cm in height. Thus it appears that Hurricane Frances had a negligible effect on Australian pine populations as a whole on San Salvador Island and that this disturbance event will probably not limit future population expansion. It is suggested that more powerful or more frequent hurricanes would be needed to significantly affect Australian pine populations on San Salvador Island. Similar patterns in damage should be expected with comparable hurricane events on other islands in the Bahamas and for other tropical beaches in which this species has invaded.