Invasion of the Black Rat Rattus rattus Alexis Roque Karin Lisa Sirjoo

IntroductionSpecies: Rattus rattusAlso Know as Ship Rat and Roof Rat Originated in AsiaFound primarily around human habitationsMainly vegetarian diethttp://www.jcu.edu.au/discovernature/idc/groups/public/documents/presentation/jcudev_008406~2.3.jpghttp://www.taiko.org.nz/rat1.jpg

Physical DescriptionMedium sized bodyLarge earsTail usually longer than bodyWeighs between 70 to 300 gramsUsually blackCan be any combination of black, white or greyMales longer and heavier than femaleshttp://lavieavec.unblog.fr/2007/07/03/la-beste-suite/

Lifestyle Black Rats are nocturnal and omnivorous Breed and reproduce throughout the yearLive together in large groupshttp://www.michaelspornanimation.com/splog/wp-content/e/ratatouille06.jpg

Geographic Distribution Found on all continents especially tropical regionsMost common in coastal areasAgile climber often lives in high places like top floors of buildings or in treesRarely swimsSpreads disease

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Black Rat Vs. Santiago Rice RatThe Black Rat negatively affects the population of the Rice RatsInterference of population by aggressionRemoval of R. rattus slowed population decline of N. swarthihttp://www.hear.org/galapagos/invasives/images/nswarthi.jpg

Black Rat Vs. Santiago Rice RatInterference Competition Both species share the same interest in food sourcesGeneral encounters cause confrontation between species Climate factors affect the population growth of the Black Rat

Black Rat Vs. Deer Mice Deer mice is native to the California Channel Islands Black Rat affects Deer Mice in 2 ways:1. Increasing Predation & Competition2. Introducing new parasites & diseasesParasite: Whipworm - Trichuris muris Habitat and foraging behavior overlap

Black Rat Vs. Deer MiceWhipworm is transferred through contaminated materials and foodsEggs of the worm are infectious within 3 weeks of being passed from the system http://share3.esd105.wednet.edu/rsandelin/NWnature/Photos/Deer%20mouse.jpghttp://www.marvistavet.com/assets/images/whipworm.gif

Black Rat Vs. Sea BirdsBlack rat is largest contributor to seabird extinctionPrey mostly on on small burrow nesters Smaller birds are more vulnerable http://www.flickr.com/photos/cuba_photos/510171343/

Invading the Canary Islands Seven main islands100km from NW coast of AfricaVaried vegetation3672 terrestrial endemic speciesOf those, 1434 introduced by manwww-biology.ucsd.edu/news/images/05010704-07Lwww.ferdinando.org.uk/images/Canary%20Islands.jpg

Invading the Canary IslandsEcological Effects of Rattus RattusOne of the worlds100 worst invasive species (IUCN, 2001)Present on all 7 islandsArrived with European conquistadors in the 15th centuryhttp://home.earthlink.net/~cyberkiwi/soldiers/magellan.jpg

Invading the Canary IslandsEcological Effects of Rattus RattusAffects plant regeneration and structurePredator of birds, especially eggs and chicksCauses decreased breeding success in birdshttp://www.hawaii-forest.com/_img/natural-history/conservation-002.jpg

Human PreventionSanitationTraps & Poison baitsSound & Electronic devicesControl by cats & dogsEradication

http://www.orlandorats.com/images/cheese.jpghttp://www.mitchamcouncil.sa.gov.au/webdata/resources/images/rat1.jpg

References Harris, Donna B., Gregory, S.H., Macdonald, D.W. 2006. Space invaders? A search for patterns underlying the coexistence of alien black rats and Galpagos rice rats. Oecologia 149:276-288.Harris, Donna B., Macdonald, D.W. 2007. Interference competition between introduced black rats and endemic Galapagos rice rats. Ecology 88:2330.Jones. 2007. Severity of the Effects of Invasive Rats on Seabirds: A Global Review. Conservation Biology 22:16-26. Nogales, M., Rodriguez, J.L., Marrero, P. 2006. Ecological effects and distribution of invasive non-native mammals on the Canary Islands. Mammal Society 36:49-65. Smith, Katherine F., Carpenter, S.M. 2006. Potential spread of introduced black rat (Rattus rattus) parasites to endemic deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) on the California Channel Islands. Diversity distributions 12:742.

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