 |
 |
Pacific Rats Study
The only terrestrial mammal on Yadua Taba is the Pacific rat (Rattus exulans), a species that has had a great impact on reptile populations in New Zealand. Though arriving about 3000 years ago with Polynesian or Melanesian people, Pacific rats are often still classed as an introduced species and their effect on Fijian ecosystems is unknown and surrounded by conjecture. We have begun a mark-recapture study to determine the density of rats on the island, their population structure and how the population reacts to seasonal variations in food resources. The very fact that iguanas are so abundant on an island where Pacific rats are present is interesting in itself and has ramifications for conservation efforts.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
