Invasive Big‐Headed Ants and Black Rats Are Dominant Arthropod Predators Across Opposing Habitats of a Degraded Oceanic Island
ABSTRACT Invasive animals threaten island‐native arthropods with predation. We found that introduced ants and rats conducted 77% of experimental arthropod live bait predations on Ascension Island. Predation was mostly by big‐headed ants Pheidole megacephala inland and around non‐native vegetation, and by black rats Rattus rattus in coastal lowland habitats and caves.
Authors
- Noel Tawatao
- Adam Sharp (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-8484-4536)
- Weng Yuen Chin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-6950-157X)
Institutions
- Fera Science (United Kingdom) (GB)
- International Union for Conservation of Nature (United Kingdom) (GB)
- Imperial College London (GB)
- University of Hong Kong (HK)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Biotropica
- Published
- 2025-05-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1111/btp.70044
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.82
Funders
- Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, UK Government
- Darwin Initiative