Bird poop helps keep coral reefs healthy, but rats are messing that up
Nitrogen from bird guano is linked to more productive reef ecosystems
When invasive rats chow down on island seabirds, coral reefs suffer.
Researchers studied islands with and without the rodents in the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean. On rat-free isles, there were on average 1,243 birds per hectare compared with about two birds per hectare on rat-infested islands, the team found. And these rodentless islands had healthier coral reef ecosystems. The secret: Bird poop, naturally rich in nitrogen, washes into the ocean and helps keep reefs productive, the scientists report in the July 12 Nature.