ISLAND PROBLEM Sparkling seawater surrounds the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean Green trees and bright flowers cover this chain of islands But a problem lurks below the treetops Black rats scurry across the ground They eat bird eggs As a result the bird population drops When that happens less bird waste flows into Rats have lowered the number of birds on many islands in the Pacific and Indian Oceans including the Chagos Archipelago 5 CHAPTER 1
the water This waste helps aquatic plants grow It helps corals grow too With less bird waste the corals and plants don’t grow as well Local fish species need corals and plants for food But the fish have fewer food sources so they do not grow as large as they once did By eating bird eggs rats have changed the whole ecosystem Black rats are not native to the Chagos Islands They are an invasive species there People brought the rats to the islands by accident In fact humans have brought black rats around the world In addition people have brought brown rats to new areas For example brown 6
The lesser noddy is one Chagos Archipelago bird species that has been impacted by black rats rats are an invasive species in many cities Together brown and black rats are some of the most harmful invasive species on Earth 7
