A rat which became extinct on mainland Australia by the 1930s is staying safe from predators on an island off SA by living in one of Australia's worst invasive weeds.
A new study says African boxthorn is the preferred diet and protective home for threatened greater stick-nest rats on Reevesby Island .Researchers support the eradication of the weed and its replacement with dense low native shrubs for stick-nest rat habitat.
While other creatures have feared its thorns and impenetrable thickets, the rats have used it for food and shelter, taming its spread in the process. "I spent weeks poking through the faecal pellets of stick-nest rats to identify microscopic plant remains. Co-author of the study, Flinders University associate professor Vera Weisbecker, said invasive weeds were damaging to Australia's biodiversity so it was good news a threatened mammal was thriving in that habitat."African boxthorn offers excellent cover from these raptors, so we think that this makes boxthorn thickets a preferred nesting location for the stick-nest rats," Ms Weisbecker said.
Mr Kotz said the group's volunteers had cleared dead boxthorns to re-define established trails on the island, reducing damage to native vegetation."We would like to see a starling control program on the island as they are the most likely cause of berry/seed transfers to the mainland," Mr Kotz said.University of Adelaide researcher Kathryn Hill said African boxthorn was by no means a good thing, even for the stick-nest rats.
Native Rat Reevesby Island African Boxthorn Invasive Weed Habitat Nest Native Rodent Death Adder Flinders University Annie Kraehe Vera Weisbecker Friends Of Reevesby Island Group Eric Kotz National Parks And Wildlife Service
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