Snakes minus birds equals more spiders for Guam: Ecologists look for effects of bird loss caused by invasive brown treesnake
Thursday, September 13, 2012 - 12:10
in Biology & Nature
Ecologists have found as many as 40 times more spiders in Guam's remote jungle than are found on nearby islands. The booming spider population is likely due to the destruction of the island's forest birds, including those that eat insects, by the invasive brown treesnake. The large-scale cross-island comparison uncovered a larger effect of birds on spiders than had been predicted from small-scale experiments.