@article{PAR00026388,
  title = {{I}ntroduced rat assemblage affects feral cat threat to biodiversity in {F}rench {P}olynesian islands},
  author = {{P}almas, {P}. and {M}eyer, {J}. {Y}. and {C}hailler, {E}. and {D}e {M}eringo, {H}. and {V}idal, {E}ric and {G}aertner, {J}. {C}. and {B}ambridge, {R}. and {M}ooroa, {T}. and {H}urahutia, {I}. and {T}eatiu, {G}. and {T}eatiu, {S}. and {T}imau, {T}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{C}ontext. {I}nvasive feral cats strongly threaten native fauna on islands worldwide. {T}he impact of feral cat populations is assumed to be higher in the presence of introduced rodents and may also vary according to an island's rodent species assemblage. {A}ims. {T}his study assessed feral cat impacts on island biodiversity in {F}rench {P}olynesian islands harbouring differing assemblages of rat species, by investigating their abundance and trophic ecology. {M}ethods. {W}e focused on the following six human-inhabited islands of three archipelagos in {F}rench {P}olynesia ({S}outh {P}acific) with differing rat species assemblages: {T}ahiti and {M}oorea, {U}a {H}uka and {T}ahuata, {R}urutu and {R}imatara. {W}e studied (1) cat abundance, by setting up camera traps during 15 consecutive days to provide an abundance index, the general index ({GI}) or mean number of virtual captures per camera per occasion, and (2) cat diet, by performing macroscopic analyses of scat samples to determine the frequency of occurrence ({FO}) of prey categories. {K}ey results. {O}ur study showed previously unreported patterns of cat-abundance index for the {S}ociety archipelago, with a {GI} of 0.30 +/- 0.12 in {T}ahiti and 0.02 +/- 0.02 in {M}oorea; for the {M}arquesas, with a {GI} of 0.75 +/- 0.20 in {U}a {H}uka and 0.20 +/- 0.06 in {T}ahuata; and for the {A}ustral, with a {GI} of 0.06 +/- 0.04 in {R}urutu and 0.19 +/- 0.05 in {R}imatara. {F}eral cats are shown to prey strongly on introduced rodents ({FO} = 91.3%), arthropods (37.8%), squamates (18.6%) and birds (13.3%) in our study sites. {FO} of birds are particularly high in {R}imatara (31.9%) and {U}a {H}uka (16.8%). {C}onclusions. {W}e demonstrated that feral cats represent a serious threat to biodiversity in {F}rench {P}olynesian islands, with 15 species preyed on, including eight endemic birds, four of them being considered threatened by the {IUCN} {R}ed {L}ist. {S}urprisingly, relative abundances of feral cats were higher both on islands harbouring only one rat species ({U}a {H}uka, with only {R}attus exulans) and on islands free of black rats. {T}his finding raises questions regarding the ' hyperpredation' hypothesis for multi-invaded island ecosystems. {I}mplications. {T}his study on islands with differing assemblages of introduced rodents demonstrated the need for invasive predator studies in multi-invaded ecosystems, so as to improve bird conservation and guide management strategies and site prioritisation.},
  keywords = {camera-trap monitoring ; diet ; endemic bird species ; {F}elis catus ; invasive predator ; multi-invaded ecosystems ; {P}acific island ; conservation ; {R}attus spp ; {PACIFIQUE} {ILES}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{W}ildlife {R}esearch},
  volume = {[{E}arly access]},
  numero = {},
  pages = {},
  ISSN = {1035-3712},
  year = {2023},
  DOI = {10.1071/wr22052},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/{PAR}00026388},
}