New Zealand Journal of Zoology abstracts

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How did invertebrates respond to eradication of rats from Kapiti Island, New Zealand?

Lisa Sinclair^1,*
Jay McCartney²
Jarn Godfrey³
Shirley Pledger⁴
Mike Wakelin¹
Greg Sherley¹

¹Department of Conservation
Science and Research Unit
P.O. Box 10 420
Wellington, New Zealand

²Ecology Department
Institute of Natural Resources
Massey University
Private Bag 11 222
Palmerston North, New Zealand

³38 Takahe Street
Kaitaia
Northland, New Zealand

⁴School of Mathematical and Computing Science
Victoria University
P.O. Box 600
Wellington, New Zealand

*Present address: 30a Govind Grove, Ngaio, Wellington.

Abstract  Kapiti Island is an important wildlife sanctuary off the west coast of the North Island, New Zealand. Restoration of the island after human occupation has included a 60-year programme of eradication of 10 pest mammals, ending with the removal of Norway and Pacific rats in 1996 using brodifacoum rodenticide bait. We monitored the impact of rat removal on invertebrate communities using pitfall traps. Three years after rat eradication we detected a significant decrease in invertebrate catch frequency and diversity, most obvious in the Carabidae and Amphipoda. Site and season accounted for most of the variation in the data. A four-fold increase in the conspicuousness and condition of some insectivorous birds, and fluctuations between El Niño and La Niña weather patterns may have affected the “recovery” of the island invertebrates.

Keywords  conservation; island restoration; eradication; Kapiti Island; Carabidae; Amphipoda; Isopoda; Orthoptera; Zoropsidae; weta; weka; Rattus; kiore; Norway rat; species richness; abundance; pest control

Z04031; Received 23 August 2004; accepted 31 July 2005; Online publication date 20 September 2005
New Zealand Journal of Zoology, 2005, Vol. 32: 293–315
0301–4223/05/3204–0293 © The Royal Society of New Zealand 2005

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