THE ROLE OF INTRODUCED SPECIES IN THE DEGRADATION OF ISLAND ECOSYSTEMS: A Case History of Guam1

@article{Fritts1998THERO,
  title={THE ROLE OF INTRODUCED SPECIES IN THE DEGRADATION OF ISLAND ECOSYSTEMS: A Case History of Guam1},
  author={Thomas H. Fritts and Gordon H. Rodda},
  journal={Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics},
  year={1998},
  volume={29},
  pages={113-140}
}
  • T. FrittsG. Rodda
  • Published 1 November 1998
  • Environmental Science
  • Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics
The accidental introduction of the brown treesnake (Boiga irregularis) on Guam around 1950 induced a cascade of extirpations that may be unprecedented among historical extinction events in taxonomic scope and severity. Birds, bats, and reptiles were affected, and by 1990 most forested areas on Guam retained only three native vertebrates, all of which were small lizards. Of the hypotheses to account for the severity of this extinction event, we find some support for the importance of lack of… 
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The island of Guam has experienced a precipitous decline of its native forest birds, and several lines of evidence implicate the introduced brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis) as the cause of the…

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