The Black Rat

Ryan Doncaster
October 21, 2013

Summary
     The Black Rat started in Asia. Through the migration of humans, the rats were able to invade most of the world via ship. In the U.S, they arrived in the 16th century and have integrated themselves into ecosystems all over the country. It has adapted to all kinds of environments due to its capability of eating almost anything edible. The rats are capable of spreading diseases, and destroying property. In addition to being a nuisance to humans, it is also a threat to natural wildlife. They have caused damage to the populations of birds, reptiles, and small mammals. Especially on islands, they have cause severe damage and sometimes extinction to some bird populations. The rats will prey on the eggs and young of the birds.

Relevance
     This connects to our first unit, ecosystems. Even though this specific example wasn't mentioned in class, this is an example of an invasive species. This article mentions how the rats are responsible for some bird populations, and how humans were the ones to give them the opportunity to invade. we covered both of those topics in class.

source:http://www.abcbirds.org/conservationissues/threats/invasives/rats.html