Abstract
We sampled three exotic species of rats (Rattus exulans, Rattus norvegicus and Rattus rattus) by live-trapping along two transects on Tutuila, American Samoa and searched for evidence of mycophagy by examining fecal pellets. We found spores of three species of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (Septoglomus constrictum, Rhizophagus clarus and Rhizophagus fasciculatus) in 19 of the 26 samples examined. All the three species of rats consumed sporocarps, with R. clarus being the most widely consumed. We suggest that mycophagy by exotic rats is common in American Samoa and may facilitate invasion of exotic plants such as the tree Falcataria moluccana.
Acknowledgments
We thank Avele Lalogafu’afu’a, Siaifoi Fa’aumu and Ailao Tualaulelei for field assistance and the Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources of the American Samoa Government through its USFWS Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration program for logistical and funding support.
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©2018 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Original Studies
- One or two species of the rare Malagasy carnivoran Eupleres (Eupleridae)? New insights from molecular data
- Use of remote cameras to evaluate ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) population parameters in seasonal tropical dry forests of central-western Mexico
- Age-related fecundity of free-ranging mule deer Odocoileus hemionus Cervidae in south-central, New Mexico, USA
- Seasonal variation of bat-flies (Diptera: Streblidae) in four bat species from a tropical dry forest
- Habitat associations of small mammals in the foothills of the Drakensberg Mountains, South Africa
- Phylogenetic position of the Ancash leaf-eared mouse Phyllotis definitus Osgood 1915 (Rodentia: Cricetidae)
- Long-standing taxonomic and nomenclature issue of Lemmus obensis chrysogaster Allen, 1903 (Rodentia, Cricetidae) resolved
- Short Notes
- Distribution extension of Ateles chamek (Humboldt 1812) in the southwestern Brazilian Amazon: identification by visual evidence and fecal DNA
- First record of Platyrrhinus fusciventris (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae) for the Caatinga biome
- Density of leopards (Panthera pardus kotiya) in Horton Plains National Park in the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka
- Estimating jaguar (Panthera onca) density in a preserved coastal area of French Guiana
- Impact of European wild rabbits foraging in different habitat and vegetation types in an insular environment
- Exotic rats consume sporocarps of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in American Samoa
- The Pleistocene record attributed to the cricetid genus Nectomys (Rodentia, Sigmodontinae): unexpected connections
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Original Studies
- One or two species of the rare Malagasy carnivoran Eupleres (Eupleridae)? New insights from molecular data
- Use of remote cameras to evaluate ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) population parameters in seasonal tropical dry forests of central-western Mexico
- Age-related fecundity of free-ranging mule deer Odocoileus hemionus Cervidae in south-central, New Mexico, USA
- Seasonal variation of bat-flies (Diptera: Streblidae) in four bat species from a tropical dry forest
- Habitat associations of small mammals in the foothills of the Drakensberg Mountains, South Africa
- Phylogenetic position of the Ancash leaf-eared mouse Phyllotis definitus Osgood 1915 (Rodentia: Cricetidae)
- Long-standing taxonomic and nomenclature issue of Lemmus obensis chrysogaster Allen, 1903 (Rodentia, Cricetidae) resolved
- Short Notes
- Distribution extension of Ateles chamek (Humboldt 1812) in the southwestern Brazilian Amazon: identification by visual evidence and fecal DNA
- First record of Platyrrhinus fusciventris (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae) for the Caatinga biome
- Density of leopards (Panthera pardus kotiya) in Horton Plains National Park in the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka
- Estimating jaguar (Panthera onca) density in a preserved coastal area of French Guiana
- Impact of European wild rabbits foraging in different habitat and vegetation types in an insular environment
- Exotic rats consume sporocarps of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in American Samoa
- The Pleistocene record attributed to the cricetid genus Nectomys (Rodentia, Sigmodontinae): unexpected connections