How invasive rats rewire coral reef food webs creating winners and losers

by Lancaster University
July 28, 2026

Invasive rats on tropical islands are creating winners and losers among the tiny underwater animals near the bottom of the food chain that inhabit surrounding coral reefs.

And scientists say the changes to these marine ecosystems can rewire food chains on the reefs.

The tiny fish and invertebrates that live at the bottom of the sea on coral reefs are known collectively as ‘cryptofauna’. These creatures are often overlooked and little studied, yet they play a vital ecological role and represent a cornerstone of energy transfer on coral reefs.

Led by researchers at Lancaster University and the University of Texas, a team of marine scientists studying these tiny critters on reefs around remote islands in the Indian Ocean have discovered that populations are much different around islands infested by invasive rats compared to reefs around islands without rats.

Keep reading: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/news/how-invasive-rats-rewire-coral-reef-food-webs-creating-winners-and-losers

Read the Ecology paper: https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ecy.70453