Response of stream invertebrate communities to vegetation damage from overgrazing by exotic rabbits on subantarctic Macquarie Island

A significant decline in stream invertebrate taxa and abundance on Macquarie Island, attributed to vegetation damage from overgrazing by exotic rabbits, was documented between 1992 and 2010. Taxa richness dropped by 25–36%, and ordination analysis revealed marked compositional shifts, particularly at sites with moderate or severe grazing impacts. The study suggests that altered organic material input into streams, due to vegetation damage, may have driven these changes. If such degradation persists without refuges, stream invertebrate communities could undergo permanent alteration, posing risks to the island's delicate ecosystem.

Marchant, R., Kefford, B. J., Wasley, J., King, C. K., Doube, J., & Nugegoda, D. (2011). Response of stream invertebrate communities to vegetation damage from overgrazing by exotic rabbits on subantarctic Macquarie Island. Marine and Freshwater Research, 62(4), 404–413. https://doi.org/10.1071/mf10317