10-20-2007, 03:28 PM
It is quite apparent that this forum is populated by many malihini who arrived after the incursion of the non-native coqui frog. If you wish to understand the impact of the coqui and other non-native introduced species, please educate yourself at: http://www.hear.org/AlienSpeciesInHawaii...index.html
Here's an excerpt especially for wjbillock:
"Conservation concerns
Eleutherodactylus coqui poses the greatest threat to native Hawaiian ecosystems because it can invade mid-elevation moist and rain forests. It can be expected to exert tremendous predation pressure on a variety of native arthropods and, possibly, snails. Consequently, they will likely have an indirect negative effect on the remaining native forest birds, most of which are partially or largely insectivorous. The frogs may serve as an energy sink in native ecosystems into which they insert themselves due to lack of native predators, although it is more likely they will instead serve as an additional food source enhancing population levels of rats and mongoose, thereby increasing predation pressure on native forest birds."
More information on the topic here: http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/coqui/
Here's an excerpt especially for wjbillock:
"Conservation concerns
Eleutherodactylus coqui poses the greatest threat to native Hawaiian ecosystems because it can invade mid-elevation moist and rain forests. It can be expected to exert tremendous predation pressure on a variety of native arthropods and, possibly, snails. Consequently, they will likely have an indirect negative effect on the remaining native forest birds, most of which are partially or largely insectivorous. The frogs may serve as an energy sink in native ecosystems into which they insert themselves due to lack of native predators, although it is more likely they will instead serve as an additional food source enhancing population levels of rats and mongoose, thereby increasing predation pressure on native forest birds."
More information on the topic here: http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/coqui/