Marine islands make up about 3% of the earth's land area,
but contain 15-20% of plants, birds and reptiles. They were home to 64% of IUCN-listed Extinct species and contain 43% of current IUCN Critically
Endangered species. The primary driver of extinction and endangerment for
island species is invasive vertebrates.
Invasive vertebrates can also have widespread indirect impacts on island
ecosystems through the population reduction or elimination of native species. Here I review the impacts of invasive mammals
on the the eight California Channel Islands. These islands have 966 km2 of land
area and contain over 100 endemic species and subspecies of vertebrates and
plants, a level of endemism per unit area nearly twice that of the Galapagos Islands.
At least 15 invasive mammal species have been introduced to the Channel Islands in the last 300 years with three to nine
species on each island. In the last 75 years there have been 28 invasive mammal
eradications on the nine Channel Islands, and
three islands are now completely free of invasive mammals. Before/after
comparisons following introductions and eradications, detailed plot-level
studies and observational studies of diet and behavior suggest that these
invasive species have contributed to the extinction and endangerment of native
species by direct predation and grazing as well as indirectly through introduction
of disease, habitat destruction and disruption of functional roles. They have even influenced short-term
geological processes such as beach formation and landslides.