The introduction of snakes to Guam has reverberated through the ecosystem.
Accidentally introduced to the island in the 1940s, the snake decimated the island’s native bird species in one of the most infamous ecological disasters from an invasive species.
By the 1980s, 10 of 12 native bird species had been wiped out.
Since many birds consume spiders, compete with spiders for insect prey and utilize spider webs in their nests, their loss has led to a spider explosion on the island, researchers said.
UPI (2012): Bird loss has island overrun with spiders
Note (for the Algebra students): The scientific article includes a nice box and whisker plot showing how many more spiderwebs there are on Guam compared to other islands.
