The brown tree snake invasion in Guam has been massive, and its ecological consequences were devastating. Nearly all of the island's 25 resident bird species were either drastically reduced in number or completely wiped out by brown tree snakes (Wiles, Bart, Beck, & Aquon, 2003, p. 1351). In addition, the snakes have reduced some of the island's other animals, such as flying foxes and several lizard species (Wiles, Bart, Beck, & Aquon, 2003, p. 1351). The resulting "empty forests" may be "impossible to restore" because of the ripple effects of so many lost species, like reduced seed dispersal and pollination (Wiles, Bart, Beck, & Aquon, 2003, p. 1351). The ecological evidence of this invasion was obtained through bird count surveys made by Guam's Division of Aquatic and Wildlife's conservation officers (Wiles, Bart, Beck, & Aquon, 2003, p. 1351).
Hawaii might be particularly vulnerable to the brown tree snake invasion because its location away from the continents and its role as "a commercial hub of the Pacific" make pest invasions such as that of the brown tree snake more of a threat (Holt, 1997). Moreover, over one-third of the U.S.'s threatened/endangered birds are found in Hawaii alone (Holt, 1997). Hawaii has plenty of habitats and prey that suit the brown tree snake but almost no predators that can control it (Holt, 1997). As the West Nile virus proliferated in the U.S. from 1999 to 2002, the brown tree snake could do the same in Hawaii ("Emerging Diseases," 2009, p. 7).
Holt, A. (1997). Brown Tree Snake. Retrieved on February 18, 2009 from: http://www.hear.org/articles/btsworldcon1997/
Wiles, Bart, Beck, Aquon. (2003). Impacts of the Brown Tree Snake: Patterns of Decline and Species Persistence in Guam's Avifauna. Conservation Biology, 17(5), 1350-1360. Wiley InterScience. Retrieved on February 18, 2009 from: http://www3
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