Featured VideoNow, a recent study in the journal Ecology reports that ecological impacts of rats on islands extend far beyond their terrestrial habitats. Led by biologists at Lancaster University in the United Kingdom and the University of Texas, the study quantified the impacts of introduced rats on coral reefs near islands in the Indian Ocean. These “cryptofauna” included tiny fish and invertebrates (small coral crabs, porcelain crabs, and snapping shrimps chief among them) that tuck into reef crevices. The study authors hypothesized that invertebrates are more successful near islands with rats because there’s less competition from the fishes. “Contrary to our expectations, the low-nutrient conditions that rats create do not negatively affect all reef organisms,” added Jeannot.