The person is Madeleine Cuff.
The damselfish around the islands are less aggressive.
She is a doctor at the University of Lancaster.
Rats on tropical islands have been known to pose a serious threat to seabirds, due to their large appetite for eggs and chick.
Black rats can be found on 34 of the 55 islands of the Chagos Islands, which are located in the Indian Ocean. Birds of the sea have been decimated on islands.
Less bird droppings means fewer birds. The growth of algae around coral reefs is supported by a fall in nitrogen and phosphorus in the water around the islands.
There are rat-infested islands in the Chagos archipelago. The behavior of reef fish has been shown to be affected by the change in the flow of nitrogen in the water.
A jewel damselfish is an herbivorous fish that protects turf algae that grow on coral reefs from being eaten by other organisms.
Go-Pro cameras were placed underwater in 60 different locations around the Chagos archipelago to record and analyse footage of damselfish defending their territories. The damselfish territories were mapped using a camera above the water.
The fish farmed larger patches because they were less aggressive and because of the rat population.
A high level of nutrition is required in order for aggression and territory defence to be done. It doesn't make sense for the fish to fight for a bigger territory. She says that being aggressive isn't worth the extra effort.
The damselfish were easy to study due to their abundance in the water. The lack of nutrition may be affecting the behavior of other animals.
It's another reason to eradicate the rats on tropical islands. The resident fish could return to their aggressive ways if rats were removed.
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