title: La Réunion and Mayotte cockroaches: impact of altitude and human activity.
abstract: Competitive displacement is the outcome of interspecific competition between invading and native species. Alien insect species invade not only cultivated areas but also natural habitats. We prospected the cockroach fauna on two oceanic islands (Mayotte and La Réunion) to investigate the impact of altitude and anthropic disturbance on the distribution of these species. Most invading cockroach species seem to benefit from cultivation of land whereas endemic species occupy more specific and reduced habitats that are threatened by human impact.
authors.affiliation: CNRS, U.M.R. 6552, Université de Rennes 1, Campus de Beaulieu, 35042 Rennes, France.
authors.forename: Stéphane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Boyer
authors.forename: Colette
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rivault
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003058:Cockroaches / Q000145:classification*; D004777:Environment; D005602:France; D006801:Humans; D011156:Population Density