> they say that stowaway rats that accompanied the original Polynesian settlers to the island were largely responsible for the rapid deforestation that happened there
How would rats cause deforestation, especially rapid deforestation?
How would rats cause deforestation, especially rapid deforestation?
According to the theory, when the rats were introduced to Easter Island, where they had no natural predators, the rat population did exactly what you'd expect.
Only issue I see with this theory - there were other types of trees on Easter Island, including trees Polynesian rats don't eat.