A tiny native rodent that was on the brink of extinction on the mainland has bounced back in the most unlikely of places — an island infested with death adders and tiger snakes.

The rat’s survival on the South Australian island, which it was introduced to more than three decades ago, has been the result of one of Australia’s worst invasive weeds, the African boxthorn.

Co-author of the study, Flinders University associate professor Vera Weisbecker, said invasive weeds were damaging to Australia’s biodiversity so it was good news a threatened mammal was thriving in that habitat.

However the researchers cautioned against perceptions that invasive weeds weren’t as bad as they seemed.

“We completely agree that it is a damaging weed that needs to be controlled,” Ms Kraehe said.

“If it continues to spread, it may displace too much of the native vegetation and lead to a collapse of the island’s ecosystem, ultimately affecting the greater stick-nest rats themselves,” Dr Hill said.