Hawaii’s Biodiversity

1. Hawaii’s Biodiversity …and invasive species problem

2. ENDEMIC Occurring exclusively in a given geographic area, having originated in that area through natural means. Hawaiian Cleaner Wrasse

3. Nene Rare Endemic Birds

4. Hawaiian Honeycreepers

5. Pueo

6. Hawaiian Hawk (‘Io)

7. Tree Snails Pūpū Kani Oe

8. Unusual Insects & their Relatives Happy Face Spider nanana makakiʻi

9. Hawaiian Crickets

10. Carnivorous caterpillar

11. Picture wing flies

12. Hoary Bat (‘Ope’ape’a)

13. Hawaiian Monk Seal `Ilio-holo-i-ka-uaua

14. Most Unique Plants ‘ahinahina Silversword

15. Ohia Lehua

16. Hapu’u Ferns

17. Percent Endemism in the Hawaiian Islands

18. NATIVE Occurring naturally in a given geographic area; not introduced as a consequence of human activities

19. EXOTIC Introduced to a given geographic area as a consequence of human activities. Anemone fish

20. What are some ways that animals arrive at their new location?

21. How do they arrive? • Dispersal Methods: • Rafting • Hitchhiking • Currents • Storms

22. Invasive Species Pathways Purposeful introduction via legal and illegal means; Unintentional introduction • Aircraft and cargo ship hulls • Ballast water and ship cargo • Hand-carry/luggage • Agriculture experiment stations • Mail • Forestry activities • Horticulture trade • Aquaculture • Pet trade • Botanical gardens

23. WHY SOME INTRODUCTIONS SUCCEED AND SOME DON’T? • Disadvantages due to new environmental conditions: • Foraging & predator avoidance strategies may be different • Small #’s of orgs introduced may go extinct • Advantages: • Generalist vs specialist species

24. Environmental Diversity Extremely wide range of habitats temperature moisture soils vegetation

25. Environmental Diversity Cold & Dry Cool & Dry inversion trades Warm & Dry Warm & Wet Warm & Very Dry Hot & Very Dry Hot & Wet

29. Dispersal to the Hawaiian Islands

30. Origins of Hawaiian Flora and Fauna

31. Origins of Hawaiian Flora and Fauna

32. Origin of Hawaiian Coral Indo West Pacific

33. water 23% wind 2% birds 75% Long Distance Dispersal Wind, Water, & Wings Theory The original colonist plants arrives in the following ways: Hawaii’s Flowering Plants

34. Drifting in Seawater Pandanus tectorius Ipomoea pes-caprae

35. Drifting in Air Includes plants that reproduce by means of spores such as ferns, mosses, algae, and lichen . Adenophorus periens

36. Attached to Birds Estimated 12.8% of the hypothetical original flowers arrived this way Pacific golden plover Tetraplasandra flynii Has hairy gray fruits

37. Immigration Rates number rate (1 every …) flowering plants 272 110 thousand years insects 275 110 thousand years land snails 25 1.2 million years land birds 15 2 million years mammals 1 30 million years

38. Polynesian Voyagers to Hawaii yam breadfruit taro kava

39. Ahupua’a Ranges from the tip of the mtn to the reef area • Upland • Plains • Ocean Slash & burn agriculture (swidden)

40. Hawaii Bird Biodiversity Crisis • Half of Hawaii’s native birds went extinct soon after the Polynesians arrived • Half of the remaining species of birds went extinct soon after Captain James Cook arrived

41. European Contact Large herbivores introduced Native plants are “ice cream” Animals multiplied rapidly

42. Introduced Feral Mammals Goats 1.5 million skins 1844-1900 Fainting goats Tree goats

43. Introduced Feral Mammals Cattle on Oahu Wandered Honolulu streets On all land but residential, agricultural or dense forest

44. Mongoose • Brought in to help control rat population in sugar cane fields • Rat nocturnal • Mongoose diurnal • Mongoose, dogs, and cats are the nene’s main predator

45. Poison dart frog Coqui frog coqui coqui coqui

47. Cane toad

48. Cane toad

49. Feral pigs Originally introduced by Polynesian voyagers from the Marquesas Islands ca. 400 AD

50. Pig Fence Pig wallow