Hawaii’s Biodiversity …and invasive species problem.

Hawaii’s BiodiversityHawaii’s Biodiversity

…and invasive species problem

ENDEMIC

Occurring exclusively in a given geographic area, having

originated in that area through natural means.

Hawaiian Cleaner Wrasse

Nene

Rare Endemic Birds

Hawaiian Honeycreepers

Pueo

Hawaiian Hawk (‘Io)

Tree Snails

Pūpū Kani Oe

Unusual Insects & their Relatives

Happy Face Spider

nanana makakiʻi

Hawaiian Crickets

Carnivorous caterpillar

Picture wing flies

Hoary Bat (‘Ope’ape’a)

Hawaiian Monk Seal

`Ilio-holo-i-ka-uaua

Most Unique Plants

Silversword

‘ahinahina

Ohia Lehua

Hapu’u Ferns

Percent Endemism in the Hawaiian Islands

Marine Algae

Ferns & Fern Allies

Mosses

Flowering Plants

Terrestrial Mollusks

Marine Mollusks

Insects

Mammals

Birds

Plant or AnimalGroup

?

ca. 25

114

225

ca. 270

24 - 34

?

230 - 255

2

EstimatedNo. of

Colonists

420

ca. 135

145

233

ca. 1000

ca. 1000

ca. 1000

5,000

2

EstimatedNo. ofNative

Species

13

81

70

46

91

99

30 - 45

99

100

%EndemicSpecies

Endemic and Native Wildlife of the Hawaiian Islands

NATIVE

Occurring naturally in a given geographic area; not introduced

as a consequence of human activities

EXOTIC

Introduced to a given geographic area as a

consequence of human activities.

Anemone fish

How do they arrive?

Dispersal Methods:• Rafting• Hitchhiking• Currents • Storms

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

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

Environmental Diversity

Extremely wide range of habitats

temperaturemoisturesoils

vegetation

Environmental Diversity

Cold & Dry

Cool & Dry

Warm & Wet

Hot & WetHot & Very Dry

Warm & Very Dry

Warm & Dry trades

inversion

Origins of Hawaiian Flora and Fauna

Origins of Hawaiian Flora and Fauna

Origin of Hawaiian Coral Indo West Pacific

Hawaii’s Flowering PlantsHawaii’s Flowering Plants

Long Distance Dispersal Wind, Water, & Wings Theory

The original colonist plants arrives in the following ways:

water 23%

wind 2%

birds 75%

Pandanus tectorius Ipomoea pes-caprae

Includes plants that reproduce by means of spores such as ferns, mosses, algae, and lichen

.

Adenophorus periens

Estimated 12.8% of the hypothetical original flowers arrived this way

Pacific golden plover

Tetraplasandra flynii

Has hairy gray fruits

Immigration Rates

number rate (1 every …)flowering plants 272 110 thousand yearsinsects 275 110 thousand yearsland snails 25 1.2 million yearsland birds 15 2 million yearsmammals 1 30 million years

Polynesian Voyagers to Hawaii

taro

breadfruit

kava

yam

Ahupua’a

1. Upland2. Plains3. Ocean

Ranges from the tip of the mtn to the reef area

Slash & burn agriculture (swidden)

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

European Contact

Large herbivores introduced

Native plants are “ice cream”

Animals multiplied rapidly

Introduced Feral Mammals

Goats

1.5 million skins 1844-1900

Tree goats

Fainting goats

Introduced Feral Mammals

Cattle on Oahu

Wandered Honolulu streets

On all land but residential, agricultural or dense forest

MongooseBrought in to help control rat population in sugar cane fields

• Rat nocturnal• Mongoose diurnal

Mongoose, dogs, and cats are the nene’s main predator

Coqui frog Poison dart frog

coqui

coqui

coqui

Cane toad

Cane toad

Feral pigsFeral pigs

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

Pig FencePig wallow

PETA: snares are “in-humane”

Few pigs survive > 24 hours

Pigs learn how to evade dogs and hunters

Hunting doesn’t always kill

Dog injury (prohibited?)

Pig Control: the Controversy

Lots of misinformation

Who speaks for the native vegetation, insects, birds?

Pig Control

Jackson’s Chameleon Jackson’s Chameleon

Maui Axis Deer

Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby

Kalihi Valley

Brahminy “Hawaiian” Blind SnakeBrahminy “Hawaiian” Blind Snake

• Introduced 1930’s• Eats ants and beetles• Parthogenic• Not a threat

Two Piranhas were caught in Lake Wilson in 1992-93. There may be more. We don’t know.

PiranhasPiranhas

Introduced SpeciesIntroduced SpeciesAcanthophora, Eucheuma, & Gracillaria

Super Sucker to the Rescue!Super Sucker to the Rescue!

Mangroves in Hawaii (transplanted in 1902)

Brown Tree Snake, Guam

Upside-down JellyfishUpside-down Jellyfish

Snowflake CoralSnowflake Coral

Samoan CrabSamoan Crab

7 lbs 7 oz, 0/27/09 windward side

Blue stripped snapper

Introduced grasses a problem

Fountain grass in Kona area

After fires, fire-adapted species become abundant

Helicopters = $700/hour

Fire

Historic Role of Fire in Hawaii

• Relatively low except for occasional fire from volcanoes

Invasive Plants

• Spread of invasive plants increase risk of fire

Wili wili tree surrounded by Fountain grass

Guinea grass (Urochloa maxima)

A nonnative invasive grass in Hawaii

Invasive grasses, wildfire, and native forest restoration on Oahu

Biological control• Biological control: uses a pest’s

natural predators to control the pest

Prickly pear cactus infestation in Hawaii

Cochineal insect

Miconia

http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/22893437/paintball-guns-the-latest-weapon-against-invasive-plant-species

Video

Chemical control

Impact from Other Exotics

Zebra Mussels

Veliger Larvae

frontside

500,000 per m3

Approx. 95% die

Settling10,000 per m3/day

Up to 700,000 mussels/m3

Filter Feeding1 liter H2O/day

Growth

200,000,000 sperm

40,000-1,000,000eggs per year

In general, a zebra mussel population will thrive as long as there are:

• Hard substrates • Appropriate physical and

chemical conditions in the water

• Appropriate biological conditions

Lampreys (1835) in St. Laurence Seaway

Walking catfish in Florida

Alien Animal Control

> $40,000/mile to fence

Haleakala NP = $5 million

Hard to eradicate animals

Animal control not popular

Solutions?• Conservation• Mechanical (physical removal)• Chemical (pesticides, herbicides)• Biological (natural predator)• Legislation• Education• Prevention• Ballast water:

* UV light* chemicals* dump water far from port

1. What accounts for the largest means of seed dispersal to the Hawaiian islands than any other mechanism?

2. What adaptations must a plant or seed have for dispersal by flotation in seawater?

3. The most likely way that flowering plant species arrived in Hawai`i was by:

4. If a species is referred to as being endemic to Hawai`i, you can assume that it:

5. The main reason that Hawai`i's native species don't have thorns, stingers or chemical defenses is that they:

Inquiry

Inquiry

6. What class of vertebrates did not arrive to Hawaii by natural means?

7. Compare a generalist exotic species to a specialist.

8. Why are pigs such a problem?

Endemic, Native or Exotic?A B C D E

F G

Carnivorous caterpillar

Cane toadMushroom coralGreen turtle

Bottlenose dolphin

Blue stripped snapper