Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center

Environmental DNA (eDNA) detection tools are becoming increasingly popular for documenting occurrence and distribution of native and invasive species. These tools can allow early detection of new diseases and invasive species and provide critical information for land management. We designed two new samplers for monitoring airborne particulates, including fungal and fern spores and plant pollen...

Hawaiʹi’s most widespread native tree, ʹōhiʹa lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha), has been dying across large areas of Hawaiʹi Island mainly due to two fungal pathogens (Ceratocystis lukuohia and Ceratocystis huliohia) that cause a disease collectively known as Rapid ʹŌhiʹa Death (ROD). Here we examine patterns of...

We designed two new samplers for monitoring airborne particulates, including fungal and fern spores and plant pollen, that rely on natural wind currents (Passive Environmental Sampler) or a battery operated fan (Active Environmental Sampler). Both samplers are modeled after commercial devices such as the Rotorod® and the Burkard® samplers, but are more economical and require...

This collection of nine datasets covers Midway Atoll and Laysan Island in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, and was created to help estimate the impacts of the March 11, 2011 tsunami event on avifauna in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. 

We quantified the availability of breeding habitat of the endangered Hawaiian Akepa (Loxops coccineus). The species is thought to nest excusively in natural cavities within mature ohia (Metrosideros polymorpha) trees but birds commonly occur in short stature trees that presumably do not have any natural cavities because of their polyploidal (many-branched) structure.