Publications

Island tropical montane cloud forests may be among the most sensitive of the world's ecosystems to global climate change. Measurements in and above a montane cloud forest on East Maui, Hawaii, document steep microclimatic gradients. Relatively small climate-driven shifts in patterns of atmospheric circulation are likely to trigger major local changes in rainfall, cloud cover, and...

A simple device to aid in the rapid relocation of nests, composed on PVC pipe and tie wire, is described. A 16-18 cm length of pipe can be attached to a supporting structure with a section of wire and adjusted to point at the target nest by its discoverer. Used like an lensless spotting scope, the “spotter” allows other observers to quickly and reliably relocate the nest with minimal...

Ant surveys were conducted at high elevations (1680-3140 m) on the western slope of Mauna Kea Volcano on the island of Hawai'i to detennine the extent of ant infestation in those highland communities and particularly to evaluate the potential threat of ants in the highlands to native Hawaiian species. Ants were surveyed at 10 long-tenn sampling sites. Ants were common on Mauna Kea up to...

Uredo maua, on Xylosma hawaiiense (Flacourtiaceae), an endemic tree of Hawaiian forests, is newly described as an addition to Hawai’i's native rust flora. Uredo wakensis, originally described from Wake Island and reported from other Pacific islands on Tournefortia argentea (Boraginaceae), represents the uredinial state of Uromyces tairae, described from Okinawa. This rust is newly...

The ‘Ö‘ü and the Läna‘i Hookbill are plump, predominantly olive green, thick-billed Hawaiian honeycreepers. The ‘Ö‘ü is now very rare and restricted to remote, high-elevation native forest, and the Läna‘i Hookbill is extinct. They are closely related species, belonging to a specialized tribe, Psittirostrini, consisting of nine historically known Hawaiian species with heavy, finchlike to...

Known in the cage bird trade as the Japanese Hill-Robin, Peking Robin, or Peking Nightingale, the Red-billed Leiothrix was first imported into the Hawaiian Islands in 1911 ( Fisher and Baldwin 1947 ), with intentional releases to the wild occurring after 1918 ( Caum 1933 ). A native of Southeast Asia, southern China, and the Himalayan regions of India, this species is a medium-sized...

We present methods to determine the age and sex of Akohekohe (Palmeria dolei), an endangered Hawaiian honeycreeper, developed on the basis of 45 museum specimens and 91 live birds captured on the island of Maui. Akohekohe retained all Juvenal primaries, some Juvenal secondaries, and some body feathers after the first prebasic molt; they attained full adult plumage after the second...

The rust fungus Gymnoconia nitens infects blackberry (Rubus argutus) systemically in regions of the continental United States, producing bright yellow–orange masses of spores on newly developing floricanes during springtime. In tests to determine the suitability of this rust as a biological control agent for R. penetransin Hawaii, a species now thought to be conspecific with R. argutus...

Nocturnal surveys using auditory cues and night-vision equipment were conducted during the seabird breeding season in 1993 to determine use of inland areas in the Puna District, Hawaii by Newell's Shearwater (Puffinus auricularus newelli). Two hundred sixty Newell's Shearwater auditory or visual detections were made during 275 survey hours from 23 Jul. 1993 - 20 Sep. 1993. Mean detection...

The puaioihi (Myadestes palmeri) and the kamao (M. myadestinus) are endangered solitaires endemic to Kauai in the Hawaiian Islands and now restricted to the Alakai Swamp. The puaiohi has been rare historically with population estimates declining since the first population surveys 1968-73. Puaiohi were believed to be on the verge of extinction with population estimates less than 35 birds...

Biological invasions are a widespread and significant component of human-caused global environmental change. The extent of invasions of oceanic islands, and their consequences for native biological diversity, have long been recognized. However, invasions of continental regions also are substantial. For example, more than 2,000 species of alien plants are established in the continental...

Miconia calvescens (Melastomataceae), native to montane forests of the neotropics, has now invaded wet forests of both the Society and Hawaiian Islands. This tree, which grows up to 15 m tall, is potentially the most invasive and damaging weed of rainforests of Pacific islands. In moist conditions, it grows rapidly, tolerates shade, and produces abundant seed that is effectively...