biodiversity
DESCRIPTION
019. Biodiversity. Hawaii’s Biodiversity. 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. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Biodiversity
019
Hawaii’s Biodiversity
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
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
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
temperature
moisture
soils
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
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
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