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Increasingly recognized as having significant economic and ecological impacts, non-native invasive species have become an important interdisciplinary topic in biological and social science courses. Oceanic island systems like Hawaii have been particularly susceptible to invaders and efforts to prevent further invasions focus on reducing the accidental and purposeful pathways by which harmful species arrive. A proposal that was initiated in 1988 to expand the airport at Kahului to allow direct international flights to Maui was embraced by some residents as a much-needed plan for expanding tourism and providing long-term economic improvements. Others predicted that if flights arrived from a variety of Pacific Rim countries, invasive species would be introduced that could find a suitable new home somewhere in Maui's diverse habitats. Such invaders would likely include new agricultural pests and threats to natural resource conservation, especially to the many endemic species in Haleakala National Park, and hence could have negative long-term impacts on the ecology and quality of life on Maui. We have developed materials based on this on-going, real-world scenario so that students can develop their research, communication, and critical thinking skills through examination of these conflicting ecological and social issues. Used either as a classroom role-playing exercise or as a case study for students working independently, participants will integrate information from biological, geographical, social, and political science disciplines, while learning how local business and conservation interests can influence, and be influenced by, changes in global trade and transportation. (Contains 4 tables.)

Most rust fungi are highly host specific, but Puccina psidii has an extremely broad host range within Myrtaceae and gained notoriety with a host jump in its native Brazil from common guava (Psidium guajava) to commercial Eucalyptus plantations. When detected in Hawai'i in April 2005, the first invasion outside the neotropics/subtropics, there was immediate concern for 'ohi'a (Metrosiderospolymorpha). 'Ohi'a composes 80% of native forest statewide, providing stable watersheds and habitat for most Hawaiian forest birds and plants. Within months, rust spores spread statewide on wind currents, but 'ohi'a was found to be only a minor host, showing very light damage. The primary host was nonnative rose apple (Syzygiumjambos), severely affected at a landscape scale, but the epiphytotic subsided as rose apple was largely defoliated or killed within several years. The limited and stable host range in Hawai'i (versus elsewhere) led the local conservation community to explore possibilities for excluding new genetic strains of P. psidii. Although national/international phytosanitary standards require strong scientific justification for regulations involving an infraspecific taxonomic level, hopes were buoyed when genetic studies showed no apparent genetic variation/evolution in Hawai'i's rust strain. A sophisticated genetic study of P. psidii in its home range is near completion; genetic variation is substantial, and host species strongly influences rust population structure. To prevent introduction of new strains, the Hawai'i Department of Agriculture is moving ahead with establishing stringent measures that restrict entry of Myrtaceae into Hawai'i. Meanwhile, P. psidii poses a major threat to Myrtaceae biodiversity worldwide., ACCELERATED MOVEMENT of plants and plant products between biogeographical zones by human activities has become rampant worldwide (Brasier 2008, Wingfield et al. 2011). Fungi and insects that may have little [...]

Abstract: Recent biotic surveys in subalpine shrubland on Haleakala Volcano, Maui, Hawai'i, have resulted in rediscovery of several species of carabid beetles previously known only from their nineteenth-century type specimens. [...]

F. RUSSELL COLE [2] LLOYD L. LOOPE [3] ARTHUR C. MEDEIROS [3] CAMERON E. HOWE [2] LAUREL J. ANDERSON [2] ABSTRACT: Mus musculus and Rattus rattus are ubiquitous consumers in [...]

PAUL D. KRUSHELNYCKY [2] ABSTRACT: The annual, endemic, coastal herb Centaurium sebaeoides is the only native Hawaiian species in the gentian family. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed it [...]

Although climate change is predicted to place mountain-top and other narrowly endemic species at severe risk of extinction, the ecological processes involved in such extinctions are still poorly resolved. In addition, much of this biodiversity loss will likely go unobserved, and therefore largely unappreciated. The Haleakalā silversword is restricted to a single volcano summit in Hawai'i, but is a highly charismatic giant rosette plant that is viewed by 1-2 million visitors annually. We link detailed local climate data to a lengthy demographic record, and combine both with a population-wide assessment of recent plant mortality and recruitment, to show that after decades of strong recovery following successful management, this iconic species has entered a period of substantial climate-associated decline. Mortality has been highest at the lower end of the distributional range, where most silverswords occur, and the strong association of annual population growth rates with patterns of precipitation suggests an increasing frequency of lethal water stress. Local climate data confirm trends toward warmer and drier conditions on the mountain, and signify a bleak outlook for silverswords if these trends continue. The silversword example foreshadows trouble for diversity in other biological hotspots, and illustrates how even well-protected and relatively abundant species may succumb to climate-induced stresses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mountains are one of few ecosystems little affected by plant invasions. However, the threat of invasion is likely to increase because of climate change, greater anthropogenic land use, and continuing novel introductions. Preventive management, therefore, will be crucial but can be difficult to promote when more pressing problems are unresolved and predictions are uncertain. In this essay, we use management case studies from 7 mountain regions to identify common lessons for effective preventive action. The degree of plant invasion in mountains was variable in the 7 regions as was the response to invasion, which ranged from lack of awareness by land managers of the potential impact in Chile and Kashmir to well-organized programs of prevention and containment in the United States (Hawaii and the Pacific Northwest), including prevention at low altitude. In Australia, awareness of the threat grew only after disruptive invasions. In South Africa, the economic benefits of removing alien plants are well recognized and funded in the form of employment programs. In the European Alps, there is little need for active management because no invasive species pose an immediate threat. From these case studies, we identify lessons for management of plant invasions in mountain ecosystems: (i) prevention is especially important in mountains because of their rugged terrain, where invasions can quickly become unmanageable; (ii) networks at local to global levels can assist with awareness raising and better prioritization of management actions; (iii) the economic importance of management should be identified and articulated; (iv) public acceptance of management programs will make them more effective; and (v) climate change needs to be considered. We suggest that comparisons of local case studies, such as those we have presented, have a pivotal place in the proactive solution of global change issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasingly recognized as having significant economic and ecological impacts, non-native invasive species have become an important interdisciplinary topic in biological and social science courses. Oceanic island systems like Hawaii have been particularly susceptible to invaders and efforts to prevent further invasions focus on reducing the accidental and purposeful pathways by which harmful species arrive. A proposal that was initiated in 1988 to expand the airport at Kahului to allow direct international flights to Maui was embraced by some residents as a much-needed plan for expanding tourism and providing long-term economic improvements. Others predicted that if flights arrived from a variety of Pacific Rim countries, invasive species would be introduced that could find a suitable new home somewhere in Maui's diverse habitats. Such invaders would likely include new agricultural pests and threats to natural resource conservation, especially to the many endemic species in Haleakala National Park, and hence could have negative long-term impacts on the ecology and quality of life on Maui. We have developed materials based on this on-going, real-world scenario so that students can develop their research, communication, and critical thinking skills through examination of these conflicting ecological and social issues. Used either as a classroom role-playing exercise or as a case study for students working independently, participants will integrate information from biological, geographical, social, and political science disciplines, while learning how local business and conservation interests can influence, and be influenced by, changes in global trade and transportation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]