Dry Forest Restoration and Unassisted Native Tree Seedling Recruitment at Auwahi, Maui

Medeiros, Arthur C.; Allmen, Erica I. von; Chimera, Charles G.

doi:10.2984/68.1.3

Cited by 45 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Scaling up the capac ity for eco log i cal res to ra tion, re for es ta tion, and wa ter shed man age ment more gen er ally can also in form post fi re strat e gies. The Auwahi Dry Forest on Maui has ex cluded fi reprone non na tive grasses on the or der of hect ares, al beit through highly in ten sive weeding and plant ing of na tive trees and shrubs (Medeiros et al 2014). Larger -scale refor es ta tion pro jects, such as those at Hawai ' i Volcanoes National Park and Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge on Hawai ' i Island and the Kula Forest Reserve fol low ing the 2007 Polipoli fi re on Maui, have targeted tens to hun dreds of hect ares (R. Loh, A. Kikuta, and L. DeSilva, pers.…”

Section: Prevention and Management Of Wildfi Re In Hawai ' Imentioning

confidence: 99%

The Contemporary Scale and Context of Wildfire in Hawai‘i

Trauernicht

Pickett²,

Giardina

et al. 2015

Pacific Science

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Section: Prevention and Management Of Wildfi Re In Hawai ' Imentioning

confidence: 99%

The Contemporary Scale and Context of Wildfire in Hawai‘i

Trauernicht

Pickett²,

Giardina

et al. 2015

Pacific Science

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“…; Medeiros et al. ). In Hawai'i, dry forests/woodlands have been reduced to a much greater extent than wet forests (Pratt and Gon ) and there is a paucity of knowledge about how to successfully restore them (Cabin et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Evaluating nurse plants for restoring native woody species to degraded subtropical woodlands

Yelenik

DiManno

D’Antonio

2014

Ecology and Evolution

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Harsh habitats dominated by invasive species are difficult to restore. Invasive grasses in arid environments slow succession toward more desired composition, yet grass removal exacerbates high light and temperature, making the use of “nurse plants” an appealing strategy. In this study of degraded subtropical woodlands dominated by alien grasses in Hawai'i, we evaluated whether individuals of two native (Dodonaea viscosa, Leptocophylla tameiameia) and one non-native (Morella faya) woody species (1) act as natural nodes of recruitment for native woody species and (2) can be used to enhance survivorship of outplanted native woody species. To address these questions, we quantified the presence and persistence of seedlings naturally recruiting beneath adult nurse shrubs and compared survival and growth of experimentally outplanted seedlings of seven native woody species under the nurse species compared to intact and cleared alien-grass plots. We found that the two native nurse shrubs recruit their own offspring, but do not act as establishment nodes for other species. Morella faya recruited even fewer seedlings than native shrubs. Thus, outplanting will be necessary to increase abundance and diversity of native woody species. Outplant survival was the highest under shrubs compared to away from them with few differences between nurse species. The worst habitat for native seedling survival and growth was within the unmanaged invasive grass matrix. Although the two native nurse species did not differentially affect outplant survival, D. viscosa is the most widespread and easily propagated and is thus more likely to be useful as an initial nurse species. The outplanted species showed variable responses to nurse habitats that we attribute to resource requirements resulting from their typical successional stage and nitrogen fixation capability.

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“…Island conservationists have traditionally viewed exclusion of non‐native ungulates and control of invasive plant species as the primary essential components of ecosystem protection (Cabin et al ; Brooks et al ). As such, efforts to protect or restore native species and habitat on islands are typically initiated with ungulate exclusion through fencing and removal programs (Cabin et al ; Cole et al ; Medeiros et al ). Our findings indicate that forest restoration also had the unintended effect of increasing invasive rodent biomass and shifting dominance within the invasive rodent community from House mouse to Black rats.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hawaiian dry forests have relatively high species diversity but persist today largely as 0.5–200 ha relictual tracts scattered across the Hawaiian Islands. For many decades, reproduction of native species by seed in Hawaiian dry forests has been poor, and non‐native plant invasion plus herbivory and seed predation by non‐native mammals are among the likely contributing factors (Medeiros et al ; Cabin et al ; Medeiros et al ). These remaining relatively small but highly diverse tracts of dry forests are important conservation targets for both biological (Olson & Dinerstein ) and cultural (Abbott ) value.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shifts in an invasive rodent community favoring Black rats (Rattus rattus) following restoration of native forest

Shiels

Medeiros

Allmen

2017

Restoration Ecology

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One potential, unintended ecological consequence accompanying forest restoration is a shift in invasive animal populations, potentially impacting conservation targets. Eighteen years after initial restoration (ungulate exclusion, invasive plant control, and out planting native species) at a 4 ha site on Maui, Hawai'i, we compared invasive rodent communities in a restored native dry forest and adjacent non-native grassland. Quarterly for 1 year, we trapped rodents on three replicate transects (107 rodent traps) in each habitat type for three consecutive nights. While repeated trapping may have reduced the rat (Black rat, Rattus rattus) population in the forest, it did not appear to reduce the mouse (House mouse, Mus musculus) population in the grassland. In unrestored grassland, mouse captures outnumbered rat captures 220:1, with mice averaging 54.9 indiv./night versus rats averaging 0.25 indiv./night. In contrast, in restored native forest, rat captures outnumbered mouse captures by nearly 5:1, averaging 9.0 indiv./night versus 1.9 indiv./night for mice. Therefore, relatively recent native forest restoration increased Black rat abundance and also increased their total biomass in the restored ecosystem 36-fold while reducing House mouse biomass 35-fold. Such a community shift is worrisome because Black rats pose a much greater threat than do mice to native birds and plants, perhaps especially to large-seeded tree species. Land managers should be aware that forest restoration (i.e. converting grassland to native forest) can invoke shifts in invasive rodent populations, potentially favoring Black rats. Without intervention, this shift may pose risks for intended conservation targets and modify future forest restoration trajectories.

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Dry Forest Restoration and Unassisted Native Tree Seedling Recruitment at Auwahi, Maui

Cited by 45 publications

References 26 publications

The Contemporary Scale and Context of Wildfire in Hawai‘i

The Contemporary Scale and Context of Wildfire in Hawai‘i

Evaluating nurse plants for restoring native woody species to degraded subtropical woodlands

Shifts in an invasive rodent community favoring Black rats (Rattus rattus) following restoration of native forest

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