Rare plants of the Mauna Loa Special Ecological Area, Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park

Reports were scanned in black and white at a resolution of 600 dots per inch and were converted to text using Adobe Paper Capture Plug-in.The montane and sub-alpine zones of the Mauna Loa Strip in Hawai'I Volcanoes National Park (HAVO) contain some of the most intact native vegetation found within the Park, and most of the study area has been considered a Special Ecological Area (SEA) since the mid 1980s. The Mauna Loa Strip was grazed by cattle prior to its inclusion in Hawai'i National Park. Feral goats and pigs were removed in the 1970s and 1980s, when two units of the SEA were completely fenced. The area above the upper unit, enclosed as the alpine unit in 1999, still supports an unknown number of feral goats and mouflon sheep, but feral animal removal is planned. The present survey was initiated to provide information to managers on the distribution and status of the endangered, threatened, and rare plant species of the Mauna Loa SEA. Population monitoring of selected species was conducted to determine how rare plants were responding to management practices, largely the removal and interdiction of feral animals.Cooperative Agreement # U.S. Geological Survey 1445-CA09-94-1066-0

Rare plants within managed units of 'Ola'a Forest, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Reports were scanned in black and white at a resolution of 600 dots per inch and were converted to text using Adobe Paper Capture Plug-in.Four fenced pig-free management units and one adjacent unfenced area within the 'Ola'a Forest of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park were systematically searched for rare plants in 1992-94. Additional rare plant sightings were made off transects and on fencelines, while working on other projects in 1995-98. Observations by Resources Management workers were included on maps where possible. Only the western third of the 'Ola'a Forest was searched during this survey, where transects were placed systematically along north/south fence lines at intervals of 250-500 m. Those plants mapped on transects were within a 5-m belt. One listed endangered species, ha'iwale (Cyrtandra giffardii), was found in each surveyed unit, but was concentrated in the Ag and Koa Units below 1,280 m (4,200 K) elevation. 'Ola'a has a larger population of this endangered species than anticipated, as 91 plants were counted along transects. A second endangered species, 'anunu (Sicyos alba), was encountered at four localities within the Koa Unit; this extremely rare vine is known fiom only two other Hawai'i Island sites. Eight former candidate endangered plant species or "species of special concern" were counted along surveyed transects. Only six 'aku (Cyanea tritomantha) were sighted in the Ag and Koa Units. The lobelioid, koli'i (Trematolobelia grandifolia), was more frequently seen, inside and outside the Pu'u Unit and in the lower Ag Unit. One hundred seventeen koli'i plants were counted along transects, and others were sighted off transect. Candidate endangered mints were very rare; only one Phyllostegia floribunda, nine P. vestita, fourteen mohihi (Stenogyne scrophularioides), and six Stenogyne macrantha were observed in the study area. The herb popolo ku mai (Phytolacca sandwicensis) was seen primarily in the Koa Unit, where 10 plants were counted. Only one individual of the vine Schiedea diffusa was found within 'Ola'a at the same Ag Unit site where it was discovered nine years ago; this is the only sighting of the species on Hawai'i Island in more than 80 years. Two endangered species (Adenophorus periens, Clermontia peleana), and three species of concern (Asplenium schizophyllum, Eurya sandwicensis, and Joinvillea ascendens) that were formerly reported from 'Ola'a Forest were not found in the study area in 1992-98. Twenty additional plant species that are rare to uncommon in the Park were sighted within the 'Ola'a Forest study area. Two endemic orchid species (Anoectochilus sandvicensis and Liparis hawaiensis) were each found at only one 'Ola'a site. The rare vine kilioe (Embelia pacifica) occurred at five widely scattered sites in three units. Only 12 individuals of pawale (Rumex giganteus) were observed; half of these were on transects, while others were on fence lines and at sites near transects. Eighty-three pala ferns (Marattia douglasii) were counted along transects; these were concentrated in the Small Tract, Ag Unit, and outside the Pu'u Unit. These large terrestrial ferns are palatable to pigs and are sensitive to disturbance of the forest floor. The lobelioid 'oha kepau (Clermontia hawaiiensis) was noted at only one locality within the Ag Unit, but two other 'oha species (C. montis-loa and C. parviflora) were relatively common in all five units of the study area. Two species of haha or Cyanea were less widely distributed within 'Ola'a Forest. Cyanea degeneriana plants were concentrated in or near the Pu'u Unit and inside the Ag Unit; 60 plants of this species were observed along transects, and a few others were growing on fence lines. Eighty-one Cyanea pilosa subsp. longipedunculata plants were found outside the Pu'u Unit and in the southern half of the Small Tract. Ten of the 20 rare and uncommon plant species of 'Ola'a are shrubs or trees. Papala (Charpentiera obovata) and papala kepau (Pisonia brunoniana), trees more common at mesic sites, were restricted to the Small Tract and the southwestern corner of the Koa Unit. 'Aiea trees (Nothocestrum longifolium) and two species of shrubby kamakahala (Labordia hirtella and L. hedyosmifolia) were widely scattered in all five units of 'Ola'a. Pilo kea (Platydesma spathulata) was very rare within the study area; only 18 pilo kea were noted on transects, and others were encountered off transect. Loulu palms (Pritchardia beccariana) were infrequently encountered, primarily in the Small Tract, Koa, and Ag Units. 'Ohe mauka (Tetraplasandra oahuensis) trees, with one exception, were restricted to the Pu'u Unit, where 19 individuals were counted along transects and fence lines. Two members of the nettle family were also mapped along transects. Olona (Touchardia latifolia) was most often seen within the Ag Unit, but was also scattered throughout the Koa Unit and Small Tract and was sighted once outside the Pu'u Unit. Opuhe (Urera glabra) was much rarer and was concentrated in the eastern half of the Small Tract and the adjacent area in the Koa Unit. Only 11 widely scattered individuals of maua (Xylosma hawaiiense), a tree also known from mesic forests, were sighted within the study area.National Park Service Cooperative Agreement CA 8015 2 900

Distribution and abundance of alien and native plant species in Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park

Reports were scanned in black and white at a resolution of 600 dots per inch and were converted to text using Adobe Paper Capture Plug-in.The vegetation of Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park was surveyed in 1992-93 as part of a monitoring study of plants, birds, mammals, and invertebrates in three Kona parks. Most previously identified major vegetation types were sampled. An updated vascular plant checklist was prepared; 116 vascular plant species were found within Kaloko-Honok6hau in 1992-93. Eighty (69%) plant species were alien, four (3%) were Polynesian introductions, 27 (23%) were indigenous, and five (4%) were endemic. Fifty-six species (46 aliens, 9 indigenous, and 1 endemic) were additions to the known flora of the Park since the previous plant checklist (Canfield 1990). The percentage cover of 11 invasive alien plant species was estimated in segments of belt transects and average estimated cover was mapped. Most of the invasive alien species in the Park were shrubs. Klu (Acacia farnesiana) was most abundant in the northern part of the Park, where its cover was usually >25%. Pickleweed (Batis maritima) was found only near the coast and ponds with variable cover; dense concentrations were observed off transect. Ekoa (Leucaena leucocephala) was the most widespread and abundant shrub in the Park. Ekoa cover was typically >25% in the northern third of the Park and was variable in the Park's southern reaches. 'Opiuma (Pithecellobium dulce) had little estimated cover and was most often seen in the northern third of the Park. Sourbush (Pluchea symphytifolia) was found near the coast and scattered with little cover on 'a'a flows in the center of the Park. Kiawe (Prosopis pallida) was widespread with little estimated cover except near fishponds and the coast; in coastal and wetland forests, kiawe had cover of 25-50% or >50%. Christmas berry (Schinus terebinthifolius) was distributed throughout the Park with estimated cover of 1-5% or less; areas of higher concentration were north of Kaloko and northwest of 'Aimakapa Pond. Fountain grass (Pennisetum setaceum) was nearly ubiquitous in Kaloko-Honokohau with highest estimated cover (>50%) in the northeastern and southern parts of the Park. Guinea grass (Panicum maximum) occurred primarily southeast of 'Aimakapa Pond and in the coastal forest and shrubland east of 'Ai'opio; estimated cover averaged 1-5%, but was locally higher. Two other invasive aliens were uncommon enough to be counted in or near belt transects. Ivy gourd (Coccinia grandis) was found on only one transect near Kaloko Pond, but nine individual vines were seen off transect near 'Aimakapa Pond. Only 10 prickly pear cactus (Opuntia fiscus-indica) were sighted from transects or trails. Several other alien plants of note were also mapped. Thirty-five native and Polynesian plant species were counted and mapped along belt transects, and densities per 1,000 m2 were calculated. Three candidate endangered species were found in the Park: ko'oko'olau (Bidens micrantha subsp. ctenophylla), maiapilo (Capparis sandwichiana), and Fimbristylis hawaiiensis. Only seven live ko'oko'olau shrubs were seen southeast of 'Aimakapa Pond. Three hundred twenty five maiapilo plants were found on transects and trails in Kaloko-Honokohau; the density of maiapilo on transects was 1.6 plants/1,000 m2. Fimbristylis hawaiiensis was discovered in only two localities near Kaloko Pond and near the anchialine pool called Kahinahina'ula; only ten individuals were sighted.National Park Service Cooperative Agreement CA 8002 2 900

Vascular plants of Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park

Reports were scanned in black and white at a resolution of 600 dots per inch and were converted to text using Adobe Paper Capture Plug-in.The vegetation of Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park was surveyed in 1992-93 as part of a monitoring study of plants, birds, mammals, and invertebrates of three Kona parks. One hundred thirty four vascular plant species were found in the Park, including six endemic species (4%), 17 (13%) indigenous species, 15 (11%) Polynesian introductions, and 96 (72%) alien or non-indigenous species introduced after 1778. Thirty-three species were additions to the known flora of the Park since the previous plant checklist (Smith et al. 1986). Alien woody species were the dominant elements in the Park's vegetation. Ekoa (Leucaena leucocephala) was the most abundant alien shrub species in the Park, occurring in 93% of vegetation plots often with >75% estimated cover. 'Opiuma (Pithecellobium dulce) was found in 70% of vegetation plots and had cover values ranging from 75%. Guinea grass (Panicum maximum) grew in 33% of all vegetation plots, and had its greatest cover (>50%) south of Alahaka Pali. Natal redtop grass (Rhynchelytrum repens) occurred in 67% of plots, primarily north of Alahaka Pali. Redtop cover was variable and was highest near the 1871 trail. Six other herbaceous species were seen in many plots, but had low estimated cover. All non-cultivated native plants and several naturalized Polynesian introductions were mapped along transects, trails, the coast, and near brackish pools. The most notable native plant was maiapilo (Capparis sandwichiana), a candidate endangered species; only one maiapilo shrub was found within the Park. Fourteen non-cultivated, indigenous species were located during this survey; eight of these were found along the coast or near brackish pools, and six others were on transects upslope. Pili (Heteropogon contortus) was among the indigenous plants found upslope in the Park, and the grass was also planted near the visitor center. Vegetation types were similar to those mapped by Leishmann in 1986. Ekoa shrubland was the most widespread vegetation type in the Park; in the northern part of the Park this shrubland has become more closed since 1986. Natal redtop grasslands also appear to have decreased in extent since 1986, probably through the invasion of Ekoa and other alien shrubs.National Park Service Cooperative Agreement CA 8002 2 900

Vegetation above a feral pig barrier fence in rain forests of Kilauea's East Rift, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Reports were scanned in black and white at a resolution of 600 dots per inch and were converted to text using Adobe Paper Capture Plug-in.Immediately after the 1993 construction of a barrier fence to block the movements of feral pigs in forests of Kilauea's East Rift within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (HAVO), a systematic framework of transects and plots was established for collection of baseline vegetation data upslope of the fence. Distribution and estimated abundance of the most invasive alien plant species were determined. The most widespread alien grass species was Hilo grass (Paspalum conjugatum); although it typically had low estimated cover values, this grass was almost ubiquitous. The most common invasive alien tree species was strawberry guava (Psidium cattleianum); it was found along transects in the western half of the study area, where its cover was estimated as 5-25% or 25-50%. Firetree (Myrica faya) occurred less frequently and had lower cover values than strawberry guava. Two other invasive woody species were found at low frequency or in limited areas; yellow Himalayan raspberry (Rubus ellipticus) was restricted to the slopes of Kane Nui o Hamo, and cane tibouchina (Tibouchina herbacea) occurred infrequently at widely scattered localities. Alien plant frequencies from the current survey were compared with those from a previous plant survey in 1988. A third of the alien plant species along transects, including firetree, yellow raspberry, and strawberry guava, had very similar frequencies on both surveys. Frequency of Hilo grass and scaly swordfern (Nephrolepis multiflora) increased greatly in the study area between the two surveys. Some of the observed changes in vegetation may have been influenced by recent disturbance to the forests by cinder deposits from Pu'u '0'o, in an earlier phase of the current eruption. The locations of rare native plants were mapped along transects, and numbers were compared with those from the previous survey of 1988. The endangered pendent kihi fern (Adenophorus periens) was not relocated on Park transects; this species may have disappeared from the slopes of Kane Nui o Hamo in the last five years. Koli'i (Trematolobelia grandifolia), a "species of concern" has persisted on Kane Nui o Hamo, and its current size class structure indicates a stable population. The 12 rare plant species that were observed on East Rift transects were concentrated in several sites, including Kane Nui o Hamo, forests south and west of Napau crater, relatively open forest southeast of the 1840 flow, and the southwest corner of the study area near the Naulu Trail. Frequencies of 'oha (Clermontia spp.), indicator species for pig damage in Hawai'i, were relatively high overall in the study area, although the impact of pig predation was indicated by the paucity of terrestrial plants and a low freqeuncy of large Clermontia. Remonitoring a subset of transects after 1.5 years revealed that terrestrial Clermontia declined in frequency, while epiphytic plants increased over the same period. Tree fern density in the study area was 38/100m2, and the trunk height class of 1-2 m was well represented in East Rift forests. A higher density of tree ferns was observed in the western half of the study area, primarily due to the greater number of tree ferns >1m. There were fewer tree ferns on the lower halves of three main transects than were found on the upper reaches, farthest away from the barrier fence and upslope from uluhe-dominated forest. 'Olapa (Cheirodendron trigynum) appeared to be an inconsistent indicator species for pig activity. This important rain forest tree was maintaining a stable population in East Rift forests, despite the long-term presence of feral pigs there. Differences in 'olapa density were noted in the western versus the eastern, unprotected part of the study area, where lower numbers of terrestrial 'olapa saplings were seen. When compared with the upper transect reaches, fewer 'olapa saplings were found along the lower portions of the three main transects, in the area near the open end of the barrier fence. Vegetation cover and woody plant density of recently pig-disturbed sites were examined in 1994 using 39 vegetation plots, and a subset of 26 plots was remonitored 1.5-2 years later. The vegetation of disturbed East Rift forests was found to be poor in native woody plant species, and ground cover was very sparse. In the interval between monitoring, the cover of two alien species (Hilo grass and scaly swordfern) increased dramatically. Early succession indicates that these two plants will become dominant components of ground cover in pig-disturbed areas. Little change was noted in native woody plant density overall, but several native species, including tree ferns, displayed increases over the 1.5 year monitoring period. Feral pig density, estimated from frequency of pig activity, was low in the East Rift study area (averaging 1.9 pig/km2), even before systematic control efforts began. Quarterly pig activity monitoring revealed an increase in activity along Park transects until the end of 1993, followed by a steady decline to 2.4 pig/km2 by the end of the study in January 1996. Data from this study suggest that the park's snaring efforts reduced the feral pig population in the most protected, interior part of the forest upslope of the barrier fence within two years of the project initiation. Success in lowering pig density was not observed on transects at or beyond the open terminus of the barrier fence, indicating that pig ingress continued throughout the study. The current survey may only be considered a baseline study of vegetation and pig activity in managed East Rift forests. Future remonitoring may be needed to evaulate the success of this management effort in promoting long-term recovery of native vegetation.National Park Service Cooperative Agreement 8010 2 900

Optimization of chemoenzymatic mass-tagging by strain-promoted cycloaddition (SPAAC) for the determination of O-GlcNAc stoichiometry by Western blotting

The dynamic modification of intracellular proteins by O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAcylation) plays critical roles in many cellular processes. Although various methods have been developed for O-GlcNAc detection, there are few techniques for monitoring glycosylation stoichiometry and state (i.e., mono-, di-, etc., O-GlcNAcylated). Measuring the levels of O-GlcNAcylation on a given substrate protein is important for understanding the biology of this critical modification and for prioritizing substrates for functional studies. One powerful solution to this limitation involves the chemoenzymatic installation of polyethylene glycol polymers of defined molecular mass onto O-GlcNAcylated proteins. These “mass tags” produce shifts in protein migration during sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) that can be detected by Western blotting. Broad adoption of this method by the scientific community has been limited, however, by a lack of commercially available reagents and well-defined protein standards. Here, we develop a “click chemistry” approach to this method using entirely commercial reagents and confirm the accuracy of the approach using a semisynthetic O-GlcNAcylated protein. Our studies establish a new, expedited experimental workflow and standardized methods that can be readily utilized by non-experts to quantify the O-GlcNAc stoichiometry and state on endogenous proteins in any cell or tissue lysate

A Preliminary Study of Effects of Feral Pig Density on Native Hawaiian Montane Rainforest Vegetation

Reports were scanned in black and white at a resolution of 600 dots per inch and were converted to text using Adobe Paper Capture Plug-in.This study aimed to examine the effects of different levels of pig density on native Hawaiian forest vegetation. Pig sign was measured across four pig management units in the ‘Ōla‘a Forest from 1998 through 2004 and pig density estimated based upon pig activity. Six paired vegetation monitoring plots were established in the units, each pair straddling a pig fence. Percent cover and species richness of understory vegetation, ground cover, alien species, and preferred pig forage plants were measured in 1997 and 2003 and compared with pig density estimates. Rainfall and hunting effort and success by management personnel were also tracked over the study period. Vegetation monitoring found a higher percentage of native plants in pig-free or low-pig areas compared to those with medium or high pig densities, with no significant change in the percent native plant species between the first and second monitoring periods. Differences between plots were strongly affected by location, with a higher percentage of native plants in western plots, where pig damage has historically been lower. Expansion of this survey with more plots would help improve the statistical power to detect differences in vegetation caused by pigs. Because of the limited vegetation sampling in this study, the results must be viewed as descriptive. We compare the vegetation within 30 × 30 m plots across three thresholds of historical pig density and show how pig densities can change in unanticipated directions within management units. While these results cannot be extrapolated to area-wide effects of pig activity, these data do contribute to a growing body of information on the impacts of feral pigs on Hawaiian plant communities.was provided by a grant from the Mellon Foundation (administered by The Nature Conservancy) and the Invasive Species Program of the U.S. Geological Survey. Additional support was provided by the National Park Service Inventory and Monitoring Program and the Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Any use of trade, product, or firm names in this publication is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government

Optimization of chemoenzymatic mass-tagging by strain-promoted cycloaddition (SPAAC) for the determination of O-GlcNAc stoichiometry by Western blotting

The dynamic modification of intracellular proteins by O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAcylation) plays critical roles in many cellular processes. Although various methods have been developed for O-GlcNAc detection, there are few techniques for monitoring glycosylation stoichiometry and state (i.e., mono-, di-, etc., O-GlcNAcylated). Measuring the levels of O-GlcNAcylation on a given substrate protein is important for understanding the biology of this critical modification and for prioritizing substrates for functional studies. One powerful solution to this limitation involves the chemoenzymatic installation of polyethylene glycol polymers of defined molecular mass onto O-GlcNAcylated proteins. These “mass tags” produce shifts in protein migration during sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) that can be detected by Western blotting. Broad adoption of this method by the scientific community has been limited, however, by a lack of commercially available reagents and well-defined protein standards. Here, we develop a “click chemistry” approach to this method using entirely commercial reagents and confirm the accuracy of the approach using a semisynthetic O-GlcNAcylated protein. Our studies establish a new, expedited experimental workflow and standardized methods that can be readily utilized by non-experts to quantify the O-GlcNAc stoichiometry and state on endogenous proteins in any cell or tissue lysate

Celtic censure: representing Wales in eighteenth-century Germany

Drawing on Pierre Bourdieu's notion of regionalist discourse as the performative legitimation of specific frontiers, this article examines how the English traveller Samuel Jackson Pratt mediated a picture of the Welsh to late eighteenth-century readers in his Gleanings Through Wales, Holland and Westphalia (1795). This process of mediation was further complicated by the translation of this work into German as the Aehrenlese auf einer Reise durch Wallis, which appeared with the Leipzig publisher Lincke in 1798. While this work made an important contribution to German Celtophilia in the Romantic period, the German translator was careful to omit its more Sternean passages, in favour of factual narrative. Pratt's account of his travel through Wales, mediated in turn to a German audience through its Leipzig translator, therefore embodies several layers of cultural transfer that generate a complex and multifaceted image of Wales at the close of the eighteenth century