85 research outputs found
Birds of the Kalapana Extension
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.An avifaunal survey of the Kalapana Extension of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, conducted from 1976-1979, revealed the presence of 26 bird species in 24 genera and 17 families. There were six species endemic to the Hawaiian archipelago, of which one species and the subspecies of three others are endemic to the island of Hawai'i. One of the three indigenous species, the Pueo (Asio flammeus sandwichensis), is represented by a subspecies endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. Of the six endemic birds occurring in the Kalapana Extension, two, the Nene (Branta sandy icensis) and the 'Io (Buteo solitarius), are endangered species. Although all habitat types are inhabited by at least one native bird, no one native species occurred in all habitat types. Of the 15 exotic bird species, the Japanese White-eye (Zosterops japonicus), the Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), and the House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus) were found throughout the study area. The White-eye was by far the most abundant bird in the Kalapana Extension.National Park Service Contract No. CX 8000 7 000
Vegetation management with fire modifies peatland soil thermal regime
Vegetation removal with fire can alter the thermal regime of the land surface, leading to significant changes in biogeochemistry (e.g. carbon cycling) and soil hydrology. In the UK, large expanses of carbon-rich upland environments are managed to encourage increased abundance of red grouse (Lagopus lagopus scotica) by rotational burning of shrub vegetation. To date, though, there has not been any consideration of whether prescribed vegetation burning on peatlands modifies the thermal regime of the soil mass in the years after fire. In this study thermal regime was monitored across 12 burned peatland soil plots over an 18-month period, with the aim of (i) quantifying thermal dynamics between burned plots of different ages (from <2 to 15+years post burning), and (ii) developing statistical models to determine the magnitude of thermal change caused by vegetation management. Compared to plots burned 15+years previously, plots recently burned (<2-4 years) showed higher mean, maximum and range of soil temperatures, and lower minima. Statistical models (generalised least square regression) were developed to predict daily mean and maximum soil temperature in plots burned 15+years prior to the study. These models were then applied to predict temperatures of plots burned 2, 4 and 7 years previously, with significant deviations from predicted temperatures illustrating the magnitude of burn management effects. Temperatures measured in soil plots burned <2 years previously showed significant statistical disturbances from model predictions, reaching+6.2°C for daily mean temperatures and+19.6°C for daily maxima. Soil temperatures in plots burnt 7 years previously were most similar to plots burned 15+years ago indicating the potential for soil temperatures to recover as vegetation regrows. Our findings that prescribed peatland vegetation burning alters soil thermal regime should provide an impetus for further research to understand the consequences of thermal regime change for carbon processing and release, and hydrological processes, in these peatlands
Recent Observations on the Plants of Nihoa Island, Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
Terrestrial plants on Nihoa Island were censused, mapped, and
collected during four expeditions to the island between May 1980 and May 1983.
Distribution, abundance, and phenology of the vascular plants are reported,
including maps and population estimates for the rarer species. With the possible
exception of the exceedingly rare Amaranthus brownii, the island's endemic
plants are present in small but stable populations. A total of 7 months of field
work, including the first extended winter expedition to the island , permitted
exhaustive searches for rare species and opportunities to estimate populations of
winter annuals. Apparently, only one alien plant, Portulaca oleracea, is abundant
on the island. A second alien species, Nephrolepis multiflora, probably reached
the island naturally via wind or bird dispersal and occurs in very limited numbers
Hawaii IBP synthesis: 3. The Kilauea Rain Forest ecosystem
Western Region, National Park Servic
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