Establishment of long - term vegetation monitoring plots in lowland and upland tropical rainforest, Fiji Islands

Long-Term Vegetation Monitoring Plots (LTVMP) provide vital information on the flora, vegetation ecology, ecosystem dynamics, climate change and anthropogenic impact on biodiversity. As part of the Pacific–Asia Biodiversity Transact (PABITRA) network, three longterm vegetation monitoring plots in lowland and upland tropical rain forest were established on the island of Viti Levu, Fiji Islands. The plots were established in the Wabu Forest Reserve and Sovi Basin, on the island of Viti Levu. Each monitoring plot consists of four 50m x 50m sub-plots. All trees greater than 10 cm in diameter at breast height were measured. The design of the LTVMPs and some of the ecological findings in the Wabu Forest Reserve are evaluated

\u3cem\u3eAlectryon vitiensis\u3c/em\u3e: A New Species of Sapindaceae Endemic to Fiji

A new species of Alectryon Gaertn. (Sapindaceae) endemic to the Fijian archipelago is described as A. vitiensis Buerki, Lowry, Munzinger & Callm. based on morphological and molecular evidence. It can easily be distinguished from the two congeners currently known from Fiji by its smaller leaves, subsessile leaflets, apetalous flowers, and crested fruits. A phylogenetic analysis using ITS sequence data shows that the new species is closely related to two Australian endemics, A. diversifolius (F. Muell.) S. T. Reynolds and A. oleifolius (Desf.) S. T. Reynolds, but differs in having compound leaves covered with a golden indument. Moreover, the Australian taxa are associated with dry habitats, whereas the new species from Fiji is confined to evergreen humid forests. Among apetalous species (all of which belong to a well-supported clade), A. vitiensis morphologically most closely resembles the generic type, A. excelsus Gaertn., endemic to New Zealand, but they differ from one another in the type of indument covering their branches and leaves and the arrangement, shape, and nature of the indument on their leaflets; and they belong to different clades. The new species is provisionally assigned a conservation status of “Endangered” according to the IUCN Red List criteria

Unlocking collections: New records of Lepidoziaceae (Marchantiophyta) for the islands of Fiji

It is clearly evident that the bryophyte flora of the islands of Fiji remains inadequately documented. Here, five liverwort species of Lepidoziaceae are reported as new to the Republic of Fiji: Lepidozia haskarliana, Neolepidozia cuneifolia, N. wallichiana, Telaranea major and Tricholepidozia melanesica

Nesobasis rito sp. nov. (Zygoptera: Coenagrionidae), a new species of forest damselfly from Vanua Levu, Fiji

Nesobasis rito sp. nov. (Holotype ♂, Fiji, Vanua Levu, Drawa, 31 v 2018, A. Rivas-Torres leg.) from the comosa group is here described, illustrated, diagnosed, and compared with morphologically close species of the genus. Nesobasis rito can be distinguished from its related congeners by the shape of the caudal appendages and the ligula. The most similar species are N. comosa and N. heteroneura, which, like N. rito, have the caudal appendages covered by dense setae (especially the first species), but the shape differs clearly in lateral view, with N. rito having longer and more slender appendages, and a basal tooth clearly seen in dorsal view, absent in other members of the comosa group. The specific status of the collected specimens is also supported by the results of genetic analyses, where N. rito appears as a well-supported monophyletic clade. Nesobasis rito also has a distinct distribution from its most similar congeners: it is found on Vanua Levu, while N. comosa is found on Viti Levu and the closely related N. heteroneura is found on Viti Levu and Ovalau. All species of this group are found in streams with native forest riparian vegetation on their respective islands

Damage to tropical forests caused by cyclones is driven by wind speed but mediated by topographical exposure and tree characteristics

Each year, an average of 45 tropical cyclones affect coastal areas and potentially impact forests. The proportion of the most intense cyclones has increased over the past four decades and is predicted to continue to do so. Yet, it remains uncertain how topographical exposure and tree characteristics can mediate the damage caused by increasing wind speed. Here, we compiled empirical data on the damage caused by 11 cyclones occurring over the past 40 years, from 74 forest plots representing tropical regions worldwide, encompassing field data for 22,176 trees and 815 species. We reconstructed the wind structure of those tropical cyclones to estimate the maximum sustained wind speed (MSW) and wind direction at the studied plots. Then, we used a causal inference framework combined with Bayesian generalised linear mixed models to understand and quantify the causal effects of MSW, topographical exposure to wind (EXP), tree size (DBH) and species wood density (ρ) on the proportion of damaged trees at the community level, and on the probability of snapping or uprooting at the tree level. The probability of snapping or uprooting at the tree level and, hence, the proportion of damaged trees at the community level, increased with increasing MSW, and with increasing EXP accentuating the damaging effects of cyclones, in particular at higher wind speeds. Higher ρ decreased the probability of snapping and to a lesser extent of uprooting. Larger trees tended to have lower probabilities of snapping but increased probabilities of uprooting. Importantly, the effect of ρ decreasing the probabilities of snapping was more marked for smaller than larger trees and was further accentuated at higher MSW. Our work emphasises how local topography, tree size and species wood density together mediate cyclone damage to tropical forests, facilitating better predictions of the impacts of such disturbances in an increasingly windier world

Recent changes in the upland watershed forest of Monasavu, a cloud forest site along the PABITRA gateway transect on Viti Levu, Fiji

The Monasavu catchment was selected as an additional study site for biodiversity assessment at the top of the PABITRA wet-zone landscape transect on Viti Levu. The site consists of upland rain forest with cloud forest and a freshwater lake. The lake was constructed to supply hydroelectric power. The biota of the area has been little studied, but initial surveys indicate that many endemic species are present. Construction of the hydroelectric dam has led to some conflicts between the Fiji Electric Company and local landowners around Monasavu. Nevertheless, the unique cloud-forest habitat and the desire of the landowners to sustainably utilize their resources and protect wildlife makes Monasavu an important addition to the PABITRA Gateway Transect