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Rebecca Ostertag

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The following files contain source data for use of the Community Land Model 4.0 at two study sites in Volcanoes National Park, Hawai'i. Included are: Biometric data: 1) Growth increment data for Thurston and Olaa, based on dbh surveys done in four 10 m by 10 m plots at over a 12 year time period at Thurston and at six plots overs a 12 year period at Olaa, 2) Field measured leaf area index data. Measurements were made using LAI-2000 and LAI-2200 instruments, 3) Litterfall from Thurston and Olaa over a 17-mo period from June 2014 to Sep 2015. Data were sorted by species/litter type. Data are weights., 4) Field measured soil respiration data scaled to annual values and compared with tower-based measurements of ecosystem...
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Using Plant Functional Traits to Design and Restore Resilient Landscapes in Guam
Project Overview Guam’s forests are vital to the ecosystem and local communities, but they face threats from wildfires, water quality, and invasive species, among others. To restore these ecosystems, researchers supported by this Pacific Islands CASC project will research the roles of native plants by identifying their “functional traits,” and using that knowledge to select species for restoration that can help reduce fire risk and soil erosion. Researchers will collaborate with local experts, conservationists, and the community to share tools and data, and ensuring that the project meet the unique needs of Guam. Project Summary The forests of Guam are a key part of the ridge-to reef linkage and indigenous cultural...
How Do You Know What to Plant Where? Developing A Climate-Resilient Restoration Approach that Combines Functional, Climate, and Geographic Data
One of the key needs in restoration planning is designing climate‐resilient ecosystems. However,choosing which species to use in restoration is often done with limited information on species traits andresource use patterns, community interactions, or future climatic conditions. We propose a landscapelevel approach that integrates the shifting niches of species under new climate regimes (using speciesdistribution models, SDMs) and the functional trait profiles of species. Such an approach can beparticularly fruitful in the lowland wet forest (LWF) ecosystem in Hawai‘i, which will face non‐analogclimate regimes, but where little work on climate responses of ecosystems has been done. In this study,we ask whether a...
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Understanding the Response of Native and Non‐Native Forests to Climate Variability and Change
Hawaiʻi’s native forests supply the state with freshwater, support cultural practices, and are home to more than 10,000 plants and animals found nowhere else in the world. However, they are also threatened by the spread of invasive species and may be vulnerable to shifting temperature and rainfall patterns brought about by climate change. Through this project, scientists sought to better understand how native and non-native forests in Hawaiʻi will respond to climate change. Researchers used field data from two long-term monitoring sites in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park to model the effects of projected climate change on two forest ecosystems, one dominated by the native ʻōhiʻa tree and the other by the invasive...
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