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Seedlings and cover data for Hakalau Forest, Hawaii, 2012-2016

Dates

Publication Date
Start Date
2012-01-01
End Date
2016-08-31

Citation

Yelenik, S.G., Paxton, E., and Rose, E.T., 2020, Avian diet and vegetation data for Hakalau Forest, Hawaii, 2012-2016: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9BKTXB3.

Summary

This data release includes data and metadata on 1) avian diet 2) seed rain 3) understory plant composition 4) seedling abundance and 5) sampling locations for these sites. In addition it includes data on seedling abundance, grass cover and light levels for a grass removal/seed addition experiment . All sites were within Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge on Hawaii Island. This study looked at multiple biotic interactions that potentially lead to self-reinforcing feedbacks within intact forest and degraded forest sites. This data in particular quantifies natural seedling regeneration in our sites, and the cover of different substrates and vegetation in the immediate area of these seedlings.

Contacts

Attached Files

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Seedlings and cover.csv 3.9 KB text/csv

Purpose

In an attempt to jump-start succession in former cattle pastures, managers in Hawaii have planted native Acacia koa (koa) trees to create avian habitat, increase seed rain, reduce exotic grass biomass, and facilitate recruitment of a diverse understory. Restoration forests In Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge, however, have not undergone secondary succession towards native dominated forest, instead maintaining a koa overstory with an exotic pasture grass understory. The objective of this study was to contrast the roles of top-down and bottom-up processes that influence the capacity for natural understory regeneration. These included feedbacks between bird-mediated seed rain and fruiting understory (top-down), as well as links between understory and microhabitats for native seed germination (bottom-up). The overarching goal was to find those constraints that are most important to address to help facilitate degraded forest sites naturally regenerating into intact forest sites. As a part of this we needed to quantify natural seedling regeneration, and where these seedlings do and do not tend to recruit.

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