Alien Species in Hawai‘i
Nonnative species of plants and animals within the Hawaiian Islands have a deleterious effect on human health and well-being, agriculture, commerce, and the environment. It is estimated that more than 5,000 species of plants and animals occur in the Hawaiian Islands, including more than 1,300 non-indigenous vascular plant species. The Hawaii Biological Survey is working to provide resources for the identification and documenting the distribution of nonnative species, especially those that are invasive, helping to prevent further introductions and protecting the remaining unique native plants, animals, and ecosystems of Hawaii.
Funding for these projects comes from many sources, including the Hawaii Invasive Species Council & Partnership, Office of Mauna Kea Management, and the Edmondson Foundation.
Databases
Publications & Reports
General
- Staples, G.W. & R.H. Cowie, editors. 2001. Hawaii's invasive species: a guide to the invasive alien animals and plants of the Hawaiian Islands. Mutual Publishing and Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 118 p.
Freshwater
- Lach, L., Britton, D.K., Rundell, R.J. & Cowie, R.H. 2000. Food preference and reproductive plasticity in an invasive freshwater snail. Biological Invasions 2: 279-288
Marine
- Eldredge, L.G. & J.T. Carlton. 2002. Hawaiian marine bioinvasions: a preliminary assessment. Pacific Science 56: 211-212
- Coles, S.L., Marchetti, J., Bolick, H. and Montogmery, A. 2007. Assessment of invasiveness of the orange keyhole sponge Mycale armata in Kane‘ohe Bay, O`ahu, Hawai‘i. Final report, year 2. prepared for Hawaii Coral Reef Initiative research Program, Honolulu, Hawaii. 30 pp. html pdf
Botany
- Medeiros, A.C., L.L. Loope, P. Conant & S. McElvaney. 1997. Status, ecology, and management of the invasive plant, Miconia calvescens DC (Melastomataceae) in the Hawaiian Islands. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 48: 23-36
- Staples, G.W., D. Herbst & C.T. Imada. 2000. Survey of invasive or potentially invasive cultivated plants in Hawai‘i. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 65: 35 p.
- Staples, G.W. & Herbst, D.R. 2004. A tropical garden flora. Cultivated plants in the Hawaiian Islands and other tropical areas. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu.
- Imada, C., Frohlich, D., Lau, A. and Smith, R. 2007. Implementing early detection in Hawai‘i. Final report prepared for Hawaii Invasive Species Council, Hawaii State Department of Land and Natural Resources, Honolulu. 51 pp.
pdf
Entomology
- Howarth, F.G. 1996. The major taxonomic groups that become invasive alien pests in Hawaii and the characteristics that make them pestiferous. Report prepared for the Biological Assessment for the Kahului Airport Master Plan Improvement Project and submitted to Lipsey & Associates, Inc., Jacksonville, FL. 25 p.
- Englund, R., Wright, M.G. & Polhemus, D.A. 2007. Aquatic insect taxa as indicators of aquatic species richness, habitat disturbance, and invasive species impacts in Hawaiian streams. In: Evenhuis, N.L. & Fitzsimons, J.M. (eds.), Biology of Hawaiian streams and estuaries. Bishop Museum Bulletin in Cultural and Environmental Studies 3: 205-230.
