Final NSF Report is now available. Click HERE for the PDF.

Paulay, NSF Meeting Report - 1 

EVOLUTION OF LIFE ON PACIFIC ISLANDS AND REEFS: PAST, PRESENT, & FUTURE 

http://botany.si.edu/events/2011_pacific/ 

A Conference held at the East West Center, University of Hawaii, Manoa, 2011 

National Science Foundation, Directorate for Biological Sciences provided $28,400 in support 

for 37 students to attend (Appendices A & B). This is a report on the activities of the meeting. 

Composed of a vast sea of islands and near-shore environments, the culturally, biologically, and 

geologically diverse Pacific realm occupies a third of the planet and holds a crucial place in the 

Earth's history and resources. The islands and near-shore environments are rich in plants and 

animals, most of which occur nowhere else. Pacific ecosystems respond rapidly to ecological and 

anthropogenic changes, and have become centers for extinction and endangerment of species as 

well. Because the people and biota of the Pacific face enormous challenges from climate change 

and loss of diversity the meeting was designed to bring together those that study evolution, 

ecology, and conservation biology to stimulate creative and urgent research and synthesize 

knowledge about Pacific biogeography. 

The four-day meeting was held 26-30 May; it was attended by researchers from 17 

countries (Appendix C). They gathered to present their current research and build foundations for 

future research initiatives in the Pacific. The meeting was held in the well-equipped conference 

facilities at the East-West Center on the campus of the University of Hawaii at Manoa. The final 

attendance count was 155 professional biologists, geologists, and cultural experts, 53 students, 

and a few freebies (people who lived in the area and wanted to drop by) for an approximate total 

attendance of ~210. Note that Hawaii had a total of 21 students attend and it is an EPSCor State; 

of those 12 were from UH-Hilo, an Undergraduate Institution. 

The conference was organized as a collaboration involving the Smithsonian Institution, 

National Tropical Botanical Garden, and University of Florida. Additional support for the 

conference was provided by the American Museum of Natural History, Bishop Museum, the 

Government of French Polynesia, The University of Kansas, The University of the South Pacific, 

The University of California, Berkeley; and The University of Hawaii at Manoa. Special funding 

from the National Science Foundation, Directorate for Biological Sciences, provided support to 

37 students and young professionals who received Travel Awards to attend the conference. A 

copy of the Program for the meeting can be found in Appendix C. 

The conference was inspired by the success and achievements of the first Hawaii 

Biogeography Symposium in 1992. However, the 2011 meeting committee decided to organize 

this meeting around five questions rather than by taxon. The sixteen member organizing 

committee (Appendix C) developed a diverse and well-rounded program of workshops and 

symposia on topics that spanned the Pacific region from French Polynesia to Guam. 

The five symposia were as follows: 

• What within lineage biogeographic patterns are found across the Pacific? Organizers: 

Robert Fleischer, Patrick O’Grady, Tom Ranker 

• Are there common patterns of evolutionary diversification among lineages across the 

disparate island systems of the Pacific? Organizers: Vicki Funk, Gustav Paulay, Warren 

Wagner


• How do different plant and animal populations interact through time to form novel island 

ecosystems? Organizers: Helen James, Rosemary Gillespie, Jonathan Price, Daniel 

Gruner. 

• How have people influenced the terrestrial and near shore environments of Pacific 

islands? Organizers: Patrick Kirch, Lisa Matisoo-Smith 

• How does knowledge of the evolution of Pacific Island biota contribute to the 

conservation of island (and continental) ecosystems? Organizers: David Burney, 

Douglas Herman, Christopher Filardi 

Each symposium had invited and contributed papers and there were three concurrent 

sessions of contributed papers on the last half-day. The 30 posters were up during the whole 

meeting. There was an opening reception on the 26 th , a banquet at the Bishop Museum on the 

27 th , and a poster reception on the 28th (see Appendix C). 

The first events were the workshops on Thursday (26 th ). In the morning a standing room 

only crowd (60) arrived for the first of two pre-conference workshops: “Methodological 

Workshop on Biodiversity Dynamics.” This methodological seminar covered four dynamic new 

theoretical approaches to island biogeography with many participants staying well into the late 

afternoon for an ad-hoc working session which provided further instruction and opportunities for 

hands-on data manipulation. A second workshop in the afternoon was “Vignettes of Current 

Plant Conservation Efforts in Hawaii” and it focused on long-term conservation efforts, 

highlighting successes and presenting new approaches and techniques in conservation. 

Friday (27 th ) morning participants assembled in the Auditorium for the first of the five 

scientific symposia. The session began with a traditional Hawaiian oli wehe (opening chant) 

performed by Samuel M. 'Ohukani'ohi'a Gon III of the Nature Conservancy. During the threeday 

conference a total of 26 invited talks and 60 contributed papers were presented. A poster 

session and reception on Saturday evening gave conference participants a chance to review and 

discuss the 30 research posters that were displayed throughout the conference. The contributions 

comprised a wide variety of taxa from across the Pacific and utilized many different methods. 

Thirty students presented 16 papers, 13 posters, and one participated as a speaker in the methods 

workshop. 

At the conclusion of the presentations on Sunday afternoon, Vicki Funk closed the 

conference with a wrap-up and summary of major points gleaned from the broad range of topics 

covered (assisted by Patrick O'Grady, Helen James, Jonathan Price, and Lisa Matisoo-Smith). 

The prior conference in 1992 resulted in the publication of Hawaiian Biogeography: Evolution 

of a Hot Spot Archipelago and identified 14 overarching patterns among taxa. This conference 

allowed for a more comprehensive examination of Pacific research and brought to light the 

emergence of a many new ideas. In the concluding remarks, there were 22 "rising paradigms": 

1. The line between “within” and “among” lineage(s) studies has blurred. 

2. There are a lot more species than we thought. 

3. Beware of extinction! Single colonization events may be the result of extinction. 

4. Islands aren’t a dead end - they can also be a source area for other islands and continents. 

5. We can finally begin to see the importance of North America and Asia as source areas. 

6. Trend is towards a Pacific-wide view of things rather than taxon or archipelago based. 

7. There is connectivity between terrestrial and marine ecosystems. 

8. Taxonomy allows us to understand patterns of diversity. 

9. Speciation can happen in sympatric situations.


10. Marine systems have higher endemism than predicted. 

11. We can study the patterns of movement within the islands; it more than we thought. 

12. Progression Rule has become the null hypothesis. 

13. Often an island group is strongly monophyletic but there is little resolution at the ‘among 

species’ level. 

14. We have the ability to distinguish between evolutionary and ecological associations. 

15. Organisms do not disperse or radiate alone. 

16. There is a new focus on co-evolution and establishment. 

17. Species interactions can drive speciation. 

18. Ecosystem function provides a bridge between conservation and biogeography. 

19. The rising appreciation of indigenous knowledge shows the need to involve local 

communities. 

20. Comparing and recognizing variation in the human footprint across the Pacific is 

changing our ideas about the past movement of the biota. 

21. Paleoecology has a big role in informing conservation. 

22. For conservation purposes we canot return to pre-human conditions. 

In addition, several emerging trends in approaches and methodologies became apparent by the 

end of the conference. These included an increase in collaborative research, the availability of 

new tools and methods, and the addition of new models for data analysis. 

Overall, the conference was well-received by all participants and many students have 

since commented on how valuable it was for them to have the opportunity to interact with more 

senior researchers working in their fields (Appendix B). While the conference provided an 

excellent forum for the sharing of information and generation of new ideas it also clearly 

reinforced the idea that everything is more interconnected and more complicated that we thought. 

Several ideas concerning publishing the results of the symposium are being considered and a 

follow up meeting of core participants will be held in Washington DC (funded by the 

Smithsonian Institution and USDA).

FUNDING 


Funding availability for students was announced on the meeting website and via list serves and 

email lists. Students could apply on line or in person at the meeting. The organizing committee 

reviewed the applications and allocated the funds based on participation and need. 

May 2011 Conference: External funding (non registration fees) to support the meeting came 

from several sources: 

Smithsonian Institution (combined from several units) 51,000 

National Science Foundation (via U of Florida) 28,400 

National Tropical Botanical Garden 4,500 

Other Sponsors 11,500 

Total 95,400 

Follow Up Meeting in Washington, DC, October 2011 or March 2012: 

Smithsonian Institution (Biodiversity Consortium Grant) 15,000 

USDA 15,000 

Total 30,000 

ATTACHMENTS: 

APPENDIX A: STUDENTS WHO RECEIVED NSF FUNDING 

APPENDIX B: COMMENTS BY STUDENTS 

APPENDIX C: MEETING PROGRAM


APPENDIX A: STUDENTS WHO RECEIVED NSF FUNDING: (Note that Hawaii had a total of 21 

students attend and it is an EPSCor State; of those 12 were from UH-Hilo, an Undergraduate 

Institution) 

Michael Anderson 

813 Canterbury Lane 

Lawarence, KS 66044 USA 

mja43@ku.edu 

Asa Aue 

P.O. Box 717 

Mountain View, HI 96771 USA 

asaaue@hawaii.edu 

Christine Bacon 

855 Mountain Rd. 

Jaffrey, NH 03453 USA 

cbacon@rams.colostate.edu 

Brad Balukjian 

1231 Cabrillo St. 

El Cerrito, CA 94530 USA 

baluk@berkeley.edu 

Gordon Bennett 

2210 Ward St. Apt. B. 

Berkeley, CA 94705 USA 

gbennett@berkeley.edu 

Joanne L.Birch 

2745G Booth Road 

Honolulu, HI 96813 USA 

jbirch@hawaii.edu 

Jason Cantley 

3190 Maile Way #101 


cantley@hawaii.edu 

Yvonne Ling-Hsiang Chan 

1032 Waiiki St. 


ylhchan@hawaii.edu 

Stephan Masao Classen 

1222 F Kaumana Dr. 

Hilo, HI 96720 USA 

sclassen@hawaii.edu 

Gregory Concepcion 

10860 Sandringham Road 

Cockeysville, MD 21030 USA 

gconcepc@umd.edu 

Craig Costion 

3 Brierwood Ct. 

Burnt Hills, NY 12027 USA 

craig.costion@adelaide.edu.au 

Darko Cotoras 

571 Anibal Aracena 

Santiago, CHILE 

darkocotoras@berkeley.edu 

Jessica Craft 

6126 Thorn Street 

San Diego, CA 92115 USA 

jesscraft86@gmail.com 

Iria Fernandez-Silva 

44-160 Hako Street 

Kaneohe, HI 96744 USA 

iriafernandezsilva@gmail.com 

Timothy Gallaher 

47-363 Huilwa St Apt B 


gallaher@hawaii.edu 

Jonatha Giddens 

P.O. Box 281 

Honomu, HI 96728 USA 

jonatha@hawaii.edu

Kari Goodman 

5221 Hillen Dr. 

Oakland, CA 94619 USA 

krgoodman@berkeley.edu 

Michelle Guitard 

526 N. California St. 

Burbank, CA 91505 USA 

guitard@hawaii.edu 

David Hembry 

2376 Woolsey St., Apt. B 


hembry@berkeley.edu 

Michael Hickerson 

33-53 82nd St. #D41 

Jackson Heights, NY 11372 USA 

mhickerson@gmail.com 

Melissa Johnson 

255 Kuikahi St. 


mjohnso8@hawaii.edu 

Stefan Kropidlowski 

300 Ala Moana Blvd. Rm 5-231 


skropidlowski@gmail.com 

Rick Lapoint 

2918 Deakin St., Apt. 6 


rlapoint@berkeley.edu 

Pei-Luen Lu 

1711 East-West Road, Apt 634 


peiluen@hawaii.edu 

Tom McFarland 

466 Hinano St. Apt. 305 


tmcfarla@hawaii.edu 

Paula Meija-Velasquez 

45-1013 Paaila Place 


pmejia@flmnh.ufl.edu 

Keenan Morrison 

466 Hinano St. Apt. 305 


keenanm@hawaii.edu 

Kristen Nolting 

803 N. Magnolia Ave 

Lansing, MI 48012 USA 

noltingk@msu.edu 

Peter Oboyski 

741 Jackson St. 

Albany, CA 94706 USA 

poboyski@berkeley.edu 

Richard Pender 

3190 Maile Way 


thatplantguy@gmail.com 

Jonathan Puritz 

2847A Oahu Ave 


jpuritz@gmail.com 

Amanda Raver 

P.O. Box 7004 


raver@hawaii.edu 

Alicia Rhoades 

655 Cherry Creek Rd. 

Marquette, MI 49855 USA 

aliciamr@hawaii.edu 

Julio Rivera 

1415 Victoria St. #416 


julior@hawaii.edu 

Paulay, NSF Meeting Report - 6

Andrew Rominger 

915 Roma NW 

Albuquerque, NM 87102 USA 

rominger@berkeley.edu 

Sonja Schwartz 

1509 Grant St. #D 


sonja.schwartz@berkeley.edu 

Anya Tagawa 

145 Alae St. 


atagawa@hawaii.edu 


Addresses of Students who received Non- 

NSF funding: 

Juliane Casquet 

Laboratoire Evolution et Diversite 

Biologique, Universite Paul, Sabatier, 

batiment 4R3 118Route de Narbonne 

31062 Toulouse Cedex 9, France 

casquet@cict.fr 

Matin Miryeganeh 

1-31 Yayoi-cho 

Chiba 263-8522 JAPAN 

matinmiryeganeh@gmail.com

APPENDIX B: COMMENTS BY STUDENT ATTENDEES 


I've just boarded a plane bound for Fiji for two months of fieldwork, so, it's only fitting that I write to you 

now. As a grad student who has spent most of my time thinking of birds, this meeting helped me see that 

interesting biogeographic patterns exist across a wide range of taxa in the Pacific. Of course, that such 

patterns exist in other taxa came as no surprise. It was, however, nice to have such a broad survey 

presented in three days. Additionally, the meeting helped me learn the field of scientists involved in Pacific 

Islands biogeography and evolution-- many of whom I only knew from the author lines of their papers. 

Michael Andersen 

University of Kansas 

- - - - - 

I thought the conference was fantastic and long overdue. I liked the integration of multiple disciplines in 

island biogeography, with talks on ecology, evolution, conservation, and anthropology. It provided a great 

opportunity to meet new people with similar research interests and to share ideas about Pacific 

biogeography. That being said, one of the salient points I took away from the conference that while 

looking for patterns is always worthwhile, the more data we accumulate, the more we realize that there 

may not be as many common patterns as we originally thought. Biology is not a physical science, and 

sometimes I think we spend too much time looking for ecological or evolutionary "rules" that govern the 

assembly of island communities. To me, every island and every group of organisms has their own unique 

story to tell that is interesting regardless of whether or not it represents a common pattern. I think as 

organismal biologists, we should spend more time trying to tell these individual stories and less time 

trying to shoehorn the data to fit some kind of set of rules. I also think that we have a lot more work to do 

in terms of collecting basic distribution/taxonomic/natural history data on these groups, especially the 

invertebrates, which are much more poorly known than the plants and vertebrates. 


UC Berkeley 

- - - - - 

Thank you for the opportunity and financial assistance that allowed me to attend the Evolution of 

Pacific Biota meeting. I came to the meeting just days after returning from a 9-month expedition 

to Johnston Atoll where we are developing control techniques for Yellow Crazy Ants and I would 

have completely missed the entire thing if it was not for a message from Jonathan Price 

informing the UH-Hilo graduate students of the opportunity. It was an excellent way to refresh 

my perspectives after so many months of narrow focus. 

I thought the combination of leading research from both social and biological disciplines 

painted a more comprehensive picture of how Pacific island systems have been shaped. I came 

out of it with new ideas, a broader understanding, and an enriched appreciation for the 

developmental processes that formed the island systems I live and work in. This refined 

understanding has altered the way I approach my own work in applied island conservation and 

restoration methodologies. 


UH-Hilo, Crazy Ant Strike Team Leader 

USFWS-Pacific Reefs NWRC 

- - - - 

My attendance at the meeting was useful because I learned about other aspects related to island biology. 

Aspects such as technical approaches (the symposium pre-conference) or about a different kind of


organisms. This is highly valuable in order to do comparative and integrative research. Moreover, it was a 

great opportunity to generate contacts with other people doing similar research projects. 

Darko Cotoras 

University of California, Berkeley 

- - - - 

It was a fantastic meeting. I was so glad I was able to attend. I was introduced to many new methods 

(Lagrange, Max Entropy theory, linking community ecology with adaptation...). I was able to talk with 

and get in touch with other researchers doing similar work and so have been able to get new samples. I 

talked with other people about collaborating. It was such a great mixing of different fields, anthropology, 

conservation, ancient DNA, with evolution as well as study species. I found it particularly helpful the way 

the symposium were organized around questions and also to have researchers with a longer term 

perspective synthesize what been done in the past and what still needs to be done in the future. 

Yvonne Chan 

University of Hawaii, Manoa 

- - - 

The meeting was just awesome! It gave me the opportunity to meet many people I wanted to 

talk to. The talks were just excellent and I've learned many things about Pacific islands 

biogeography in general, especially concerning Hawai'i history. I am comparing evolutionary 

patterns among Hawai'i and the Mascarenes, though I work with people who study the 

Mascarene archipelago and talk with them on a daily basis, it is far from being the same for 

people working in Hawai'i. Then this meeting gave me the amazing chance to gather many 

information I needed, because most of the people that do know Hawai'i where gathered in the 

same place for almost one week. 

I am also extremely delighted to have been provided a travel grant. I couldn't have come 

to the meeting without it. It is very important for me to feel that young researchers are helped 

during their PhD. Thank you again for everything! 


Universite Paul 

Toulouse, France 

- - - 

The meeting really changed the way I think about Hawaiian biogeography. This was primarily due to the fact 

that I have now begun to think about the system as a whole, and not just about the plant community 

singularly. This is important because even across many branches of the tree life, there are still common 

patterns. I thought the patterns from the marine community were particularly interesting, specifically the 

putative cases of sympatric speciation. The meeting was also excellent because it was a fairly small group so 

the students got a good chance to interact and ask questions to the leading scientists in the field of 

Hawaiian biogeography. 

The workshop on methods was really informative and crossed a broad range of biogeographic 

questions, molecular markers, and modeling approaches. This exposure helped me appreciate further the 

depth of the field and learn about other types of methods that may be powerful for the data I have. The 

informal structure of the afternoon session gave people a chance to speak directly with the lecturers and 

work on particular problems or interests. 

Christine D. Bacon 

Colorado State University, Fort Collins

- - - 


This was one of the best meetings I have ever attended. For the first time, I was surrounded by 

people who work on similar questions and use similar techniques. The problem with bigger 

meetings is that you are surrounded by such a diversity of people and topics, it's sometimes 

hard to make contacts. The Evolution of Pacific Biota meeting allowed me to reach out to many 

amazing scientist and I was able to talk to them one-on-one. In particular, the biogeography 

workshop was useful. In fact, about half the methods that I learned during the course were 

almost put to use immediately and I'm presenting the finding in a NSF grant that my adviser and 

I are writing for the system I work on. Thanks again for putting it together, it was terrific, 

Julio Rivera 

University of Hawaiì – Manoa 

- - - - 

Thank you for your work in organizing the Evolution of the Pacific Biota Conference. The meeting was a 

great chance to meet and network with nearly everyone doing work in the Pacific. The quality of the 

presentations was beyond my expectations. I received a lot of great feedback from my own presentation 

and I have made contact with many potential collaborators, greatly expanding my professional network. I 

really hope that we can make the Evolution of the Pacific Biota meeting a regularly scheduled event. 

Tim Gallaher 

University of Hawaii – Manoa 

- - - 

I am new to the Pacific island system, knowing only that it seems ideal for my research interests in the 

evolution of community assembly, and the role of community dynamics in driving evolution. This conference 

played a pivotal role in shaping my understanding of what research is currently underway in the Pacific and 

what fundamental questions remain unanswered. The conference was also incredibly useful in building 

connections with other researchers, sharing ideas, and helping each other gain new insights into our own 

work. Any success I may have in my research in the Pacific will no doubt have its roots in what I learned at 

the conference. Thank you for affording us students the opportunity to participate. 

Andy Rominger 

University of New Mexico 

- - - 

I truly appreciate the opportunity to attend the Pacific conference. I am completing my first year in 

graduate school at UH Hilo and this experience has provided a great foundation to ask informed 

questions. I am not quite sure if I could have gained such a comprehensive view of previous and current 

evolution based research in the Pacific just by reading journal articles. Upon returning to my fieldwork I 

have had time to digest all that I learned. It has given greater significance to my work, as I see where it 

fits into the larger story of evolution in the Pacific. 

Mahalo nui loa, Alicia Rhoades 

University of Hawaii – Hilo 

- - - 

Attending this conference was the highlight of my summer, allowing me the opportunity to not 

only present my research and get insightful feedback, learn about the work that others have 

done and are currently doing in the Pacific Islands, but also just meet and talk with people who I

would probably would not have met otherwise. It was truly a fantastic experience. 


As for the conference itself, I was really pleased with the variety of topics presented and the way 

the conference was organized around core themes and questions, and not just subjects or study 

systems. I feel like this type of layout maximized the experience overall, bringing people from 

somewhat different academic worlds, so to speak, together in a single room. As a grad student 

just finishing up my first year, I am working to refine and focus my research ideas and interests. 

Attending this conference gave me a cohesive, broad, and at the same time detailed synopsis of 

the major questions being asked and and how scientists in different fields can work together to 

maximize the understanding of Pacific Island biota and what needs to be done to conserve it. I 

look forward to incorporating much of what I learned into my own research plans and am also 

excited about the opportunity to maintain professional relationships with many of those I met at 

the conference. What a fantastic and inspiring group of people! I definitely hope to attend a 

"follow up" conference(s) in future years, and am confident that my research will directly benefit 

as a result. 

Kristen Nolting 

Michigan State University 

- - - - 

I truly appreciate the opportunity to attend the conference. I am completing my first year in graduate 

school at UH Hilo and this experience has provided a great foundation to ask informed questions. I am 

not quite sure if I could have gained such a comprehensive view of previous and current evolution based 

research in the Pacific just by reading journal articles. Upon returning to my field work I have had time to 

digest all that I learned. It has given greater significance to my work, as I see where it fits into the larger 

story of evolution in the Pacific. 

Mahalo nui loa, 



- - - 

As a first-year graduate student in Ecology, I learned that environmental conservation and restoration are 

overwhelmed by the magnitude of humanity's destructive activities. By attending the Smithsonian 

Evolution Conference in Honolulu I experienced the tradition of human-beings collectively seeking 

knowledge and understanding, and this has renewed my sense of purpose in this field. Coming from a 

background in Conservation Ecology, the Evolution conference has not only restored my sense of 

purpose, but has also opened up worlds of new, deep, and broad scientific questions that place my own 

work in the context of a much greater picture - the unfolding of life. 



- - - 

Thank you so much for helping to arrange funds for students at this meeting...what a great 

opportunity! This was my first professional conference presenting, and was extremely valuable 

to me in several ways: I was able to share preliminary results from my Masters project, meet 

and collaborate with other researchers who are working on the same study system, and I even 

met several potential Ph.D. advisors. New information gained during this meeting has given me 

a fresh perspective on my work, and has inspired me to go in an exciting new direction for my 

doctorate research.

Mahalo nui loa, 

Melissa Johnson 

University of Hawai'i - Hilo 

- - - 


I really enjoyed the conference. There were many talks that directly pertained to my research. I enjoyed 

displaying a poster most particularly, I was able to talk with many professionals, each providing some 

interesting, exciting, and useful piece of knowledge that helped me to see where my research could go, how 

to improve it, and ways in which we could work together. I would definitely attend again. Thank you for the 

wonderful opportunity! 

Aloha, 

Anya Tagawa 

University of Hawaii - Hilo 

- - - 

I really appreciate the extra work you did to obtain funding for students and postdocs - especially for 

including us postdocs, who often don't qualify for help with conference funding. I found the meeting 

extremely useful and interesting. It was really exciting for me to see all of the detailed work going on in 

various systems and how current analytical methods are being applied to address long-standing questions. 

Having such a large group of researchers with such focused research interests together at one conference 

was really fun, and I got to meet and hear talks from many people whose work I've read - which was 

enormously valuable. I also got to see many far-flung friends and hear about how their work and lives are 

progressing. For networking, it was a great opportunity. I really enjoy attending the large meetings such 

as Evolution. Participating in this smaller and much more focused meeting was really valuable for me in 

feeling like I could understand the state of knowledge in our geographic area of interest. 

Kari Roesch Goodman 

Bishop Museum of Hawaii & 


- - - 

The meeting provided an excellent opportunity to network and meet other researchers who work 

on similar theoretical problems, but on completely different biological systems that I may never 

have had a reason to interact with. It’s important to break out of the rather insular network that 

some researchers seem to carve out for themselves and be exposed to fresh ideas. For myself, 

this includes stepping outside of my comfort zone of the marine realm and being exposed to 

terrestrial research of a similar vein. The Evolution of Pacific Biota meeting did just that." 

Gregory T. Concepcion, PhD 

Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics 

University of Maryland, College Park 

- - - 

I thought the conference was one of the best I've been to in a long time. It was 

very well organized and presented, and a fantastic opportunity. 

Craig Mitchell Costion 

Australian Tropical Herbarium & Museum 

University of Adelaide (American studying in Australia)

- - - 


I attended the biogeographical methods workshop at the Evolution of Life on Pacific Islands and 

Reefs conference. It was a great workshop and very informative in which the theoretical 

background and the potential applications of multiple biogeographical methods were presented. 

The workshop was invaluable for learning new methods and served as a primer for getting 

started with the analyses that we discussed. 

The Evolution of Life on Pacific Islands and Reefs conference was unique as it brought 

together such a diverse range of scientists from across many specializations. It was a fantastic 

venue for the discussion of evolution for a broad range of Pacific island taxa, which provided 

opportunities to consider biogeographical patterns that cannot be identified from the study of a 

single lineage. It was an excellent venue for many great discussions from which potential 

collaborative research opportunities were identified. 

Joanne Birch Ph.D. 

University of Hawai‘i at Manoa

APPENDIX C: CONFERENCE PROGRAM BOOK 

Paulay, NSF Meeting Report - 14

Evolution of Life on Pacific Islands and Reefs: 

Past, Present, and Future 

Iìwi on Metrosideros polymorpha 

26-30 May 2011 

East-West Center, Honolulu, Hawaii

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

Introduction ........................................................................................ 1 

Organizing Committee ........................................................................ 2 

Conference Coordinator ...................................................................... 2 

Conference Sponsors and Partners .................................................... 3 

General Information ......................................................................... 4‐8 

Conference Center Map .................................................................. 6 

University of Hawaii at Manoa Campus Map ................................. 7 

Shuttle Schedule ............................................................................. 8 

Pre‐Confernce Workshops .................................................................. 9 

Program Overview ........................................................................ 10‐27 

Abstracts Alphabetical by Author ................................................. 28‐73 

Post‐Conference Field Trip ................................................................ 74 

McBryde Travel Award Recipients ................................................ 75‐76 

Participant List .............................................................................. 77‐84 

Notes ............................................................................................ 85‐86

INTRODUCTION 

Composed of a vast sea of islands and near shore environments, the culturally, biologically, and 

geologically diverse Pacific realm occupies a third of the planet and holds a crucial place in the Earth's 

history and resources. Pacific waters nurture two‐thirds of the world's marine biodiversity. The islands 

are rich in plants and animals, most of which occur nowhere else. Pacific ecosystems respond rapidly to 

ecological and anthropogenic changes, and have become centers for extinction and endangerment of 

species as well. Because the people and biota of the Pacific face enormous challenges from climate 

change and loss of diversity and in order to stimulate creative and urgent research and synthesize 

knowledge about Pacific biogeography, this conference is being convened. The conference covers the 

interface between Pacific biogeographic research and the fields of ecology, evolution, and conservation 

biology, and will highlight the contribution of indigenous knowledge to these subjects. The conference is 

organized as a series of individual symposia organized around the following questions: 

What within‐lineage biogeographic patterns are found across the Pacific? 

Are there common patterns of evolutionary diversification among lineages across the 

disparate island systems of the Pacific? 

How do different plant and animal populations interact through time to form novel island 

ecosystems? 

How have people influenced the terrestrial and near‐shore environments of Pacific 

islands? 

How does knowledge of the evolution of Pacific Island biota contribute to the 

conservation of island (and continental) ecosystems? 

1

ORGANIZING COMMITTEE 

Burney, David ‐ National Tropical Botanical Garden, Conservation 

Filardi, Christopher ‐ American Museum of Natural History, Center for Biodiversity and 

Conservation and Department of Ornithology 

Fleischer, Robert ‐ Smithsonian Institution, National Zoological Park, Center for 

Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics 

Funk, Vicki ‐ Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, 

Department of Botany 

Gillespie, Rosemary ‐ University of California at Berkeley, Department of Environmental 

Science, Policy, and Management 

Herman, Douglas ‐ Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of the American Indian 

James, Helen ‐ Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, 

Department of Zoology 

Keeley, Sterling ‐ University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Botany 

Meyer, Christopher ‐ Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, 

Department of Invertebrate Zoology 

Meyer, Jean‐Yves ‐ Government of French Polynesia, Research Department 

O'Grady, Patrick ‐ University of California at Berkeley, Department of Environmental 

Science, Policy, and Management 

Paulay, Gustav ‐ Florida Museum of Natural History, Department of Invertebrate Zoology 

Price, Jonathan ‐ University of Hawaii at Hilo, Department of Geography and 

Environmental Studies 

Ranker, Tom ‐ University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Botany 

Thaman, Randolph ‐ The University of the South Pacific, Division of Geography 

Wagner, Warren ‐ Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, 


CONFERENCE COORDINATOR 

Khan, Nancy ‐ Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, 


With sincere thanks to the following individuals who assisted with conference planning and 

preparation – Mary Ann Apicelli, Patricia Davis, Christian Feuillet, 

Carol Kelloff, Kate Nickel, Sylvia Orli, Danica Reynaud, Alice Tangerini 

(Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Department of Botany) 

and Janet Mayfield (National Tropical Botanical Garden) 

2

CONFERENCE SPONSORS AND PARTNERS 

The conference is a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and 

National Tropical Botanical Garden….. 

….with additional support from the following partnering institutions: 

Understanding and Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet 

National Museum of the American Indian 

National Zoological Park 

Government of French Polynesia 

Délégation à la Recherche 

We especially thank the National Science Foundation (BIO: Division of Environmental 

Biology) for providing funding for students and young professionals. 

Revised 

3

CONFERENCE FACILITIES 

All scientific sessions will be held in 

meeting rooms in Jefferson Hall at the 

East‐West Center on the University of 

Hawaii's campus. The Center’s address 

is: 1777 East‐West Road, Honolulu, HI 

USA 96848, 808‐944‐7159. 

REGISTRATION 

Conference materials for those who have 

pre‐registered can be picked up at the 

registration table located on the lanai 

outside of the Keoni Auditorium in 

Jefferson Hall. Staff can also assist with 

on‐site registration and general 

conference related questions. The table 

will be staffed as follows: 

Thursday, 26 May .…8:00AM – 10:00AM 

....1:00PM – 3:00PM 

....5:00PM – 7:00PM 

Friday, 27 May ....7:00AM – 9:00AM 

Saturday, 28 May ….7:00AM – 9:00AM 

Sunday, 29 May ….7:00AM – 9:00AM 

At all other times conference staff can be 

reached by calling 202‐360‐3291 (cell). 

MID‐MORNING AND AFTERNOON BREAKS 

Beverage service and light snacks will be 

available on the lanai outside of the Keoni 

Auditorium during the morning and 

afternoon breaks. 

LUNCH FACILITIES 

A seated dining area will be available on 

the Garden Level during the daily lunch 

break. Boxed lunches will be delivered to 

this location daily for pick‐up by those 

individuals who ordered in advance. 

Numerous retail dining choices are 

GENERAL INFORMATION 

General Information 

located in the Campus Center 

building/student union located in the 

center of the campus. Vendors serve a 

variety of foods including sandwiches, 

salads, pizzas, hot dogs, and ethnic 

specialties. 

WIRELESS INTERNET 

Wireless internet will be available at no 

charge to all conference participants and 

can be accessed in all of the meeting 

rooms. A wireless access key will be 

provided on‐site. 

DRINK TICKETS 

All participants will be given 3 drink 

tickets with their registration materials. 

These may be redeemed for a drink of 

your choice (beer, wine, soda or juice) at 

any of the three evening receptions – 

Opening Reception (5/26), Luàu Banquet 

(5/27) or Poster Reception (5/28). 

POSTERS AND POSTER SESSION 

Posters will be on display for the duration 

of the meeting in the Koi Room on the 

Garden Level. All posters should be 

formatted to fit onto bulletin boards that 

are 4’W x 6’H. Boards will be 

labeled/reserved for each poster by 12:00 

PM on Thursday, 26 May. Authors should 

hang their posters in their assigned place 

during the following hours: 

Thursday, 26 May: 12:00 PM – 5:30PM 

Friday, 27 May: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM 

All posters should be removed between 

12:00 PM and 5:00 PM on Sunday, 29 

May. The conference will not be 

responsible for any posters remaining 

after this time. 


4

AUDIO VISUAL INFORMATION 

Powerpoint presentation facilities will be 

provided. Please bring your presentation 

in a format that can be loaded onto a PC 

computer. All presentations will be 

loaded onto a single computer in advance 

to avoid delays between speakers. On the 

morning of your talk (or before) please 

bring your presentation to Nancy Khan or 

Carol Kelloff at the registration table or 

email it to khanna@si.edu. 

SMYPOSIA TIMING 

Each session will be moderated by one of 

the symposia co‐chairs. You will be 

expected to complete your presenteation 

within your allotted time, including time 

for questions and comments. A 

timekeeper will give a five and two 

minute warning to each presenter. 

PARKING 

Those individuals who paid in advance for 

reserve parking can pick up their pass at 

the registration desk or by calling 202‐ 

360‐3291 to make arrangements for 

curbside pick‐up. The parking area is 

located behind of Kennedy Theatre 

directly across the street from Jefferson 

Hall. 

Parking on the campus of the University 

of Hawaiì, Manoa is also available to non‐ 

resident visitors in the various garages 

and lots on a space available basis. Refer 

to the campus map on page 7 for the 

location of short‐term visitor parking. 

LOCAL TRAVEL 

City Bus Route numbers 4 and 6 serve the 

University of Hawaiì campus. From Kuhio 

Ave. Waikiki (#4) runs west and then 


north arriving at the campus via 

University Ave. A short walk or transfer to 

(#6) can get you to the East‐West Center 

on East‐West Road. Note that bus service 

is limited on weekends, at night, and on 

holidays. Timetables and fare information 

can be found at TheBus.org. Please be 

aware that travel to and from the airport 

is most convenient by taxi (approx. $30‐ 

$40) as there is no direct bus service. 

5

HAWAII IMIN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE CENTER 


AT THE EAST‐WEST CENTER 

1777 East‐West Road, Honolulu, HI USA 96848‐1601, Phone: 808‐944‐7159 

6

UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII AT MANOA 


7

SHUTTLE SCHEDULE 

BUS SERVICE PROVIDED BY ROBERTS HAWAII 


May 26, 2011 May 27, 2011 May 28, 2011 May 29, 2011 

1:15PM 

Depart Hilton Prince 

Kuhio to East‐ West 

Center 

(1 bus) 

5:30PM 


Kuhio, to East‐ West 

Center 

(1 bus) 

8:00PM 

Depart East‐West 

Center to Hilton 

Prince Kuhio 

(2 buses) 

7:30AM 


Kuhio to East‐West 

Center 

(2 buses) 

5:45PM 


Center to Bishop 

Museum 

(2 buses) 

7:30AM 



Center 

(2 buses) 

7:30PM 



Prince Kuhio 

(2 buses) 

9:00PM 

Depart Bishop 

Museum to Hilton 

Prince Kuhio (2 

buses) and East‐ 

West Center (1 bus) 

Addresses for Pick‐up and Drop‐off 

Hilton Prince Kuhio, 2500 Kuhio Avenue, 808‐922‐0811 

East West Center, 1777 East West Road, 808‐944‐7111 

Bishop Museum, 1525 Bernice Street, 808‐847‐3511 

7:30AM 



(2 buses) 

6:00PM 



Prince Kuhio 

(2 buses) 

8

PRE‐CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS 

Methodological Workshop on Biodiversity Dynamics on Islands 

26 May, 2011, 9am‐1pm 

Organized by Rosemary Gillespie, Helen James, and Vicki Funk 

Pre‐Conference Workshops 

This workshop on methods of analysis in island biogeography will cover four dynamic new 

theoretical approaches to island biogeography, each of which will be presented by one of 

the leaders in developing those particular models and theories. The topics to be covered 

include: (1) Patterns of species diversity (role of island size, age and isolation); (2) 

integration of bioinformatics, biogeography, and macroevolution, focusing in particular on 

the role that phylogeny and reticulate phylogeny can play in understanding biogeographic 

patterns and the origin of complex systems; (3) model‐based phylogeography to quantify 

biogeographic concordance and discordance across multiple co‐distributed taxa; and (4) 

historical biogeographical inference. The format of the workshop will encourage 

interactions between those who have developed new theory and models, and those who 

have acquired biogeographic data in the Pacific. To achieve our overall goal of 

understanding of biodiversity dynamics on islands, at the workshop we plan: (1) a 

theoretical synthesis that gives a general predictive model of how biodiversity, and 

associated interactions, change over evolutionary (and ecological) time. And (2) integration 

across approaches to understand biodiversity in both natural and human‐modified 

landscapes, in order to show where we are at, and to identify the major "gaps" in our 

current understanding. 

Vignettes of current plant conservation efforts in Hawaii 

26 May, 2011, 2‐5pm 

Chaired by Marie M. Bruegmann, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Lloyd Loope, USGS 

Long‐term conservation of more than remnants of Hawaii’s biota may not appear promising 

in the face of apparently imminent/incipient climate change. However, we believe that 

plant conservation prospects are viable though fragile, assuming that society will somehow 

manage to effectively respond to the increasingly understood dilemma of global warming. 

Scientific advances currently embodied in such concepts as "assisted migration" and "taxon 

substitutes in re‐wilding projects on islands" may have potential to eventually help. But this 

pre‐conference workshop is about the perhaps less glamorous but essential efforts now at 

staying the course. Some of the approaches currently being taken with plant conservation in 

Hawaii will be presented, with the hope of stimulating feedback during the entire 

conference. The presentations will address some of the current successes in plant 

conservation that need to be continued and expanded to confront escalating effects of 

climate change and biological invasions on Hawaii’s ecosystems and species. We think 

maintaining the largest diversity now will provide the greatest flexibility to respond 

meaningfully as climate continues to change in coming decades. 

9

THURSDAY, 26 MAY 

8:00 AM Registration Table Open on the Lanai 

9:00 AM ‐ 1:00 PM METHODOLOGICAL WORKSHOP ON BIODIVERSITY DYNAMICS 

ON ISLANDS 

‐ Pacific Room 

Organized by Rosemary Gillespie, Helen James, and Vicki Funk 

Program Overview 

The workshop will cover four dynamic new theoretical approaches to island 

biogeography, each of which will be presented by one of the leaders in 

developing those particular models and theories. 

Featured speakers include: 

Hickerson, Mike ‐ Queens College, Biology Department, City University of 

New York, Flushing, NY, USA 

Matzke, Nick ‐ University of California, Berkeley, Department of 

Integrative Biology, USA 

Rosindell, James ‐ University of Leeds, Faculty of Biology, Institute of 

Integrative and Comparative Biology, UK 

Ree, Richard ‐ Field Museum of Natural History, Botany Department and 

University of Chicago, Committee on Evolutionary Biology, 

Chicago, IL, USA 

1:15 PM Shuttle Bus departs from Hilton Waikiki Hotel to East‐West Center 

VIGNETTES OF CURRENT PLANT CONSERVATION EFFORTS IN HAWAII 

‐ Keoni Auditorium 

Chaired by Marie M. Bruegmann and Lloyd Loope 

2:00 PM Lloyd Loope 

Introduction to Conservation Workshop 

2:05 PM Bruegmann, Marie M. 

Trends in plant populations after two decades of recovery implementation in 

Hawaii 

10

Thursday, 26 May, continued 


2:20 PM Oppenheimer, Hank 

Saving Hawaii’s rarest plants: The Plant Extinction Prevention Program 

2:50 PM Perlman, Steve 

Working with the Plant Extinction Prevention (PEP) Program on the Big Island, 

Kauaì, and Oàhu 

3:20 PM Short Break 

3:30 PM Robichaux, R.; Moriyasu, P.; Bio, K.; Enoka, J.; Perry, L.; Loh, R.; McDaniel, S.; 

Cole, C.; Rubenstein, T.; Tunison, T.; Bakutis, A.; Whitehead, N.; and 

Bruegmann, M. 

Managed breeding and reintroduction of Argyroxiphium kauense (Asteraceae) 

and Clermontia peleana (Campanulaceae) on Hawaiì Island 

4:00 PM Medeiros, Arthur; Buckman, Andrea; McLean, Luke; Juan Jr, Fernando; and 

Kai‘aokamalie, Ainoa 

Dryland forest restoration at Auwahi, Maui, Hawaii 

4:30 PM Beachy, Jane; Burt, Matt; Kawelo, Kapua; Kier, Matt; Rohrer, Joby; Sailer, Dan; 

and Smith, Clifford 

Case studies from endangered plant restoration efforts in Oàhu’s Waianae 

Mts. 

5:30 PM Shuttle Bus departs from Hilton Waikiki Hotel to East‐West Center 

6:00 PM Opening Reception on the Lanai 

Conference Welcome 

Chipper Wichman, Director and CEO 

National Tropical Botanical Garden, Kalaheo, HI, USA 

8:00 PM Shuttle Bus departs from East‐West Center to Hilton Waikiki Hotel 

11

FRIDAY, 27 MAY 

7:00 AM Registration Table Open on the Lanai 

7:30 AM Shuttle Bus departs from Hilton Waikiki Hotel to East‐West Center 

7:30 AM Coffee and Juice on the Lanai 

8:00 AM Warren Wagner 

Opening Remarks 

SYMPOSIUM 1: WHAT WITHIN‐LINEAGE BIOGEOGRAPHIC PATTERNS 

ARE FOUND ACROSS THE PACIFIC? 


Organized by Robert Fleischer, Patrick O'Grady, and Tom Ranker 

Samuel M. 'Ohukani'ohi'a Gon III 

Hawaiian oli wehe (opening chant) 


8:15 AM Shaw, Kerry L. 

Gryllids in the mist: key factors underlying the rapid speciation of endemic 

Hawaiian forest crickets 

8:45 AM Fleischer, Robert C.; Lerner, Heather R. L.; Sonsthagen, S. A.; and James, Helen F. 

Songbird radiations on the Hawaiian conveyor belt 

9:15 AM Rundell, Rebecca J. 

Diversification of Belau endemic land snails through build‐up of ecologically 

similar species 

9:45 AM Bowen, Brian W.; Rocha, Luiz A.; Eble, Jeff A.; and Craig, Matthew 

The origins of tropical marine biodiversity: a phylogeographic perspective 

10:15 AM Mid‐Morning Break on the Lanai 

10:30 AM Bennett, Gordon M. and O'Grady, Patrick 

Systematics and biogeography of the native Hawaiian leafhoppers (Hemiptera: 

Cicadellidae: Nesophrosyne) 

10:45 AM Clark, John R.; Wagner, Warren L.; and Roalson, Eric H. 

On the origin and diversification of Cyrtandra (Gesneriaceae): range 

expansions and contractions in a widely dispersed Pacific angiosperm genus 

12

Friday, 27 May, continued 


11:00 AM Puritz, Jonathan B.; Keever, Carson C.; Addison, Jason A.; Byrne, Maria; Hart, 

Michael W.; Grosberg, Richard K.; and Toonen, Robert J. 

Speedy sea star speciation: how life history adaptation led to rapid ecological 

speciation in the genus Cryptasterina 

11:15 AM Lapoint, Richard and O'Grady, Patrick 

Phylogenetics of the antopocerus‐modified tarsus clade of Hawaiian 

Drosophila: diversification across the Hawaiian Islands 

11:30 AM Andersen, Michael J.; Nyári, Árpád S.; Filardi, Christopher E.; and Moyle, 

Robert G. 

A multi‐locus dataset reveals novel insights into the systematics, biogeography, 

and species limits in the world’s most diverse bird species: the Pachycephala 

pectoralis/melanura complex 

11:45 AM Kawahara, Akito Y. and Rubinoff, Daniel 

The extraordinary radiation of Hawaiian fancy‐cased caterpillars (Lepidoptera: 

Cosmopterigidae: Hyposmocoma) 

12:00 PM Lunch on Garden Level, Poster Exhibit Open in Koi Room 

SYMPOSIUM 2: ARE THERE COMMON PATTERNS OF EVOLUTIONARY 

DIVERSIFICATION AMONG LINEAGES ACROSS THE DISPARATE ISLAND SYSTEMS 

OF THE PACIFIC? 


Organized by Vicki Funk, Gustav Paulay, and Warren Wagner 

1:15 PM Baldwin, Bruce G. and Wagner, Warren L. 

Patterns of diversification in Pacific angiosperms 

1:45 PM Cibois, Alice 

Phylogenetic patterns of birds across the Pacific Ocean 

2:15 PM Gillespie, Rosemary G.; Baldwin, Bruce G.; and Roderick, George K. 

Long‐distance dispersal – a framework for hypothesis testing 

2:45 PM O'Grady, Patrick M. 

Patterns of diversification in Pacific Diptera 

3:15 PM Afternoon Break on the Lanai, Poster Exhibit Open in Koi Room 

13

Friday, 27 May, continued 


3:45 PM Toonen, Rob; Meyer, Chris; Paulay, Gustav; Faucci, Anuschka; Bird, Chris; 

Skillings, Derek; Timmers, Molly; Baums, Iliana; and Bowen, Brian 

Patterns of marine lineage diversification across the Pacific 

4:15 PM Keeley, Sterling C. and Funk, Vicki A. 

Hawaiian plant endemics: new origins and patterns of evolution revealed by 

molecular phylogenetics 

4:30 PM Hembry, David H.; Kawakita, Atsushi; Gurr, Neil E.; Schmaedick, Mark A.; 

Baldwin, Bruce G.; and Gillespie, Rosemary 

Multiple non‐congruent colonizations of southeastern Polynesia by a 

specialized insect‐plant mutualism (Phyllanthaceae: Glochidion; Lepidoptera: 

Gracillariidae: Epicephala) 

4:45 PM Rosindell, James; Harmon, Luke J.; and Phillimore, Albert B. 

A unified model for species richness, abundance, and origin on islands 

5:00 PM Gallaher, Timothy; Keeley, Sterling; Callmander, Martin; and Buerki, Sven 

Exploring the evolutionary history of Pandanus 

5:45 PM Shuttle Bus Departs East‐West Center for Bishop Museum 

6:15 PM Luàu Banquet at Bishop Museum 

9:00 PM Shuttle Buses Depart Bishop Museum for Hilton Waikiki Hotel or 

East‐West Center 

14

SATURDAY, MAY 28 



SYMPOSIUM 3: HOW DO DIFFERENT PLANT AND ANIMAL POPULATIONS 

INTERACT THROUGH TIME TO FORM NOVEL ISLAND ECOSYSTEMS? 


Organized by Rosemary Gillespie, Helen James, and Jonathan Price 

8:00 AM Percy, Diana M. 

Co‐diversification of plant and insect species complexes: the story of 

Metrosideros and the psyllids 


8:25 AM Moyle, Robert G.; Andersen, Michael J.; Filardi, Christopher E.; and 

Brown, Rafe M. 

Evolutionary patterns of community diversification at local and regional scales 

in the tropical Pacific ‐ Part 1, Birds 

8:50 AM Brown, Rafe M.; Filardi, Christopher E.; and Moyle, Robert G. 

Evolutionary patterns of community diversification at local and regional scales 

in the tropical Pacific ‐ Part 2, Amphibians 

9:15 AM Price, Jonathan; James, Helen; Fleischer, Robert; Lerner, Heather; Wagner, 

Warren; Tagawa, Anya; and Rowe, Barbara 

Evolution of bird pollination in the Hawaiian Islands: spatial, temporal, and 

morphological considerations 

9:40 AM Ort, Brian S. and O’Grady, Patrick M. 

Fungal diversity associated with Hawaiian Drosophila host plants 

10:00 AM Mid‐Morning Break on the Lanai, Poster Exhibit Open in Koi Room 

10:30 AM Meyer, Jean‐Yves 

Alien species invasions, endemic species extinctions, mutualism breakdowns, 

plant succession trajectory changes, and biodiversity conservation strategy in 

southeastern Polynesian Islands: how "good" are novel ecosystems? 

10:45 AM Boyer, Alison and Jetz, Walter 

The biogeography and evolution of functional diversity in Pacific island bird 

communities 

15

Saturday, 28 May, continued 


11:00 AM Banko, Paul C. 

Feeding specialization and the vulnerability of Hawaiian forest birds to food 

web disruption and environmental change 

11:15 AM Seamon, Joshua O.; Utzurrum, Ruth C. B.; Tualaulelei, Ailao; Fa’aumu, Siaifoi; 

Vaivai, Visa; and Meyer, Roger 

Dynamics of spatiotemporal variation in fruiting and frugivorous birds on a 

remote island 

11:30 AM Rominger, Andrew J.; Gruner, Daniel S.; and Gillespie, Rosemary G. 

Making and breaking a new ecological theory: does maximum information 

entropy predict community structure in newly evolving ecosystems? 

11:45 AM James, Helen F.; Wagner, Warren L., and Fleischer, Robert C. 

Tracing the evolutionary history of ecological interactions between species 

12:00 PM Thaman, R. R. 

Name it, record it, map it, or lose it! – The island ethnobiodiversity crisis and 

the need for a strong marriage between indigenous and modern science as a 

basis for biodiversity conservation in the Pacific Islands 

12:30 PM Lunch on Garden Level, Poster Exhibit Open in Koi Room 

SYMPOSIUM 4: HOW HAVE PEOPLE INFLUENCED THE TERRESTRIAL 

AND NEAR‐SHORE ENVIRONMENTS OF PACIFIC ISLANDS? 


Organized by Patrick Kirch and Lisa Matisoo‐Smith 

1:30 PM Gon III, Samuel M. 'Ohukani'ohi'a 

Determining the pre‐contact Hawaiian footprint on native ecosystems: 

modeling and traditional knowledge united 

2:00 PM Kirch, Patrick V. 

A millennium of human‐environment interaction in Mangareva (Gambier 

Islands), French Polynesia 

2:30 PM Matisoo‐Smith, Elizabeth "Lisa" 

The times they are a changing: new models and Next‐Gen sequencing, 

implications for understanding the human settlement of the Pacific 


16



3:00 PM Porch, Nick 

Prehistoric human impact on the neglected majority: evidence for human‐ 

moderated translocation and catastrophic extinction in the Pacific insect fauna 

3:30 PM Afternoon Break on the Lanai, Poster Exhibit Open in Koi Room 

4:00 PM Waters, Jonathan M. 

The importance of history: ancient DNA analyses reveal dynamic responses to 

environmental change 

4:30 PM Prost, S.; Knapp, M.; Clarke, A.; Nielsen, R.; Matisoo‐Smith, E. 

Is it all in the genes? Reconstructing past migration in the Pacific using 

Approximate Bayesian Computation 

4:45 PM Sand, Christophe 

Transforming a piece of Gondwanaland: long‐term human modeling of New 

Caledonia’s landscapes 

5:00 PM Van Houtan, Kyle S.; Kittinger, John N. "Jack"; McClenachan, Loren E.; Lawrence, 

Amanda 

Historical patterns of marine sea turtle exploitation and population response in 

the Pacific 

5:15 PM Guitard, Michelle and Colbert, Steven 

Indicators of a changing environment: a study of microfossil assemblage in Hilo 

Bay, Hawaiì 

6:00 PM POSTER SESSION AND RECEPTION 

‐ Koi and Wailana Rooms 

Aguraiuja, Ruth; Clark, Michelle; and Wood, Kenneth R. 

Conservation of critically endangered fern species on the island of Kauaì: 

opportunities and challenges for ecological restoration 

Aue, Asa; Stone, Fred; and Price, Jonathan 

Using GIS to study the distribution and composition of subterranean species 

Bainbridge, Susan J. and Baldwin, Bruce G. 

Self‐incompatibility, pollen limitation, and endangerment in the Hawaiian 

silversword alliance (Compositae) on Kauaì 

17



Balukjian, Brad and Gillespie, Rosemary 

Back to basics: testing species boundaries and drivers of diversification in a 

true bug radiation in French Polynesia 

Boyer, Alison G.; James, Helen F.; Olson, Storrs L.; and Grant‐Mackie, Jack A. 

Long‐term ecological change in a conservation hotspot: the fossil avifauna of 

Mé Auré Cave, New Caledonia 

Chan, Yvonne; Toonen, Robert; Longenecker, Kenneth; Carlon, Dave; and 

Hunt, Terry 

How many have been lost? Using modern and ancient genetic variation to infer 

demographic history and develop baselines for coral reef conservation and 

management 

Clark, John R.; Hein, Frank; and de la Rosa, Carlos 

Santa Catalina Island ‐ past, present, and future study of a near‐continent 

island system 

Conklin, Eric; Wiggins, Chad; Giddens, Jonatha; Friedlander, Alan; and Birkeland, 

Charles 

Determining the effects of the introduced predatory grouper roi (Cephalopholis 

argus) on a native Hawaiian reef fish assemblage 

Cooper, Idelle 

Ecology of sexual dimorphism within and between species of Hawaiian 

damselflies 

Cotoras, Darko; Casquet, Juliane; and Gillespie, Rosemary 

Diversification patterns of Tetragnatha spiders in remote archipelagos on the 

Pacific Ocean 

Drake, D.; Young, L.; VanderWerf, E.; and Morden, C. 

Relationships among substrate, seabirds, and vegetation in a recovering 

Hawaiian ecosystem 

Fernandez‐Silva, Iria; Andrews, Kim R.; Snelgrove, Brent N.; Toonen, Robert J.; 

and Bowen, Brian W. 

Towards ecosystem‐based management in Hawaii: insights into genetic 

connectivity of two shallow water goatfishes and two deep water snappers 

across the archipelago 


18



Helgen, Lauren E.; Novotny, Vojtech; Weiblen, George D.; and Miller, Scott E. 

Patterns of diversity in Papua New Guinea Lepidoptera 

Jarvi, Susan I.; Farias, Margaret E.M.; and Atkinson, Carter T. 

Co‐evolution, co‐infection, and pathogen diversity in the Hawaiian avian 

disease system 

Kajita, Tadashi; Takayama ,Koji; Vatanarast, Mohammad; Wakita, Norihisa; 

and Tateishi, Yoichi 

Phylogeographic pattern of pantropical plants with sea‐drifted seeds over the 

globe 

Lavery, T.H.; Watson, J.J.; Flannery, T.F.; and Leung, L.K‐P. 

Patterns of terrestrial vertebrate diversity in the Torres Strait islands, Australia 

Lindstrom, Daniel P. and Kinzie III, Robert 

Evolution and phylogeography of gobioid fishes from Pacific island streams 

Loope, Lloyd and Thomas, Philip 

Efforts to achieve long‐term exclusion of new genetic strains of the Neotropical 

rust Puccinia psidii to protect Metrosideros forests in Hawaii: an update 

Lorence, David H. and Wagner, Warren L. 

The vascular flora of the Marquesas Islands 

Lu, Pei‐Luen; Carine, Mark; Wilkin, Paul; and Morden, Clifford 

Phylogenetic relationships of Pleomele, Dracaena, and Sansevieria 

(Asparagaceae: Nolinoideae) 

Nakamura, Koh; Kokubugata, Goro; Peng, Ching‐I; and Meyer, Jean‐Yves 

Shallow genetic divergence of Ophiorrhiza species (Rubiaceae) endemic to 

the Society Islands (French Polynesia, South Pacific) and its conservation 

implications 

Marrack, Lisa 

Predicting sea level rise impacts to Anchialine pool ecosystems on the island of 

Hawaiì 

Meegaskumbara, Madhava and Hanken, James 

Taruga (Ranidae: Rhacophoridae), a new genus of foam‐nesting tree frogs, 

bolsters the pattern of clade‐level faunal endemicity between Sri Lanka and 

India 


19



Morrison, Keenan and Stacy, Elizabeth A. 

Evidence for intraspecific divergence in ‘ōhi‘a lehua along a successional 

gradient of East Hawaiì Island 

Nepokroeff, Molly; Riley, Lynn; Willyard, Ann; Jacobs, Bridget; Weller, 

Stephen G.; Sakai, Ann K.; Wagner, Warren L.; and Wallace, Lisa E. 

Comparing histories of three sympatric lineages of the endemic plant genus 

Schiedea on Kauaì: the role of geographic barriers and hybridization in 

diversification of an adaptive radiation 

Nolting, Kristen; Cantley, Jason; Keeley, Sterling; and Swenson, Nathan 

Evolution of climatic niche in a Pacific island plant genus 

Pender, Richard and Morden, Clifford 

Can honeycreepers still function as pollinators for an endangered Hawaiian 

lobeliad, Clermontia lindseyana, at Hakalau National Wildlife Refuge? 

Raver, Amanda; Stone, Fred D.; Price, Don; Eldon, Jon; Howarth, Francis G.; 

Croom, Henrietta B.; Na, Daniel; and Magnacca, Karl 

Population phylogeography of cave adapted crickets of Hawaiì Island 

(Caconemobius; Gryllidae, Nemobiinae) 

Schwartz, Sonja A.; Roderick, George K.; and Carlon, David B. 

The origins of marine biodiversity in the Indo‐Pacific: using comparative 

population genetics of Scarus parrotfish to test models of diversification 

Tagawa, Anya and Price, Jonathan 

Assessing canopy volume in characterizing spatial and seasonal aspects of food 

resources of native Hawaiian forest birds 


20

SUNDAY, MAY 29 



SYMPOSIUM 5: HOW DOES KNOWLEDGE OF THE EVOLUTION OF 

PACIFIC ISLAND BIOTA CONTRIBUTE TO THE CONSERVATION OF 

ISLAND (AND CONTINENTAL) ECOSYSTEMS? 


Organized by David Burney, Douglas Herman, and Christopher Filardi 


8:00 AM Duffy, David Cameron 

The state of conservation in Hawaii and the Pacific: two steps forward, three 

steps back? 

8:30 AM Soule, Michael 

Context and ideology in pacific conservation: where biases and rules don't 

apply 

9:00 AM Filardi, Christopher E. and Weeks, Brian 

Pan‐Pacific evolutionary scale, regional policy, and meeting the challenges of 

local conservation action in the Solomon Islands 

9:15 AM Sterling, Eleanor J. and Filardi, Christopher E. 

Integrating process as well as pattern into island conservation decision‐making 

9:45 AM Lucas, Matthew P. and Wood, Kenneth R. 

Modeling remnant rare plant locations on the island of Kauaì 

10:00 AM Mid‐Morning Break on the Lanai, Poster Exhibit Open in Koi Room 

10:30 AM Burney, David A. and Burney, Lida Pigott 

Ecological restoration in the face of global change: case studies from Kauaì 

11:00 AM Sahli, Heather; Drake, Donald; and Taylor, Andrew 

Assessing the roles of native and alien animals in Hawaiian pollination webs 

11:15 AM Herman, Douglas 

Indigenous GEO: new tools for approaching biodiversity and climate change in 

indigenous settings 

11:30 AM Open Discussion of Potential for a Post‐Conference Publication 

21

Sunday, 29, May continued 

12:00 PM Lunch Break on Garden Level, Poster Exhibit Open in Koi Room 

CONCURRENT SESSIONS OF CONTRIBUTED PAPERS 

‐ A CONTINUATION OF SYMPOSIA TOPICS 

Overview of Concurrent Sessions of Contributed Papers 


Keoni Auditorium 

Asia Room 

Pacific Room 

(Within‐Lineage Patterns) (Among Lineage Patterns) (Human Impacts) 

1:30 PM Vatanparast, M. et al. Sherwood, A. et al. Cole, D. et al. 

(Novel Ecosystems) 

1:45 Richmond, J. and Fisher, R. Polhemus, D. Brown, J. 

2:00 Pillon, Y. et al. Ó Foighil, D. et al. Blay, C. 

(Conservation) 

2:15 Motley, T. and Parker, K. Oboyski, P. Juvik, J. et al. 

2:30 Morden, C. and Ching‐Harbin, S. Mehltreter, K. et al. James, S. and Allison, A. 

2:45 Knope, M. et al. Jordan, S. et al. Cardemil, J. and Aspillaga, F. 

(Human Impacts) 

3:00 Johnson, M. and Stacy, E. Hogan, J.D., et al. Shiels, A. et al. 

3:15 Goodman, K. and Roderick, G. Helgen, K. Kittinger, J. et al. 

3:30 Afternoon Break Afternoon Break Afternoon Break 

4:00 Ewing, C. Forsman, Z. and Toonen, R. Hughes, R. and Togia, T. 

4:15 DiBattista, J. et al. Faucci, A et al. Casquet, J. et al. 

4:30 Concepcion, C. Costion, C. et al. Duffy, D. and Lepczyk, C. 

4:45 Bird, C. and Toonen, R. Cantley, J. et al. 

5:00 Bacon, C. et al. Birch J. et al. 

5:15 Wrap‐Up and Closing Remarks 

KEONI AUDITORIUM 

1:30 PM Vatanparast, Mohammad; Takayama, Koji; Tateishi, Yoichi; and Kajita, Tadashi 

Phylogeography of a pantropical legume with sea‐dispersed seeds, Canavalia 

rosea 

1:45 PM Richmond, Jonathan Q. and Fisher, Robert N. 

Elucidating patterns of evolutionary diversification in insular scincid lizards of 

the genus Emoia 


22

Sunday, 29 May, continued 


2:00 PM Pillon, Yohan; Johansen, Jennifer; Sakishima, Tomoko; Chamala, Srikar; Barbazuk, 

Brad; and Stacy, Elizabeth 

Evolution of the genus Clermontia (Campanulaceae) in Hawaii inferred by 

next‐generation sequencing 

2:15 PM Motley, Timothy J. and Parker, Kenneth 

Divergence time estimation of Kadua (Rubiaceae), fast and slow in 

archipelagos of Eastern Polynesia 

2:30 PM Morden, Clifford W. and Ching‐Harbin, Susan 

Recent colonization and diversification of the endemic Hawaiian genus 

Hesperomannia (Asteraceae) 

2:45 PM Knope, Matthew L.; Fukami, Tadashi; Morden, Clifford W.; and Funk, Vicki A. 

Extraordinarily high per‐unit‐area rates of adaptive radiation in Hawaiian 

Bidens 

3:00 PM Johnson, Melissa and Stacy, Elizabeth A. 

Long distance makes it easy to drift apart: The roles of geographic isolation and 

reinforcement in the evolution of reproductive barriers within Hawaiian 

Cyrtandra (Gesneriaceae) 

3:15 PM Goodman, Kari Roesch and Roderick, George K. 

Rapid divergence and diversification in Hawaiian Nesosydne planthoppers 

(Hemiptera: Delphacidae) 

3:30 PM Afternoon Break on the Lanai 

4:00 PM Ewing, Curtis 

Biogeography, speciation, and host plant use among a monophyletic group of 

Cillaeine Sap Beetles (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) in French Polynesia 

4:15 PM DiBattista, Joseph D.; Craig, Matthew T.; Rocha, Luiz A.; Feldheim, Kevin A.; and 

Bowen, Brian W. 

Phylogeographic patterns in two related Indo‐Pacific butterflyfish, Chaetodon 

meyeri and Chaetodon ornatissimus, reveal insights into evolutionary history 

4:30 PM Concepcion, Greg 

Phylogeography of Montipora capitata in the Hawaiian archipelago 

4:45 PM Bird, Christopher E. and Toonen, Robert J. 

Adaptive radiation of marine limpets (Cellana spp.) within the Hawaiian 

archipelago 

23



5:00 PM Bacon, Christine D.; Simmons, Mark P.; and Wagner, Warren L. 

Evaluating multiple criteria for species delimitation: an empirical example 

using Hawaiian palms (Arecaceae: Pritchardia) 

5:15 PM Vicki Funk 

Wrap‐Up and Closing Remarks 


ASIA ROOM 

1:30 PM Sherwood, Alison; Kurihara, Akira; Conklin, Kimberly; and Sauvage, Thomas 

Molecular patterns of diversification in the Hawaiian red algal flora 

1:45 PM Polhemus, Dan A. 

General rule or anomalous curiousity? A consideration of hotspot‐mediated 

sequential speciation in the Pacific based on evidence from Heteroptera 

(Insecta) 

2:00 PM Ó Foighil, Diarmaid; Lee, Taehwan; and Churchill, Celia 

Biogeography of a vanishing radiation: the Pacific Island tree snail family 

Partulidae 

2:15 PM Oboyski, Peter T. 

Biogeography and evolution of Pacific Islands Tortricidae (Lepidoptera) 

2:30 PM Mehltreter, Klaus; Arcand, Naomi N.; and Ranker, Tom A. 

Spatial patterns of fern diversity: a comparison of Hawaii and Mexico 

2:45 PM Jordan, Steve; Englund, Ron; and Polhemus, Dan 

Biogeography of coenagrionid damselflies endemic to Pacific Islands 

3:00 PM Hogan, J.D.; Walter, R.P.; Gagne, R.B.; Blum, M.J., Lindstrom, D.P., and Gilliam, 

J.F. 

Broad‐ and fine‐scale population differentiation in Awaous guamensis 

3:15 PM Helgen, Kristofer M. 

The unknown continent: mammal diversity east of the Wallace Line 


24



4:00 PM Forsman, Zac H. and Toonen, Robert J. 

Hawaiian coral species complexes: ecological variation or endangered species? 

4:15 PM Faucci, Anuschka; Toonen, Robert J.; and Hadfield, Michael G. 

Land and sea: patterns of phylogeography in six species of vermetid gastropods 

across the Hawaiian archipelago resemble those of terrestrial animals 

4:30 PM Costion, Craig; Lorence, David; and Acevedo, Pedro 

Patterns of plant diversity and endemism in Micronesia and the dynamic 

theory of island biogeography 

4:45 PM Cantley, Jason T.; Keeley, Sterling C.; Swenson, Nathan; and Nolting, Kristen 

Biogeographic connections of Coprosma (Rubiaceae) across the Pacific Ocean 

5:00 PM Birch, Joanne L.; Keeley, Sterling C.; and Morden, Clifford. W. 

Pathways across the Pacific: an investigation of long‐distance dispersal via 

direct‐ and stepping‐stone pathways in the Pacific Astelia s.l. (Asteliaceae) 


PACIFIC ROOM 

1:30 PM Cole, David M.; Morden, Clifford W.; and Farruggia, Frank T. 

Enlightening the relictual distribution and population genetic structure of 

Sesbania tomentosa Hook and Arn. with Hawaiian oral histories and place 

names 

1:45 PM Brown, Jonathan 

Generating the entangled bank – herbivore evolution in a Pacific archipelago 

2:00 PM Blay, Charles T. 

Evolution of coralgal reefs of the Hawaiian archipelago: inference from 

petrologic analysis of carbonate beach sediments 

2:15 PM Juvik, James; Kiester, A. Ross; and Hansen, Dennis 

The ghosts of Meiolania in the Melanesian Anthropocene: resurrecting trophic 

and evolutionary dynamics with a proxy tortoise species 

2:30 PM James, Shelley A. and Allison, Allen 

Information infrastructure for advancing conservation in Melanesia 

25



2:45 PM Cardemil, Jaime Espejo and Aspillaga, Francisco Rodriguez 

New insights in conservation of Sophora toromiro (Phil.) Skottsb. emblematic 

species of the South Pacific 

3:00 PM Shiels, Aaron B.; Pitt, Will C.; and Russell, James 

What factors predict body sizes of introduced rodents on Pacific Islands? A test 

of Bergmann’s rule 

3:15 PM Kittinger, John N.; Pandolfi, John M.; Blodgett, Jonathan H.; Hunt, Terry L.; Maly, 

Kepā; McClenachan, Loren; Shultz, Jennifer K.; and Wilcox, Bruce A. 

Reconstructing long‐term human‐environment relationships in Hawaiian coral 

reefs 


4:00 PM Hughes, R. Flint and Togia, Tavita P. 

Effective control of Falcataria moluccana in American Samoa: the luxury of 

managing invasive species in concert with ecological processes 

4:15 PM Casquet, Juliane; Thébaud, Christophe; and Gillespie, Rosemary 

How to build an insular community: local diversification vs. independent 

colonisation events 

4:30 PM Duffy, Deidre and Lepczyk, Christopher 

The historical ecology of game species introductions in Hawaii 


26

MONDAY, MAY 30 

11:00 AM Post‐Conference Field Trip: Volcanoes of the Big Island of Hawaiì 

Trip leader: Chuck Blay, TEOK Investigations 

Depart from Dolphin Bay Hotel, Hilo, Hawaiì 


27

Aguraiuja, Ruth 1 , Clark, Michelle 2 , and Wood, Kenneth 

R. 3 

Conservation of critically endangered fern species on 

the island of Kauaì: opportunities and challenges for 

ecological restoration 

There are eight federally listed endangered fern taxa on 

Kauaì, among these, six taxa are considered as Plant 

Extinction Prevention Species, meaning they have fewer 

than 50 known reproductive individuals in the wild. 

Conservation oriented research has been conducted on 

three of these taxa: Asplenium dielpallidum N. Snow; 

Asplenium dielmannii Viane; and Diellia erecta f. 

alexandri (Hillebr.) W.H. Wagner. These taxa belong to 

the sub‐clade of dielliod ferns with an estimation of 

divergence time to be ca. 24.3 Myr ago (Schneider et al. 

2005). Distribution data available since 1838 show that 

these ferns have become extirpated from 86% of 

formerly recorded locations (Aguraiuja 2008). Research 

results indicate that the whole sub‐clade is threatened 

with extinction (Aguraiuja and Wood 2001; Aguraiuja et 

al. 2004) and major threats are non‐native introduced 

animal and plant species. Data from population stage 

structure can be applied for estimating trends in 

population dynamics and may be used as a tool for 

selecting source populations for reintroduction. Recent 

conservation efforts include installation of ungulate 

proof fences, removal of non‐native invasive plant 

species, monitoring of extant population conditions and 

population reinforcement efforts (Aguraiuja 2011). 

1 Tallinn Botanic Garden, Estonia 

2 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Kapaa, HI, USA 

3 National Tropical Botanical Garden, Kalaheo, HI, USA 

Andersen, Michael J. 1 , Nyári, Árpád S. 1 , Filardi, 

Christopher E. 2 , and Moyle, Robert G. 3 

A multi‐locus dataset reveals novel insights into the 

systematics, biogeography, and species limits in the 

world’s most diverse bird species: the Pachycephala 

pectoralis/melanura complex 

The Golden/Mangrove Whistler (Pachycephala 

pectoralis/melanura) species complex is one of the most 

widespread and geographically variable avian species. It 

occurs from Java to Tonga including Australia, 

Melanesia, Vanuatu, and Fiji. Many disparate plumage 

patterns are expressed in this group throughout its 

broad geographic distribution; however, many of the 

patterns do not correspond closely with geography. As a 

result, avian systematists and biogeographers have long 

considered this species complex as taxonomically 

Abstracts Alphabetical by Author 

enigmatic with upwards of 66 described subspecies— 

more than any other bird species. Interpretations of the 

biogeographic history and species limits in this group 

are varied, and little progress has been made since the 

advent of molecular phylogenetic techniques. A 

comprehensive, multilocus phylogeny of the Australian 

and Pacific radiations based on mitochondrial and 

nuclear DNA sequences is presented. The results 

support a complex biogeographic history of colonization 

and differentiation throughout Australia and the 

southwest Pacific. There are two well‐supported and 

divergent clades. The Australian clade contains "true" P. 

pectoralis and all P. melanura, which are nested within 

this clade. The Pacific clade contains multiple divergent 

lineages, each of which are concordant with island 

archipelagos including the Bismarks, three separate 

Solomon Islands clades, Santa Cruz, and Fiji. Finally, the 

phylogeny suggests that current taxonomy does not 

accurately reflect diversity in the species complex; 

therefore, it is recommended to revise the taxonomy to 

correspond with each of the evolutionary lineages 

recovered in this phylogeny. 

1 

University of Kansas, Biodiversity Institute, Lawrence, USA 

2 

American Museum of Natural History, Center for Biodiversity and 

Conservation, New York, NY, USA 

3 

University of Kansas, Biodiversity Institute and Department of 

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Lawrence, USA 

Aue, Asa 1 , Stone, Fred 2 , and Price, Jonathan 1 

Using GIS to study the distribution and composition of 

subterranean species 

The cave adapted fauna of the Hawaiian Islands are of 

considerable interest due to their presence on tropical 

islands as well as the relatively quick time which they 

adapted to their underground environment. The current 

study focuses on the geographic distribution of various 

species and the differences in community structure 

among environments using GIS. On the island of 

Hawaiì, there are four described species of 

Caconemobius from Kilauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes. 

Two species [C. varius and C. uuku] have been found at 

the majority of sites examined, whereas the other two 

[C. albus and C. paralbus] are known only from more 

limited and highly fragmented locations. GIS can be 

used to both extrapolate the potential ranges of these 

and other species based on the environmental 

conditions present at known locations [substrate age, 

climate zone, surface vegetation, etc.] as well as 

determine what variables are likely to determine 

differences in community structure between locations. 

While subterranean adapted Caconemobius can be 

28

found in most studied caves on the island, further 

populations must be found and identified at the species 

level in order to obtain a more specific idea of 

distribution and factors influencing migration and 

speciation. 

1 

University of Hawaii at Hilo, Department of Geography and 

Environmental Science, USA 

2 

University of Hawaii at Hilo, Department of Biology, USA 

Bacon, Christine D. 1 , Simmons, Mark P. 1 , and Wagner, 

Warren L. 2 

Evaluating multiple criteria for species delimitation: an 

empirical example using Hawaiian palms (Arecaceae: 

Pritchardia) 

Robust species delimitations are fundamental for 

conservation, evolutionary, and systematics studies, but 

they can be difficult to estimate, particularly in rapid 

radiations and in island systems. Yet delimiting the 

boundaries of species involved in rapid radiations is 

critical to understanding the tempo and mode of 

lineage formation. The consensus that most species 

concepts aim to identify evolutionary distinct lineages is 

clear, but the criteria used to distinguish evolutionary 

lineages differ based on the perceived importance of 

the various characteristics of evolving populations. We 

examined three different species criteria (monophyly, 

absence of genetic intermediates, and diagnosability) to 

determine whether 27 currently recognized species of 

Hawaiian Pritchardia are distinct lineages. Phylogenetic 

analysis of seven genes, morphology, and isozymes 

allowed for the identification of monophyletic lineages, 

Bayesian assignment tests based on microsatellite data 

indicated lineages with a lack of intermediates, and 

diagnostic microsatellite characters were used to test 

the diagnosability criterion. Furthermore, a coalescent 

species tree explicitly modeled incomplete lineage 

sorting and was used as a comparison with the 

phylogenetic hypothesis to infer inter‐specific 

relationships of Pritchardia. Delimiting Hawaiian 

Pritchardia species remains difficult but new tools for 

distinguishing between incomplete lineage sorting and 

hybridization may aid in future efforts. 

1 

Colorado State University, Department of Biology, Fort Collins, CO, 

USA 

2 

Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, 

Department of Botany, Washington, DC, USA 


Bainbridge, Susan J. 1 and Baldwin, Bruce G. 1,2 

Self‐incompatibility, pollen limitation, and endanger‐ 

ment in the Hawaiian silversword alliance 

(Compositae) on Kauaì 

Strong self‐incompatibility in the Hawaiian silversword 

alliance is highly unusual for angiosperms of remote 

oceanic islands and makes these plants especially 

vulnerable to pollen limitation from pollinator loss, loss 

of S‐allele diversity, or both. In wet forests of Kauaì, 

lack of recruitment of the locally common Dubautia 

knudsenii subsp. knudsenii and extreme rarity of D. 

kalalauensis and D. latifolia led us to study whether 

pollen limitation impacts these taxa. Results of hand 

pollinations in comparison with levels of natural seed 

set indicated that lack of pollinator service and not loss 

of S‐allele diversity (or other genetic factors) was 

responsible for lack of natural seed set. Absence of any 

observed visitation by potential pollinators, discovery of 

only one juvenile plant across both studied stands, and 

floral characteristics (including minimal pollen 

production) of D. knudsenii subsp. knudsenii raise 

concern that the taxon may have lost its pollinator and 

be biologically extinct despite still being locally 

common. In contrast, results from the sympatric D. 

kalalauensis indicate minimal pollen limitation, 

substantial recruitment, and extensive visitation by 

potential pollinators, with active destruction of entire 

plants by feral goats and, apparently, by invasive 

Passiflora mollissima. Reproductive failure in natural 

and within‐stand crosses of the rare D. latifolia appear 

to implicate small population sizes and lack of within‐ 

stand cross‐compatibility as major contributors to 

endangerment. Preliminary results from other taxa of 

Dubautia from Kauaì reinforce the finding that 

different factors can be most important as causes of 

rarity or endangerment of closely related taxa sharing 

the same environment. 

1 University of California, Berkeley, Jepson Herbarium, USA 

2 University of California, Berkeley, Department of Integrative 

Biology, USA 

Baldwin, Bruce G. 1 and Wagner, Warren L. 2 

Patterns of diversification in Pacific angiosperms 

Over the last 15 years, studies of Pacific angiosperms 

have yielded evidence of even more spectacular 

diversification than previously demonstrated, with 

discovery of new (including cryptic) diversity and 

resolution of endemic insular clades containing taxa 

once thought to represent distinct introductions from 

29

mainland sources. Such findings indicate that 

morphological and ecological change associated with 

diversification of Pacific flora has been substantially 

greater than previously believed, although most Pacific 

plant lineages are taxonomically depauperate and 

understudied. Some comparative evidence suggests an 

evolutionary predisposition for particular clades to 

diversify in insular situations and to evolve in similar 

ways, but relevant data are limited. Dispersal biology is 

increasingly implicated in Pacific angiosperm 

diversification; most clades containing four or more taxa 

are apparently bird‐dispersed and those apparently 

subject to oceanic drift generally contain only one or 

two (often widespread) taxa. Importance of bird 

dispersal and ecological opportunity is well illustrated 

by the temperate American component of Hawaiian 

flora, recently recognized to include some of the most 

diverse Pacific clades and ones associated with major 

bird‐migration routes and sky‐islands of temperate 

habitat in a tropical archipelago. Although lack of 

molecular variation in commonly studied gene regions 

has continued to impede progress in understanding 

within‐lineage diversification and biogeography in many 

Pacific angiosperm clades, such examples have added to 

mounting evidence that crown groups are generally 

much younger and more rapidly radiating than earlier 

believed. Hybrid origins for some Pacific taxa are now 

well demonstrated, and evidence for ancient 

hybridization in Pacific plant lineages continues to grow. 

1 

University of California, Berkeley, Jepson Herbarium and Department 

of Integrative Biology, USA 

2 



Balukjian, Brad 1 and Gillespie, Rosemary 1 

Back to basics: testing species boundaries and drivers 

of diversification in a true bug radiation in French 

Polynesia 

The relative role of geographic isolation and adaptation 

in driving diversification is often difficult to tease apart 

in island radiations. Plant‐feeding insects are ideal for 

addressing this problem because their strict association 

with host plants provides a convenient way of 

representing adaptation. This research focuses on a 

lineage of plant bugs, Pseudoloxops (Heteropera: 

Miridae) that has diversified in the Society and Austral 

Islands of French Polynesia. The following research 

questions are addressed: (1) Where are the species 

boundaries in this radiation? (2) What has been the 

relative role of geographic isolation and adaptation in 

fostering differentiation? Fresh specimens of three of 


the six described species were collected, in addition to 

several new putative species. Morphological, molecular, 

and ecological data are being used to delimit species 

boundaries. Haplotype CO1 data reveals 12 distinct 

haplotypes out of 22 sequenced individuals from six 

different islands; pairwise divergence ranges from 0.1‐ 

10.2%. A Bayesian phylogeny of the CO1 data suggests 

two clades, one a combination of Society and Austral 

Island taxa and the other restricted to the Society 

Islands. The phylogeny does not support species 

boundaries as currently defined by morphological 

characters. One mitochondrial (16s) and three nuclear 

(18S, 28S, Histone 3) genes are being optimized and 

several ecomorphological traits (wing loading, maxillary 

stylet serration, body size) measured to improve species 

delimitation. Once phylogenies with multiple genes are 

built and ecomorphological traits measured, geographic 

isolation vs. adaptation will be tested by looking for an 

isolation‐by‐distance effect vs. ecological differences 

between sister taxa. 

1 University of California, Berkeley, Department of Environmental 

Science, Policy, and Management, USA 

Banko, Paul C. 1 

Feeding specialization and the vulnerability of 

Hawaiian forest birds to food web disruption and 

environmental change 

Specialization for feeding on particular foods is a 

remarkable feature of the adaptive radiation of the 

Hawaiian honeycreepers (Fringillidae: Drepanidini). All 

major passerine feeding guilds are represented among 

the 48 or more species that descended from a 

cardueline finch ancestor, although finch‐billed seed‐ 

eaters outnumbered fruit‐eaters, nectar‐eaters, and 

arthropod‐eaters. Despite wide dietary divergence 

among adult honeycreepers, nestling diets converged 

on large, soft‐bodied arthropods, especially caterpillars, 

which were relatively nutritious, abundant, and 

obtainable even by birds with bills better suited for 

obtaining other foods. Narrow foraging niches and 

reliance on caterpillars and other arthropods to feed 

their offspring increased the vulnerability of specialists 

to competition and food web disruption from a wide 

range of invasive species, especially parasitoid wasps 

but also predatory wasps, ants, and other birds. 

Ungulates and many other alien pests and weeds 

probably reduced arthropod prey availability by 

modifying habitats, but rats could also have been 

important arthropod predators. Historically, populations 

of specialists declined more dramatically than did 

30

generalists, and specialists disappeared quickly from 

lowland habitats. Recent surveys indicate that 

caterpillar abundance increases and alien parasitoid 

abundance decreases with elevation. The persistence of 

specialists in high‐elevation forests, therefore, may be 

attributable partly to food availability as well as to 

habitat quality and the absence of mosquito‐borne 

diseases. Their low reproductive capacity suggests that 

specialists are relatively constrained energetically, 

making them potentially less resilient to challenges 

from diseases, predators, climate change, and other 

disturbances. Reducing threats to food webs and 

improving habitat quality would help protect specialist 

populations. 

1 U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center, 

Kilauea Field Station, Hawaii National Park, USA 

Beachy, Jane 1 , Burt, Matt 1 , Kawelo, Kapua 1 , Kier, Matt 1 , 

Rohrer, Joby 1 , Sailer, Dan 1 , and Smith, Clifford 1 

Case studies from endangered plant restoration efforts 

in Oàhu’s Waianae Mts. 

U.S. Army is charged with stabilizing and restoring 59 

endangered species (51 plants, 7 snails, 1 bird) on 

Oàhu, Hawaii, in mitigation for live‐fire military 

training. Scattered pockets of relatively intact native 

habitat and small areas with individual endangered 

species are being protected. Many areas have been 

fenced against feral pigs and goats, the principal 

disturbance agents. Rats are controlled in native bird 

and endangered snail habitat as well as to protect 

plants whose seeds are consumed. Small exclosures 

protect native tree snails against introduced carnivorous 

snails. Invasive plants are controlled in the immediate 

area of endangered plants and a more extensive 

eradication effort in surrounding areas is being 

developed to restore widespread native habitat. Most 

species can be cultivated from seed or cuttings and 

outplanted successfully. Seed storage to conserve as 

much genetic diversity as possible is ongoing. Some 

outbreeding populations need hand pollination due to 

loss of pollinators or inadequate proximity to one 

another. Even though we can maintain stock in the 

greenhouse, seed bank or tissue cycle a few species fail 

to establish in the field, e.g., Phyllostegia spp. Some 

species reproduce successfully only as long as we 

control various alien influences. Habitat degradation 

can be ameliorated but preventing re‐invasion by non‐ 

indigenous species without substantial long‐term 

management seems intractable. Future introductions of 

potentially harmful, non‐indigenous species is 

continuous because the interdiction of new species is 


perfunctory and the will to do anything substantive is 

confounded by international agreements and a public 

lack of understanding of the problem. 

1 Oàhu Army Natural Resources Program/Research Corporation of the 

University of Hawaii, Honolulu, USA 

Bennett, Gordon M. 1 and O'Grady, Patrick 1 

Systematics and biogeography of the native Hawaiian 

leafhoppers (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Nesophrosyne) 

The native Hawaiian leafhopper genus Nesophrosyne 

(Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) is a diverse and ubiquitous, 

yet understudied, element of the Hawaiian 

entomofauna. The genus currently comprises seventy‐ 

two described species, showing single island endemicity 

across all high islands of the archipelago. Nesophrosyne 

species occur in almost all habitat types ranging from 

coastal scrub to sub‐alpine regions, and nearly all 

species are native host‐plant dependent, utilizing 75% 

of the most species rich and ecologically dominant plant 

genera (e.g., Clermontia, Coprosma, Pipturus, etc.). Our 

recent morphological and molecular analyses of over 

300 taxa and 12 pacific‐wide outgroups indicate a 

monophyletic Nesophrosyne that is three‐times larger 

than its currently described diversity with over 200 

species endemic to Hawaii. Preliminary phylogenetic 

results support a Kauaì origin for extant Nesophrosyne, 

with a basal multi‐island clade associated exclusively 

with the plant family Urticaceae, particularly the genera 

Urera and Pipturus. A bulk of the Nesophrosyne 

diversity is accounted for by a large subsequent 

radiation, involving multiple colonizations and 

radiations on other islands with transitions to novel 

host‐plant families and genera. While host‐plant 

switching appears to be common for some 

Nesophrosyne species, there is evidence for major host‐ 

plant transitions giving rise to monophyletic groups 

associated with the plant genera Broussaisia, Dodonea, 

Coprosma, Myrsine and Melicope (among others). Large 

clades associated with Coprosma, Broussaisia, and 

Pipturus, spanning multiple islands, provide a window 

into the evolutionary forces driving Nesophrosyne 

diversification. The progression rule (species colonizing 

progressively younger islands) emerges as a common 

pattern, however some clades demonstrate more 

complicated scenarios of island colonization and 

speciation. 


Science, Policy, and Management, Division of Organisms and the 

Environment, USA 

31

Birch, Joanne L. 1 , Keeley, Sterling C. 1 , and Morden, 

Clifford. W. 1,2 

Pathways across the Pacific: an investigation of long‐ 

distance dispersal via direct‐ and stepping‐stone 

pathways in the Pacific Astelia s.l. (Asteliaceae) 

Pathways of long‐distance dispersal in the Pacific 

remain incompletely understood. Phylogenies are 

available for only a small number of Pacific lineages and 

resolution of the relationships of Pacific taxa is often 

limited. The flowering plant genus Astelia s.l. 

(Asteliaceae) is an excellent taxon for the investigation 

of Pacific biogeography as it is present on eight Pacific 

island archipelagos. To better understand dispersal 

pathways in the Pacific, we reconstructed the phylogeny 

of Astelia s.l. based on chloroplast (trnL, psbA‐trnH, 

rps16, and petL‐psbE) and nuclear (NIA‐i3) sequence 

data. An Australasian origin for Astelia s.l. was inferred 

from ancestral area reconstructions with the radiation 

of the genus estimated to 40 million years ago (ma) 

(95% HPD: 25–84 ma). The earliest divergence of an 

extant Pacific taxon occurred during the Upper Miocene 

(ca. 10 ma), but most Pacific taxa diverged during the 

Pliocene (

tidal fluctuation, among other factors. The carbonate 

fractions of beaches of 5 m.y. old Kauaì Island and 28 

m.y old Midway Atoll, dominated by coralline algal 

clasts, likewise indicate even more evolved reef 

complexes reflecting age and stability of the underlying 

volcanic edifice. The dominance of coralline algal clasts 

in Midway beaches also questions the concept of the 

"Darwin Point" as being based on ocean temperature 

control on coral growth rate, since the growth rate of 

coralline algae, a dominant constituent, is little affected 

by temperature. 

1 TEOK Investigations, Kauaì, Hawaii, USA 

Bowen, Brian W. 1 , Rocha, Luiz A. 2 , Eble, Jeff A. 3 , and 

Craig, Matthew 4 

The origins of tropical marine biodiversity: 

a phylogeographic perspective 

Two biogeographic theories have been proposed to 

explain the high biodiversity hotspots in the Indo‐Pacific 

coral triangle and Caribbean Sea. The Center of Origin 

theory maintains that successful species originate in the 

highly competitive environment of the coral triangle, 

and radiate out to peripheral areas. The Center of 

Accumulation theory maintains that the coral triangle is 

a region of overlap between Indian and Pacific faunas, 

and that species originate in peripheral areas. Recent 

phylogeographic surveys of Indo‐Pacific reef fauna 

provide evidence for both patterns. Most of the coral 

reef fauna in the Central Pacific has origins at or near 

the coral triangle. In contrast, several recent cases have 

demonstrated species originating in the peripheral 

Central Pacific and colonizing in towards the coral 

triangle. This study suggests that both processes are 

operating in concert. Successful species forged in the 

highly competitive ecosystems of the coral triangle can 

radiate out to depauperate peripheral habitats, where 

they undergo ecological release and are able to develop 

novel functions. These peripheral species can 

subsequently expand their range back into the center of 

biodiversity. A similar process is operating for the 

Caribbean biodiversity hotspot, which provides species 

to the South Atlantic. These Brazilian species may 

develop novel morphology, behavior, or feeding 

strategies and then re‐colonize the Caribbean. Under 

this process of biodiversity feedback, both hotspots and 

peripheral areas contribute to the production and 

maintenance of reef biodiversity. 

1 University of Hawaii at Manoa, Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, 

Kaneòhe, HI, USA 

2 University of Texas, Austin, TX , USA 

3 University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA 

4 University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez 

Boyer, Alison 1 and Jetz, Walter 2 


The biogeography and evolution of functional diversity 

in Pacific island bird communities 

In addition to taxonomic and phylogenetic measures of 

biodiversity, the combination of ecological traits ex‐ 

hibited by species, i.e. functional diversity (FD), is an 

important component of biodiversity that links 

biodiversity to the delivery of ecosystem services. Yet, 

the biogeographic structure of FD at large spatial scales 

is not well understood. Here we quantify the 

distribution of FD in 45 well‐studied communities of 

Pacific island birds. The loss of FD due to species 

extinctions since human colonization is documented 

here. This study shows that FD was closely related to 

species richness, an expected consequence of the 

methods for calculating FD. While the biogeographic 

pattern of species richness follows the predictions of 

classic island biogeography theory, increasing with 

island area, elevation, and age, and decreasing with 

island isolation, after accounting for species richness, FD 

was also related to island isolation and elevation. Bird 

communities on isolated islands had significantly lower 

FD for a given species richness compared to less‐ 

isolated communities. This result may indicate a strong 

effect of dispersal limitation on the assembly of 

functionally diverse communities, or alternatively, when 

species assembly occurs primarily through in situ 

evolution, an effect of dispersal limitation on the 

diversity of the initial colonists. While older islands 

tended to have higher FD (for a given level of species 

richness), this effect was not significant. The five main 

Hawaiian islands, home to a well‐known adaptive 

radiation of birds, had lower FD than expected given 

their species richness. Within islands that have a well‐ 

studied Holocene fossil record, it was shown that 

between 11% and 80% of the original FD has been lost 

due to anthropogenic extinctions, and the loss of FD 

was closely linked to the extinction rate. 

1 

University of Tennessee, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary 

Biology, Knoxville, USA 

2 

Yale University, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 

New Haven, CT, USA 

33

Boyer, Alison G. 1,2 , James, Helen F. 2 , Olson, Storrs L. 2 , 

and Grant‐Mackie, Jack A. 3 

Long‐term ecological change in a conservation hotspot: 

the fossil avifauna of Mé Auré Cave, New Caledonia 

Through the continuing accumulation of fossil evidence, 

it is clear that first human arrival on islands around the 

world was linked to a rise in the extinction rate for 

vertebrates. Bones in human‐era fossil sites can also 

reveal changes in the composition and structure of 

ecological communities due to human environmental 

impacts. New Caledonia is a large and biogeographically 

distinct island in the southwest Pacific and is considered 

a critical priority for biodiversity conservation. Fossil 

birds from the Mé Auré Cave site (WMD007), located in 

lowland dry forest on the west coast of New Caledonia 

were examined. Accumulation of bird skeletal material 

in the cave was primarily through deposition in barn owl 

(Tyto alba) pellets. The site recorded the island‐wide 

extinction of two species and extirpation of at least two 

other species from the lowlands in the past 1200 years. 

Species richness of birds in the stratigraphic deposit was 

quite high, reflecting the broad diet of barn owls on 

islands, and many species have continued to persist 

near the site despite loss and degradation of the dry 

forest. However, this study revealed substantial 

turnover in relative abundance of species in the cave 

deposit, with edge and open country birds becoming 

more common through time. This work provides a 

temporal record of avifaunal and environmental change 

in the threatened dry forest habitat that should be 

particularly informative for ongoing conservation and 

restoration efforts. 

1 

University of Tennessee, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary 

Biology, Knoxville, USA 

2 


Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Washington, DC, USA 

3 

University of Auckland, New Zealand 

Brown, Jonathan 1 

Generating the entangled bank – herbivore evolution 

in a Pacific archipelago 

Herbivorous insects of archipelagos provide model 

systems to investigate the rates and relative importance 

of different modes of speciation, including dispersal 

between islands, adaptation to abiotic conditions, and 

adaptation to radiations in their host plants. The 

endemic Hawaiian tephritid flies (genus Trupanea) feed 

as larvae on plants in three endemic radiations of 

Asteraceae (Artemisia, Bidens, and the Hawaiian 


silversword alliance). Molecular phylogenetic analysis of 

the fly radiation illustrates the importance of island 

dispersal to speciation, with many sister taxa and 

differentiated populations found on different islands. 

However, phylogenetic reconstruction of host 

relationships demonstrates that overall diversity has 

been amplified by early shifts in feeding on different 

host plant tissues and different endemic host plant 

lineages, so that speciation via island dispersal has 

occurred in parallel in different clades. Unlike in many 

model systems of sympatric speciation, shifts in host 

plant specialization at the species level have not been a 

major factor in species formation. Data is presented on 

variation in host use for a recent radiation within Maui, 

and a widespread species on the Big Island to propose 

that a lack of strict plant host specificity in hosts that 

are themselves closely related has allowed speciation 

via both dispersal between islands and adaptation to 

abiotic conditions within islands. 

1 Grinnell College, Department of Biology, IA, USA 

Brown, Rafe M. 1 , Filardi, Christopher E. 2 , and Moyle, 

Robert G. 1 

Evolutionary patterns of community diversification at 

local and regional scales in the tropical Pacific ‐ Part 2, 

Amphibians 

At the low end of the spectrum of relative dispersal 

abilities, anuran amphibians are arguably the land‐ 

vertebrate group least capable of dispersal in the Pacific 

islands of the Philippines, Indonesia, New Guinea, the 

Solomon‐Bismarck archipelagos and Fiji. Because frogs 

are relatively sedentary, susceptible to desiccation, and 

less tolerant of exposure to salt water, we might expect 

the diverse frog communities of the Pacific to derive 

almost exclusively from in situ evolutionary diver‐ 

sification. This study uses phylogenetic analysis of 

community assembly to test this prediction in the 

dominant group of frogs inhabiting the islands of the 

Pacific. Evidence was found for a striking combination 

of processes, with some complex communities arising 

exclusively as a result of ecological assembly 

(phylogenetic over‐dispersion) and others derived 

almost entirely from speciation within islands and 

archipelagos (phylogenetically clustered). These results 

provide new insights into predicted patterns for other 

Pacific vertebrate groups of intermediate dispersal 

abilities (i.e., lizards and snakes): many communities are 

the result of a combination of processes that interact in 

novel ways dictated by history of the lineages involved, 

the idiosyncrasies of individual taxa, and the 

34

geographical template of the landmasses themselves. 

The end result, these results suggest, is high levels of 

equivalent diversity, but derived from different 

processes in the various archipelagos of the Pacific. 

1 University of Kansas, Biodiversity Institute and Department of 

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Biodiversity Institute, Lawrence, 

USA 

2 American Museum of Natural History, Center for Biodiversity and 

Conservation, New York, NY, USA 

Bruegmann, Marie M. 1 

Trends in plant populations after two decades of 

recovery implementation in Hawaii 

The biota of the Hawaiian Islands represents a 

remarkable example of insular evolution, with nearly 

90% endemism. However, since colonization of these 

islands by humans, extensive areas of the natural 

landscape and ecosystems have been profoundly 

damaged and many of the native taxa have declined or 

gone extinct. There is still time to save many of the 

remaining taxa and ecosystems, if efforts are taken to 

develop and implement a comprehensive conservation 

strategy for Hawaiian plants effectively embracing both 

taxon recovery and ecosystem management. There 

have been many successful plant and ecosystem 

conservation efforts in Hawaii to date, including the 

Plant Extinction Prevention Program and the mid‐ 

elevation rare plant facilities, which rescue the rarest of 

the rare; reintroduction efforts on a larger scale like the 

Kau silverword and many species by the U.S. Army, and 

complete habitat restoration such as Auwahi dry forest. 

However, such efforts have not been sufficiently funded 

or staffed to reverse the dramatic losses in Hawaiian 

biodiversity. A review of available data over the last 20 

years indicates the number of taxa with less than 100 

individuals remaining in the wild has increased. When 

compared to the amount of Federal and State funding 

spent on Hawaiian plant conservation over the last 14 

years (for which expenditures data is available) relative 

to that for mainland plants, the success of existing 

programs seems even more remarkable. 

1 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Honolulu, HI, USA 

Burney, David A. 1 and Burney, Lida Pigott 2 

Ecological restoration in the face of global change: 

Case studies from Kauaì 

If biodiversity is to survive under the combined threats 

posed by global change, including climatic uncertainty, 


biological invasion, and economic crisis, innovative 

strategies are needed that provide maximum flexibility 

and affordability while saving as many native species 

and ecological functions as possible. Baseline studies, 

drawing on information from longer time series 

provided by paleoecology, archaeology, history, and 

oral tradition, are essential to good decision‐making. 

Conservation dollars, hours, and hectares have been 

deployed on a long front that includes a wide range of 

in situ techniques as well as strong back‐ups provided 

by ex situ institutions such as botanical gardens. 

Between these two classic conservation strategies is a 

broad "third front" for conservation, offered by a range 

of innovative strategies sometimes grouped under the 

term "inter situ." The Makauwahi Cave Reserve has 

served as a testing ground for many of these ideas that 

have been applied by the National Tropical Botanical 

Garden and other entities in a wide range of habitats 

and challenges on Kauaì. Monitoring of over 3000 

reintroduced native plants began in 2005. Many species 

were selected on the basis of their prevalence as fossils 

near the restoration sites, and this strategy has 

provided higher success rates and more diverse 

restored communities. The unique configuration of the 

cave site, with a richly fossiliferous excavation project as 

the centerpiece for surrounding restorations, has 

provided thousands of school children and other visitors 

with an unparalleled educational experience that links 

past evidence to aspirations for a better future for 

Pacific island environments. 

1 National Tropical Botanical Garden, Kalaheo, Hawaii, USA 

2 Makauwahi Cave Reserve, Kauaì, Hawaii, USA 

Cantley, Jason T. 1 , Keeley, Sterling C. 1 , Swenson, 

Nathan 2 , and Nolting, Kristen 2 

Biogeographic connections of Coprosma (Rubiaceae) 

across the Pacific Ocean 

Coprosma (Rubiaceae) is widely distributed throughout 

the Pacific with a center of diversity in New Zealand 

(55+ species) and secondary centers in New Guinea and 

Hawaii (each with ~13 species). Additional species are 

found on other Pacific islands ranging from the Juan 

Fernandez Islands to the east, Macquarie Island to the 

south and Borneo to the west. The first molecular 

phylogeny of Coprosma species across the Pacific was 

generated using the nuclear ITS and ETS regions and the 

rps16 intron cpDNA region for 80 Coprosma species. 

Preliminary results suggest an origin for the genus in 

New Zealand with subsequent dispersals to Australia, 

New Guinea and the wider Pacific. Species occurring on 

islands close to New Zealand (i.e. Chatham, Norfolk, and 

35

Kermadec) appear to be the result of separate dispersal 

events from New Zealand ancestors. Two independent 

species groups were also identified in the Pacific: one 

from the Society Islands and another from the 

Marquesan‐Hawaiian islands. Among the latter group, 

all Hawaiian species appear to be derived from a 

common Marquesan ancestor. However, C. 

ernodeoides, a Hawaiian endemic, appears in two 

locations in the phylogeny suggesting the possibility of 

reticulate evolution for this taxon. 

1University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Botany, Honolulu, USA 

2 Michigan State University, Department of Plant Biology, East Lansing, 

USA 

Cardemil, Jaime Espejo 1 and Aspillaga, Francisco 

Rodriguez 2 

New insights in conservation of Sophora toromiro 

(Phil.) Skottsb. emblematic species of the South Pacific 

This paper describes the latest achievements of a 

conservation program for reintroduction of Sophora 

toromiro (Phil.) Skottsb. in Rapa Nui (Easter Island). 

Mass propagation of germplasm by inter‐specific grafts 

growing ex situ material is reported. To date, over 400 

grafts are ready to be established in a multipurpose 

clonal seed orchard. The germoplasm has been 

collected from three lines of material known as National 

Botanic Garden of Viña del Mar (JBV), Goteborg (GOT) 

and Titze (Tit). Additionally, controlled pollinations 

seeds were sown in order to understand basic aspects 

of reproductive biology for the species. This is the 

second documented experience for the rescue of a 

species listed as extinct in the wild, using non‐ 

traditional but efficient horticultural techniques. A 

conservation program and its related activities are 

identified to ensure a gradual recovery of S. toromiro on 

Rapa Nui island at medium term. 

1 

Programa Post Grado. Facultad de Ciencias Forestales. Universidad 

de Concepcion. Chile 

2 

Gerencia Tecnologia Silvicola. Forestal Mininco. Los Angeles. Chile 

Casquet, Juliane 1 , Thébaud, Christophe 1 , and Gillespie, 

Rosemary 2 

How to build an insular community: local 

diversification vs. independent colonisation events 

Understanding the nature of mechanisms underlying 

community assembly remains one of the greatest 

challenges in community ecology: contrasted processes 

can lead to apparently similar communities. For 


example, two similar communities can either be built‐up 

through independent colonisation events or through a 

single colonisation event followed by local speciation. 

Theoretical studies predict that when the place where 

the assembly happens is far from the coloniser source, 

as few as one lineage would be able to emigrate. 

Therefore, it is likely that the species composing the 

local communities come from local speciation events. 

Conversely, when the place where the assembly 

happens is close to the coloniser source, several 

lineages should be able to emigrate and to build‐up the 

local community. Though this hypothesis seems quite 

intuitive, it is hard to find the good model system to test 

it. We focused on oceanic islands, as they are a system 

where the coloniser source and the local community are 

discrete entities. We compared spider communities of 

Pacific archipelagos (e.g. Hawaii) and of Indian Ocean 

archipelagos (e.g. the Mascarenes). These archipelagos 

are similar in ages and ecology but Hawaii is very 

remote whereas the Mascarenes are more connected. 

We reconstructed community phylogenies on both 

these archipelagos and showed that the diversification 

patterns followed the theoretical predictions. This is an 

example of how comparing patterns and processes of 

diversification between several archipelagos lead to a 

more global understanding of ecological community 

structuring. 

1 Laboratoire Evolution et Diversité Biologique, Toulouse, France 

2 University of California, Berkeley, Essig Museum of Entomology and 

Environmental Science Policy, and Management, USA 

Chan, Yvonne 1 , Toonen, Robert 1 , Longenecker, 

Kenneth 2 , Carlon, Dave 3 , and Hunt, Terry 4 

How many have been lost? Using modern and ancient 

genetic variation to infer demographic history and 

develop baselines for coral reef conservation and 

management 

Efforts to conserve and manage coral reefs hinge on the 

availability of scientific data evaluating their status and 

rates of change. This program examined modern 

genetic variation across the species range and ancient 

genetic variation from fish bones from two well‐ 

stratified archaeological excavations in the main 

Hawaiian Islands to track genetic diversity and infer 

demographic history in the endemic parrotfish 

Chlorurus perspicillatus. When developing population 

baselines, temporal data is often sparse or unavailable, 

leading scientists to use space as a proxy for time. 

However, with the global impacts of modern overfishing 

and climatic change, there are few places on earth not 

impacted by humans. The proximity of the 

36

Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) to the Main 

Hawaiian Islands provides a unique opportunity to 

validate temporal and spatial baseline estimates. The 

NWHI was used as a spatial baseline for comparison to 

the temporal ancient DNA baseline. Modern and 

ancient genetic variation can provide a unique long‐ 

term perspective from early human settlement to 

modern marine exploitation, directly measuring genetic 

diversity over hundreds of years and allowing a long‐ 

term assessment of the current extent of human 

impacts on coral reef ecosystems. 

1 

University of Hawaii at Manoa, Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, 

Kaneòhe, USA 

2 

Bishop Museum, Honolulu, HI, USA 

3 

University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Zoology, Honolulu, 

USA 

4 

University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Anthropology, 

Honolulu, USA 

Cibois, Alice 1 

Phylogenetic patterns of birds across the Pacific Ocean 

Deciphering the complexity of colonization over large 

distances and a multitude of islands requires 

comprehensive phylogenies for widely distributed taxa. 

In this context, birds (probably one of the best known 

groups of animals in the tropical Pacific) are ideal 

candidates for the study of insular colonization. Some of 

the seminal works on insular biogeography were indeed 

conducted on land birds, and several research programs 

on molecular phylogenies of Pacific birds have been 

initiated recently. After a brief introduction on the 

tropical Pacific avifauna and a review of the available 

phylogenies, the focus will be on four groups of land 

birds that are well diversified in the Pacific: swiftlets, 

fruit‐doves, monarchs and reed‐warblers. Their 

phylogenetic patterns were compared at the Pacific 

Ocean level, and second at the level of the remote 

archipelagos of eastern Polynesia. Although recent 

extinctions could sometime bias the phylogenetic 

pattern, it was found overall that these birds do not 

share a common colonization pattern, even for the two 

taxa that present similar life‐histories (the medium‐ 

sized, insectivorous, and territorial monarchs and reed‐ 

warblers). Their diversification across the Pacific led to 

diverse scenarios with multiple colonizations of remote 

archipelagos, several cases of reverse colonization from 

insular lineages to Australia, few support for the 

"progression rule" colonization of volcanic archipelagos, 

and many long distance colonizations. 

1 Natural History Museum of Geneva, Switzerland 


Clark, John R. 1 , Wagner, Warren L. 2 , and Roalson, Eric 

H. 3 

On the origin and diversification of Cyrtandra 

(Gesneriaceae): range expansions and contractions in a 

widely dispersed Pacific angiosperm genus 

With approximately 600 species, Cyrtandra is the largest 

genus in Gesneriaceae and occupies the greatest range 

for any genus in the family, extending throughout 

southeast Asia and into the Pacific. The Pacific clade is 

monophyletic and represents approximately half of all 

known species of Cyrtandra. Diverging approximately 

20‐30 MYBP, the Pacific clade possibly originated within 

the New Guinea‐Solomon Islands region, with more 

recent divergence events taking place as the genus 

spread across the remote Pacific islands. Resolving the 

affinities among these closely related lineages has 

provided a framework to address broad‐scale patterns 

of lineage diversification and range expansion in the 

Pacific. Results from recent ancestral range and 

phylogenetic reconstructions of the genus are 

presented, including analyses of samples from the 

Solomon Islands. The Cyrtandra samoensis complex of 

species, once thought to represent as many as 10‐15 

closely related species, is actually a group of 

phylogenetically disparate taxa with a common, 

"archetypal" morphology. This morphology may be 

conducive to a wider range of ecological conditions than 

other species of Cyrtandra and may prove more vagile 

than ecologically restricted or specialized species. This 

hypothesis is explored along with the idea that pulses in 

range expansion followed by range contractions have 

lead to the great range and high numbers of endemic 

species for this genus. 

1 

Catalina Island Conservancy, Avalon, CA and Rancho Santa Ana 

Botanic Garden, Claremont, CA, USA 

2 



3 

Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA 

Clark, John R. 1 , Hein, Frank 1 , and Rosa, Carlos de la 1 

Santa Catalina Island ‐ past, present, and future study 

of a near‐continent island system 

Santa Catalina Island is one of the eight California 

Channel Islands, located approximately 35 km 

southwest of Los Angeles. At 194 km 2 , 88% of which is 

managed by the non‐profit land trust Catalina Island 

Conservancy, Santa Catalina is the third largest Channel 

Island and is the second tallest with an elevation of 639 

meters. Mediterranean in climate, at least 8 defined 

37

plant communities have been identified on the island, 

from coastal scrub, to oak woodlands, to open 

grasslands. There are over 400 species of plants native 

to the island and nearly 200 non‐native introductions. 

Only a few mammals are native to the island and 

include the Catalina Island fox, a ground squirrel, and a 

few other rodents. Birds are numerous and include an 

endemic subspecies of California quail and year‐round 

resident bald eagles. Various ungulates have been 

introduced to the island over the last 150 years and 

have been managed and/or removed from the island in 

recent times. These characteristics, combined with a 

diverse and long history of land use and recovery, make 

Santa Catalina Island a unique living laboratory for 

island‐based scientific research. The island is the most 

accessible of all the Channel Islands adding to the 

appeal of Santa Catalina as a long term research station. 

Past, present and future biogeographic studies are 

described here and opportunities for novel projects and 

immediate research opportunities are presented. 

Collaborations with the Catalina Island Conservancy are 

encouraged and contact and research goals are 

provided. 

1 Catalina Island Conservancy, Avalon, CA, USA 

Cole, David M. 1 , Morden, Clifford W. 1 , and Farruggia, 

Frank T. 2 

Enlightening the relictual distribution and population 

genetic structure of Sesbania tomentosa Hook and 

Arn. with Hawaiian oral histories and place names 

Sesbania tomentosa (Fabaceae) is an endemic flowering 

plant primarily adapted to coastal strand and dry 

lowland habitat in the Hawaiian Islands, now extant in 

what are believed to be relicts of a formerly more 

widespread and contiguous range. Efforts have been 

made to delineate a number of distinct taxa from 

among the remaining populations. However, only one 

polymorphic entity was formally recognized in the latest 

treatment of Hawaiian flora. After herbarium records 

are exhausted, the potential extent of the pre‐historical 

occurrence of this species can be gleaned from 

Hawaiian mo'olelo (historical accounts) and place 

names. Many interesting notions emerge, such as the 

apparently common incidence of this plant (coinciding 

with related species in a well‐supported 

American/Pantropical clade) in and around wetland 

margins. In addition, the plant's known distribution 

would be pushed above 1000 m elevation and it would 

be found to thrive in more moist mesic lowland habitats 

than is realized at present. A multi‐dimensional 

molecular approach (nuclear sequences plus 


microsatellite DNA markers) was employed to 

investigate the population structure of Sesbania 

tomentosa at diverse scales of evolutionary analysis. 

This methodology revealed a striking contrast between 

the complete lack of gene sequence variation among 

the various morphotypes with a highly differentiated 

population structure of more rapidly evolving 

microsatellite DNA segments. The molecular data can 

be interpreted to support the hypothesis that 

distinctive‐appearing remnant populations of this highly 

polymorphic species have diverged at an accelerated 

rate due to human disturbance and habitat 

fragmentation within the larger context of the 

speciation process itself. 

1 University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Botany, Honolulu, USA 

2 University of Utah, Department of Biology, Salt Lake City, USA 

Concepcion, Greg 1 

Phylogeography of Montipora capitata in the Hawaiian 

archipelago 

With a distribution encompassing both the Main 

Hawaiian Islands, and Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, 

Montipora capitata is one of the most successful reef 

building corals in the state of Hawaii in terms of both 

geographic distribution and relative abundance. 

Through the use of microsatellite markers, it was 

possible to infer geographical regions throughout the 

state of Hawaii that make dispersal to distant islands 

increasingly less likely. By employing non‐lethal 

sampling techniques, we collected samples (n = 560) 

from 11 islands/atolls along the archipelago in addition 

to Johnston Atoll. Analysis revealed that sexual 

reproduction is the major contributor to population 

structure, and dispersal is in fact quite limited. Most 

recruitment appears to be local, despite the potential 

for an extended >200 day pelagic larval duration. 

Several lines of evidence concurred with these findings 

that there are four main regional groupings of M. 

capitata in the state, one comprised of the Main 

Hawaiian Islands, one comprised of the northwestern‐ 

most Hawaiian Islands, and two groupings with less 

clear boundaries encompassing the middle of the chain 

and Johnston Atoll. 

1 University of Maryland, College Park, USA 

38

Conklin, Eric 1 , Wiggins, Chad 2 , Giddens, Jonatha 3 , 

Friedlander, Alan 4 , and Birkeland, Charles 5 

Determining the effects of the introduced predatory 

grouper roi (Cephalopholis argus) on a native Hawaiian 

reef fish assemblage 

Introduced species have had community‐level effects on 

island ecosystems and the Hawaiian reef fish species 

assemblage is potentially vulnerable to the impacts of 

an alien predator. Previous studies show that roi 

(Cephalopholis argus), an introduced predatory grouper, 

consumes 8.2 million fish/year (93.7 metric tons) from 

the reefs on the Kona coast of the Big Island. Yet, recent 

studies also suggest that predation by roi has not 

produced a substantive effect on the community 

structure of the prey populations. The actual effects of 

predation by roi in West Hawaiì are being tested by 

working with a local Puako fishing community to 

experimentally remove roi from 3 acres of patch reef 

and monitoring potential changes in reef‐fish 

associations in areas with and without the predator. A 

Before‐After‐Control‐Impact strategy is used to assess 

changes in fish communities associated with the 

removal activities. At each site, visual fish transects are 

conducted for 4m X 25m with all fish identified to the 

species level and placed in size bins for total length 

(cm). The removal of roi is expected to have differential 

effects on reef‐fish populations according to size class. 

Larger (> 13‐15 cm) fishes are expected to show little 

change, while smaller fishes (

plumes, the data from this study are compared to a 

separate island arc system from the Caribbean to test 

the robustness of the theory on island arcs formed by 

subduction. 

1 

Australian Tropical Herbarium, Cairns, Australia 

2 

University of Adelaide, Australian Centre for Evolutionary Biology and 

Biodiversity, SA, Australia 

3 

National Tropical Botanic Garden, Kalaheo, HI, USA 

Cotoras, Darko 1 , Casquet, Juliane 2 , and Gillespie, 

Rosemary 3 

Diversification patterns of Tetragnatha spiders in 

remote archipelagos on the Pacific Ocean 

Archipelagos provide unique model systems to test 

hypotheses about how diversification patterns are 

impacted by contrasting geographical context. Spiders 

in the genus Tetragnatha (Araneae: Tetragnathidae) 

have colonized independently many archipelagos in the 

Pacific Ocean. Every archipelago provides different 

conditions of isolation, area, altitude or stages in the 

geologic history. Hawaii represents the extreme with a 

large proportion of endemic species due to adaptive 

radiation. In contrast, the islands of the West Pacific 

generally have more widespread species. As an 

intermediate case are the Society Islands and 

Marquesas with some archipelago and island endemics. 

What is the diversification model that best describes the 

evolution of Tetragnatha spiders in the Pacific Ocean? 

To start answering this question a Bayesian tree based 

on a mitochondrial sequence (COI) was produced. Then, 

BEAST was used to generate an ultrametric tree which 

was time calibrated with a 22.8‐34 MY old tetragnathine 

fossil from the Florissant fossil beds in Colorado. With a 

minimal lineages‐through‐time plot the relation 

between the origin of the different islands and the 

speciation events was illustrated. Finally, different 

diversification models were tested against the whole 

phylogeny and small monophyletic clades. While 

incomplete taxon sampling could generate apparent 

extinction, the preliminary results provide important 

insights into the diversification patterns within this area. 

The hope is to improve the resolution of the phylogeny 

with a more complete taxon sampling including the 

West Pacific and Southeast Asia. 

1 

University of California, Berkeley, Integrative Biology Department, 

USA 

2 

Université de Toulouse, Centre National de la Recherche 

Scientifique 

France 

Laboratoire, Evolution et Diversité Biologique, 

3 

University of California, Berkeley, Environmental Science, 

Policy, and Management, USA 


DiBattista, Joseph D. 1 , Craig, Matthew T. 2 , Rocha, Luiz 

A. 3 , Feldheim, Kevin A. 4 , and Bowen, Brian W. 1 

Phylogeographic patterns in two related Indo‐Pacific 

butterflyfish, Chaetodon meyeri and Chaetodon 

ornatissimus, reveal insights into evolutionary history 

Speciation is a particularly relevant topic for the study 

of coral reef fishes given their high biodiversity and the 

abundance of closely‐related taxa with sympatric 

distributions. This research focuses on two Indo‐Pacific 

reef fish species, the ornate butterflyfish (Chaetodon 

ornatissimus) and the scrawled butterflyfish (Chaetodon 

meyeri), which are sister taxa that have similar 

morphology, life‐history characteristics, dispersal 

potential, habitat preferences, and are known to 

hybridize at specific sites of overlap in the eastern 

Indian Ocean. To investigate the influence of shared 

history and biogeographic barriers on these two 

species, mtDNA cytochrome b sequences and 10 

microsatellite loci were surveyed from locations across 

the Indo‐Pacific region; N = 296 and N = 134 for C. 

ornatissimus and C. meyeri, respectively. Analysis of 

molecular variance based on both sets of molecular 

markers revealed little or no genetic structure for C. 

meyeri, but moderate structuring for C. ornatissimus. 

Statistical parsimony haplotype networks and Bayesian 

clustering analyses were also consistent with a scenario 

of minimal genetic differentiation among sampling sites 

for C. meyeri, but highlighted discrete groups (with 

some admixture) for C. ornatissimus: 1) Indian Ocean 

and western Pacific sites, 2) Central Pacific sites, and 3) 

all Hawaiian sites. Moreover, coalescence time 

estimates indicate much older population expansion 

events in C. ornatissimus versus C. meyeri. Thus, despite 

similarities in ecology, morphology, life history, and 

distribution, these closely related species have 

divergent patterns of dispersal and corresponding 

evolutionary history. 

1 Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 


2 University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez 

3 University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA 

4 The Field Museum, Chicago, IL, USA 

Drake, D. 1 , Young, L. 2 , VanderWerf, E. 2 , and Morden, C. 1 

Relationships among substrate, seabirds, and vege‐ 

tation in a recovering Hawaiian ecosystem 

Kaèna Point is a 16 ha coastal ecosystem at the 

northwest tip of Oàhu, Hawaii. Along a gradient from 

land to sea, the substrate shifts from basalt boulders to 

40

volcanic soil to sand dunes, and exposure to salt‐laden 

sea spray increases. The vegetation is a patchwork of 

shrubland and grassland communities composed of 47 

plant species ranging from endangered endemics to 

invasive aliens. Since off‐road vehicles were excluded in 

1989 and predator control and vegetation management 

began in 1992, this ecosystem has recovered 

dramatically. The vegetation has regenerated and 

breeding populations of wedge‐tailed shearwaters 

(Puffinus pacificus; ca. 3000 pairs) and Laysan albatross 

(Phoebastria immutabilis; ca. 65 pairs) have recolonized. 

To examine relationships among the physical 

environment, plants, and seabirds, substrate type, plant 

cover, and shearwater burrow density in 52 plots across 

the site was quantified. Plant community composition is 

strongly related to seaward‐landward gradients in 

substrate and exposure, and dominance shifts from 

alien to native species as distance from the north‐facing 

shore increases. Shearwater burrows are concentrated 

in sand and soil substrates. Burrow density is positively 

correlated with total native plant cover but not total 

alien plant cover, though some invasive alien species 

(e.g., Atriplex semibaccata) are associated with 

burrows. The construction of a mammal‐proof fence 

and eradication of invasive mammals in 2011 should 

further enhance recovery of the flora and fauna. 

Research on interactions among seabirds, plants, and 

other biota will help ensure that management 

maximizes recovery of all native components of the 

ecosystem. 


2 Pacific Rim Conservation, Honolulu, HI, USA 

Duffy, David Cameron 1 

The state of conservation in Hawaii and the Pacific: 

two steps forward, three steps back? 

The Pacific Islands have been textbook examples of 

ecological disaster. Past settlement by Polynesians, 

Europeans, and others brought massive habitat damage 

and successive waves of alien species that devastated 

native ecosystems. The present pace of destruction has 

slowed, if only because less is left, but alien species 

continue to arrive and human population increase 

continues to reduce habitat. New ecosystems have 

been created that are an amalgamation of new and 

surviving native species. For future climate change there 

is an inexorable asymmetry such that small island states 

can do some things to ameliorate the symptoms, but 

are powerless to affect the ultimate outcomes of sea 

level rise, weather changes, and ocean acidification. 

This seemingly bleak reality has not deterred a suite of 


conservation actions across the Pacific. The creation and 

maintenance of parks and marine protected areas 

continues, as does the inventory of biodiversity 

"hotspots", rare species and significant ecological 

processes. Networks and cooperative groups have 

formed to exchange information and to attack the 

invasive alien species problem, both within countries 

and across international boundaries. Conservation 

efforts for individual species are numerous and growing. 

Unfortunately, significant challenges and shortcomings 

remain. Effective quarantine efforts are almost non‐ 

existent. Funding shortfalls have limited programs and 

now threaten to cripple them. Strategic plans are 

frequent; logistic planning remains rare. Finally 

scientists and managers too often live in different 

worlds. 

1 University of Hawaii at Manoa, Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit, 

Department of Botany, Honolulu, USA 

Duffy, Deidre 1 and Lepczyk, Christopher 1 

The historical ecology of game species introductions in 

Hawaii 

The historical ecology of an area can be best 

understood from a biocultural perspective in which 

culture and ecosystems are interrelated and 

interdependent. We Such a perspective was used to 

investigate the effects of socioeconomic, political, and 

cultural viewpoints on the intentional introduction of at 

least 72 game species to Hawaii over the past 230 years. 

Historical records of game species introductions and 

inter‐island translocations were compared with 

historical events since European contact (1778). 

Changes in public opinion toward game shifted 

according to the prevailing cultural climate of the time, 

corresponding with historical periods that can be 

demarcated by 5 major political events: European 

contact (1778), the Kingdom of Hawaii (1819), the 

Territory of Hawaii (1898), the end of World War II 

(1945), and the Endangered Species Act (1973). In 

Hawaii, environmental management approaches have 

been integrated with changing cultural values, and the 

resultant game management policies have reflected 

shifting views of game species from valuable food 

sources to recreational sport to ecological nuisance. 

Such recognition of the interrelationship between 

politics, economics, and the environment allows us to 

better utilize past lessons to bring about future change 

by encouraging resource managers to consider cultural 

factors when formulating effective present and future 

management goals. 

41

1 University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Natural Resources and 

Environmental Management, Honolulu, USA 

Ewing, Curtis 1 

Biogeography, speciation, and host plant use among a 

monophyletic group of Cillaeine Sap Beetles 

(Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) in French Polynesia 

Native cillaeine sap beetles (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae: 

Cillaeinae) are known from across the South Pacific and 

the six high Hawaiian Islands. There are 16 species 

endemic to French Polynesia, with 15 endemic to the 

Marquesas and one from the Society Islands endemic to 

Tahiti. In The Marquesas species are known from Nuku 

Hiva (6 spp.), Ua Huka (1 sp.), Ua Pou (2 spp.), Hiva Oa 

(6 spp.), and Tahuata (1 sp., also found on Hiva Oa), all 

from high elevation wet and cloud forest environments. 

Molecular phylogenetic analysis of cox1 and 28s, and 

morphology, support monophyly for the 16 species. 

Dating of nodes suggests the Tahiti species diverged 

prior to the emergence of Tahiti, though no species are 

known from the older Society Islands. All 28 Tahiti 

specimens sequenced for COX1 have a unique 

haplotype suggesting either rapid divergence or ancient 

colonization. Tests for population structure based on 

host and geography show little structure. Diversification 

in the Marquesas is a combination of between and 

within island speciation events. Speciation rate, 

morphological diversity, and host plant utilization of the 

Marquesan species is compared with the Hawaiian 

cillaeine Nitidulidae. Decaying stipes of tree ferns in the 

genus Cyathea are the primary host in the Marquesas, 

with all but one species most commonly collected in this 

environment. When these species coexist 

geographically they have nearly all been found together 

within a single stipe. Morphological characters mapped 

onto the molecular phylogentic hypothesis explore 

possible correlations between putative sympatric 

speciation events and relative morphological 

divergence. 




Faucci, Anuschka 1 , Toonen, Robert J. 2 , and Hadfield, 

Michael G. 3 

Land and sea: patterns of phylogeography in six 

species of vermetid gastropods across the Hawaiian 

archipelago resemble those of terrestrial animals 

The phylogeographic patterns of six species of vermetid 

gastropods (Dendropoma gregaria, D. meroclista, D. 

platypus, D. rhyssoconcha, Petaloconchus keenae, and 

Serpulorbis variabilis) from 16 islands and atolls across 

the Hawaiian Archipelago were assessed using 

cytochrome oxidase I. Haplotype diversity within a 

species was generally high (0.637‐0.993), with 81‐97% 

of all haplotypes restricted to a single sampling site. 

Population‐genetic analyses revealed that populations 

of vermetids are highly structured (pairwise ?ST = 0.168 

‐ 0.946), and that there is a remarkable overlap of 

general patterns of population connectivity across 

species despite differences in larval dispersal potential. 

Strong barriers were found to gene flow between 

islands and even within multiple populations around the 

islands of Oàhu and Hawaiì (pairwise ?ST = 0.484‐ 

0.945). The general pattern of high overall haplotype 

diversity, large number of island and locality haplotypes, 

and weak to no evidence for isolation by distance seen 

in vermetids is more similar to that of terrestrial 

animals, such as tree snails, than to most marine species 

studied to date. 

1 

University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Biology, Honolulu, USA 

2 


Kaneòhe, USA 

3 

University of Hawaii at Manoa, Kewalo Marine Laboratory, Honolulu, 

USA 

Fernandez‐Silva, Iria 1 , Andrews, Kim R. 1 , Snelgrove, 

Brent N. 1 , Toonen, Robert J. 1 , and Bowen, Brian W. 1 

Towards ecosystem‐based management in Hawaii: 

insights into genetic connectivity of two shallow water 

goatfishes and two deep water snappers across the 

archipelago 

Patterns of biological connectivity can aid in 

determining the geographic scale at which to apply 

ecosystem‐based management. Here we investigate the 

connectivity of two shallow water goatfishes, wekeùla 

(Mulloidichthys vanicolensis) and wekeùla (M. 

flavolineatus), and two deep water snappers, onaga 

(Etelis coruscans) and ehu (E. carbunculus), across the 

Hawaiian Archipelago and Johnston Atoll by genetic 

analyses with mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) cytb gene 

sequences. The development of microsatellite markers 

42

are presented for weke species using high throughput 

sequencing technologies. The results of the analysis of 

the genetic structure are discussed with simulated larval 

dispersal patterns. Differences are shown between 

observed patterns of connectivity and those observed in 

several taxonomically and ecologically diverse species, 

which show prevalent high connectivity across the 

Hawaiian Archipelago and genetically distinct 

populations and higher diversity in the mid‐archipleago. 

The integration of multiscale connectivity patterns into 

marine resource planning for the preservation of 

functionally diverse communities will help ensure long‐ 

term ecosystem stability. 


School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, Kaneòhe, USA 

Filardi, Christopher E. 1 and Weeks, Brian 1 

Pan‐Pacific evolutionary scale, regional policy, and 

meeting the challenges of local conservation action in 

the Solomon Islands 

Terrestrial conservation priorities across the insular 

Pacific tend to be driven by extreme patterns of 

endemism and endangerment at local scales. Despite 

this, recent evolutionary work is increasingly revealing 

evolutionary scales in the Pacific that are regional or 

pan‐Pacific in scale. If conserving evolutionary potential 

is a part of the goal of conservation in the Pacific, 

regional policy and local action need to reflect both 

local patterns of diversity and our growing sense of the 

scale of broader evolutionary processes. Here are 

summarized the implications of evolutionary work on 

several bird lineages for conservation practice and 

investment. Examples from our work identifying 

Important Bird Areas in the Solomon Islands, are 

presented to illustrate how these new evolutionary 

perspectives are influencing priority setting at regional 

and local levels. We then discuss our approach to 

designing and implementing protected areas within 

customary land in direct partnership with indigenous 

landholding communities as well as government 

ministries with statutory obligations to steward national 

action to conserve biodiversity. The challenges, failures, 

and nascent progress of this work provides guidance for 

achieving lasting conservation impact on both human 

and evolutionary dimensions of the social endeavor of 

conserving the remarkable, and globally significant, 

biological diversity of the insular Pacific. 

1 American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USA 


Fleischer, Robert C. 1 , Lerner, Heather R. L. 1 , Sonsthagen, 

S. A. 1 , and James, Helen F. 2 

Songbird radiations on the Hawaiian conveyor belt 

The serial formation of volcanic islands that occurs 

when drifting tectonic plates move over stationary 

hotspots, as exemplified by the Hawaiian chain, can 

provide a useful system for estimating evolutionary 

rates. Assessment of phylogenies of taxa inhabiting 

conveyor belt archipelagos may also help to identify the 

factors driving adaptive radiations in land‐dwelling 

organisms. DNA analyses of three songbird radiations in 

the Hawaiian Islands were used to reconstruct 

phylogenies of these groups within the archipelago, and 

to identify their closest mainland relatives. Ages of main 

islands, under a set of assumptions, enabled calibration 

of rates of DNA sequence evolution for each radiation. 

Rates across the three songbird groups are similar, and 

when applied to nodes within each radiation, provide 

estimates of the timeframe for separation from closest 

mainland relatives and for the radiation within the 

Hawaiian Islands. Assessment of the patterns and 

timing of cladogenic events within the largest songbird 

radiation, the Hawaiian honeycreepers, enables 

inference about the role of island formation in 

stimulating morphological and species diversification. 

In addition, possible reasons for the very different rates 

of morphological diversification and speciation across 

the three songbird lineages, such as differential 

morphological lability, life history characteristics, and 

resource specialization, are explored. 

1 Smithsonian Institution, National Zoological Park, Conservation 

Biology Institute, Washington, DC, USA 

2 Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, 

Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Division of Birds, Washington, 

DC, USA 

Forsman, Zac H. 1 and Toonen, Robert J. 1 

Hawaiian coral species complexes: ecological variation 

or endangered species? 

Molecular evolutionary studies have clearly 

demonstrated that appearances can be surprisingly 

deceiving when it comes to the current classification 

system of reef building coral, which is based on 

relatively few available skeletal morphological 

characters that are known to be highly variable. 

Evolutionary studies on reef building coral are 

increasingly finding examples of cryptic taxa, 

polyphyletic groups, and unresolved complexes of very 

closely related species. It is not yet clear if these 

43

species complexes represent intraspecific variation, 

hybrid swarms, or simply a lack of phylogenetic 

resolution due to slowly evolving mitochondrial 

markers. This represents significant conservation 

problem since there are unique and rare varieties of 

Hawaiian corals that are members of more broadly 

distributed species complexes. Some of these rare 

varieties have recently been petitioned for listing under 

the US Endangered Species Act, and little is known 

about the distribution of newly discovered cryptic taxa. 

Since Hawaii is one of the most isolated archipelagos in 

the world, it also presents a unique opportunity to 

examine isolation and evolution of reef building coral. 

Several recent studies and ongoing efforts to 

understand the unique biodiversity of corals in the 

Hawaiian Archepellago are reviewed here. 


Kaneòhe, USA 

Funk, V.A. 1 , Frew, E. 2 , Johnson, G. 3 , Knope, M. 4 , 

Bonifacino, M. 5 , Crawford, D. 6 , Ganders, F. 7 , Lorence, 

D. 8 , Meyer, J‐Y 9 , and Wagner,W.L. 1 

Biogeographic patterns in Pacific Bidens 

The genus Bidens (Compositae or Asteraceae: 

Coreopsideae) has over 200 species and includes one or 

more radiations in Pacific Oceanea. Most species are 

from Hawaii or French Polynesia but a few other species 

are scattered about in other parts of the Australasia – 

Pacific region. Over one hundred samples from the 

Bidens and related genera of the Coreopsideae have 

been chosen for testing using specific nuclear and 

chloroplast markers. Specifically, ITS, ETS, rpl132trnL, 

psbA, and trnQrps6 regions were used; some of the 

sequences were from previous studies but much of the 

data were generated for this study. Do all of the Bidens 

found in the Pacific region form a monophyletic group? 

Yes and No. It appears that all species from the 

Hawaiian Islands, the Marquesas, and the Society 

Islands form monophyletic group although relationships 

among the species found on each islands are still under 

investigation. But species from Australia and the Line 

Islands are from independent lineages within the genus. 

Where are the closest relatives of the Bidens in the 

Pacific region? Previous work indicated that Bidens from 

western North America might be the closest relatives 

for the Hawaiian species and this is supported by this 

research although it is equivocal at this point and work 

is ongoing. 



2 University of the District of Colombia, Washington, USA 



Laboratory of Analytical Biology, Washington, DC, USA 

4 Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA 

5 Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay 

6 University of Kansas, Lawrence, USA 

7 University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada 


9 Government of French Polynesia, Research Department, Papeete, 

Tahiti 

Gallaher, Timothy 1 , Keeley, Sterling 1 , Callmander, 

Martin 2 , and Buerki, Sven 3 

Exploring the evolutionary history of Pandanus 

The genus Pandanus (Pandanaceae) consists of over 600 

species found in the paleotropics from Africa to 

Polynesia. Based on morphology, species have been 

classified into 9 subgenera and 67 sections however 

relationships among sections and subgenera, remain 

poorly understood. As a result, our ability to infer 

evolutionary processes and biogeographic patterns has 

been limited. Chloroplast and nuclear DNA sequence 

data were used to reconstruct the first molecular 

phylogeny of Pandanus. Results support a monophyletic 

Pandanus with Freycinetia as its sister genus. 

Relationships among Pandanus subgenera reveal a 

complex history which can best be explained by a 

combination of vicariance and long distance dispersal. 

Results indicate three early diverging clades: (1) 

subgenus Martellidendron of Madagascar, (2) subgenus 

Acrostigma of South Asia and the Western Pacific, and 

(3) a clade consisting of the remaining seven subgenera 

primarily centered on continental islands of the 

Western Pacific. Within this last group two subgenera 

achieve a wider distribution, subgenus Vinsonia, found 

exclusively in the Indian Ocean, is closely related to 

subgenus Pandanus, which has its center of diversity in 

the Pacific. This close relationship among these 

subgenera suggests a single origin for ocean dispersal 

followed by a geographical split between ocean basins. 

Furthermore, the widespread coastal species of 

subgenus Pandanus are associated with several inland 

insular species radiations. Work is ongoing to 

investigate relationships among coastal and inland 

species to test the hypothesis that one or a few 

widespread coastal taxa have given rise to independent 

species radiations into inland insular habitats across the 

Pacific. 


2 Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO, USA and Conservatoire et 

Jardin botaniques, Geneva, Switzerland 

3 Royal Botanic Gardens, Jodrell Laboratory, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, 

UK 

44

Gillespie, Rosemary G. 1 , Baldwin, Bruce G. 2 , and 

Roderick, George K. 3 

Long‐distance dispersal – a framework for hypothesis 

testing 

Testing hypotheses about the bio‐geographical 

consequences of long‐distance dispersal has long 

eluded biologists. However, although a single rare long‐ 

distance dispersal event is impossible to predict, an 

understanding of the mechanisms involved in long‐ 

distance dispersal can lend predictability to the process; 

to this end, insights into long‐distance dispersal require 

integration across the fields of ecology, biogeography, 

paleontology, and genetics, together with geology, 

oceanography, and climatology. Here data are 

examined for the Pacific to show that knowledge of 

dispersal modes, the natural environment, and the 

biology of the organisms can be used to generate 

predictions about dispersal processes. Such predictions 

can indicate the likely origin, frequency of arrival, and 

location of establishment of dispersed organisms, as 

well as subsequent patterns of endemism and 

diversification on remote islands. In particular, our 

broad predictions distinguish among taxa that are 

dispersed by wind, birds, and oceanic drift or rafting. 

Organisms dispersed by: (1) wind, are predicted to 

follow storm trajectories to colonize remote 

archipelagoes independently from a mainland source, 

establishing in a location that most closely matches the 

source environment; (2) bird vectors, have similar 

predictions except they will show a tendency to follow 

bird migratory routes; and (3) oceanic drift or rafting, 

are predicted to colonize archipelagoes in a stepping 

stone manner from the next closest islands, establishing 

in littoral zones. These predictions are increasingly 

supported by phylogenetic, climatic, and geological 

data. 

1 

University of California, Berkeley, Essig Museum of Entomology and 

Environmental Science Policy, and Management, USA 

2 

University of California, Berkeley, Jepson Herbarium and Department 

of Integrative Biology, USA 

3 

University of California, Berkeley, Department Environmental Science, 


Gon III, Samuel M. 'Ohukani'ohi'a 1 

Determining the pre‐contact Hawaiian footprint on 

native ecosystems: modeling and traditional 

knowledge united 

The history of Hawaiian biodiversity has seen losses and 

changes as a result of the presence of people and their 

biological introductions. For the first 800 years of 


human presence in the archipelago changes to native 

ecosystems resulted from increasingly intensive 

agriculture in wet and mesic lowland and montane 

settings, coupled with the effects of hundreds of 

thousands of Hawaiians engaged in all activities of a 

thriving Polynesian culture prior to 1778. Using 

geospatial modeling and traditional sources describing 

wahi pana (notable sites), alahele (trails), kulana 

kauhale (places of residence), heiau (temple sites) and 

other traditional areas of frequent use, the areas of 

ecosystem displacement and direct change were 

modeled for the island of Oàhu. The longer term goal is 

to provide a geospatial history of land use and change in 

the Hawaiian Islands, with milestones including the pre‐ 

contact Hawaiian footprint, the era of widespread sugar 

and pineapple agriculture, the spread of introduced 

ungulates, and other major contributors to the current 

patterns of ecosystem loss and remaining biological 

diversity. 

1 The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii, Honolulu, USA 

Goodman, Kari Roesch 1,2 and Roderick, George K. 1 

Rapid divergence and diversification in Hawaiian 

Nesosydne planthoppers (Hemiptera: Delphacidae) 

Adaptive radiations provide exceptional opportunities 

for understanding the processes involved in the 

formation of species. Despite observations of ecological 

diversification from classic radiations representing a 

variety of taxonomic groups, it is difficult to pinpoint the 

initial causes of divergence. A species‐rich lineage of 

ecologically diversified planthoppers in the Hawaiian 

Islands, Nesosydne (Hemiptera: Delphacidae) was 

selected for study. In order to examine factors 

promoting divergence and diversification, an integrative 

approach was used, combining methods from 

evolutionary genetics and animal communication to 

address whether, in the species N. chambersi: a) genetic 

divergence is related to host use or geography in the 

early stages of radiation, b) ecological specialization 

precedes diver‐gence in sexual signal traits, and c) 

divergence in signal traits is associated with the 

maintenance of reproductive isolation. It was found that 

this species first rapidly fractures into multiple genetic 

pools under the influence of geographic isolation. 

Sexual signals then shift in association with reproductive 

isolation. The formation of multiple isolated genetic 

pools seems to result in a set of incipient species that 

are primed to radiate given the appropriate conditions – 

but ecological forces are not responsible for the initial 

divergence. This radiation represents an unusually clear 

case study in which the initial divergence within species 

45

is decoupled from the ecological diversification 

observed across the lineage. The Hawaiian Nesosydne 

offer a window into the enigmatic early phase of 

radiation. 

1 

University of California, Berkeley, Department of Environmental 


2 

Bishop Museum, Honolulu, HI, USA 

Guitard, Michelle 1 and Colbert, Steven 1 

Indicators of a changing environment: a study of 

microfossil assemblage in Hilo Bay, Hawaiì 

The assemblage of plankton that thrives in an 

ecosystem depends on the physical and chemical 

environment. The sensitivity of plankton to alterations, 

whether natural or anthropogenic, makes them good 

indicators of oceanographic conditions. Microfossils 

(foraminiferans, dinoflagellates, silicoflagellates, 

radiolarians, pteropods, and ostracods) in sediments 

from Hilo Bay, Hawaiì, provided a record of 

environmental change within the embayment. Hilo Bay 

can be divided into an East section, dominated by runoff 

from the groundwater‐fed Wailoa River, and West 

section, which is influenced by the Wailuku River. 

Based on 25 years of water quality data, there is a 

persistent difference between the East and West 

sections, including nitrate+nitrite, salinity and pH. 

Microfossil assemblages in surface sediments from the 

East and West sections had significantly different 

planktonic abundance, diversity, and evenness, 

indicating that different environmental conditions 

support unique planktonic assemblages. A cluster 

analysis displayed a clear separation of East and West 

assemblages. Microfossil assemblages were analyzed 

from a 44cm long core collected near the center of the 

Bay and compared to the surface sediment 

assemblages. Downcore, there was transition from East 

assemblages to West assemblages. Changes in the 

assemblages suggest a change in environmental 

conditions near the center of the bay during the last few 

decades. 

1 University of Hawaii at Hilo, Marine Science Department, USA 

Helgen, Lauren E. 1 , Novotny, Vojtech 2 , Weiblen, 

George D. 3 , and Miller, Scott E. 1 

Patterns of diversity in Papua New Guinea Lepidoptera 

New Guinea is the largest and most biodiverse of the 

Pacific islands. This diversity is typical of a large 

rainforest but the challenge remains in describing and 


explaining the many different patterns of diversity 

throughout the island. It has been shown that beta 

diversity in lowland Lepidoptera is relatively low and 

host plant specificity or distance between populations 

has little influence on patterns of diversity when looking 

at many taxa. Preliminary results have shown that 

elevation may be one of the key drivers of beta diversity 

in the Lepidoptera of Papua New Guinea. Results from 

many more taxa that support this hypothesis are 

presented. 


Department of Entomology, Washington, DC, USA 

2 Czech Academy of Sciences, Czech Republic 

3 University of Minnesota, Plant Biology Department, St. Paul, USA 

Helgen, Kristofer M. 1 

The unknown continent: mammal diversity east of the 

Wallace Line 

Native mammal assemblages distributed east of the 

‘Wallace Line’, from Sulawesi to Micronesia/Polynesia, 

most notably including the continental biota 

represented within Australia + New Guinea, are by far 

more poorly characterized taxonomically than any other 

comparable region worldwide. The number of mammal 

taxonomists actively publishing on faunas spanning this 

insular and continental expanse has always been 

relatively small, and is currently extremely small. New 

fieldwork and ongoing study of museum specimens 

indicates that true mammalian species‐level diversity in 

the region may easily be underestimated by one half. 

Some of the most striking discoveries in recent years 

that highlight this historical inattention to regional 

biological diversity include the realization that 5 

biological species of marsupial occur in Sulawesi (rather 

than the two species recognized since the time of 

Darwin and Wallace); that the largest rodent in Australia 

actually represents two species that occur 

sympatrically; that all three living monotreme genera 

occurred in Australia until the 20th century; that many 

of the world’s largest bats represented in museum 

collections do not have scientific names; that entirely 

uncharacterized mammalian genera continue to be 

uncovered in new fieldwork and museum comparisons; 

and that recent extinctions have been much more 

drastic than previously appreciated. The true extent of 

this lack of taxonomic understanding is not widely 

appreciated, especially with respect to the Australian 

fauna, but its impacts are broadly felt, obscuring 

accurate appraisals of biological diversity, species 

distributions, ecological interactions, and environmental 

46

change, as well as wildlife management goals, 

conservation targets, and protected area priorities. 

1 Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Division 

of Mammals, Washington, DC, USA 

Hembry, David H. 1 , Kawakita, Atsushi 2 , Gurr, Neil E. 3 , 

Schmaedick, Mark A. 3 , Baldwin, Bruce G. 1 , and Gillespie, 

Rosemary 1 

Multiple non‐congruent colonizations of southeastern 

Polynesia by a specialized insect‐plant mutualism 

(Phyllanthaceae: Glochidion; Lepidoptera: 

Gracillariidae: Epicephala) 

Oceanic islands offer unique natural experiments for the 

use of comparative phylogeography to examine 

codiversification of intimately associated taxa. Here are 

examined the co‐radiation of Glochidion trees 

(Phyllanthaceae) and their pollinating seed‐predatory 

Epicephala moths (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) in 

Southeastern Polynesia (Cook Islands and French 

Polynesia; SEP) with extensive outgroup sampling from 

the west Pacific and Asia. The 25 described species of 

Glochidion represent one of the largest SEP endemic 

plant radiations. Both Glochidion and Epicephala have 

successfully colonized SEP, but not congruently; e.g., 

two colonizations of Epicephala are associated with a 

single colonization of Glochidion. Critically endangered 

G. wilderi on Mangareva (Gambier Islands) represents a 

separate colonization from the rest of SEP Glochidion. 

There is evidence that a single, widespread 

morphospecies of Epicephala is associated with 12 

species of Glochidion in the Societies, Australs, and 

Cooks; this may represent a recent host shift of the type 

that have been hypothesized for similar systems on 

continents. Preliminary data are presented examining 

the phylogeography of Diphtheroptila moths 

(Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) which mine Glochidion 

leaves, and on the network structure of Glochidion‐ 

Epicephala trophic interactions on three Society Islands 

(Tahiti, Moòrea, Huahine). These results are in contrast 

to the paradigm that taxa with highly specialized biotic 

interactions should be unable to colonize oceanic 

islands, but add to the list of examples of taxa that have 

been found to have colonized the remote Pacific 

multiple times. They also shed light on the origins and 

diversification of the Southeastern Polynesian endemic 

biota. 

1 University of California, Berkeley, USA 

2 Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan 

3 American Samoa Community College, Pago Pago, American Samoa 

Herman, Douglas 1 


Indigenous GEO: new tools for approaching 

biodiversity and climate change in indigenous settings 

How do indigenous knowledge systems understand and 

interpret ecosystems and biodiversity? How can 

Western science engage with indigenous knowledge in 

ways that are mutually productive? This presentation 

will discuss a new Smithsonian Institution project, 

indigenous GEO, that combines the collection and 

presentation of indigenous environmental knowledge in 

combination with the long‐term environmental data 

collecting tools. Indigenous GEO is based on the 

concepts and techniques found in the Indigenous 

Geography project at the Smithsonian National 

Museum of the American Indian and on the Pacific 

Worlds Indigenous Geography project, and combines 

them with the methodology of the Smithsonian Global 

Earth Observatory. The paper will discuss the 

implications and potential applications of this new 

project to the study of biodiversity and climate change 

in the Pacific from both Western and indigenous 

perspectives. This presentation serves as a pointer 

towards a future symposium on indigenous approaches 

to Environmental Conservation in Pacific Islands. 

1 Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of the American Indian, 

Washington, DC, USA 

Hogan, J.D. 1 , Walter, R.P. 2 , Gagne, R.B. 3 , Blum, M.J. 3 , 

Lindstrom, D.P. 4 , and Gilliam, J.F. 5 

Broad‐ and fine‐scale population differentiation in 

Awaous guamensis 

Freshwater fishes occurring on disparate oceanic islands 

are expected to show elevated levels of genetic 

divergence and diversification given large 

oceanographic distances among islands effectively 

isolating populations. For amphidromous species, such 

as Awaous guamensis, oceanic larval dispersal can act 

as an important mechanism for replenishing isolated 

stream populations and provides the opportunity for 

considerable gene flow. Here both broad‐ and fine‐scale 

population structure of A. guamensis are investigated. 

Using both morphological and genetic analyses 

evidence of distinct evolutionary lineages between 

Hawaii and Guam is presented. Furthermore, fine‐scale 

genetic analyses of populations within the main 

Hawaiian islands indicates that there are at least two 

discreet populations across the archipelago. These 

results are put in the context of connectivity among 

populations of marine species in Hawaii and the 

47

implications for management and conservation are 

discussed. 

1 University Wisconsin, Madison, USA 

2 North Carolina State University, Raleigh, USA 

3 Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA 

4 University of Guam, Department of Biology, Mangilao 

5 North Carolina State University 

Hughes, R. Flint 1 and Togia, Tavita P. 2 

Effective control of Falcataria moluccana in American 

Samoa: the luxury of managing invasive species in 

concert with ecological processes 

Invasive species are among the greatest threats to 

global biodiversity. Unfortunately, meaningful control of 

invasive species is often difficult. Here, results 

concerning the effects of invasion by the non‐native, 

N2‐fixing tree, Falcataria moluccana, on native‐ 

dominated forests of American Samoa and the response 

of invaded forests to its removal are presented. While 

total biomass of intact native forests and those invaded 

by F. moluccana did not differ significantly, most of the 

biomass of invaded forests was accounted for by F. 

moluccana, and native tree biomass was greater in 

intact native forests. Native tree biomass following 

removal of F. moluccana accumulated rapidly, 

recovering to levels of intact native forest within eight 

years. Native trees exhibiting early successional traits 

accounted for a large portion of biomass in these 

forests where frequent large‐scale disturbances (i.e., 

tropical cyclones) are a salient feature. It is likely that 

this is the single most important reason why F. 

moluccana removal is a successful management 

strategy; once F. moluccana is removed, native tree 

species are able to grow rapidly, exploiting the legacy of 

increased available soil N and available sunlight. 

Although F. moluccana is a daunting invasive species, it 

exhibits characteristics that make it vulnerable to 

successful control: it is easily killed by girdling or 

herbicides, and its seeds and seedlings do not tolerate 

shade. These characteristics, combined with the equally 

important capacity for rapid growth exhibited by many 

of Samoa’s native trees, provide conditions and 

opportunities for successful, long‐term control of F. 

moluccana across forested landscapes of American 

Samoa. 

1 USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station, Hilo, HI, USA 

2 National Park of American Samoa 


James, Shelley A. 1 and Allison, Allen 1 

Information infrastructure for advancing conservation 

in Melanesia 

The islands of Melanesia, consisting of the countries and 

territories of Fiji, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Solomon 

Islands, Papua New Guinea (PNG), and the Indonesian 

provinces of Papua and Papua Barat, comprise more 

than 95% of the land area of the tropical Pacific Basin 

and are host to most of the region’s biodiversity. 

Melanesian biodiversity greatly exceeds that of North 

America and rivals that of the Amazon Basin, containing 

some 10% of the world’s species. The region is expected 

to be heavily impacted by global climate change, 

including temperature and precipitation changes, ocean 

acidification, and sea level rise. Although these impacts 

are well understood at the global level, they remain 

poorly understood at the regional level and impossible 

to accurately predict at finer scales. In addition, ~40% of 

the Melanesian biota has yet to be scientifically named 

and the geographic ranges of most species remain 

unknown, making the region one of the most poorly 

documented biodiversity hotspots on Earth. Although it 

will take many decades to fully document the 

biodiversity of the Melanesian region, data from 

scientific literature, museum collections, and internet 

archives are being incorporated into state‐of‐the‐art 

information infra‐structure, making it available to 

conservation and spatial planners in Melanesia, and 

enabling effective on‐the‐ground conservation action. A 

downscaled regional climate model is being developed 

that is linked to locally‐generated climate data and 

projections of change to coupled human‐natural 

systems. The elements of this project are integrated in a 

way that will help support larger climate change 

mitigation and conservation efforts in Melanesia. 

1 Bishop Museum, Honolulu, HI, USA 

James, Helen F. 1 , Wagner, Warren L. 2 , and Fleischer, 

Robert C. 3 

Tracing the evolutionary history of ecological 

interactions between species 

Ecological interactions between species are important 

in the process of community assembly. Although it can 

be easy to observe modern ecological interactions, it 

has been difficult to trace their history on an 

evolutionary timescale. Consequently, an understanding 

of how species interactions have influenced the 

diversification of lineages and the assembly of endemic 

island communities has been elusive. As an example, an 

48

endemic island finch may feed almost exclusively on the 

seeds of a particular tree, but did it evolve its 

morphological specializations in response to the arrival 

of that tree species on the landscape? Alternatively, 

perhaps the finch shifted its food preference when the 

tree arrived and became abundant. Rate‐calibrated 

molecular phylogenies and phyogeographic data are 

making it more feasible to study the evolutionary 

history of ecological traits, and consequently of 

ecological interactions between endemic island species. 

For example, the phylogeography of òhia, the 

important Hawaiian nectar tree (Metrosideros spp.), and 

the phylogenies of its avian pollinators, point to a 

relatively deep history for this particular interaction in 

the archipelago. Hypotheses can be posed about the 

timing of dispersal of other ecologically important tree 

species in the Hawaiian Islands based on rate‐calibrated 

phylogenies for the endemic birds that appear 

specialized to feed on them. Testing such hypotheses 

can shed light on whether the species interactions we 

observe in modern ecosystems reflect ecological as 

opposed to evolutionary associations. 


Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Division of Birds, Washington, 

DC, USA 



3 Smithsonian Institution, National Zoological Park, Conservation 

Biology Institute, Washington, DC, USA 

Jarvi, Susan I. 1 , Farias, Margaret E.M. 1 , and Atkinson, 

Carter T. 2 

Co‐evolution, co‐infection, and pathogen diversity in 

the Hawaiian avian disease system 

The introduction of the mosquito vector (Culex 

quinquefasciatus) to Maui in 1826 allowed the natural 

transmission of Plasmodium relictum and Avipoxvirus to 

native Hawaiian forest birds. Prevalence of Avipoxvirus 

(based only on records of pox‐like lesions) is generally 

lower than malaria, ranging from 5‐15% in native 

species and generally

diversification in species‐rich island lineages, as well as 

increase knowledge of propagation, pollination, and 

reproduction in Cyrtandra. 

1 

University of Hawaii at Hilo, Tropical Conservation Biology and 


2 


Jordan, Steve 1 , Englund, Ron 2 , and Polhemus, Dan 2 

Biogeography of coenagrionid damselflies endemic to 

Pacific Islands 

Phylogenetic analyses of nuclear and mitochondrial 

DNA from coenagrionid damselflies endemic to Samoa, 

Hawaii, Fiji, the Marquesas, the Society, and the Austral 

and Cook Islands were performed. Outgroups included 

species from SE Asia, New Guinea, and Palau. Most 

islands harbor endemic, genetically distinct species. 

Results suggest that larger islands (e.g., Nuku Hiva, Hiva 

Oa, Raiatea) contain more than one endemic species, 

while most smaller islands are home to one. In only two 

cases outside Hawaii did we find a single species on two 

islands (Tahaa and Bora Bora, and Hiva Oa and 

Tahuata), and those in close proximity. Damselflies 

radiations within Hawaii, the Marquesas, and the 

Society Islands are probably monophyletic. While 

patterns of radiation from old to young islands are 

common in Hawaii and elsewhere, there are many 

counterexamples, especially in the Marquesas where 

damselflies seem to have dispersed from a central 

medium‐aged island to the others. The Austral Islands 

are a unique case. While specimens from Rurutu, Rapa, 

and Raivave are monophyletic within each island, these 

Austral island species do not form a monophyletic 

group, and display more differentiation than is seen 

between island endemics from other archipelagoes. 

They may not even be congeners. Patterns of damselfly 

movement across the Pacific will also be discussed and 

compared to patterns from other organisms. 

1 Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA, USA 

2 Bishop Museum, Honolulu, HI, USA 

Juvik, James 1 , Kiester, A. Ross 2 , and Hansen, Dennis 3 

The ghosts of Meiolania in the Melanesian 

Anthropocene: resurrecting trophic and evolutionary 

dynamics with a proxy tortoise species 

The extinct, giant horned‐tortoises of the family 

Meiolaniidae exhibited a Gondwana distribution from 

the Cretaceous of Argentina to the late Pleistocene of 

Australia and Anthropocene of Melanesia. Recent 


discoveries in Vanuatu of sub‐fossil Meiolaniid tortoises 

in a comparatively recent Lapita cultural context 

(2700yr BP) reinforce a pattern of Melanesian mega‐ 

fauna extinctions congruent with the temporal 

chronology for human settlement in the region. This 

extinction pattern closely replicates similar ones of giant 

tortoise extinction on islands of the Caribbean and 

Indian Ocean: Madagascar giant tortoises went extinct 

about 750‐1500yr BP, after the arrival of humans; 

Mascarene tortoise were extirpated by European 

explorers and settlers in the 17‐19th Centuries; tortoise 

extinctions in the West Indies over the past 900‐5000 

years are also consistent with the dates of initial 

Amerindian settlement. Giant tortoises occur in huge 

populations on ungulate and predator‐free, remote 

islands such as the Galapagos and Aldabra. Here they 

are typically the dominant ecosystem herbivore and 

therefore exert considerable pressure on the nature of 

species assemblages and co‐evolve with their associated 

plant communities (e.g. the long‐necked Galapagos 

tortoise and the evolution of tree‐cactus). In the 

Mascarene Islands efforts are underway to restore the 

ecosystem function of extinct, large tortoises with the 

introduction of a proxy alien species. In this paper we 

propose a proxy, extant, very large rainforest tortoise 

(Geochelone [Chelonoidis] denticulata) from the 

Amazon for possible introduction into Melanesia. We 

outline a specific (and reversible) research protocol to 

test the feasibility of restoring the ghosts of Meiolania 

in Melanesia. 

1 

University of Hawaii at Hilo, Department of Geography and 

Environmental Studies, USA 

2 

The Turtle Conservancy, New York, NY, USA 

3 

University of Zurich, Institute of Evolutionary Biology and 

Environmental Studies, Switzerland 

Kajita, Tadashi 1 , Takayama, Koji 2 , Vatanarast, 

Mohammad 1 , Wakita, Norihisa 3 , and Tateishi, Yoichi 4 

Phylogeographic pattern of pantropical plants with 

sea‐drifted seeds over the globe 

"Pantropical Plants with Sea‐drifted Seeds" (PPSS) are 

characterized by their extremely wide distribution 

ranges over littoral areas of the tropics over the globe. 

A small number of species from some families are 

known in this plant group, and their wide distribution 

ranges have been thought to be formed by long 

distance seed dispersal by ocean currents. To clarify 

how these intriguing distribution patterns have been 

maintained, we studied some representative species of 

PPSS, namely, Hibiscus tiliaceus (Malvaceae), Canavalia 

rosea (Fabaceae), Ipomoea pes‐caprae (Con‐ 

50

volvulaceae), and Rhizophora mangle (Rhizophoraceae). 

Genetic structures of these species using some 

molecular markers were investigated using samples 

obtained from wide range of distribution. Comparing 

results obtained from the species, common 

phylogeographic patterns were observed. Firstly, 

analyses of chloroplast DNA sequences showed that a 

few common haplotypes distributed over very wide 

range, sometimes over different oceanic regions. This 

result suggests that long distance seed dispersal by 

ocean currents was responsible to maintain the 

extremely wide distribution range of PPSS. Secondly, 

genetic structures were observed between populations 

over the East Pacific and over the American continents 

in some analyses. Both the wide ocean space and 

continental land mass can be barriers to prevent gene 

flow by sea‐drifted seeds. Thirdly, some PPSS shared 

common haplotypes with their closely related species. 

Secondary contact between PPSS and their sister 

species can be a force to increase the genetic diversity 

of the sister species. 

1 

Chiba University, Graduate School of Science, Department of 

Biology, Inage, Japan 

2 

University of Vienna, Institute of Botany, Austria 

3 

Kotehashi High School, Chiba, Japan 

4 

University of the Ryukyus, Nishihara, Okinawa, Japan 

Kawahara, Akito Y. 1 and Rubinoff, Daniel 1 

The extraordinary radiation of Hawaiian fancy‐cased 

caterpillars (Lepidoptera: Cosmopterigidae: 

Hyposmocoma) 

The spectacular Hawaiian moth genus Hyposmocoma 

includes more than 350 described species endemic to 

the Hawaiian archipelago. The total number of species 

may be greater than the radiation of Drosophila, as 

nearly every species thus far is endemic to a valley or 

volcano. Hyposmocoma has extraordinary life‐histories 

and behavior, as some are known to be carnivorous, 

feeding on snails, while others are amphibious and can 

live under water. The genus is also unusual among 

Lepidoptera in that their larvae create protective 

"cases" in which they survive. An extraordinary 

morphological diversity of case types exist, which have 

tentatively been grouped into over ten different case 

morphotypes. The present study will examine the 

evolution of Hyposmocoma across the Hawaiian 

archipelago, and focus on the "purse case", a group 

thought to be ancestral to other case types, such as the 

burrito and cone cases. Maximum likelihood and 

Bayesian molecular trees indicate that purse‐cased 

Hyposmocoma evolved independently at least twice in 


the genus. Each purse‐cased clade is monophyletic and 

strongly supported with high bootstrap values and 

posterior probabilities. It is suggested to call these two 

monophyletic groups the "flat purse" and the "tubular 

purse" types, and that the hard outer shell of purse 

cases allowed protection against parasitism and led to 

two independent radiations of purse cases. Broad 

evolutionary and biogeographical patterns of 

Hyposmocoma on the Hawaiian Islands are discussed. 

1 University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Department of Plant and Environ‐ 

mental Protection Sciences, Honolulu, HI, USA 

Keeley, Sterling C. 1 and Funk, Vicki A. 2 

Hawaiian plant endemics: new origins and patterns of 

evolution revealed by molecular phylogenetics 

Endemic plants make up ~ 90% of the native vascular 

plant flora of the Hawaiian Islands. Previously, most of 

these were thought to be relatively young introductions 

from the tropical Pacific and the lineages with multiple 

species were thought to be the product of multiple 

colonization events. Molecular phylogenetic studies 

have provided estimated dates for the time of 

divergence of Hawaiian lineages from their sister group 

for 14 monophyletic groups. Among those dated > 5 

Ma, all appear to have been in the Hawaiian Islands 

c.13–15 Ma, (e.g., Lobeliads, Hesperomannia), except 

for Hillebrandia (51‐65 Ma). Taxa estimated to be < 5 

Ma are within the age of the current high islands (5.1– 

0.5 Ma). Of the 37 known phylogenies 22 lineages are 

from the Australasian‐Pacific, 4 from the Americas + the 

Arctic and 12 of unknown origin. Radiations fall into 

four size categories: very large 58‐126 sp (2 Asian‐ 

Pacific, 1 American), large 14‐32 species (4 American, 3 

Asian‐Pacific); medium 6‐11 (6 Asian‐Pacific, 3 N. 

American‐Arctic) and small

Kirch, Patrick V. 1 

A millennium of human‐environment interaction in 

Mangareva (Gambier Islands), French Polynesia 

The Gambier Archipelago consists of 13 small volcanic 

islands encompassed within a barrier‐reef lagoon system. 

Polynesian colonization of Mangareva commenced ca. 

A.D. 950, followed by rapid anthropogenic biotic and 

landscape change. Archaeological and paleoecological 

data obtained on Mangareva, Agakauitai, Taravai, and 

Kamaka Islands from 2001‐2005 are synthesized to outline 

a temporal model of pre‐European environmental 

changes. Parallel sequences of extinction and extirpation 

in invertebrate (land snail) and vertebrate (birds) faunas 

are summarized. The extreme deforestation that 

characterized Mangareva in historic times is hypothesized 

to be the outcome of inherent nutrient limitation 

combined with resource depression and human land use 

practices. 

1 University of California, Berkeley, Departments of Anthropology and 

Integrative Biology, USA 

Kittinger, John N. 1 , Pandolfi, John M. 2 , Blodgett, Jonathan 

H. 2 , Hunt, Terry L. 1 , Maly, Kepā 3 , McClenachan, Loren 4, 

Shultz, Jennifer K. 1 , and Wilcox, Bruce A. 1 

Reconstructing long‐term human‐environment 

relationships in Hawaiian coral reefs 

Coral reef ecosystems are declining worldwide, yet 

regional differences in the trajectories, timing and 

extent of degradation highlight the need for in‐depth 

regional case studies to understand the factors that 

contribute to either ecosystem resilience and 

sustainability or decline and collapse. Long‐term social‐ 

ecological interactions in Hawaiian coral reef 

environments over 700 years were reconstructed using 

detailed datasets on ecological conditions, proximate 

anthropogenic stressor regimes and social change. 

Novel recovery periods in Hawaiian coral reefs are 

attributed to a complex set of historical events and 

social factors operating at the underlying level, which 

served to release reefs from human stressor regimes at 

the proximate level. Recovery at the ecosystem level is 

associated with reductions in anthropogenic stressors 

over long time periods (decades+) and large spatial 

scales (>103 km2). Social factors associated with 

ecosystem recovery include ecosystem protections, 

depopulation, transformation in human institutions for 

coral reef management and changing economies and 

modes of production. These results challenge 

conventional assumptions and reported findings that 


human impacts to ecosystems are cumulative and lead 

only to long‐term trajectories of environmental decline. 

In contrast, recovery periods reveal that human 

societies have interacted sustainably with coral reef 

environments over long time periods, and that 

degraded ecosystems may still retain the adaptive 

capacity to be resilient to human impacts. The ability of 

human societies to adapt to environmental challenges 

in the past provides promise for contemporary efforts 

to manage ecosystems and societies toward social‐ 

ecological sustainability. 

1 

University of Hawai‘i at Manoa, Department of Geography, NSF 

Integrated Graduate Education, Research and Training (IGERT) 

Program in Ecology, Conservation and Pathogen Biology, Honolulu, 

USA 

2 

University of Queensland, Centre for Marine Science, Brisbane, 

Australia 

3 

Kumu Pono Associates LLC, Hilo, HI, USA 

4 

Simon Fraser University, Department of Biological Science, Burnaby, 

BC, Canada 

Knope, Matthew L. 1 , Fukami, Tadashi 1 , Morden, Clifford 

W. 2 , and Funk, Vicki A. 3 

Extraordinarily high per‐unit‐area rates of adaptive 

radiation in Hawaiian Bidens 

The rate of adaptive radiation of the Hawaiian flowering 

plants in the genus Bidens was estimated and their per‐ 

unit‐area diversification rates compared with those of 

other young plant lineages in Hawaii and elsewhere. 

Little genetic variation was found among the Hawaiian 

Bidens despite the use of some of the most powerful 

molecular markers available for resolving recent plant 

phylogenies, a surprising result given the greater 

diversity of habitat affinity, growth form and dispersal 

mode exhibited within Hawaiian Bidens than observed 

in the rest of the genus distributed across five 

continents. The age of the Hawaiian clade is estimated 

to be 0.9‐2.5 million years, with an estimated 

diversification rate of 0.4‐2.4 species per million years 

and 2.4 x 10 ‐5 ‐ 1.4 x 10 ‐4 species per million years per 

km 2 . On a per‐unit‐area basis, these estimates are the 

highest among the plant radiations documented to 

date. The rapid diversification within the exceptionally 

small area was likely facilitated by the habitat diversity 

of the Hawaiian Islands and the adaptive loss of 

dispersal potential. These findings support the notion 

that the spatial context of diversification—specifically, 

the relative scale of habitable area, environmental 

heterogeneity and dispersal ability—must be 

considered to systematically explain adaptive radiation. 

1 Stanford University, Department of Biology, CA, USA 

52

2 

University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Botany and PCSU, 

Honolulu, HI, USA 

3 



Lapoint, Richard 1 and O'Grady, Patrick 1 

Phylogenetics of the antopocerus‐modified tarsus 

clade of Hawaiian Drosophila: diversification across 

the Hawaiian Islands 

The Hawaiian Drosophila radiation has been 

characterized by rapid diversification in terms of both 

species numbers as well as morphological and 

ecological adaptations. A comprehensive phylogenetic 

treatment of the AMC clade, lineage including the 

antopocerus species group, modified tarsus and ciliated 

tarsus subgroups is presented. This work enhances 

recent phylogenetic studies focused on other lineages 

of Hawaiian Drosophila, most notably of the picture 

wing clade. The AMC clade is a morphologically diverse 

clade of Drosophila endemic to the Hawaiian Islands 

that was initially proposed based on morphological and 

ecological characters. All males possess modifications 

to their forelegs, including spoon shaped structures, 

reduction in number of tarsal segments, or various 

ornamental bristles. A matrix of 11 genes for 68 species 

was analyzed to improve phylogenetic inference within 

this clade. The AMC clade is strongly supported as 

monophyletic and relationships among the five major 

lineages in this radiation are proposed. Molecular 

dating analyses indicate a rapid radiation occurred 

about 4 mya, giving rise to all the extant lineages of 

AMC species. Interestingly, the AMC does not strictly 

follow the progression rule common to many other 

Hawaiian taxa. Rather, this group seems to be much 

more vagile, moving freely around the island chain, back 

colonizing older islands and skipping some islands while 

traversing the archipelago. 


Lavery, T.H. 1 , Watson, J.J. 2 , Flannery, T.F. 3 , and Leung, 

L.K‐P. 1 

Patterns of terrestrial vertebrate diversity in the Torres 

Strait islands, Australia 

Ecological and biogeographical understanding of the 

terrestrial vertebrate diversity of Torres Strait islands 

remains in its infancy. Most of the documented diversity 

derives from expeditionary exploration. Modern 

methods such as quantitative biodiversity assessment 


or molecular studies of population structures have 

rarely been used. A recent series of systemic fauna 

surveys on inhabited islands have improved this 

knowledge. Compiled species richness data is used to 

test the hypothesis that the Torres Strait fauna is a 

depauperate subset of the fauna present across the 

broader Sahul land bridge. Weighted variables are used 

to describe patterns of richness, and hierarchical cluster 

analysis to group islands based on their vertebrate 

assemblages. The results of these surveys indicate that 

species inventories for individual islands can be 

significantly increased with limited survey effort. 

Species richness is strongly related to island size rather 

than other variables such as habitat complexity or 

proximity to Australia or New Guinea. The results of 

these analyses will guide and strengthen the 

implementation of Indigenous Protected Areas for 

terrestrial conservation. 

1 

University of Queensland, School of Animal Studies, Australia 

2 

Charles Sturt University, Institute for Land, Water and Society, 

Albury‐Wadonga, Australia 

3 

Macquarie University, Division of Environmental and Life Sciences, 

Sydney, Australia 

Lavery, T.H. 1 , Watson, J.J. 2 , Flannery, T.F. 3 , and Leung, 

L.K‐P. 1 

Diversity and abundance of bats across altitudinal 

gradients, Solomon Islands 

The decline of species diversity with increasing 

elevation on mountains is a widely accepted pattern 

that has been observed in many groups of organisms, 

one of which is bats. Within the Solomon Islands, 

government policy has focused terrestrial conservation 

efforts above the 400m elevation contour, allowing 

wide‐scale logging of lowland forests. If bat diversity 

indeed peaks at lower elevations, this could have 

serious implications for their conservation in the 

Solomon Islands. In fact, local extinctions have already 

been witnessed on heavily logged islands. A series of 

systematic surveys with mist nets and AnabatTM were 

used to record bats across the altitudinal gradient. This 

data was used to assess the altitudinal pattern of bat 

diversity in the Western Province, Solomon Islands. 

These findings in the context of mammalian 

conservation and their broader implications for island 

connectivity and ecosystem functioning are discussed. 

1 

University of Queensland, School of Animal Studies, Brisbane, 

Australia 

2 

Charles Stuart University, Institute for Land, Water and Society, 

Albury, New South Wales, Australia 

3 

Macquarie University, Division of Environmental and Life Sciences, 

Sydney, Australia 

53

Lindstrom, Daniel P. 1 and Kinzie III, Robert 2,3 

Evolution and phylogeography of gobioid fishes from 

Pacific island streams 

Tropical streams, particularly on isolated oceanic 

islands, are characterized by fish faunas dominated by 

amphidromous gobioid fishes. In many ways the life 

history patterns and evolutionary trajectories are similar 

to small reef gobies. However, the fact that 

amphidromous fishes spend their entire adult life, 

including reproduction, in these streams has the 

potential to produce results reflecting this life history 

pattern. Additionally, the morphology of many 

amphidromous genera appears to be similar across their 

geographic distribution (circumtropical in some cases). 

Whether this is a result of specialization to the 

environment, recent range expansion, connections 

among distant populations or genetic constraints 

remains to be discovered. This intrageneric 

morphological similarity coupled with the wide 

geographic distributions of some groups has made 

traditional taxonomy and systematics problematic. 

Recent phylogenetic studies have uncovered underlying 

complexity revealing more diversity in some groups 

while other groups show more widely spread 

distributions than previously thought. 

1 

University of Guam, Department of Biology, Mangilao 

2 

University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Zoology, Honolulu, 

USA 

3 


Kaneòhe, USA 

Loope, Lloyd 1 and Thomas, Philip 2 

Efforts to achieve long‐term exclusion of new genetic 

strains of the Neotropical rust Puccinia psidii to protect 

Metrosideros forests in Hawaii: an update 

Detection of the Neotropical rust fungus Puccinia psidii 

on a sapling of Metrosideros polymorpha in an Oàhu 

nursery in April 2005 brought a new concern ("`ōhià 

rust"): how to protect `ōhià forests from decimation? 

Whereas rust fungi are normally highly host 

specific, P. psidii has an extremely broad host range 

within Myrtaceae, and gained notoriety with the host 

jump in Brazil from common guava (Psidium guajava) to 

commercial Eucalyptus plantations. Once in Hawaii, rust 

spores quickly spread statewide on the winds, but the 

primary host was non‐native rose apple (Syzygium 

jambos), which was largely defoliated or killed, so that 

the "epiphytotic" subsided. `Ōhià was only mildly 

affected, and though there was concern that the rust 


would evolve to become more virulent on `ōhià, its 

limited host range in Hawaii (vs. elsewhere) led to 

exploration of rationale and possibilities for excluding 

new genetic strains of P. psidii. Although the 

national/international phytosanitary standards require 

strong scientific justification for regulations, hopes were 

buoyed when preliminary genetic studies showed lack 

of genetic variation in Hawaii’s rust strain. P. psidii was 

intercepted repeatedly by Hawaii Department of 

Agriculture (HDOA) inspectors on commercial foliage of 

myrtle, Myrtus communis, at two ports of entry. A 

sophisticated genetic study of P. psidii in its home range 

is in the publication stage by R. Graça at University of 

Viçosa, Brazil, and colleagues; host species strongly 

influences rust population structure in the home range. 

HDOA is moving ahead with establishing stringent 

preventative measures to regulate entry of Myrtaceae 

into Hawaii. 

1 

United States Geological Survey, Pacific Island Ecosystems Research 

Center, Makawao, HI, USA 

2 

Hawaii Ecosystems at Risk Project, Kihei, Maui, USA 

Lorence, David H. 1 and Wagner, Warren L. 2 

The vascular flora of the Marquesas Islands 

The Marquesas Islands (French Polynesia) are an 

isolated group of volcanic hot spot islands in the SE 

Pacific Ocean. These 12 islands range from 61.3 to 330 

km 2 in size, from 360 to 1250 m in elevation, and from 

1.3 to 6.3 Ma in age. Steep and rugged, the Marquesas 

are comparatively botanically unexplored and under‐ 

collected. Disturbance by humans, feral animals, and 

invasive alien plants have severely impacted the 

lowland and mid‐elevation vegetation. The native 

vascular flora comprises ca. 362 species (45% endemic 

and 30% pteridophytes). Largest lineages are Psychotria, 

13 spp., Bidens, 9 spp., Cyrtandra, 10 spp., Ixora 7 spp., 

Coprosma 6 spp., Oparanthus, 5 spp., and Kadua, 4 spp. 

Floristic affinities are with the Society Islands, other 

Polynesian islands, the paleotropics and, to a lesser 

degree, the Hawaiian Archipelago and the neotropics. 

The Vascular Flora of the Marquesas Islands is a 

collaborative project between the National Tropical 

Botanical Garden, the Smithsonian Institution, and la 

Délégation à la Recherche (French Polynesia). Four 

collecting expeditions in 2003‐2005 yielded 6100 

herbarium specimens comprising 714 native and 

naturalized vascular plant species. 62 new species were 

discovered during the project, a 17% increase in the 

native flora. Results will be an internet‐based resource 

and two volume book form publication. The 

Smithsonian‐hosted website provides access to a 

54

database of specimens, images, checklist, species pages, 

elevational and geographic distributions, and literature. 




Lu, Pei‐Luen 1 , Carine, Mark 2 , Wilkin, Paul 3 , and Morden, 

Clifford 1 

Phylogenetic relationships of Pleomele, Dracaena, and 

Sansevieria (Asparagaceae: Nolinoideae) 

The taxonomies of Pleomele, Dracaena, and Sansevieria 

have many ambiguities. Only Pleomele has been 

identified as native and endemic to the Hawaiian 

Islands. However, Pleomele's monophyletic placement is 

debated. The centers of species diversity of Dracaena 

and Sansevieria are mainly in tropical and subtropical 

Africa. Another center of Sansevieria is in Central 

America while a second center of Dracaena is in 

Southeast Asia. The relationships among 54 species of 

the three genera with the combined chloroplast DNA 

sequences are reconstructed, and the resulting 

phylogeny used to test hypothesis on the evolution of 

the three genera and examine the biogeography of 

these plants. The combined dataset was analyzed using 

parsimony, Bayesian, and maximum likelihood. Results 

show that Sansevieria is paraphyletic with Dracaena 

nested within it and the Hawaiian Pleomele is sister to 

the combined clade of Dracaena and Sansevieria. The 

Hawaiian Pleomele is at the base of the phylogeny. The 

common ancestor of the combined 

Pleomele/Dracaena/Sansevieria clade is reconstructed 

as a neotropical species under Nolinoideae. The results 

suggest that the Hawaiian Pleomele played an essential 

role in the evolutionary development of Dracaena and 

Sansevieria. Rapid speciation is expected to have 

occurred in Dracaena and Sansevieria. Additional 

sampling of Dracaena and Sansevieria, and phylogenetic 

markers help solve these taxonomic ambiguities, 

especially with Pleomele. 


2 The Natural History Museum, Department of Botany, London, UK 

3 Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Lilioid and Alismatid Monocots, 

Richmond, Surrey, UK 


Lucas, Matthew P. 1 and Wood, Kenneth R. 1 

Modeling remnant rare plant locations on the island of 

Kauaì 

Much of the remaining endangered Hawaiian flora is at 

a critical genetic threshold, with over 40% of these 

species having less than 50 individuals found in the wild. 

There is a real possibility that many of these species are 

or could suffer the negative effects from a genetic 

bottleneck. This makes finding and collecting 

propagules from new populations of rare plants an 

important part of their survival. The factors causing this 

extinction are ongoing habitat loss due to land 

conversion, fire, and the introduction of invasive plants 

and animals. While these factors are driving rare 

Hawaiian plants towards extinction wild populations are 

now primarily being found in specific remnant locations. 

These locations have been less affected by the drivers of 

extinction while still providing some degree of suitable 

habitat. An analysis was performed on NTBG collection 

data from over 20 years of known rare plant locations 

on Kauaì. Within each climate zone landscape 

attributes from locations of endangered plants were 

examined and patterns begin to emerge from 

characteristics of their slope, aspect and land cover. 

Statistical trends were then assessed and the standard 

deviation was used to create acceptable ranges for 

these landscape characteristics in each represented 

climatic zone. This resulted in the identification of areas 

considered to be remnant suitable habitat for rare plant 

species on Kauaì. The hope is that these areas should 

have a higher occurrence of undiscovered rare plant 

populations and that this model could efficiently steer 

search efforts towards a higher success rate. 

1 National Tropical Botanical Garden, Kalaheo, Hawaii, USA 

Marrack, Lisa 1 

Predicting sea level rise impacts to Anchialine pool 

ecosystems on the Island of Hawaiì 

Various climate change scenarios predict that sea levels 

will rise between 0.75 to 1.9 m by 2100 (IPCC 2007, 

Vermeer and Rahmstorf 2009). Sea level rise (SLR) and 

changes in storm run‐up during large surf events will 

affect nearshore habitats, water resources and infra‐ 

structure worldwide. Kaloko‐Honokohau National 

Historical Park on the Island of Hawaiì includes 

approximately 2.6 km of coastline with numerous 

significant cultural and biological resources which will 

be impacted by SLR. The objective of this project was to 

model the effects of future SLR on current anchialine 

55

pool resources within the park. Anchialine pool 

ecosystems have no overland connection to the ocean 

and are formed by the subterranean mixing of marine 

water and groundwater. Geospatial polygons were 

created to visualize new shorelines likely to occur in 

2100 using various sea level rise predictions. Spatial 

analysis was used to model inundation extent of current 

pool resources and to determine areas where anchialine 

pool habitats may emerge by 2100. Analysis will be 

extended along 150 km of the west coast of Hawaiì 

Island which represents the single largest concentration 

of anchialine pools in the world. Results will be used by 

researchers, planners, and managers interested in 

conserving these pool habitats and their associated 

endemic species. 



Matisoo‐Smith, Elizabeth "Lisa" 1 

The times they are a changing: new models and Next 

Gen sequencing, implications for understanding the 

human settlement of the Pacific 

Since the mid 1980s when mtDNA variation was first 

applied to questions of human migrations, the tool has 

been used for numerous studies focused on Pacific 

population origins. The discovery of the mtDNA 

mutation known commonly as the "Polynesian Motif", 

its high frequency in Polynesia and the suggestion that it 

was an Asian derived marker, led to the development of 

a fairly simplistic biological story about Polynesian 

origins. The application of Y chromosome studies to 

Pacific populations, which began some 10 years later, 

indicated that Polynesian origins were more complex 

than the mtDNA data first suggested. Analyses of 

mtDNA variation in Pacific commensals further suggest 

that the process of colonization was perhaps not as 

straight forward as initial models described. The recent 

development of next generation sequencing is opening 

up new doors for studies of Pacific population origins. 

With the recovery of more skeletal populations 

associated with Lapita sites in the Pacific and 

collaborations with indigenous communities in the 

Pacific the latest sequencing technologies can be 

applied to study both ancient and modern Pacific 

populations in order to obtain new data with which 

various models of population origins, interactions and 

evolution can be tested. A better understanding of the 

complexities of Pacific and Polynesian settlement 

processes may help tease out and assess the impact of 

humans and their commensal species on Pacific island 

environments. This paper will present some new models 


which are being tested in our current research 

addressing Polynesian origins and colonization. 

1 Otago School of Medical Sciences, Department of Anatomy and 

Structural Biology, Dunedin, New Zealand 

Medeiros, Arthur 1 , Buckman, Andrea 2 , McLean, Luke 2 , 

Juan Jr., Fernando 2 , and Kaiàokamalie, Ainoa 2 

Dryland forest restoration at Auwahi, Maui, Hawaii 

Ex situ conservation of rare Hawaiian plant species has 

achieved significant advancements in recent decades. 

This advancement has reached the stage where 

reintroduction, the next stage, is starting to occur with 

greater frequency. Despite this, few sites with ecological 

trajectories favoring native species occur and 

knowledge of restoration techniques for Hawaiian 

upland sites is limited. The Hawaiian naturalist Joseph F. 

Rock noted in 1913 that of all Hawaiian forests, Auwahi 

was among the most diverse and unique. By the 1990s, 

the decline of this forest had reached the point where 

many considered it beyond hope of restoration, 

referred to as a "museum forest"; a place where most 

native Hawaiian tree species could be found, but only as 

older, senescent and often dying individuals. In 1997, a 

partnership with privately‐owned Ùlupalakua Ranch 

and federal and state government agencies was formed 

to attempt restoration of Auwahi by re‐establishing 

semi‐shaded understory with the intention of 

promoting reproduction by seedlings of remaining 

native trees. The methodology used was to exclude 

ungulates, apply herbicide to non‐native kikuyu grass 

(Pennisetum clandestinum) mats, and, with human 

volunteers, plant a matrix of quick‐growing native tree, 

shrub, vine and grass species especially ààliì 

(Dodonaea viscosa) to exclude non‐native species and 

reestablish suitable microsites for seedling recruitment. 

After over decade of restoration, 1 of 48 native plant 

species are now reproducing naturally by unassisted 

seedling recruitment within the exclosure while outside, 

reproduction by seed is occurring in only 2 of 48 native 

plants. 

1 USGS Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center, Makawao, HI, USA 

2 University of Hawaii at Manoa, Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit, 


Meegaskumbara, Madhava 1,2 and Hanken, James 2 

Taruga (Ranidae: Rhacophoridae), a new genus of 

foam‐nesting tree frogs, bolsters the pattern of clade‐ 

level faunal endemicity between Sri Lanka and India 

56

Phylogenetic relationships among foam‐nesting clades 

of Old World tree frogs are assessed by using both 

nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequence data, with 

particular focus on Sri Lankan members of the genus 

Polypedates. A distinctive, highly supported, endemic 

Sri Lankan clade is identified and recognized as a new 

genus, Taruga. This clade, which previously was 

assigned to Polypedates, comprises three species: P. 

eques, P. fastigo, and P. longinasus. Adult Taruga 

possess many morphological characters and character 

states that distinguish them from Polypedates and other 

anuran genera. Tadpoles of Taruga eques and 

Polypedates cruciger similarly are distinguished by 

numerous characters. Taruga is the sister group to the 

remaining Polypedates sensu stricto. Since Taruga 

comprises a geographically isolated, species‐ 

depauperate clade, it is identified as a relict taxon. 

Recognition of an additional endemic Sri Lankan clade 

reinforces the contemporary biogeographic pattern of 

clade‐level faunal endemicity between Sri Lanka and 

India, which arose despite several land‐bridge 

connections between island and mainland during the 

past 50 million years. Their narrow distributional limits 

leave all three species of Taruga highly vulnerable to 

future climate change, but this is especially true for T. 

eques and T. fastigo, which are restricted to high 

elevations. According to the 2011 IUCN Red List, T. 

longinasus and T. eques are Endangered, whereas T. 

fastigo is Critically Endangered. 

1 University of Peradeniya, Department of Zoology, Sri Lanka 

2 Harvard University, Museum of Comparative Zoology and Center for 

the Environment, Cambridge, MA, USA 

Mehltreter, Klaus¹ , ³, Arcand, Naomi N.² , ³, and Ranker, 

Tom A.³ 

Spatial patterns of fern diversity: a comparison of 

Hawaii and Mexico 

Ferns comprise about 16% of the vascular flora of 

Hawaii, an almost four‐fold larger fern‐angiosperm ratio 

than in Mexico. This ratio is a consequence of lower 

barriers to dispersal of ferns from continents to remote 

islands. Fern spores are about 10 times smaller than any 

angiosperm seeds and are likely dispersed randomly by 

air currents. This study investigated if the higher fern 

proportion is related to a higher α‐diversity of ferns at 

smaller scales (

(e.g. fruit dispersal, pollination) are profoundly modified 

in favor of invaders; and that plant successions 

following disturbances have their trajectories 

profoundly changed towards alien‐dominated 

communities. As ecosystem dynamics still remain too 

poorly studied, it is recommended that conservation of 

the native island biota, also considered as a cultural 

heritage, and restoration of degraded habitats should 

remain a priority and should not be sacrificed on the 

altar of functional and global ecology. 

1 Government of French Polynesia, Délégation à la Recherche, 

Papeete,Tahiti 

Morden, Clifford W. 1,2 and Ching‐Harbin, Susan 2 

Recent colonization and diversification of the endemic 

Hawaiian genus Hesperomannia (Asteraceae) 

Previous studies on the origin of the endemic Hawaiian 

genus Hesperomannia suggested that its founder 

colonized now submerged high Hawaiian Islands ca. 17 

mya. Sister taxa to Hesperomannia are African species 

of the Vernonieae tribe and migration to Hawaii 

occurred via a long‐distance dispersal event from that 

continent. Colonization to later formed islands then 

occurred via the Progression Rule to Kauaì, Oàhu, and 

Maui Nui. Present taxonomic boundaries suggest two 

lines of radiation: Kauaì (H. lydgatei) to Waianae Mtns, 

Oàhu (H. arbuscula) to Molokaì and Lanaì (H. 

arbuscula), and Kauaì to Koolau Mtns, Oàhu (H. 

arborescens) to Maui (H. arborescens). However, 

morphological variation across islands was not 

consistent with taxonomic treatments. Species were 

investigated using genetic markers to examine the 

relationships among the three currently recognized 

species and to test the hypothesis of dispersal among 

the islands. RAPD markers and ITS sequences both 

suggest that four species should be recognized: H. 

lydgatei (Kauaì), H. oahuensis (Waianae Mtns, Oàhu), 

H. swezeyi (Koolau Mtns, Oàhu), and H. arborescens 

(Maui, Molokaì and Lanaì). Sequence analysis is 

consistent with arrival to Hawaii in the last 2.3 MY, after 

all three island groups had emerged, and was followed 

by rapid dispersal among these islands. Although a 

long‐distance dispersal model is evoked for colonization 

to Hawaii and dispersal among distantly situated 

islands, a vicariant model is possible for dispersal among 

Oàhu and Maui Nui, and is probable among the islands 

of Maui Nui (Maui, Molokaì and Lanaì) following 

erosion and subsidence of this island complex. 

1 University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Botany, USA 

2 University of Hawaii, Plant Extinction Prevention Program, Pacific 

Cooperative Studies Unit, Honolulu, USA 


Morrison, Keenan 1 and Stacy, Elizabeth A. 2 

Evidence for intraspecific divergence in `ōhià lehua 

along a successional gradient of East Hawaiì Island 

Theory suggests that successional gradients are capable 

of driving within‐species divergence, but to date this 

idea has not been tested empirically. Morphologically 

distinct varieties of the Hawaiian endemic tree, `ōhià 

lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha) are the community 

dominants in a successionally dynamic environment. 

Furthermore, population distributions of M. 

polymorpha var. incana and var. glaberrima indicate 

that these two varieties may be diverging into habitats 

characteristic of early‐ and late‐successional 

communities. As successionally dynamic communities 

incorporate gradients in temperature, light, water and 

soil nutrients, Early‐ and late‐ successional conditions 

were replicated through controlled greenhouse 

experiments and reciprocal transplants utilized to 

isolate and determine what selection pressures may be 

acting to diverge these two varieties. Measurements of 

growth and germination rates, seedling survival, 

chlorophyll fluorescence and biomass after one year as 

proxies for relative fitness were recorded. Varieties 

exhibited differential survival to soil moisture and light 

level treatments, a pattern consistent with intraspecific 

divergence along a successional gradient. In 

combination with previous observation of partial late‐ 

acting reproductive isolation between these varieties, 

this work suggests that successional gradients may be 

selecting for ecological speciation in ‘ōhi‘a lehua. 

1 



2 


Motley, Timothy J. 1 and Parker, Kenneth 1 

Divergence time estimation of Kadua (Rubiaceae), fast 

and slow in archipelagos of Eastern Polynesia 

Kadua, a recently resurrected genus, is mostly endemic 

to the Hawaiian Archipelago, with many member taxa 

autochthonous to individual islands. Sequence analyses 

of the quickly evolving nuclear regions ITS and 5s‐NTS 

regions for the 20 Hawaiian and 7 French Polynesian 

species of Kadua revealed a single colonization of 

Hawaii, with a subsequent dispersal(s) from Hawaii to 

French Polynesia. Using the software BEAST, 

divergence time estimation analysis determined using 

island ages as calibration points and revealed that 

Kadua colonized Hawaii 15 million years ago, before the 

currently extant high islands were formed. Many 

58

Hawaiian lineages have colonized Hawaii within the last 

5 million years, subsequent to the formation of Kauaì. 

In contrast, Kadua appears to have migrated to Hawaii 

after Gardner Island formed, which, until the formation 

of Kauaì, was the only island to reach 4000 m above 

sea level in the past 30 million years. This suggests 

Kadua is one of the older plant lineages in Hawaii and a 

relatively recent colonizer of French Polynesia. 

1 Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, USA 

Moyle, Robert G. 1 , Andersen, Michael J. 1 , Filardi, 

Christopher E. 2 , and Brown, Rafe M. 1 

Evolutionary patterns of community diversification at 

local and regional scales in the tropical Pacific ‐ Part 1, 

Birds 

How do complex vertebrate communities form on 

Pacific island archipelagos? For a given island, island 

bank, archipelago, or region, have complex 

communities evolved in situ or assembled via ecological 

processes? Multilocus phylogenies were used for two 

focal bird clades as model vertebrate lineages 

representative of high relative dispersal abilities, and 

these questions were approached in two ways. First 

used phylogenetic estimates were used to reconstruct 

the geographic context of diversification and numbers 

of dispersal events, order of colonization events, and 

overall biogeograhic history, of avian communities 

inferred in the SW Pacific. In addition to providing new 

insight into long‐held paradigms of dispersal, speciation 

and community assembly in insular Melanesia, these 

new phylogenetic perspectives served as the basis for a 

new historical analysis of community formation. These 

results highlight the importance of geographic and 

taxonomic scale in diversification studies and 

demonstrate that avian communities are 

phylogenetically over‐dispersed at local levels but 

clustered at archipelago and regional levels. This 

suggests that both ecological processes of community 

assembly and evolutionary processes of in situ 

diversification have contributed to the diverse avian 

communities of the Pacific. 

1 University of Kansas, Biodiversity Institute and Department of 

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Biodiversity Institute, Lawrence, 

USA 

2 American Museum of Natural History, Center for Biodiversity and 

Conservation, New York, USA 


Nakamura, Koh 1 , Kokubugata, Goro 2 , Peng, Ching‐I 1 , and 

Meyer, Jean‐Yves 3 

Shallow genetic divergence of Ophiorrhiza species 

(Rubiaceae) endemic to the Society Islands (French 

Polynesia, South Pacific) and its conservation 

implications 

The flora of the Society Islands is known for its high 

endemism. It is, however, severely threatened by 

anthropogenic pressures, mainly habitat destruction 

and plant invasions. Revealing phylogeny of island 

endemics does not only enhance our understanding of 

species diversification but also can benefit conservation 

by providing insight into past population dynamics. The 

genus Ophiorrhiza, comprising nine species restricted to 

the largest islands of Tahiti, Moorea, and Raiatea, are 

typical examples of these endangered endemics. This 

study was conducted on eight species collected in these 

three islands, associated with 15 taxa from Futuna 

(Western Polynesia), Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei, 

Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan, Japan, China, and 

Bangladesh. Sequence analyses of ITS of nrDNA 

revealed that the Society Islands Ophiorrhiza are highly 

likely monophyletic. However, these species were not 

delimited based on ITS or four chloroplast DNA regions 

because most polymorphisms were shared among 

species. ITS and cpDNA phylogenetic networks and 

morphological species delimitation were incongruent 

with each other. The extensive sharing of 

polymorphisms and incongruence are unlikely explained 

by hybridization; the more plausible scenario is 

incomplete lineage sorting, i.e. sharing of ancestral 

polymorphisms due to morphological radiation in a 

short evolutionary time. Coalescent theory suggests 

that Ophiorrhiza of the Society Islands had large 

population size in the past. These data indicate that 

their current conservation status, with less than 50 

known plants for some species, is the results of drastic 

population decrease. 

1 

Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Nangang, Taiwan 

2 

National Museum of Nature and Science, Department of Botany, 

Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan 

3 

Government of French Polynesia, Délégation à la Recherche, 

Papeete, Tahiti 

59

Nepokroeff, Molly 1 , Riley, Lynn 1 , Willyard, Ann 2 , Jacobs, 

Bridget 1 , Weller, Stephen G. 3 , Sakai, Ann K. 3 , Wagner, 

Warren L. 4 , and Wallace, Lisa E. 5 

Comparing histories of three sympatric lineages of the 

endemic plant genus Schiedea on Kauaì: the role of 

geographic barriers and hybridization in diversification 

of an adaptive radiation 

The Hawaiian endemic plant adaptive radiation, 

Schiedea, comprises 34 species which are diverse in 

growth form, morphology, habitat requirements, and 

breeding systems. Previous studies have reconstructed 

a species tree for Schiedea, based on ten chloroplast 

and three single copy nuclear loci. These studies 

identified several well‐defined cases of hybridization 

followed by chloroplast capture in three independent 

lineages of Schiedea, involving six species, all occurring 

on the island of Kauaì. Although these six species occur 

on the single island of Kauaì, they exhibit no current 

sympatry, although historical ranges suggest past 

overlap. Extant populations are severely fragmented 

and reduced in size such that current distributions do 

not reflect historical ranges. This study examinned all 

accessible populations of these six species, and 

characterized levels of genetic diversity and genetic 

structure using nuclear microsatellites. Results from 

STRUCTURE and PCA analyses support three major 

clusters for these species, corresponding to the three 

independent lineages involved in hybridization on the 

nuclear species tree, whereas spatially explicit BAPS and 

Geneland analyses recover five groups. Such well 

differentiated groups with little admixture supports the 

notion that for species diverging ca. 0.9‐ 1 Ma, 

coalescence leading to monophyly has been achieved. 

Species with younger divergence times only are 

recovered if geography is accounted for. Strong 

geographic isolation of populations on Kauaì facilitates 

allopatric divergence supported by geographically 

explicit analyses, despite close ancestry and recent 

divergence of most species. Lastly, the extent of 

chloroplast capture in these populations using 

chloroplast microsatellites is characterized. 

1 University of South Dakota, Vermillion, USA 

2 Hendrix College, Conway, AR, USA 

3 University of California, Irvine, USA 



5 Mississippi State University, Department of Biological Sciences, USA 


Nolting, Kristen 1 , Cantley, Jason 2 , Keeley, Sterling 2 , and 

Swenson, Nathan 1 

Evolution of climatic niche in a Pacific island plant 

genus 

The genus Coprosma (Rubiaceae) contains 

approximately 120 species occurring throughout the 

Pacific with about 55 found on New Zealand and 13 on 

the Hawaiian archipelago. Species vary tremendously in 

form and habitat preference, but the degree to which 

species differ in traits associated with their climatic 

niche and the relative diversification of these traits 

through time remains unclear. The tempo and mode of 

climatic niche evolution within the genus were 

investigated using an approach that combines niche 

models with phylogenetic data we were able to 

investigate. Twenty‐one biologically informative climatic 

and environmental variables were used as input in a 

GIS‐based habitat model. The mean climatic values 

generated for each species and values of two climate‐ 

associated morphological traits, leaf size and maximum 

height, were mapped onto a phylogeny. The evolution 

of climatic niche through time was visualized by 

calculating the disparity at each node. Small disparity 

values indicate less than expected change whereas 

larger values are indicative of trait divergence. These 

results show that many variables exhibited less than 

expected disparity towards the base of the tree 

followed by recent periods of considerable divergence. 

This suggests that as the genus diversified, climatic 

niche was not conserved as species radiated into varied 

habitats. An investigation of niche evolution within the 

entire genus will examine patterns on other islands that 

differ in size and ecological heterogeneity. Ultimately 

this information will help provide a better general 

understanding of patterns of species distribution and 

diversification throughout the Pacific. 

1 Michigan State University, Department of Plant Biology, Lansing, USA 

2 University of Hawaii at Manoa, Botany Department, Honolulu, USA 

Ó Foighil, Diarmaid 1 , Lee, Taehwan 1 , and Churchill, 

Celia 1 

Biogeography of a vanishing radiation: the Pacific 

Island tree snail family Partulidae 

Partulid tree snails range from Belau to the Marquesas, 

but dispersal events are rare: most species are single 

island endemics and the few multi‐archipelagic taxa 

represent prehistoric anthropogenic introductions. The 

family contains three genera, each with highly 

distinctive distributions, and half of its nominal species 

60

diversity occurs on a single hot spot archipelago, the 

Society Islands. Partulidae has experienced catastrophic 

extinction primarily due to misguided biological control 

programs involving introduced snail predators. 

Museum and captive (zoo) samples were used to 

genotype 53 of the ~128 recognized species, including 

many extinct or extirpated taxa, from 13 archipelagos 

that span the familial range. The goal was to flesh out 

broad scale (range wide) and fine scale (within‐Society 

Islands) phylogenetic relationships of Partula and 

Samoana, the two widespread genera. These data 

indicate that the genital anatomy characteristic of 

Partula species is plesiomorphic and that these two 

genera have experienced very different diversification 

patterns across Oceania. Partula’s high nominal 

taxonomic diversity in the Society Islands stems from a 

long history of within‐archipelago diversification, but 

the results are inconsistent with the "progression rule" 

model of speciation developed for Moorean and 

Tahitian taxa. Samoana is a relatively recent arrival to 

eastern archipelagos (Society, Austral, Marquesas) 

where it exhibits a stepping‐stone phylogenetic pattern 

and has proven much more adept than Partula at both 

intra‐ and inter‐archipelago colonization. In western 

archipelagos, by contrast, Partula is widespread and 

Samoana is restricted to the Marianas. If Samoana is 

the superior disperser, why is it absent from most 

western archipelagos? 

1 University of Michigan, Museum of Zoology and Department of 

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Ann Arbor, USA 

Oboyski, Peter T. 1 

Biogeography and evolution of Pacific Islands 

Tortricidae (Lepidoptera) 

The Tortricidae (Lepidoptera), a species‐rich and 

numerically abundant, cosmopolitan family, include 

several economically and ecologically important species. 

Larvae of these small moths either create a shelter of 

rolled leaves ("leaf‐rollers") or bore into generative 

tissues such as seeds, flowers, buds, or cambium 

("borers"). Each Pacific archipelago with "high islands" 

typically hosts a radiation of one genus of leaf‐rollers 

(two for Hawaii), which differs from region to region. 

Conversely, borers are typically represented with fewer, 

wide‐spread species across the Pacific. An exception to 

the latter is a radiation of the genus Cydia in Hawaii 

(21+ species) with a pattern of host‐shift speciation on 

native legumes. The borer genus Cryptophlebia includes 

pests of economically and culturally important food 

crops. In the South Pacific, Polynesians carried 

Cryptophlebia pallifimbriana along with its food plant, 


the Tahitian chestnut (or Mape), to many archipelagoes. 

In the northern and western Pacific the pest 

Cryptophlebia ombrodelta has a broad host range of 

both native and agricultural plants. Its close relative, 

Cryptophlebia illepida, appears to be native to Hawaii, 

but has a similar broad host range and "weedy" 

behavior. Other Cryptophlebia in the Pacific appear 

more benign and are less well‐known. The 

phylogeography and evolutionary history of these 

tortricid genera are discussed. 


O'Grady, Patrick M. 1 

Patterns of diversification in Pacific Diptera 

Diptera are among the most diverse terrestrial groups 

to colonize the Pacific. Placing phylogenetic 

relationships among different lineages of flies, many of 

which have diversified on various islands in the Pacific, 

in a temporal context using molecular dating methods 

offers insight into biogeographic patterns and the 

process of adaptive radiation. The well‐known family 

Drosophilidae serves as a model for dipteran evolution 

in the Hawaiian Archipelago and elsewhere in the 

Pacific. Molecular sequence data are used to elucidate 

evolutionary patterns in Drosophilidae and these are 

compared to other clades of flies found in the Pacific. 


Oppenheimer, Hank 1 

Saving Hawaii’s rarest plants: The Plant Extinction 

Prevention Program 

At least 170 of the nearly 1500 native plant taxa in 

Hawaii are at risk of going extinct within the next 

several years, because they have been reduced to such 

low numbers, with fewer than 50 wild individuals. 

Already, we have lost at least 100 of these plant species 

to extinction. The Hawaii Rare Plant Restoration Group, 

an informal coalition convened of over 60 participants 

from Federal, State, and local government agencies; 

botanical gardens; private organizations; and private 

landowners hopes to prevent the extinction of rare 

Hawaiian plants with an archipelago‐wide project. The 

PEP Program (formerly Genetic Safety Net) is operating 

on all the main Hawaiian Islands after the initial pilot 

program on Oàhu. The Program regularly gathers all 

knowledgeable botanists to collectively plan for the 

management of each individual plant known for each 

61

target species. The taxa monitored and sampled under 

this project are slated for seed collection and/or 

vegetative sampling of every remaining individual from 

these small remnant populations, in order to guarantee 

capturing all existing genetic variation. Detailed data are 

collected on flowering, fruiting, and the most imminent 

threats to identify actions needed and provide data for 

future efforts. Protocols for monitoring and sampling 

populations for adequate genetic representation have 

been developed by the Hawaii Rare Plant Restoration 

Group. Major objectives also include mitigation of in 

situ threats, surveys for new individuals and/or 

populations, ex situ propagation and seed storage, and 

outplanting nursery stock into appropriate habitat. 

1 Plant Extinction Prevention Program, Maui and University of Hawaii 

at Manoa, Department of Botany, Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit, 


Ort, Brian S. 1 and O’Grady, Patrick M. 1 

Fungal diversity associated with Hawaiian Drosophila 

host plants 

Saprophagous Hawaiian Drosophila require microbes to 

break down plant material and make nutrients available 

for larvae. However, despite the fact that these 

extraordinary flies have served as a model system in 

evolutionary biology for nearly 50 years, little is known 

about the role microscopic fungal communities may 

play in driving host plant preference and species 

divergence in this diverse clade. A first step in filling this 

knowledge gap is to characterize fungal species richness 

and abundance within the host substrates. Total DNA 

was extracted, including DNA from any fungi present, 

from samples of rotting and fresh leaves and stems 

from three plant genera important to Hawaiian 

Drosophila: Cheirodendron, Clermontia, and Pisonia, and 

one non‐host plant, Acacia koa. Clone libraries of the 

D1/D2 region of fungal 26S rDNA were created and 

Sanger sequencing used to identify operational 

taxonomic units from >800 clones. A pairwise genetic 

distance matrix identified 165 OTU, based on a genetic 

distance cutoff of 3% divergence. Maximum pairwise 

distance among all sequences exceeded 40%. BLAST 

searches revealed a broad taxonomic distribution of the 

identified fungi among 111 genera in 18 classes of 

Ascomycota and Basidiomycota. Community 

composition appears heterogeneous with respect to 

plant source, plant part, and substrate condition. Fungal 

community composition therefore may be an important 

factor in influencing Drosophila host preference, 

possibly mediated by olfactory cues. 




Pender, Richard 1 and Morden, Clifford 1 

Can honeycreepers still function as pollinators for an 

endangered Hawaiian lobeliad, Clermontia lindseyana, 

at Hakalau National Wildlife Refuge? 

Restoration plantings of Clermontia lindseyana have 

been carried out at Hakalau National Wildlife Refuge on 

the Island of Hawaiì to restore this endangered species 

and its historical pollination interactions with 

nectarivorous honeycreepers. To ascertain whether 

honeycreepers can still function as pollinators for C. 

lindseyana at Hakalau, avian and invertebrate floral 

visitors were recorded at nine plants at Hakalau Tract 

and eight plants at Maulua Tract during the 2010 

flowering season. Two manipulative pollination 

treatments were undertaken: first, to assess if 

pollinators deposited pollen on receptive stigmas; 

second, to assess if pollen limitation was occurring. 

Ììwi (Vestiaria coccinea) and Hawaii àmakihi 

(Hemignathus virens virens) were infrequent floral 

visitors at both sites. Ììwi appeared to be the only 

floral visitors capable of acting as effective pollinators. 

They contacted the floral reproductive organs on the 

majority of flowers they visited, however, they nectar 

robbed ca. 15% of the flowers at each site. Àmakihi 

nectar robbed most flowers and were probably not 

effecting pollination of C. lindseyana. Diurnal insects 

rarely visited the flowers and were, again, probably 

ineffective pollinators. Based on seed counts, the 

pollination treatments suggest: 1) that pollen deposition 

by floral visitors (probably ììwi) was rare, and 2) pollen 

limitation is widespread. The C. lindseyana plants are 

likely reproducing by autogamy (selfing), thereby 

producing seeds in the absence of pollinators. However, 

selfing and pollen limitation may have genetic as well as 

population level consequences for these restoration 

plantings in the future. 

1 University of Hawaii at Monoa, Department of Botany, Honolulu, USA 

Percy, Diana M. 1 

Co‐diversification of plant and insect species 

complexes: the story of Metrosideros and the psyllids 

Metrosideros (Myrtaceae) is a plant genus found across 

the Pacific. Likewise, there are Metrosideros‐feeding 

psyllids (Psylloidea; Hemiptera) on many Pacific islands. 

The current knowledge of where and when these plant 

62

and insect lineages arose and how they dispersed across 

the Pacific will be presented. The origins of Pacific 

lineages are in some cases unambiguous, in others they 

are less clear; but it is apparent that the shape, ecology, 

and age of individual islands and archipelagos have 

shaped diversification in Metrosideros, which in turn has 

shaped the patterns of diversification in the insects. The 

chrono‐sequence of within archipelago co‐ 

diversification is most complex and intriguing in the 

Hawaiian Islands, and it is this system that may tell us 

most about how these interactions form and reform 

over time. Specifically, multiple instances of parallel and 

convergent ecotypes have resulted in an apparent 

repeated co diversification of species complexes. 

1 University of British Columbia, Department of Botany and 

Biodiversity Research Centre, Vancouver, Canada 

Perlman, Steve 1 

Working with the Plant Extinction Prevention (PEP) 

Program on the Big Island, Kauaì, and Oàhu 

Many conservation agencies are working at ecosystem 

level management, but ecosystems are made of species 

and we are rapidly losing them. A part of the solution 

has to be cultivating species before they go extinct. 

Preventing extinction is one of the main mandates of 

National Tropical Botanical Garden as well as the PEP 

Program. Big Island PEPP coordinator Kealiì Bio is 

working with the rediscovered Isodendrion pyrularium 

near Kona. Kealiì has had to build critical fences to keep 

recently rediscovered Cyanea fernaldii and newly 

discovered Cyrtandra wagneri safe from pigs. Among 

other Big Island PEPP species discussed are 

Hibiscadelphus hualalaiensis, Clermontia pyrularia, 

Cyanea shipmanii, and Kokia drynarioides. On the island 

of Kauaì PEPP coordinator Wendy Kishida has 

challenging species such as Astelia waialeale. Other 

Kauaì PEPP species discussed include Brighamia 

insignis, Cyanea rivularis, and Hibiscadelphus distans. 

Problems such as selling rare plant seeds, vandalism and 

rats are discussed. Also Hawaiian orchid, Platanthera 

holochila, and efforts by Dr. Larry Zettler from Illinois 

College. Oàhu, working with PEPP coordinators Ane 

Bakutis and Susan Ching, the case of one plant left is 

discussed with Cyanea pinnatifida. Solutions to the 

extinction crisis are discussed including more 

pollinations, grafting, air layering and tissue culture. 

Increased cooperation with other agencies is discussed. 



Pillon, Yohan 1 , Johansen, Jennifer 1 , Sakishima, Tomoko 1 , 

Chamala, Srikar 2 , Barbazuk, Brad 2 , and Stacy, Elizabeth 1 

Evolution of the genus Clermontia (Campanulaceae) in 

Hawaii inferred by next‐generation sequencing 

The Hawaiian Islands are considered a model for plant 

diversification because of the numerous adaptive 

radiations in the archipelago. Unraveling the evolution 

of the Hawaiian flora, however, is made difficult 

because of the high hybridization and low genetic 

marker variation associated with young flora. To 

address these problems this study focused on the genus 

Clermontia (Campanulaceae) and used next‐generation 

sequencing (454) of the pooled transcriptomes of seven 

species. From the assembled reads, internal primers 

were designed for PCR amplification and sequencing of 

a number of nuclear genes in this group. Evidence of 

gene duplication was found in 7 out of 12 genes 

investigated in Clermontia, as well as the closely related 

Hawaiian genus Cyanea, but not in the more distantly 

related lobeliad genus Hippobroma. This corroborated 

evidence from cytology that suggests that a genome 

duplication probably occurred in the Lobeliads prior to 

the colonization of, or diversification within, Hawaii. 

Preliminary results on the levels of variation of these 

genes and their use in species delimitation and hybrid 

detection will also be presented. 

1 


Environmental Science Program, USA 

2 

University of Florida, Department of Biology, Gainesville, FL, USA 

Polhemus, Dan A. 1 

General rule or anomalous curiousity? A consideration 

of hotspot‐mediated sequential speciation in the 

Pacific based on evidence from Heteroptera (Insecta) 

The linear archipelagos of the insular Pacific are 

hypothesized to represent island chains that formed 

sequentially above relatively fixed hotspot plumes as 

the Pacific Plate moved northward and then 

northwestward during the Late Cretaceous to the 

present. This putative pattern of sequential island 

formation above hotspot plumes has potential 

biogeographic consequences for the biotas of such 

archipelagoes. In particular, sequential speciation on 

progressively younger hotspot islands has been 

consistently hypothesized within the Hawaiian chain. 

Within the Pacific Plate as a whole, approximately 

twenty‐four other linear volcanic chains of alleged 

hotspot origin have been recognized, but almost all 

show inconsistencies with the classical fixed‐hotspot 

63

theory. The only subaerial non‐Hawaiian volcanic chains 

for which radiometric dating is unequivocally consistent 

with the hotspot formation hypothesis are the Australs, 

Easter Island, the Pitcairn Islands, and the Society 

Islands, of which only the Australs possess an active 

hotspot. Most of the theory and associated field 

investigations bearing on hotspot‐mediated sequential 

speciation has focused on Hawaii, which provides by far 

the best delineated and least interrupted illustration of 

this process in action. Evidence from studies of true 

bugs (Heteroptera) indicates that such processes may 

also have operated in the Society chain, but that overall, 

the process of hotspot‐mediated sequential speciation 

may be the exception rather than the rule in the broad 

context of the insular Pacific. 

1 Bishop Museum, Department of Natural Sciences, Honolulu, HI, USA 

Porch, Nick 1 

Prehistoric human impact on the neglected majority: 

evidence for human‐moderated translocation and 

catastrophic extinction in the Pacific insect fauna 

Recent research is revealing, for the first time, that the 

Holocene sub‐fossil insect record on oceanic islands is 

remarkably rich. It is now possible to reconstruct the 

nature of pre‐human insect faunas in places that are 

today completely decimated by human impact, and to 

explore the timing, rate, and nature of conversion to the 

contemporary invasive assemblages that now dominate 

the Indo‐Pacific lowlands. The ability to do this with 

large and diverse assemblages, at high temporal and 

taxonomic resolution (

Prost, S. 1,2 , Knapp, M. 1 , Clarke, A. 1 , Nielsen, R. 2 , 

Matisoo‐Smith, E. 1 

Is it all in the genes? Reconstructing past migration in 

the Pacific using Approximate Bayesian Computation 

The Neolithic expansion out of Asia (~4k) which, it is 

believed, subsequently lead to the settlement of 

Polynesia, is the last stage of human expansion on 

Earth. This stunning human achievement, however, had 

drastic consequences for island fauna and ecosystems. 

Iconic endemic species such as the Moa from New 

Zealand went extinct soon after human arrival. This and 

many other native animal and plant extinctions were no 

doubt driven in part by the introduction of invasive 

species such as the Pacific rat (Rattus exulans), brought 

by early Polynesian colonists. The precise routes and 

timing of Polynesian colonization are still debated. 

Several hypothesis have been proposed based on 

archeological records, classical phylogenetic analyses of 

human genetic and linguistic data, etc., however, no 

consensus has been reached. Most genetic studies so 

far have been performed in a phylogeographic setting, 

in a way that hypothesis have been proposed based on 

phylogenetic reconstructions and haplotype 

frequencies. Approximate Bayesian Computation (ABC) 

is a statistical tool to unravel past population histories 

through space and time. Contrary to classical 

phylogeography ABC is based on population genetic 

data and thus might be better suited to study complex 

population histories. However, ABC is not a 

straightforward approach and many factors have to be 

assessed before it can be applied to empirical data in a 

sophisticated way. Decisions like choosing a subset of 

summary statistics, the tolerance level applied or 

building and testing the models have to be considered 

thoroughly before its application. This study aims at 

testing different factors and their influence on the 

results and establishing recommendations for future 

ABC application to better understanding past human 

settlement histories and thus invasions by foreign 

species in the Pacific. 

1 University of Otago, Allan Wilson Centre Department of Anatomy 

and Structural Biology, Dunedin, New Zealand 

2 University of California, Berkeley, Department of Integrative 

Biology, USA 


Puritz, Jonathan B. 5 , Keever, Carson C. 1 , Addison, Jason 

A. 2 , Byrne, Maria 3 , Hart, Michael W. 1 , Grosberg, Richard 

K. 4 , and Toonen, Robert J. 5 

Speedy sea star speciation: how life history 

adaptation led to rapid ecological speciation in the 

genus Cryptasterina 

Life history strategy plays a critical role in governing 

microevolutionary processes such as gene flow and 

adaptation, as well as macroevolutionary processes 

such as speciation. Comparative analysis of closely 

related species with differing modes of life history 

provides the opportunity to specifically investigate 

these mechanisms of evolution. Here, the 

phylogeographic relationship of two closely related 

Asterinidae sister species, Cryptasterina pentagona, a 

broadcast spawning species with a short‐lived dispersive 

larva and Cryptasterina hystera, a hermaphroditic 

species with direct viviparous development is examined. 

Using two mitochondrial and two nuclear DNA 

sequence markers, as well as microsatellite loci, it is 

shown that the life history switch to direct development 

has extreme genetic consequences, severely limiting 

diversity, heterozygosity, and gene flow. It is inferred 

that these species diverged only about 6,000 ybp and 

hypothesize that this speciation occurred as result of a 

colonization event across the 23‐degree cold‐water 

boundary in North Eastern Australia, and that the switch 

to viviparity in C. hystera was an adaptation to colder 

water that subsequently reinforced reproductive 

isolation. 

1 2 

Simon Frasier University, Burnaby, BC, Canada, BC Canada University 

of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, Canada 

3 

University of Sydney, NSW, Australia 

4 

University of California at Davis, USA 

5 



Raver, Amanda 1 , Stone, Fred D. 1,2 , Price, Don 1 , Eldon, 

Jon 1 , Howarth, Francis G. 2 , Croom, Henrietta B. 3 , Na, 

Daniel 1 , and Magnacca, Karl 1 

Population phylogeography of cave adapted crickets of 

Hawaiì Island (Caconemobius; Gryllidae, Nemobiinae) 

The Hawaiian Nemobiinae, or "ground crickets", from 

genus Caconemobius are presented as one of the 

dominant terrestrial groups of the Hawaiian Islands 

used to test hypotheses on the validity of barcoding on 

recently derived species. The evolution of Nemobiinae 

crickets in Hawaii has included the colonization of highly 

specialized and isolated environments. Phylogenetic 

relationships among cave crickets from Hawaiì Island 

65

have been compared by mtDNA (COI) sequencing, 

morphological features, and behavioral characteristics. 

Results of mtDNA testing show that there are most 

likely more cave species of Caconemobius than had 

been previously recognized. 

1 University of Hawaii at Hilo, USA 

2 Hawaii Biological Survey, Bishop Museum, Honolulu, USA 

3 University of the South‐Sewanee, TN, USA 

Richmond, Jonathan Q. 1 and Fisher, Robert N. 1 

Elucidating patterns of evolutionary diversification in 

insular scincid lizards of the genus Emoia 

Skinks of genus Emoia are a major component of the 

diurnal lizard community on most Pacific Islands and are 

adapted to a breadth of ecological niches, ranging from 

decomposed coral in the intertidal zone to high‐strata 

forest canopy. Of the 75+ species now recognized, 

several are wide‐ranging and common, but many have 

restricted ranges and are in severe decline or on the 

verge of extinction, particularly in insular Asia/Indonesia 

and the Philippines. Phylogenetic analysis of 

mitochondrial and nuclear gene sequences was used to 

examine Emoia phylogeography and patterns of 

speciation across Pacific islands, and to assess the 

evolutionary distinctiveness of taxa that are of 

immediate conservation concern. The results show that 

Emoia is comprised of two evolutionarily independent 

radiations and that the presumption of Papua New 

Guinea as their center of origin is not supported. 

Instead, the relationships of certain species 

assemblages suggest that phylogeographic connections 

between western Indonesia, Micronesia, and elsewhere 

were made prior to the current placement of Papua 

New Guinea and much of the current geography of 

Indonesia, and that rampant speciation on Papua New 

Guinea has occurred more recently. Of the wide‐ranging 

species, several dispersed to numerous areas without 

any apparent speciation, whereas at least one has given 

rise to numerous species as it island‐hopped around the 

western Pacific. The implications of these results for 

determining the underlying causes of speciation in 

these lizards and how the results can be used as a tool 

for targeting conservation efforts on ancient taxa now 

facing extinction are discussed. 

1 

US Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, Three 

Rivers, CA, USA 


Robichaux, R. 1 , Moriyasu, P. 2 , Bio, K. 3 , Enoka, J. 2 , Perry, 

L. 4 , Loh, R. 5 , McDaniel, S. 5 , Cole, C. 6 , Rubenstein, T. 7 , 

Tunison, T. 5 , Bakutis, A. 5 , Whitehead, N. 8 , and 

Bruegmann, M. 9 

Managed breeding and reintroduction of 

Argyroxiphium kauense (Asteraceae) and Clermontia 

peleana (Campanulaceae) on Hawaiì Island 

This study is implementing large‐scale reintroduction 

efforts for Argyroxiphium kauense and Clermontia 

peleana on Hawaiì Island. The reintroduction efforts 

for both species include managed breeding programs 

based mainly at the Volcano Rare Plant Facility (VRPF). 

The latter programs enable us to maximize the number 

of founders and balance their representation in the 

reintroduced populations. To date, more than 8,700 A. 

kauense seedlings from 73 founders into protected sites 

in the Kahuku section of Hawaiì Volcanoes National 

Park have been reintroduced. Seedling survivorship has 

been high (84%) in the largest and wettest of the sites. 

As well, more than 3,500 C. peleana seedlings from 2 

founders into protected sites on Mauna Loa and Mauna 

Kea have been reintroduced. Four additional founders 

recently have been incorporated into the managed 

breeding program at the VRPF, which will allow the 

scope of the reintroduction effort for C. peleana to be 

substantially expanded within the next 1 to 3 years. For 

both species, large‐scale reintroduction efforts have 

been closely coupled with large‐scale ecosystem 

restoration efforts, thereby enhancing the prospects for 

self‐sustaining, long‐term population recovery. 

1 

Hawaiian Silversword Foundation, Volcano, HI and University of 

Arizona, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tucson, 

AZ, USA 

2 

University of Hawaii at Hilo, Volcano Rare Plant Facility, Center for 

Conservation Research and Training, Hilo, HI, USA 

3 

Plant Extinction Prevention Program, c/o Division of Forestry and 

Wildlife, Department of Land and Natural Resources, State of Hawaii, 

Hilo, HI, USA 

4 

Division of Forestry and Wildlife, Department of Land and Natural 

Resources, State of Hawaii, Hilo, HI, USA 

5 

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Natural Resources Management, 

HI, USA 

6 

Hawaii National Park, Three Mountain Alliance, HI, USA 

7 

Natural Area Reserves System, Department of Land and Natural 

Resources, State of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, USA 

8 

Kamehameha Schools, Kailua‐Kona, HI, USA 

9 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Honolulu, HI, USA 

66

Rominger, Andrew J. 1 , Gruner, Daniel S. 2 , and Gillespie, 

Rosemary G. 1 

Making and breaking a new ecological theory: does 

maximum information entropy predict community 

structure in newly evolving ecosystems? 

The maximum entropy theory of ecology (METE) very 

accurately predicts many characteristics of real 

ecosystems, including the species abundance 

distribution. But does the unique geologic history and 

evolution of the Hawaiian archipelago produce 

ecosystems that deviate from the predictions of METE? 

The use of published data on the diversity and biomass 

of terrestrial arthropods across a chronosequence of 

substrate ages shows that METE under‐predicts the 

most dominate species and over‐predicts medium‐rare 

species in both youngest and oldest sites. This signal is 

distributed differently across trophic guilds indicating 

that the reasons for METE's off‐prediction could be 

varied depending on the unique eco‐evolutionary 

histories of these groups. The fit for detritivores 

monotonically improves for older sites, while that for 

herbivores worsens for older sites; predators are 

universally well‐predicted. This study finds that 

communites with intermediate species to genus ratios 

tend to produce the worst fits to METE, suggesting that 

intermediate stages in diversification (e.g. after 

colonization but before any evolutionary equilibrium) 

deviate most from statistical steady‐state. METE can 

also predict the abundance of higher taxonomic groups, 

and analyses carried out at the genus level reveal 

universally improving fits, except in systems with 

intermediate genus to family ratios. The improvement 

in fit implies that arthropod species on the Hawaiian 

archipelago are more constrained by rapid short‐scale 

ecological processes, whereas only higher‐level 

taxonomic groups begin conforming to statistical 

steady‐states. The unique identities of species and the 

compositional similarity of sites did not influence the 

predictiveness of METE, implying observed patterns and 

not taxon‐specific, but a property of the system at large. 

1 



2 

University of Maryland, Department of Entomology 


Rosindell, James 1 , Harmon, Luke J. 2 , and Phillimore, 

Albert B. 3 

A unified model for species richness, abundance, and 

origin on islands 

Islands acquire species through immigration and 

speciation. Models of island biogeography should 

capture both processes, however quantitative island 

biogeography theory has either neglected speciation or 

treated it unrealistically. A model is introduced, where 

the dominance of immigration on small and near islands 

gives way to an increasing contribution of speciation as 

island area and isolation increase. This study examines 

the contribution of immigration and speciation to the 

avifauna of 35 archipelagoes and finds, consistent with 

the model, that the zone of radiation comprises two 

regions: endemic species diverged from mainland sister‐ 

species at intermediate isolation and from insular sister‐ 

species at higher levels of isolation. The model also 

predicts species‐area curves in accord with existing 

research and makes new predictions about species ages 

and abundances. It is argued that a paucity of data and 

theory on species abundances on isolated islands 

highlights the need for island biogeography to be 

reconnected with mainstream ecology. 

1 University of Leeds, UK 

2 University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA 

3 Imperial College London, UK 

Rundell, Rebecca J. 1 

Diversification of Belau endemic land snails through 

build‐up of ecologically similar species 

Many Pacific island terrestrial biotas are known for both 

species richness and morphological diversity reflecting 

obvious ecological differentiation. Less well understood, 

and perhaps just as common, are those radiations 

comprising species that exhibit little ecological 

differentiation. Phylogenetic and biogeographical 

evidence (based on nDNA (nuclear) and mtDNA 

sequences of Belau and western Pacific land snails) are 

used in combination with ecological data (i.e. rock or 

leaf litter) and shell morphology (i.e. heavily calcified 

[rock dweller] or ribbed [leaf litter dweller]) to show 

that Belau diplommatinid land snails have diversified via 

the accumulation of ecologically similar species within 

two distinct habitats by repeated colonization across 

islands, rather than through in situ radiation on 

individual islands. Communities of snail species 

exhibiting subtle, yet potentially ecologically and 

therefore evolutionarily meaningful, morphological 

67

differences have built up on different islands through 

dispersal. Small‐bodied 

(< 5 mm) diplommatinid Belau land snails (which 

comprise almost half of the ca. 200 land snail species in 

Belau) thus are an emerging system for exploring 

questions of diversification and community assembly on 

isolated island archipelagos. 

1 University of British Columbia, Departments of Zoology and Botany, 

Biodiversity Research Centre, Vancouver, Canada 

Sahli, Heather 1 , Drake, Donald 2 , and Taylor, Andrew 2 

Assessing the roles of native and alien animals in 

Hawaiian pollination webs 

Plant pollinator interactions are essential trophic 

interactions for most plants and some animals, and can 

be studied in a network‐based manner similar to any 

food‐web study. Due to the important ecosystem 

service of pollination, study of pollination webs in 

Hawaii has great conservation implications, and past 

studies of this nature have been sorely lacking in 

Hawaiian ecosystems. Furthermore, the combined 

effects of habitat degradation and introduction of 

invasive species may have contributed to loss of native 

pollinators in the Hawaiian Islands. This study 

quantified community‐level patterns of flower visitation 

(pollination webs) in a range of relatively simple, native‐ 

dominated plant communities across the Hawaiian 

Islands. One goal of this work was to assess how habitat 

degradation and the introduction of non‐native species 

may have altered plant‐pollinator interactions across 

habitats in Hawaii. During timed observations of all 

flowering species in each community, flower visits by 

potential pollinators (i.e., animals contacting anthers or 

stigmas) were counted. One of the most intact, 

restored coastal strand plant communities was 

dominated by alien pollinators, yet still supported 

species of endemic Hylaeus bees. In early‐successional 

rain forest communities, as elevation increased from 

880‐2440 m, the proportion of flower visits attributable 

to native species increased from 0.55 to 0.90. The 

dominant floral visitors at all mid and high elevation 

sites were the endemic Hylaeus bees. Finally, in 

subalpine shrublands, visitation of native Hylaeus bees 

to the endemic Geranium cuneatum was reduced in the 

presence of invasive ants (Linepithema humile), which 

may be preying on the native bees. 

1 Shippensburg University, PA, USA 

2 University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, USA 

Sand, Christophe 1 


Transforming a piece of Gondwanaland: long‐term 

human modeling of New Caledonia’s landscapes 

As a former part the old Gondwana plate, the main 

island of New Caledonia in southern Melanesia, 

developed a unique suite of environmental 

characteristics. While recognizing the constraints of the 

island’s distinct geological origin, this paper will 

summarize the specific processes of 

impact/adaptation/transformation that the island has 

experienced during 3,000 years of pre‐European human 

settlement. Numerous sites on the island reflect major 

transformations in the landscape and extinctions in the 

local fauna that can be linked to an early settlement 

phase. However, new cultural dynamics which 

subsequently developed within the traditional Kanak 

Cultural Complex enhanced environmental protection 

practices and encouraged better use of natural 

resources. These developments coincided with a period 

of massive intensification in horticultural practices such 

as the construction of sophisticated and complex 

terraces for wet plantations of taro and extended dry 

land mound structures for yams. A network of large, 

densely populated human settlements, organized in 

hierarchical Chiefdoms and associated to regional long 

distance interaction spheres, was created in the valleys 

of the main island during the second millennium AD. 

The long‐term environmental sustainability of the 

traditional Kanak landscape is a reminder of the ability 

of Pacific Islanders to manage and use their land wisely, 

even in areas with high population densities. 

1 Institute of Archaeology of New Caledonia and the Pacific (IANCP), 

Noumea, Southern Province, New Caledonia 

Schwartz, Sonja A. 1 , Roderick, George K 1 , and Carlon, 

David B. 2 

The origins of marine biodiversity in the Indo‐Pacific: 

using comparative population genetics of Scarus 

parrotfish to test models of diversification 

The origins of diversity in tropical coral reef ecosystems 

have intrigued evolutionary biologists at least since 

Darwin, yet the evolutionary processes that lead to 

speciation in broadly distributed reef animals are still 

not well understood. This project will use parrotfish 

(genus Scarus) as a model system to: 1) use population 

genetics to investigate contemporary patterns and 

historic processes of diversification across the Indian 

and Pacific Oceans using both mitochondrial and 

nuclear markers, 2) test alternate theories of origins of 

68

Indo‐Pacific biodiversity, and 3) develop a demographic 

and dispersal‐based simulation model of genetic 

divergence in the Indo‐Pacific. 

1 



2 

University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Zoology, Honolulu, USA 

Seamon, Joshua O. 1 , Utzurrum, Ruth C. B. 1,2 , Tualaulelei, 

Ailao 1 , Faàumu, Siaifoi 1 , Vaivai, Visa 1,3 , and Meyer, 

Roger 1 

Dynamics of spatiotemporal variation in fruiting and 

frugivorous birds on a remote island 

Polynesian islands are characterized by depauperate 

floras and generalist faunas that are subject to frequent, 

hurricane‐induced disturbance. These communities 

have greater ratios of fruiting tree species to frugivore 

species than many continental or large‐island 

ecosystems. Thus, the potential for coevolutionary 

adaptations therein could be tempered by abiotic 

factors. The outcome of these processes may be 

manifest in contemporary spatiotemporal patterns in 

fruiting phenology, frugivore abundances, and fruit 

choice. This study investigated this possibility in lowland 

rainforests of Tutuila, American Samoa. It determined 

tree phenologies using 4 years of monthly censuses of 

~2900 individually marked trees in ~4 ha of forest. 

Frugivore abundances were estimated monthly at 6 

sites for 10 years. Simultaneously, the numbers of 

fruiting trees at each site and the foraging habits of the 

largest avian frugivore were also recorded. Temporal 

variation in fruiting among sites was synchronous at the 

community level, but not within species. Fruiting was 

seasonal, but peak timing varied among species. Fruit 

color and size were significantly related to the 

probability of fruiting, but not to frugivore preferences. 

Temporal patterns in frugivore abundances were rarely 

associated among sites. Within sites, only one species 

pair was generally synchronous. Thus, nonrandom 

spatiotemporal variation in consumers and resources, 

from community to species levels, characterizes these 

forests. Frugivores experience this complexity in ways 

not simply predicted by consumer traits or network 

properties. Frugivore impacts on plant fitness may 

depend on whether the mean or the variance in 

consumption patterns contributes more to successful 

dispersal. 

1 

American Samoan Government, Department of Marine and Wildlife 

Resources, Pago Pago 

2 

FWS Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program, Honolulu, HI, USA 

3 

National Park Service, Inventory and Monitoring, Pacific Island 

Network, American Samoa 

Shaw, Kerry L. 1 


Gryllids in the mist: key factors underlying the rapid 

speciation of endemic Hawaiian forest crickets 

Species of the endemic Hawaiian cricket Laupala are a 

classic example of a non‐adaptive radiation, with sexual 

signals the main way in which species differ. Despite 

the apparent ecological similarity among Laupala 

species, this group exhibits an unusually high rate of 

speciation. Sexual selection mediated through species 

interactions provides a compelling hypothesis for how 

speciation has occurred in this group. Evidence from 

phylogeny, the geography of speciation, gene flow, and 

variation in mating signals and preferences are 

considered in the evaluation of this hypothesis. 

Regardless of the cause of divergence, the diversity of 

sexual communication systems across species presents 

a poorly understood paradox, because theory suggests 

that evolution of such behavior should be impaired by 

the functional need to maintain coordination between 

male signals and female preferences. Genetic coupling 

(tight linkage or pleiotropy) of signal‐preference 

evolution, whereby the same, or nearby, genes control 

variation in male signal and female preference, can 

facilitate the coordinated divergence of male and 

female communication behaviors. This study presents 

evidence for genetic coupling between male signal and 

female preference in two closely related Laupala 

species with greatly differentiated male songs and 

female acoustic preference. It integrates all these lines 

of evidence to implicate species interactions and a 

compelling genetic architecture as key factors driving 

the phenotypic evolution underlying this rapid 

radiation. 

1 Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA 

Sherwood, Alison 1 , Kurihara, Akira 1 , Conklin, Kimberly 1 , 

and Sauvage, Thomas 1 

Molecular patterns of diversification in the Hawaiian 

red algal flora 

The Hawaiian Rhodophyta Biodiversity Survey was 

undertaken during 2006‐2010 and consisted of a 

polyphasic approach to characterizing almost 2,000 red 

algal samples. The backbone of the survey was the use 

of three DNA barcode‐like molecular markers, which 

allowed the generation of >2,400 DNA sequences, and 

established the largest reference sequence library for 

tropical red algae. These sequences enabled a 

preliminary assessment of within‐taxon diversity and, in 

some cases, phylogeographic patterns. The 

69

mitochondrial 5P‐COI marker, which is the accepted 

DNA barcode for red algae, outperformed the plastid 

UPA and nuclear LSU markers for taxonomic resolution, 

but had the lowest universality of amplification, yielding 

639 sequences (in contrast to 915 sequences for LSU 

and 864 for UPA). Nonetheless, adequate COI 

representation was obtained for a number of 

widespread red algal species to allow phylogeographic 

patterns to be investigated. Among the taxa 

demonstrating substantial intraspecific variation based 

on sequence divergence, Amansia glomerata, 

Asparagopsis taxiformis, and Dichotomaria marginata 

all possessed sufficient sequence diversity to yield 

multiple networks in statistical parsimony analyses (at 

the 95% connection limit), while sequences of Dasya 

iridescens yielded a single network. In contrast, seven 

additional species from the orders Ceramiales, 

Corallinales, and Rhodymeniales possessed little‐to‐no 

sequence divergence, illustrating that not all 

widespread Hawaiian red algal taxa have intraspecific 

sequence diversity that can be related to island 

distribution or patterns of dispersal. The results of this 

biodiversity survey set the stage for future research into 

the systematics and phylogeography of both native and 

non‐native red algae in the Hawaiian Archipelago. 

1 University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Botany, Honolulu, HI, 

USA 

Shiels, Aaron B. 1 

, Pitt, Will C. 1 , and Russell, James 2 

What factors predict body sizes of introduced rodents 

on Pacific Islands? A test of Bergmann’s rule 

Body sizes of animals are affected by several factors, 

including ambient temperature, available food sources, 

and predators. Bergmann’s rule applies to warm‐ 

blooded animals and states that the body size of a given 

species increases with decreased temperature. 

Latitudinal gradients are often used to test Bergmann’s 

rule. Introduced rodents, primarily three species of rats 

(Rattus exulans, R. rattus, R. norvegicus) and the house 

mouse (Mus musculus) are among the most widespread 

vertebrates in the world; they were introduced to most 

Pacific islands at least 700 years ago (R. exulans) and at 

least 140 years ago (other three species). Because 

these rodents are highly fecund, changes in their body 

sizes resulting from adaptations to island temperatures 

(latitudes) may be recognizable in modern specimens. 

This study assembled rodent body size data from Pacific 

islands to better understand species‐specific variation 

and to test Bergmann’s rule. It synthesized body size 

data from lowland habitats on > 20 Pacific islands for R. 

exulans and R. rattus. Body sizes of R. exulans and R. 


rattus were highly variable even within tropical or 

temperate regions, and the findings did not support 

Bergmann’s rule for these two species. There was 

support of Bergmann’s rule for M. musculus when 

tropical islands (n = 7, avg. body mass: 11.9 g) were 

compared to temperate islands (n = 7, avg. body mass: 

20.9 g). Possible explanations for these patterns are 

presented, and submissions of datasets for additional 

future analyses of determinants of rodent body sizes on 

Pacific islands are encouraged. 

1 

USDA Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Hilo, HI, 

USA 

2 

University of Auckland, Biology Program and Department of 

Statistics, New Zealand 

Soule, Michael 1 

Context and ideology in pacific conservation: where 

biases and rules don't apply 

The rules of thumb for protected area design should not 

be applied without considering biogeographic, 

historical, economic, political, and cultural contexts. 

E.g., one standard rule for the design of nature 

reserves‐‐larger reserves are better than smaller ones‐‐ 

rarely should be followed on islands, particularly on 

those that are subject to population fragmentation, 

disruption of gene flow, and that are occupied by non‐ 

native, invasive, competitive or predatory species 

against which island endemics have little resistance. In 

addition, where habitat remnants hold small numbers 

of individuals of a species (less than several thousand), 

the common human bias favoring racial purity—the 

"Nietzschean fallacy" (and against interbreeding of 

races or sub‐populations) is scientifically untenable. 

Instead of worrying about mixing and out‐breeding 

depression, conservationists should be emphasizing 

evolutionary resilience and maximizing genetic 

variability, particularly in the face climate change and 

massive habitat fragmentation. Among the major 

conservation challenges on islands, therefore, are 

genetic erosion, inbreeding, and the inability of small 

populations to adapt to unpredictable selection 

pressures in the future, such as climate change, severe 

storms, and drought. 

1 University of California, Santa Cruz, Department of Environmental 

Studies, USA 

70

Sterling, Eleanor J. 1 and Filardi, Christopher E. 1 

Integrating process as well as pattern into island 

conservation decision‐making 

Biologists have long marveled at the variety of unique 

life forms on islands, but recent scientific discoveries 

have added further impetus to focus on islands beyond 

endemism and as bell‐jar natural laboratories. We are 

now seeing that island ecosystems have significant and 

under‐recognized impacts on the generation and 

maintenance of global patterns of biodiversity. 

Scientists are learning that islands are not simply the 

evolutionary dead ends once believed, but are instead 

engines of diversification in their own right, and far‐ 

flung webs of ecological connectivity. Tropical oceanic 

islands in particular are increasingly being revealed as 

having a dynamic connectivity, a give‐and‐take with one 

another, on both evolutionary and ecological scales. In 

this talk, examples are provided from across several 

taxa that define the emerging understanding of insular 

ecological and evolutionary connectivity at regional and 

pan‐Pacific scales. Conservation investment needs to 

reflect these emerging new paradigms in island biology, 

embracing a sense of the ecological and evolutionary 

scales of island life, and the contribution of insular 

processes to continental and global‐scale diversity. It is 

not island‐by‐island, but pan‐regional dynamics that 

should guide our actions. Future conservation strategies 

should mirror a perception common to many tropical 

island cultures: "The ocean does not divide us, it is what 

unites us". 

1 American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USA 

Tagawa, Anya 1 and Price, Jonathan 1 

Assessing canopy volume in characterizing spatial and 

seasonal aspects of food resources of native Hawaiian 

forest birds 

Hawaii's native forest birds have evolved strong 

associations with their habitats and the food resources 

they exploit. Unfortunately, we are beginning to find 

that many species have been extirpated from prime 

habitats that have been severely degraded to habitats 

that do not fully meet their needs. As such, 

understanding plant communities and the resources 

they provide is pivotal in their conservation. This study 

focused on characterizing various community types by 

considering the diversity and abundance of fruit‐ and 

nectar‐bearing species within each. Study sites were 

located in quality forest habitat on Hawaiì Island 

among a matrix of moisture and elevation. Vertical 


point‐intercept data were taken to estimate abundance 

of plant‐based resources. Preliminary results have 

shown that mesic sites, regardless of elevation, support 

a greater diversity and canopy volume of fruit‐bearing 

species. Mid‐elevation wet and low‐elevation dry 

forests support modest canopy volume of fruit‐bearing 

species, however in dry forest this is almost entirely due 

to a single species, lama (Diospyros sandwicensis). A 

single species, Òhià (Metrosideros polymorpha) makes 

up the bulk of nectar resources at all sites, with mesic 

sites supporting the highest canopy volume, followed by 

wet and dry sites, respectively. This study aims to 

characterize different habitat types, identify dominant 

food resources within each, and establish if these 

habitats can—or with restoration efforts could— 

support native forest birds. 

1 University of Hawaii at Hilo, USA 

Thaman, R. R. 1 

Name it, record it, map it, or lose it! – the island 

ethnobiodiversity crisis and the need for a strong 

marriage between indigenous and modern science as a 

basis for biodiversity conservation in the Pacific Islands 

There is an island "ethnobiodiversity" extinction crisis 

paralleling the widely documented island biodiversity 

extinction crisis. Ethnobiodiversity is defined as the 

knowledge, uses, beliefs, management systems, 

taxonomies, and language a given culture has for 

biodiversity. The crisis is clearly a problem in the Pacific 

Islands where biodiversity‐dependent peoples have co‐ 

evolved for millennia with island biodiversity and have 

in‐depth understandings of biodiversity that far surpass 

those of most outside scientists. This biocultural 

heritage is particularly threatened in the face of 

modernization because Pacific cultures were 

traditionally oral and such knowledge rarely written 

down, mapped, photographed, or recorded in modern 

ways. It was stored in the minds, legends, stories, songs, 

dances, crafts, art, and dreams of Pacific peoples. It is 

argued that, if we fail to work more closely with Pacific 

peoples to forge a strong marriage between these rich 

traditions and bodies of indigenous knowledge and the 

most up‐to‐date modern biodiversity science, we may 

ultimately fail in our attempts to understand and 

conserve island biodiversity. To do so, we may need to 

change the way we operate, our academic and scientific 

reward systems, and, how and where we plan, fund, 

and implement our biodiversity research and 

conservation initiatives. Fortunately, there are 

increasing examples of initiatives that are forging strong 

marriages with local Pacific Island scientists, students 

71

and local communities to address the ethnobiodiversity 

and biodiversity extinction crises. Some examples of 

these initiatives, their outputs and potential areas for 

the further conservation and enrichment of 

ethnobiodiversity are provided. 

1 The University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji 

Toonen, Rob 1 , Meyer, Chris 2 , Paulay, Gustav 3 , Faucci, 

Anuschka 4 , Bird, Chris 1 , Skillings, Derek 1 , Timmers, 

Molly 5 , Baums, Iliana 6 , and Bowen, Brian 1 

Patterns of marine lineage diversification across the 

Pacific 

Archipelago‐level endemism among marine organisms is 

generally perceived to be low except in the most 

isolated, peripheral island groups in Oceania. This study 

examines that perception in light of recent phylogenetic 

studies of a suite of marine species for patterns of 

diversification among archipelagos across the Central 

and Eastern Pacific. In general mollusks have diversified 

archipelago‐by‐archipelago with endemic monophyletic 

lineages in species of Astralium, Turbo, 

patellogastropods, and the vermetids. The extremes of 

this pattern are the cowries which are significantly 

overdispersed across the Central Pacific to the 

diversification of Cellana to three endemic species 

within the Hawaiian Archipelago. Echinoderms and 

crustaceans tend to show highly variable patterns by 

taxonomic groups. Among the Echinoderms, the 

holothuroids show little diversification among 

archipelagos despite significant population genetic 

structure. At the other end of that continuum, the 

crown‐of‐thorns sea star, Acanthaster planci shows 

considerable diversification that is unique to some 

archipelagos, and has recently been split into at least 4 

species. Likewise, among the majoid crabs, there is clear 

archipelago‐by‐archipelago diversification, which is not 

mirrored among xanthids and Calcinus hermit crabs. No 

such patterns of phylogeographic diversification is 

evident in fishes, which consistently show broad 

distribution of haplotypes and evidence for recent 

dispersal among archipelagos. Despite that, fishes have 

~23% endemism within the Hawaiian Archipelago, and 

these data pose the interesting question of why 

endemism is comparatively low in the marine 

invertebrate fauna which show considerable 

phylogeographic diversification absent in the fishes. 

1University 

of Hawaii at Manoa, Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, 

Kaneòhe, USA 

2 


Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Washington, DC, USA 


3 

Florida Museum of Natural History, Department of Invertebrate 

Zoology, Gainsville ,USA 

4 

University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Biology, Honolulu, USA 

5 

University of Hawaii at Manoa, Joint Institute for Marine and 

Atmospheric Research, School of Oceas and Earth Science and 

Technology, Honolulu, USA 

6 

Pennsylvania State University, Department of Biology, University 

Park, USA 

Van Houtan, Kyle S. 1 , Kittinger, John N. "Jack" 2 , 

McClenachan, Loren E. 3 , and Lawrence, Amanda 1 

Historical patterns of marine sea turtle exploitation 

and population response in the Pacific 

What is the historical baseline for nearshore sea turtle 

populations in the tropical Pacific? Various hypotheses 

can explain the current biogeography of turtles in the 

Pacific, but all of these rely on accurate historical 

information. Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) and 

green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) populations today are 

either: 1) recent colonists to Pacific islands, 2) a 

response to changes in nearshore ecosystems, or; 3) 

reflect anthropogenic impacts including 

overexploitation. This study tested the validity of these 

major competing hypotheses by compiling a historical 

database of >1000 individual data points, which allows 

us to establish historical ecological baselines for 

nearshore turtle populations in the Pacific basin. The 

results suggest that hawksbills were previously much 

more widely distributed and that colonial exploitation 

patterns for hawksbill shell provide the best explanation 

for current biogeographic distribution. Notably, 

historical harvest data are highly correlated with current 

nesting distributions, which supports the hypothesis 

that anthropogenic impacts severely reduced 

population size and nesting beach locations. Similarly, 

green sea turtles were also much more widely 

distributed in pre‐colonial times, but exploitation for 

food in prehistoric and post‐European contact times 

was probably the major driver for reductions in these 

populations. This analysis provides strong support to 

the role of human disturbance as a primary hypothesis 

for current sea turtle distributions. This research also 

demonstrates that historical data not commonly relied 

on in current population assessments can enable a 

greater understanding of the role of disturbance 

(human and natural) in altering marine turtle 

populations and coastal ecosystems through time. 

1 NMFS/NOAA Marine Turtle Assessment Program, Protected Species 

Division, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, Honolulu, HI, USA 

2 University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Geography, NSF 

Integrated Graduate Education, Research and Training (IGERT) 

Program in Ecology, Conservation and Pathogen Biology, 

Honolulu, USA 

72

3 Simon Fraser University, Department of Biological Science, Burnaby, 

BC, Canada 

Vatanparast, Mohammad 1 , Takayama, Koji 2 , Tateishi, 

Yoichi 3 , and Kajita, Tadashi 1 

Phylogeography of a pantropical legume with sea‐ 

dispersed seeds, Canavalia rosea 

The evolutionary history and phylogeography of 

Canavalia rosea (Sw.) DC., a typical member of the 

group of "Pantropical plants with sea‐dispersed seeds" 

and its allied species were studied. The distribution 

range of C. rosea covers entire littoral areas of tropics 

and sub‐tropics all over the world, which is assumed to 

be the result of seeds having been dispersed by oceanic 

currents. Phylogenetic analyses using nucleotide 

sequences of 6 chloroplast DNA regions exceeding 6000 

bp suggested that the Hawaiian endemic subgenus 

Maunaloa, was monophyletic and more closely related 

to subgen. Canavalia than to other subgenera. The 

results suggest that the Hawaiian subgenus originated in 

a single colonization to Hawaii by sea‐dispersal. Spatial 

genetic structure among 515 individuals from 48 

populations of C. rosea was also studied based on 

partial sequences of 6 cpDNA regions. Pairwise FST and 

coalescent based population genetic analyses revealed 

that significant gene flow occurs over the Pacific and 

Indian Oceanic regions and also within the Atlantic 

region. The results also confirm genetic differentiation 

of the Atlantic populations and suggest that African and 

American land masses served as geographical barriers 

to gene flow by sea‐dispersal. 

1 

Chiba University, Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science, 

Japan 

2 

University of Vienna, Department of Plant Systematics and 

Evolution, Institute of Botany, Austria 

3 

University of the Ryukyus, Faculty of Education, Okinawa, Japan 

Waters, Jonathan M. 1 

The importance of history: ancient DNA analyses 

reveal dynamic responses to environmental change 

In New Zealand, seven centuries of human occupation 

have decimated an indigenous vertebrate fauna that 

evolved in the absence of terrestrial mammalian 

predators. Although the prevailing paradigm interprets 

surviving taxa as declining remnants of previously 

abundant populations, recent genetic data provide a 

warning against such simplistic narratives. As a case in 

point, ancient DNA analyses of Megadyptes penguin 

sub‐fossils suggest a dynamic extinction‐recolonisation 


scenario. Specifically, the data from this study indicate 

that the yellow‐eyed penguin (M. antipodes) is a new 

(1500‐1800 AD) arrival from the sub‐Antarctic following 

the recent extinction of its previously unrecognised New 

Zealand sister species, the Waitaha penguin (M. 

waitaha). Bayesian analyses of genotypic data imply 

that this northward expansion of M. antipodes occurred 

as recently as 500 years ago, approximately two 

centuries after the arrival of Polynesians. Similarly, New 

Zealand’s unique prehistoric sea‐lion lineages 

(Phocarctos) were extirpated following human arrival, 

and subsequently replaced by a sub‐Antarctic stock of 

Phocarctos. In yet another possible case of extinction 

and replacement, southern New Zealand now hosts an 

‘Australian’ lineage of the little blue penguin 

(Eudyptula). In all three cases, offshore lineages seem to 

have benefited from the extinction of their mainland 

counterparts. Broadly, it is becoming clear that 

environmental change and extinction can facilitate rapid 

colonisation across large geographic scales. Additionally, 

there can be little doubt that New Zealand represents 

one of the world’s most informative systems for 

studying the consequences of recent human impacts. 

1 University of Otago, Department of Zoology, Dunedin, New Zealand 

73

POST‐CONFERENCE FIELD TRIP 

VOLCANOES OF THE BIG ISLAND OF HAWAII 

May 30‐31, 2011 

Post‐Conference Field Trip 

Description 

This two‐day excursion, beginning mid‐day on Monday, May 30, provides a geological‐ 

biogeographical overview of three of the Big Island’s volcanic mountains including the planet’s 

largest mountain (Mauna Loa), it’s most active volcano (Kilauea) and the Pacific Basin’s highest 

island mountain (Mauna Kea). Emphasis will be placed on the nature of eruption of Hawaii’s mid‐ 

oceanic plate, effusive shield volcanoes and post volcanic interaction with the atmosphere, 

hydrosphere and biosphere, including successional revegetation. 

Leader: Chuck T. Blay, Geologist/Naturalist/Educator, TEOK Investigations 

Itinerary 

Day 1: 11:00‐20:00 – meet Dolphin Bay Hotel, Hilo (800‐935‐1466): Kilauea Volcano (youthful shield 

stage), Volcanoes National Park. Overview of summit area with hike across pit crater and lava lake 

of Kilauea Iki (site of 1959 eruption); Thurston (Nahuku) lava tube; Puu Puai tephra mound 

(vegetation succession); Chain of Craters Road to the sea (many stops); evening viewing of lava lake 

within Halemaumau summit crater; dinner stop at Volcano village (or Hilo, depending on volcano 

activity and weather); lodging – Dolphin Bay Hotel, Hilo. 

Day 2: 08:00‐18:00 – Mauna Loa (mature shield stage) and Mauna Kea (post‐shield stage): Puu Oo 

trail across a variety of prehistoric and historic Mauna Loa lava flows and kipukas; overview of 

Mauna Kea geology with emphasis on post‐shield cinder cones and summit glacial deposits; lodging 

– Dolphin Bay Hotel, Hilo. 

Cost: $275 includes two nights lodging (shared room, May 30, 31), transportation (4wd to Mauna 

Kea summit), breakfast (continental), lunches (2 days), and guidebook. Not included ‐‐ 

transportation to and from Hilo, evening meals. 

Reservations 

Reservations can be made at the conference registration desk. Miximum participants = 13. No 

refunds will be issued unless the space can be filled from the waiting list which will be kept after the 

trip has reached maximum capacity. 

74

MCBRYDE TRAVEL AWARD RECIPIENTS 

Student Travel Awards 

The conference organizing committee would like to thank the National Tropical Botanical Garden 

(NTBG) for their generous support of the student travel grant program through the McBryde Science 

Program at NTBG. The purpose of this scholarship program is to encourage student attendance and 

participation at the conference by providing financial assistance to students who would otherwise 

be unable to attend. 

Congratulations to the following recipients of a McBryde Travel Award: 

Michael J. Andersen 

University of Kansas 

Asa J. Aue 

University of Hawaii at Hilo 

Christine D. Bacon 

Colorado State University 



Gordon M. Bennett 

University of Califronia, Berkeley 

Joanne L. Birch 

University of Hawaii at Manoa 

Jason T. Cantley 



Laboratoire Evolution et Diversité Biologique 

Yvonne L. Chan 


Stephan Masao Classen 


Gregory T. Concepcion 

University of Maryland, College Park 

Craig Costion 

Australian Tropical Herbarium 

Darko D. Cotoras 


Jessica Craft 

University of California, San Diego 

Iria Fernandez‐Silva 

University of Hawaii at Manoa, Hawaii Institute of 

Marine Biology 

Timothy J. Gallaher 




Kari R. Goodman 


Michelle E. Guitard 


David H. Hembry 


Michael Hickerson 

City University of New York 

Melissa A. Johnson 




Richard Lapoint 


Pei‐Luen Lu 



75

Tom P. McFarland 


Paula Mejia Velasquez 

University of Florida, Gainesville 

Matin Miryeganeh 

Chiba University 

Keenan Morrison 


Kristen M. Nolting 

Michigan State 

Peter T. Oboyski 


Richard Pender 


Student Travel Awards 

Jonathan B. Puritz 


Amanda C. Raver 




Julio Rivera 


Andrew J. Rominger 


Sonja A. Schwartz 


Anya Tagawa 



76

CONFERENCE PARTICIPANTS 

NAME INSTITUTION CITY 

Conference Participants 

Australia 

Costion, Craig M. Australian Tropical Herbarium Cairns 

Lavery, Tyrone University of Queensland Gatton 

Long, Suzanne C. Reef and Rainforest Research Centre Cairns 

Porch, Nick Deakin University Burwood 

Burma 

Min, Khine Soe "Michael" Monywa University and Open University Yangon 

Mon, Thet Su Dagon University Yangon 

Naing, Tin Htet "Stanley" University of Distance Education Yangon 

Swe, Thiri Myanmar Institute of Technology Yangon 

Win, Aung Myo Distance Education of Dagon University Yangon 

Canada 

Craig, Douglas A. University of Alberta Edmonton 

Craig, Ruth E. Edmonton 

Percy, Diana M. University of British Columbia Vancouver 

Rundell, Rebecca J. University of British Columbia Vancouver 

Chile 

Cardemil, Jaime Espejo Universidad de Concepción/Forestal 

Mininco 

Fiji 

Thaman, Randolph R. The University of the South Pacific Suva 

France 

Casquet, Juliane Université Paul Sabatier, Laboratoire 

Evolution et Diversité Biologique 

French Polynesia 

Meyer, Jean‐Yves Délégation à la Recherche, Government 

of French Polynesia 

Los Angeles 

Toulouse 

Papeete 

Japan 

Kajita, Tadashi Chiba University Chiba 

Miryeganeh, Matin Chiba University Chiba 

Vatanparast, Mohammad Chiba University Chiba 


77


Malaysia 

Abdul Razbak, Auji Nabulah "Abbie" University Putra Malaysia Kuala Lumpur 

Cheah, Lee Sun University of Malaya Penang 

Kumeraintharen, Murugiah "Kumerain" University of Science Malaysia Penang 

Lui, Wen Leong "Jayden" University of Putra Malaysia Nilai 

Ng, Chuck Chaun University of Malaya Penang 

Mexico 

Mehltreter, Klaus Instituto de Ecologia, A.C. Xalapa 

New Caledonia 

Sand, Christophe Institute of Archaeology of New Caledonia 

and the Pacific (IANCP) 

Noumea 

New Zealand 

Matisoo‐Smith, Elizabeth A. University of Otago Dunedin 

Prost, Stefan University of Otago Dunedin 

Waters, Jonathan M. University of Otago Dunedin 

Philippines 

Casimiro, Jonathan Tomines "Jonas" Saint Louis University San Fernando City 

Galon, Gerard Emmanuel Babiera University of Saint La Salle Bacolod City 

Madriaga, Frances Batenga Saint Louis University Tarlac City 

Sidic, Zobair Ballindong "Dicxee" Mindanao State University‐Marawi Pualas 

Villaflor, Jessel Kho "Jeje" University of Saint La Salle Bacolod City 

Switzerland 

Cibois, Alice Natural History Museum of Geneva Geneva 

Thailand 

Bannob, Nirut "Darid" Srinakharinwirot University Bangkok 

Boonprasop, Sutthichai "Win" Chulalongkorn University Photharam 

Chalmermthai, Khadijah Mahidol University International College Bangkok 

Fuekfon, Supisan "Bas" Chulalongkorn University Bangkok 

Jehwoh, Fitra Mahidol University International College Yaring 

United Kingdom 

Mahesan, Shangeetha 

Rosindell, James University of Leeds Leeds 

United States 

Allison, Allen Bishop Museum Honolulu 


78


Andersen, Michael J. University of Kansas Lawrence 

Aue, Asa J. University of Hawaii Hilo 

Bacon, Christine D. Colorado State University Fort Collins 

Bialic‐Murphy, Lalasia Army Natural Resources Honolulu 

Bainbridge, Susan J. University of California Berkeley 

Baldwin, Bruce G. University of California Berkeley 

Balukjian, Brad University of California Berkeley 

Banko, Paul C. United States Geological Survey Pacific Hawaii National 

Island Ecosystems Research Center Park 

Barton, Kasey E. University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu 

Bennett, Gordon M. University of California Berkeley 

Birch, Joanne L. University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu 

Bird, Christopher University of Hawaii, Hawaii Institute of 

Marine Biology 

Kaneòhe 

Blay, Charles T. The Edge Of Kau'ai (TEOK) Investigations Poipu 

Bordenave, Ian U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Honolulu 

Bowen, Brian University of Hawaii at Manoa, Hawaii Kaneòhe 

Institute of Marine Biology 

Boyd, Lance East‐West Center Honolulu 

Boyer, Alison G. University of Tennessee Knoxville 

Brown, Rafe University of Kansas Lawrence 

Brown, Jonathan M. Grinnell College Grinnell 

Bruegmann, Marie U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Honolulu 

Burney, David A. National Tropical Botanical Garden Kalaheo 

Butler, Marguerite University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu 

Canfield, Joan Hawaii Public Radio Kailua 

Cantley, Jason T. University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu 

Caraway, Vickie Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Honolulu 

Resources/DOFAW 

Carlile, Amy Honolulu 

Chan, Yvonne L. University of Hawaii Honolulu 

Chau, Marian University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu 

Ching, Susan N. Plant Extinction Prevention Program Pearl City 

Chock, Al Keali'i University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu 

Christensen, Carl C. Bishop Museum Honolulu 

Clark, John R. Catalina Island Conservancy and Rancho Avalon and 

Santa Ana Botanic Garden 

Claremont 

Clark, Michelle U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Honolulu 

Classen, Stephan M. University of Hawaii Hilo 

Cole, David M. University of Hawaii at Manoa Keaau 

Concepcion, Gregory T. University of Maryland College Park 

Cooper, Idelle A. Michigan State University Lansing 

Cotoras, Darko D. University of California Berkeley 

Craft, Jessica University of California San Diego 


79


Cusick, John East‐West Center Honolulu 

DiBattista, Joseph University of Hawaii at Manoa, Hawaii 


Kaneòhe 

Drake, Donald R. University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu 

Duffy, David C. University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu 

Duffy, Deirdre University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu 

Dunn, Christopher P. University of Hawaii, Lyon Arboretum Honolulu 

Evans, Malia University of Hawaii ‐PCSU Honolulu 

Ewing, Curtis University of California Berkeley 

Faucci, Anuschka University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu 

Fernandez‐Silva, Iria University of Hawii at Manoa, Hawaii 

Institue of Marine Biology 

Kaneòhe 

Filardi, Christopher E. American Museum of Natural History New York City 

Fleischer, Robert C. Smithsonian Conservation Biology 

Institute 

Washington, DC 

Forsman, Zac H. University of Hawaii at Manoa, Hawaii 


Kaneòhe 

Fortini, Lucas B. Pacific Islands Climate Change 

Cooperative/ PIERC‐USGS 

Honolulu 

Fraiola, Kauaoa M.S. University of California Berkeley 

Funk, Vicki Smithsonian Institution, National Museum 

of Natural History 


Gallaher, Timothy J. University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu 

Game, John C. University of California, Berkeley 

Herbarium 

Berkeley 

Giddens, Jonatha University of Hawaii Hilo 

Gillespie, Rosemary G. University of California Berkeley 

Gon III, Samuel M. 'Ohukani'ohi'a The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii Honolulu 

Goodman, Kari Roesch University of California Berkeley 

Guitard, Michelle E. University of Hawaii Hilo 

Hague, Clifford W. Catalina Island Conservancy/San Diego 

Zoo Global 

Avalon 

Hanken, James Harvard University Cambridge 

Harrington, Carrie U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Honolulu 

Helgen, Lauren Smithsonian Institution, National Museum 



Helgen, Kristofer M. Smithsonian Institution, National Museum 



Hembry, David H. University of California Berkeley 

Herman, Douglas Smithsonian Institution, National Museum 

of the American Indian 


Hickerson, Michael J. City University of New York Flushing 

HIgashino, Jennifer U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Honolulu 

Hogan, James Derek University of Wisconsin Madison 


80


Horn, James W. Smithsonian Institution, National Museum 



Huppman, Elizabeth University of Hawaii, Lyon Arboretum Honolulu 

Hughes, Flint USDA‐Forest Service‐Pacific Southwest 

Research Station 

Hilo 

Jacobi, James D. U.S. Geological Survey ‐ Pacific Island 

Ecosystems Research Center 

Honolulu 

Helen, James Smithsonian Institution, National Museum 



Hoffman, Naomi Honolulu Botanical Gardens Honolulu 

James, Shelley A. Bishop Museum Honolulu 

Jarvi, Susan I. University of Hawaii Hilo 

Johnson, Melissa A. University of Hawaii Hilo 

Jordan, Stephen D. Bucknell University Lewisburg 

Juola, Frans U.S. Navy Honolulu 

Juvik, James O. University of Hawaii Hilo 

Kahn, Jennifer G. Bishop Museum Hilo 

Kapan, Durrell University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu 

Karl, Stephen A. University of Hawaii at Manoa, Hawaii 


Kaneòhe 

Kastl, Brian East‐West Center Honolulu 

Kawahara, Akito University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu 

Kawelo, Hilary K. Oàhu Army Natural Resource Program Kaneòhe 

Keeley, Sterling C. University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu 

Keir, Matt University of Hawaii Pacific Cooperative 

Studies Unit 

Honolulu 

Kelloff, Carol L. Smithsonian Institution, National Museum 



Kennedy, Randy DLNR‐DOFAW Honolulu 

Khan, Nancy R. Smithsonian Institution, National Museum 



Kinzie III, Robert A. University of Hawaii at Manoa, Hawaii 


Kaneòhe 

Kirch, Patrick V. University of California Berkeley 

Kishida, Wendy M. Plant Extinction Prevention Program Kalaheo 

Kittinger, John N. University of Hawaii at Manoa and Impact 

Assessment, Inc. 

Honolulu 

Knope, Matthew L. Stanford University Stanford 

Kropidlowski, Stefan University of Hawaii Hilo 

Krushelnycky, Paul University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu 

Kwon, James U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Honolulu 

Lapoint, Richard University of California Berkeley 

Laughlin, Jill University of Hawaii, Lyon Arboretum Honolulu 

Lau, Joel Honolulu 

Lee, Julia G. Oàhu Army Natural Resources Program Honolulu 


81


Lehman, Alex University of Hawaii at Manoa, TPSS Honolulu 

Loope, Lloyd USGS ‐ Pacific Island Ecosystems Research 

Center 

Makawao 

Lorence, David H. National Tropical Botanical Garden Kalaheo 

Lu, Pei‐Luen University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu 

Lucas, Matthew P. National Tropical Botanical Garden Kalaheo 

Lundin, Ed University of Hawaii Hilo 

Mann, Sheri DLNR‐DOFAW Honolulu 

Mansker, Greg DLNR‐DOFAW Honolulu 

Mansker, Michelle L. Army Natural Resource Program Schofield Barracks 

Marrack, Lisa University of California Berkeley 

Matzke, Nicholas J. University of California Berkeley 

McFarland, Thomas P. University of Hawaii Hilo 

Medeiros, Arthur C. USGS Pacific Islands Ecosystems Research 

Center 

Makawao 

Mehrhoff, Loyal U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Honolulu 

Mejia Velasquez, Paula J. University of Florida Gainesville 

Miller, Steve U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Honolulu 

Monro, Christine East‐West Center Honolulu 

Montgomery, Steven Waipahu 

Morden, Clifford W. University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu 

Morrison, Keenan University of HawaiI Hilo 

Motley, Timothy Old Dominion University Norfolk 

Moyle, Robert G. University of Kansas Lawrence 

Nacapoy, Brandon U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Honolulu 

Nepokroeff, Molly University of South Dakota Vermillion 

Newman, Jeff U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Honolulu 

Newton, Jess U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Honolulu 

Nolting, Kristen M. Michigan State University East Lansing 

Ó Foighil, Diarmaid University of Michigan Ann Arbor 

Oboyski, Peter T. University of California Berkeley 

O'Grady, Patrick M. University of California Berkeley 

Oppenheimer, Hank Plant Extinction Prevention Program Lahaina and 

and University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu 

Ort, Brian S. University of California Berkeley 

Pang, Benton Kealii U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Honolulu 

Pender, Richard University of Hawaii Honolulu 

Perlman, Steven P. National Tropical Botanical Garden Kalaheo 

Pillon, Yohan University of Hawaii Hilo 

Plentovich, Sheldon U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Honolulu 

Polhemus, Dan U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Honolulu 

Price, Donald University of Hawaii Hilo 

Price, Jonathan University of Hawaii Hilo 


82


Puritz, Jonathan B. University of Hawaii at Manoa, Hawaii 


Kaneòhe 

Ranker, Tom A. University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu 

Raver, Amanda C. University of Hawaii Hilo 

Ree, Richard Field Museum of Natural History Chicago 

Rhoades, Alicia University of Hawaii Hilo 

Richmond, Jonathan Q. U.S. Geological Survey San Diego 

Rivera, Julio University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu 

Robichaux, Robert H. Hawaiian Silversword Foundation Volcano and 

and University of Arizona 

Tucson 

Roderick, George University of California Berkeley 

Roe‐Andersen, Susie Kamuela 

Rominger, Andrew J. University of California Berkeley 

Rothenberg, Jana J. TEOK Investigations Poipu 

Rubenstein, Tanya DLNR‐DOFAW Honolulu 

Sahli, Heather F. Shippensburg University Shippensburg 

Sakishima, Tomoko University of Hawaii Hilo 

Samper, Cristián Smithsonian Institution, National Museum 



Schwartz, Sonja A. University of California Berkeley 

Seamon, Joshua O. American Samoan Government Pago Pago 

Shaw, Kerry L. Cornell University Ithaca 

Sheng, Joanne U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Honolulu 

Sherwood, Alison University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu 

Shiels, Aaron B. United States Department of Agriculture Hilo 

Smith, Clifford W. University of Hawaii, Oàhu Army Natural 

Resources Program 

Honolulu 

Soulé, Michael Wildlands Project Paonia 

Stacy, Elizabeth A. University of Hawaii Hilo 

Sterling, Eleanor J. American Museum of Natural History New York City 

Sugii, Nellie University of Hawaii, Lyon Arboretum Honolulu 

Sukhraj, Nadiera United States Fish and Wildlife Service Honolulu 

Tagawa, Anya University of Hawaii Hilo 

Toonen, Robert J. University of Hawaii at Manoa, Hawaii 


Kaneòhe 

Utzurrum, Ruth B. United States Wildlife and Sport Fish 

Restoration Program 

Honolulu 

Van Houtan, Kyle S. NOAA Fisheries Honolulu 

Wagner, Warren L. Smithsonian Institution, National Museum 



Waiamau, Linley DLNR‐DOFAW Honolulu 

Waite, Mashuri University of Hawaii, Lyon Arboretum Honolulu 

Walker, Michael John Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit: OANRP Honolulu 

Weisenberger, Lauren University of Hawaii ‐ PCSU: OANRP Honolulu 


83


Whitehead, Amber Kamehameha Schools ‐ Land Assets 

Dvision 

Kailua‐Kona 

Wichman, Chipper R. National Tropical Botanical Garden Kalaheo 

Wichman, Hauòli National Tropical Botanical Garden Kalaheo 

Williams, Laura NAVFAC Pacific ‐ Terrestrial Natural 

Resources 

Pearl Harbor 

Yoshinaga, Alvin Y. University of Hawaii (retired) Honolulu 

Yuen, Emma K. Hawaii Department of Land and Natural 

Resources‐ Division of Forestry and 

Wildlife 

Honolulu 


84

NOTES 

85

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