Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 146-155 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Journal of vegetation science |
| Volume | 30 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Publication status | Published - 2019 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Abstract
Questions: (a) Have Metrosideros polymorpha trees become re-established in Hawaiian forests previously impacted by canopy dieback in the 1970s? (b) Has canopy dieback expanded since the 1970s? (c) Can spatial patterns from this dieback be correlated with habitat factors to model future dieback in this area? Study Site: An 83,603 ha study area on the eastern slopes of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea volcanoes on the island of Hawaii, USA. Methods: We analyzed very-high-resolution imagery to assess status of Metrosideros polymorpha forests across the eastern side of the island of Hawaii. We generated 1,170 virtual vegetation plots with a 100-m radius; 541 plots in areas mapped in 1977 with trees dead or mostly defoliated (dieback), and 629 plots in adjacent wet forest habitat, previously mapped as non-dieback condition. In each plot we estimated the frequency of M. polymorpha trees that were dead or mostly defoliated, and the frequency of trees with healthy crowns. These results were combined with habitat data to produce a spatial model depicting probability of canopy dieback within the study area. Results: Seventy-nine percent of plots mapped in 1977 in dieback condition recovered their canopy and were now considered in non-dieback condition. Ninety-one percent of plots in previous non-dieback areas were found to still have a healthy M. polymorpha canopy in 2015. A spatial model allowed us to identify areas within the study area with high, medium, and low probability of experiencing this same type of canopy dieback in the future. Conclusions: Most former dieback areas mapped within the study area in 1977 now show recovery of the tree canopy through growth of new cohorts of young M. polymorpha trees. This suggests these forest communities are resilient to this type of canopy loss and tree death so long as other factors do not disrupt the natural regeneration process.
Keywords
- Canopy dieback, Cohort senescence, Forest decline, Forest health, Hawaii, Landscape-level analysis, Metrosideros polymorpha, Ohia, Recovery, Regeneration, Tree mortality, Vegetation dynamics
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Environmental Science(all)
- Ecology
- Agricultural and Biological Sciences(all)
- Plant Science
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In: Journal of vegetation science, Vol. 30, No. 1, 2019, p. 146-155.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Regeneration of Metrosideros polymorpha forests in Hawaii after landscape-level canopy dieback
AU - Mertelmeyer, Linda
AU - Jacobi, James D.
AU - Brinck, Kevin
AU - Mueller-Dombois, Dieter
AU - Boehmer, Hans Juergen
N1 - Funding information: information U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center. This research was supported by funds from the Ecosystems Mission Area of the U.S. Geological Survey, and administrative support provided by the U.S. Geological Survey’s Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center. We thank Sam Gon III, R. Flint Hughes, Kylle Roy, Gordon Tribble, and two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments on the manuscript. Any use of trade, product, or firm names in this publication is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. This research was supported by funds from the Ecosystems Mission Area of the U.S. Geological Survey, and administrative support provided by the U.S. Geological Survey’s Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center. We thank Sam Gon III, R. Flint Hughes, Kylle Roy, Gordon Tribble, and two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments on the manuscript. Any use of trade, product, or firm names in this publication is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
PY - 2019
Y1 - 2019
N2 - Questions: (a) Have Metrosideros polymorpha trees become re-established in Hawaiian forests previously impacted by canopy dieback in the 1970s? (b) Has canopy dieback expanded since the 1970s? (c) Can spatial patterns from this dieback be correlated with habitat factors to model future dieback in this area? Study Site: An 83,603 ha study area on the eastern slopes of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea volcanoes on the island of Hawaii, USA. Methods: We analyzed very-high-resolution imagery to assess status of Metrosideros polymorpha forests across the eastern side of the island of Hawaii. We generated 1,170 virtual vegetation plots with a 100-m radius; 541 plots in areas mapped in 1977 with trees dead or mostly defoliated (dieback), and 629 plots in adjacent wet forest habitat, previously mapped as non-dieback condition. In each plot we estimated the frequency of M. polymorpha trees that were dead or mostly defoliated, and the frequency of trees with healthy crowns. These results were combined with habitat data to produce a spatial model depicting probability of canopy dieback within the study area. Results: Seventy-nine percent of plots mapped in 1977 in dieback condition recovered their canopy and were now considered in non-dieback condition. Ninety-one percent of plots in previous non-dieback areas were found to still have a healthy M. polymorpha canopy in 2015. A spatial model allowed us to identify areas within the study area with high, medium, and low probability of experiencing this same type of canopy dieback in the future. Conclusions: Most former dieback areas mapped within the study area in 1977 now show recovery of the tree canopy through growth of new cohorts of young M. polymorpha trees. This suggests these forest communities are resilient to this type of canopy loss and tree death so long as other factors do not disrupt the natural regeneration process.
AB - Questions: (a) Have Metrosideros polymorpha trees become re-established in Hawaiian forests previously impacted by canopy dieback in the 1970s? (b) Has canopy dieback expanded since the 1970s? (c) Can spatial patterns from this dieback be correlated with habitat factors to model future dieback in this area? Study Site: An 83,603 ha study area on the eastern slopes of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea volcanoes on the island of Hawaii, USA. Methods: We analyzed very-high-resolution imagery to assess status of Metrosideros polymorpha forests across the eastern side of the island of Hawaii. We generated 1,170 virtual vegetation plots with a 100-m radius; 541 plots in areas mapped in 1977 with trees dead or mostly defoliated (dieback), and 629 plots in adjacent wet forest habitat, previously mapped as non-dieback condition. In each plot we estimated the frequency of M. polymorpha trees that were dead or mostly defoliated, and the frequency of trees with healthy crowns. These results were combined with habitat data to produce a spatial model depicting probability of canopy dieback within the study area. Results: Seventy-nine percent of plots mapped in 1977 in dieback condition recovered their canopy and were now considered in non-dieback condition. Ninety-one percent of plots in previous non-dieback areas were found to still have a healthy M. polymorpha canopy in 2015. A spatial model allowed us to identify areas within the study area with high, medium, and low probability of experiencing this same type of canopy dieback in the future. Conclusions: Most former dieback areas mapped within the study area in 1977 now show recovery of the tree canopy through growth of new cohorts of young M. polymorpha trees. This suggests these forest communities are resilient to this type of canopy loss and tree death so long as other factors do not disrupt the natural regeneration process.
KW - Canopy dieback
KW - Cohort senescence
KW - Forest decline
KW - Forest health
KW - Hawaii
KW - Landscape-level analysis
KW - Metrosideros polymorpha
KW - Ohia
KW - Recovery
KW - Regeneration
KW - Tree mortality
KW - Vegetation dynamics
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85067692067&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/jvs.12704
DO - 10.1111/jvs.12704
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85067692067
VL - 30
SP - 146
EP - 155
JO - Journal of vegetation science
JF - Journal of vegetation science
SN - 1100-9233
IS - 1
ER -