Data on the number of open fruit on individual Hibiscidelphus giffardianus plants in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park in a site with rats removed and control site, October 2016 to August 2017
Dates
Publication Date
2018-11-29
Start Date
2016-10-01
End Date
2017-08-01
Citation
Gill, N.S., Yelenik, S.G., Banko, P., Dixon, C., Jaennecke, K. and Peck, R., 2018, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park plant reproductive and rat abundance data 2016-2017: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9G5K78F.
Summary
This study aims to evaluate the effect of rat population control on the ability of Hibiscadelphus giffardianus to successfully establish seedlings. We compared H. giffardianus fruiting and recruitment in a stand treated for rats and a neighboring control stand. The study was conducted in two neighboring kīpuka, Kīpuka Puaulu and Kīpuka Kī, which are patches of well-developed forest surrounded by more recent lava flows. These kīpuka lie 2.5 km northwest of Kīlauea Caldera in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park on the island of Hawai`i. The 700 × 700 m rat-removal treatment area falls within Kīpuka Kī, and Kīpuka Puaulu served as a control. We monitored 181 mature, fruit-bearing individuals of this species, of which there exist 223 total. [...]
Summary
This study aims to evaluate the effect of rat population control on the ability of Hibiscadelphus giffardianus to successfully establish seedlings. We compared H. giffardianus fruiting and recruitment in a stand treated for rats and a neighboring control stand. The study was conducted in two neighboring kīpuka, Kīpuka Puaulu and Kīpuka Kī, which are patches of well-developed forest surrounded by more recent lava flows. These kīpuka lie 2.5 km northwest of Kīlauea Caldera in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park on the island of Hawai`i. The 700 × 700 m rat-removal treatment area falls within Kīpuka Kī, and Kīpuka Puaulu served as a control. We monitored 181 mature, fruit-bearing individuals of this species, of which there exist 223 total. Each month from October 2016 through August 2017, the number of seedlings within 3m of each individual H. giffardianus was recorded. All newly established seedlings were located and recorded early in their growth (height < 3 cm). Because of high mortality rates, after February, we placed protective exclosures (1 cm mesh size, designed to exclude non-native Kalij pheasant (Lophura leucomelanos) around remaining and new seedlings.
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Related External Resources
Type: Related Primary Publication
Gill, N. S., S. Yelenik, P. Banko, C. B. Dixon, K. Jaenecke, and R. Peck. 2018. Invasive rat control is an efficient, yet insufficient, method for recovery of the critically endangered Hawaiian plant hau kuahiwi (Hibiscadelphus giffardianus). PLoS ONE 13:e0208106.
Data were collected to ascertain whether rat removal increases the reproductive success of Hibiscadelphus giffardianus. Hibiscadelphus giffardianus is an endangered plant with only two known populations and it is not known to have successful seedling recruitment in the wild. While it was known that rats ate the fruits, it was not known if removing rats would be enough to increase population growth rates of the species.
