Browsing by Author "Uehana, Shea Takeo"

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    FURTHER INVESTIGATION OF THE DENDROCHRONOLOGICAL POTENTIAL OF MĀMANE (SOPHORA CHRYSOPHYLLA) ON MAUNA KEA, HAWAI‘I
    (2019-05) Uehana, Shea Takeo; Hart, Patrick; Tropical Conservation Biology & Environmental Science
    In order to better understand and predict the future effects of global climate change, researchers must utilize methods that allow accurate interpretation of pre-instrumental environmental conditions. Dendrochronology is especially useful because of its ability to utilize climate proxies spanning tremendous spatial and temporal scales in the form of tree rings. The construction of a global network of tree-ring chronologies is already well underway, but temperate bias has resulted in an under representation of the tropics. The Hawaiian Archipelago provides a unique opportunity to gather tree ring data from an under sampled region of the eastern tropics. I used classical dendrochronological methods to expand on previous research on Hawai‘i Island, adding trees from an additional site at a subalpine forest at Pu‘u La‘au, and extending the tree-ring chronology for māmane (Sophora chrysophylla) from 86 years to 173 years. I also investigated the growth-climate relationship of māmane at Pu‘u La‘au and found that rainfall is a poor predictor for tree growth.