ESTIMATING AND APPLYING BIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS TO ENHANCE MANAGEMENT OF RAUVOLFIA VOMITORIA AN INVASIVE TREE IN NORTH KOHALA, HAWAIʻI

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dc.contributor.advisorPrice, Jonathan
dc.contributor.authorSullivan, Timothy Olson
dc.contributor.departmentTropical Conservation Biology & Environmental Science
dc.date.accessioned2017-06-22T19:02:22Z
dc.date.available2017-06-22T19:02:22Z
dc.date.issued2017-06
dc.description.abstractIntroduced tree species can cause environmental harm through invasive traits like fast growth rates, long-term seed longevity, and long-distance seed dispersal. I estimated these rates for Rauvolfia vomitoria, a tree native to tropical Africa, which was introduced to Hawaii Island in the 1950’s. I then compared these rates to other local trees species, both native and invasive, in order to understand R. vomitoria’s relative invasive risk. It appears to be slow growing at ~1.4mm DBH growth annually, but its seeds can survive over 3 years and can be dispersed up to 1km. Managers have concluded R. vomitoria warrants control, and have decided to contain the invasion. Based on my estimates for growth and dispersal, I calculated the cost for a number of containment scenarios, which ranged from $36,000-$88,000 annually. Given that average annual funding for R. vomitoria control is ~$35,000, managers may need to request more funding or change management-tactics.
dc.description.degreeM.S.
dc.description.institutionUniversity of Hawaii at Hilo
dc.format.extent73 pages
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10790/3232
dc.language.isoeng
dc.subjectConservation biology
dc.subjectEcology
dc.subjectHawaii
dc.subjectInvasive containment
dc.subjectInvasive management
dc.subjectInvasive species
dc.subjectInvasive trees
dc.subjectRauvolfia vomitoria
dc.titleESTIMATING AND APPLYING BIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS TO ENHANCE MANAGEMENT OF RAUVOLFIA VOMITORIA AN INVASIVE TREE IN NORTH KOHALA, HAWAIʻI
dcterms.rightsAll UHH dissertations and theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission from the copyright owner.
local.identifier.alturihttp://dissertations.umi.com/hilo.hawaii:10143

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