Arthropod Diversity Estimates for Three Native Subalpine Plant Species on the Maunakea Volcano of Hawai‘i Island

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dc.contributor.advisorEiben, Jesse
dc.contributor.authorStever, Heather
dc.contributor.departmentTropical Conservation Biology & Environmental Science
dc.date.accessioned2017-02-02T00:12:14Z
dc.date.available2017-02-02T00:12:14Z
dc.date.issued2016-12
dc.description.abstractTerrestrial arthropods are among the most abundant and diverse animals on Earth, especially in Hawai‘i where they constitute the vast majority of endemic fauna and play crucial roles in nearly every habitat throughout the islands. Arthropod surveys and inventories are useful methods for documenting arthropod diversity, but studying arthropods can be extremely difficult. Arthropod collection is often taxing because many species are very mobile and exist in harsh climates or on terrain that is difficult to access. Arthropod identification can also be challenging since many arthropods are remarkably small with complex morphologies and diverse life histories. The main goals of this study are to (1) broaden scientific knowledge regarding Hawaiian arthropods by conducting a baseline inventory of the arthropod diversity associated with three endemic Hawaiian plant species in Maunakea’s subalpine region: ‘Āweoweo (Chenopodium oahuense), Hinahina (Geranium cuneatum); and Māmane, (Sophora chrysophylla), and to (2) determine how arthropod diversity and community composition varies between these plant species and various arthropod sampling techniques. Additionally, this study is intended to help the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo’s Office of Maunakea Management (OMKM) fulfill its regulatory need for arthropod inventories, monitoring, and research by demonstrating the use of limited empirical data to develop an alternative, targeted sampling approach that uses species accumulation curves to offset the logistic and taxonomic challenges of arthropod sampling and diversity estimates. Between July and November 2015, we collected over 13,000 arthropods within the University of Hawai‘i (UH) Management Areas and Maunakea Forest Reserve in the subalpine region of the Maunakea Volcano on Hawai‘i Island. For our data analyses, we used R version 3.3.1 (R Development Core Team 2015) for statistical analyses to compare arthropod diversity and community composition between plant species and sampling techniques. We used EstimateS version 9 (Colwell 2013) to create species accumulation curves to determine the sample size necessary to detect the total estimated arthropod diversity associated with C. oahuense, G. cuneatum; and S. chrysophylla. The results of this study will ultimately increase knowledge and awareness of Hawaiian arthropods and their ecological interactions, and help the OMKM and other land management entities minimize the cost and effort required to conserve native arthropods on Maunakea.
dc.description.degreeM.S.
dc.description.institutionUniversity of Hawaii at Hilo
dc.format.extent72 pages
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10790/2949
dc.language.isoen
dc.subjectEntomology
dc.subjectNatural resource management
dc.subjectArthropods
dc.subjectEndemic
dc.subjectHawai‘i
dc.subjectInsects
dc.subjectMaunakea
dc.subjectSubalpine
dc.titleArthropod Diversity Estimates for Three Native Subalpine Plant Species on the Maunakea Volcano of Hawai‘i Island
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:10132

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