Twenty‐five years of change in forest structure and nesting behavior of Hawaiʻi ʻelepaio

Long‐term ecological studies are invaluable for detecting changes over time. Forest restoration has been a conservation priority in Hawaiʻi, where invasive species have negatively impacted native bird habitat. During 1993–1994, a study was conducted of Hawaiʻi ʻelepaio (Chasiempis sandwichensis) nes...

Full description

Saved in:

Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Restoration ecology Vol. 32; no. 3
Main Authors:	Jaenecke, Kelly A., Banko, Paul C., Peck, Robert W., Sarr, Zee, Shema, Nicholas
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Malden, USA Wiley Periodicals, Inc 01-03-2024 Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Subjects:	Abundance Change detection Composition Density Diameters Ecological studies Environmental restoration forest composition forest restoration Forests Hawaiian forest birds Height Indigenous animals Indigenous species Introduced species Invasive species long‐term change mesic montane forest Montane environments Mountain forests National parks nest site selection Nesting Nesting behavior Nests Plant species Relative abundance Site selection Trees Volcanoes Wildlife conservation
Online Access:	Get full text
Tags:	Add Tag No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!

Description
Summary:	Long‐term ecological studies are invaluable for detecting changes over time. Forest restoration has been a conservation priority in Hawaiʻi, where invasive species have negatively impacted native bird habitat. During 1993–1994, a study was conducted of Hawaiʻi ʻelepaio (Chasiempis sandwichensis) nest site selection and forest composition in mesic montane forest along Mauna Loa Road in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. We returned to the site and repeated the methods used in the earlier study to record Hawaiʻi ʻelepaio nest site selection (tree species, tree and nest height, and tree girth [diameter at breast height, DBH]) from 2015 to 2017, and measured forest composition (tree density, relative abundance, height, and DBH) in 2019. Three times as many nests were found in ʻaʻaliʻi (Dodonaea viscosa) as in koa (Acacia koa) in both time periods. Heights of koa and ʻaʻaliʻi did not change, but their DBH increased over time. The relative height of nests in ʻaʻaliʻi trees did not change, but nests in koa were placed higher in the crown during the later study. Overall tree density increased from 1,619 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1,499–1,740) trees/ha to 2,583 (95% CI = 2,176–3,096) trees/ha. Koa relative abundance was 53% of total trees earlier and 45% later, ʻaʻaliʻi remained at 47%, and māmane (Sophora chrysophylla) increased from 0 to 8% over time. Our results indicate that changes in forest composition affect nesting behavior, but in ways that are not necessarily simple or consistent.
Bibliography:	Author contributions: PCB, KAJ conceived the idea and designed the experiment; KAJ, PCB, RWP, ZS, NS conducted the research; KAJ, PCB wrote the paper and analyzed the data; PCB, RWP, KAJ designed the methods; ZS, NS conducted the earlier study and provided those data.
ISSN:	1061-2971 1526-100X
DOI:	10.1111/rec.14033