The late pre-contact vegetation of Hālawa Valley, Moloka‘i Island, is assessed through the analysis of macroscopic (charcoal) and microscopic (pollen, phytoliths, and starch grains) plant remains recovered from archaeological excavations of sites dating to the period from 1600 to 1800 C.E. The results indicate an anthropogenically modified, open landscape dominated by Polynesian-introduced cultigens (“canoe plants”), ferns, sedges, and grasses, and a limited number of indigenous or endemic shrubs or trees with known uses in traditional Hawaiian culture. Nine Polynesian introductions are represented in the archaeobotanical record, including trees (candlenut, breadfruit, coconut, and Malay apple) and field crops (taro, banana, ti, noni, and bottle gourd). Sampling of the contemporary vegetation of Hālawa Valley at 238 locations demonstrates the persistence of these and several other Polynesian-introduced taxa, whose populations may preserve cultivars of ethnobotanical significance.

Little is known of helminth parasites of tropical Remote Oceania, in either archaeological or modern contexts. This study presents a parasitological analysis of soil samples from Lapita and Polynesian contexts in Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, the Marquesas Islands, and the Gambier Islands. Microscopic eggs of the dog (Canis familiaris) nematode Toxocara canis, which could have adversely affected local people and their dogs, were found at all sites. We comment on the variability in size and appearance of T. canis eggs found in archaeological contexts and compare these differences to modern reference eggs. The study represents the first confirmed record of pre-European helminth parasites in tropical Remote Oceania, and the first confirmed physical evidence of dog in Vanuatu.

Caridean shrimps (Caridea) are the dominant macroinvertebrates in most anchialine ecosystems. Hawaiian anchialine ecosystems, primarily composed of shallow surface pools connected to the ocean via hypogeal networks of cracks, tubes, and other voids, support 10 caridean shrimp species, including two federally listed as endangered. Little is known about most of these species. The objective of this study was to identify factors that affect the abundance and distribution of Metabetaeus lohena (Alpheidae), an uncommon species found across the Hawaiian Archipelago, at Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park, Island of Hawai‘i. This park supports the highest concentration of anchialine pools in the State of Hawai‘i and is critical to protecting this threatened ecosystem. During 2017, we measured the density of M. lohena during nighttime surveys, as well as a variety of other biological, physical, and chemical parameters, in 130 pools. Metabetaeus lohena occupied 71.5% of the pools surveyed, with a mean density of 7.32 individuals/m² (95% CI = 5.14–9.49). Invasive fish and the endemic shrimp Halocaridina rubra (Atyidae) had the strongest effects on M. lohena density, with negative and positive relations, respectively. In the first estimate of M. lohena density at this scale, our data indicate that Kaloko-Honokōhau supports about 11,480 shrimp (95% CI = 8,054–14,906) in the pools surveyed. Furthermore, our models predict that this park could support an additional 1,695 individuals (95% CI = 955–3,008) for a population of about 13,175 shrimp if fish were removed from 19 pools in which M. lohena are absent.

Information on the ecology of the olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) in Mexico is scarce, and only a few studies have been conducted on this species at the northern limit of its nesting distribution on the Baja California peninsula. The present study evaluated the key characteristics of the in situ reproductive ecology of L. olivacea on beaches of the Cabo Pulmo National Park (CPNP). We provide basic statistics for five beaches and statistical comparisons between the northernmost (Las Barracas) and southernmost (Los Frailes Beach) beaches of CPNP using a Bayesian analysis of variance (B-ANOVA) to evaluate the spatial and temporal variation in reproductive parameters with data from 2010 to 2015. We found a high probability of differences between years for all parameters (hatching success BF₁₀ = 3.91 × 10⁷; emergence success BF₁₀ = 1.7 × 10⁷; mortality BF₁₀ = 1.7 × 10⁷), and no evidence of differences between beaches for any parameter (BF₁₀ < 0.27). The overall means for clutch size, hatching success, emergence success, and mortality were 95.08 eggs, 61%, 66%, and 39%, respectively.

Falcataria falcata, until recently known as Falcataria moluccana and commonly known as albizia, is a large, fast-growing tree native to the Malaysian peninsula, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Solomon Islands. It has been introduced to, and become naturalized in, continental Africa, Asia, and many Caribbean and Pacific Islands. F. falcata is an early successional pioneer species that typically establishes via purposeful plantings. It readily spreads and outcompetes other tree species as a function of its symbiotic nitrogen-fixing capacity, copious long-lived seedbanks, and rapid growth rates. Due to their large stature at maturity (>30 m in height) and unstable architecture, F. falcata stands have the capacity to substantively alter the composition, structure, and function of lowland wet forests, and they pose a potent threat to both native forests and human communities across the Pacific. Despite negative aspects associated with its invasion, F. falcata has been harnessed for commercial profit and to increase soil fertility, particularly in its native range. F. falcata can be a component of productive agroforestry systems; the wood is used for firewood, as energy for industry, and timber in light construction. The nutrient-rich biomass of the tree is also used as mulch to increase crop production. However, given that mature stands were primarily responsible for millions of dollars of damage resulting from catastrophic tree fall during Tropical Storm Iselle on Hawai‘i Island, and the potential interactions with climate change and development, managing this tree for its benefits as well as expanding research for its control is warranted.

Light attraction is a well-documented phenomenon affecting seabirds worldwide, with most reported incidents involving juvenile birds grounded around urban areas or brightly lit structures at sea immediately after fledging. However, there is little in the literature regarding the impact of light attraction on breeding adult seabirds on land. This paper describes a fallout event of adults of two endangered seabird species due to lights at a single facility on the island of Kaua‘i, Hawaii, and the effectiveness of subsequent minimization actions once a new lighting regime was adopted. From 1–16 September 2015, 131 adult endangered seabirds including 123 ‘a‘o (Newell’s Shearwaters Puffinus newelli) and six ‘ua‘u (Hawaiian Petrels Pterodroma sandwichensis) were grounded by lights at the Kōke‘e Air Force Station. Most birds had brood patches indicating they were breeders. In response, the facility altered its lighting protocol with a blackout period in effect for the remainder of 2015, and significantly reduced lighting from 2016 onwards. Intensive seabird monitoring was undertaken annually from 2016 onwards. Apart from two Newell’s Shearwater adults grounded in 2016 (before the lights were turned out at the start of the seabird season) and one each in 2020 and 2023, no additional grounded birds were found. This fallout event demonstrates that light attraction can be a significant hazard for adult seabirds if bright lights are present near breeding colonies. We provide recommendations for best practice light minimization actions for similar scenarios worldwide where discrete facilities or urban infrastructure are adjacent to breeding colonies of nocturnal Procellariid seabirds.

Laysan Albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis) fledged the first chick on the island of O‘ahu in 1947, but did not begin regularly breeding until 1992, followed by Black-footed Albatross (P. nigripes) who began breeding in 2022. Laysan Albatross have attempted to breed at nine locations on O‘ahu since 1979 and have established colonies at four sites: Ka‘ena Point, Kuaokala^-, Kahuku Point, and James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge. We monitored Laysan Albatross colonies on O‘ahu weekly from 2004 to 2023; all individuals were censused, banded, and identified to gender. There was a population of 875 adults on O‘ahu in 2023, 490 of which were active breeders. The annual growth rate up to 2015 was 26%, but the growth rate slowed to 20% after human vandalism in 2015 that resulted in the destruction of 17 nests and at least 17 adults. The advent of predator exclusion fencing at Ka‘ena Point (2011) and Kuaokala^- (2021) resulted in increased reproductive success (from 0.37 to 0.43) driven by a 25% increase in chick fledging success (from 0.60 before fencing to 0.80 after) which resulted in an estimated additional 69 chicks fledging compared to if the fence had not been constructed. Black-footed Albatross visits increased to O‘ahu from 3 in 2017 to 317 in 2023, coinciding with the disappearance of East Island in Papaha^-naumokua-kea Marine National Monument which displaced 2,000 breeding pairs. These new colonies are at higher elevations and will continue to serve as refugia against sea level rise and as such, are conservation priorities.