How Have Invasive Species Transformed Hawaii's Flora and Fauna?

[cjackson]

What flora and fauna currently in the islands didn't exist there before being introduced by man over the eons? What did the islands look like before humans first set foot on them? Basically, how different were they as compared with themselves today? Was ancient Hawaii even covered in vegetation or just barren?

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

What flora and fauna currently in the islands didn't exist there before being introduced by man over the eons? What did the islands look like before humans first set foot on them? Basically, how different were they as compared with themselves today? Was ancient Hawaii even covered in vegetation or just barren?

It's a volcanic island so yes it was barren rock for a long time. It likely appeared to the first Polynesian settlers as it does today. That was only some 1500 years ago. The big island of Hawaii is the youngest and still a long 300,000 years old.

Here is a list of invasive species
http://www.hawaiiinvasivespecies.org/pests/

 

[zoobyshoe]

Greg, the list at your site seems to be missing an important one:

http://voices.yahoo.com/wild-pigs-overrun-hawaiian-mountains-489821.html

Feral pigs have been a problem there for quite some time already. I think I first read about feral pigs tearing up Hawaiian jungles about 30 years ago.

 

[epenguin]

All of the geckos. In all Pacific islands they are thought to have been brought by humans. Possibly even deliberately given humans' mutually beneficial and even affectionate relation with them. They reproduce asexually and the whole Pacific population is supposed to be one clone. Nevertheless they differentiate into visibly different 'species' according to environment. So an interesting case for evolutionary study - I only have here a few incidental information sources I could find in a few minutes, bit a serious biological theme for anyone interested to follow up.

In Hawaii they are now being competed by a much more recent arrival, the sexually reproducing and showy Gold Dust Day Gecko.

http://www.hawaiibusiness.com/Hawaii-Business/October-2013/Did-You-Know-All-of-Hawaiis-Eight-Geckos-Species-are-Non-Native/
http://legacy.earlham.edu/~biol/hawaii/reptiles.htm
http://legacy.earlham.edu/~biol/hawaii/reptiles.htm
http://geckoweb.org/hemidactylus-garnotii.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_dust_day_gecko