Hawaiian tropical low shrublands

The Hawaiian tropical low shrublands are a tropical savanna ecoregion in the Hawaiian Islands.

24°N 165°W

Hawaiian tropical low shrublands
The Nature Conservancy's Moʻomomi Preserve, Molokaʻi.
Ecology
RealmOceanian
BiomeTropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands
BordersHawaiian tropical dry forests[1]
Geography
Area1,500 km2 (580 sq mi)
CountryUnited States
StateHawaii
Conservation
Conservation statusCritical/Endangered[2]
Global 200No[3]
Protected0 km² (0%)[4]


Geography

These shrublands cover an area of 1,500 km2 (580 sq mi) in the leeward lowlands of the main islands and most of the smaller islands, not including the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands which form an ecoregion of their own.

Flora

The ecoregion includes both grasslands and mixed shrublands. Kāwelu (Eragrostis variabilis), mauʻu ʻakiʻaki (Fimbristylis cymosa), ʻakiʻaki (Sporobolus virginicus), and Lepturus repens are common grassland plants. Shrublands are dominated by ʻilima (Sida fallax), ʻaʻaliʻi (Dodonaea viscosa), naupaka (Scaevola spp.), hinahina kū kahakai (Heliotropium anomalum var. argenteum), kīpūkai (Heliotropium curassavicum), maʻo (Gossypium tomentosum), ʻakoko (Euphorbia spp.), ʻāheahea (Chenopodium oahuense), naio (Myoporum sandwicense), kolokolo kahakai (Vitex rotundifolia), and pūkiawe (Styphelia tameiameiae).[2] More than 90% of the plant species found in this ecoregion are endemic, including ʻōhai (Sesbania tomentosa),[5] ʻāwiwi (Schenkia sebaeoides), and wahine noho kula (Isodendrion pyrifolium).[6]

Protected areas

Protected areas that cover part of the ecoregion include Koko Head District Park, Diamond Head, Mākua Kea'au Forest Reserve, Ka'ena Point State Park, and Kuaokala Forest Reserve on Oahu.

See also
  • "Hawaiian tropical low shrublands". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.

References
  1. "Hawaii tropical low shrublands". Bioimages. Vanderbilt University. Retrieved 2011-11-19.
  2. "Hawaii tropical low shrublands". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 2011-11-19.
  3. Olson, David M.; Eric Dinerstein (2002). "The Global 200: Priority Ecoregions for Global Conservation" (PDF). Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden. 89 (2): 199–224. doi:10.2307/3298564. JSTOR 3298564.
  4. Dinerstein, Eric; Olson, David; et al. (June 2017). "An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm". BioScience. 67 (6): 534–545. doi:10.1093/biosci/bix014. PMC 5451287. PMID 28608869.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) Supplemental material 2 table S1b.
  5. World Wildlife Fund, ed. (2001). "Hawaii tropical low shrublands". WildWorld Ecoregion Profile. National Geographic Society. Archived from the original on 2010-03-08. Retrieved 2009-10-30.
  6. "Wahine noho kula Isodendrion pyrifolium" (PDF). Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy. Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-06-16. Retrieved 2009-10-29.


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