Biogeoclimatic zones on the Hawaiian Islands

Author:

Krajina, Vladimir J.

Title:

Biogeoclimatic zones on the Hawaiian Islands

Periodical:

Hawaiian Botanical Society Newsletter

Year:

1963

Volume:

2

Pages:

93-98

Subject:

Ecosystem development Climate Biology Hawaii Islands

Summary:

In the early 1960s, there was a growing need for ecological studies of terrestrial habitats in the Hawaiian Islands since the University of Hawaii was becoming an important educational and research center. These studies were important since the vegetation of the Hawaiian islands included a variety of unique and endemic flora and biotic elements that were comparable to those of other tropical areas. In addition, since the islands possess a much greater variation of climates in their respective biogeoclimatic zones than other lands of the United States, many students who were from various tropical countries sought their higher education in Hawaii for the economic and scientific advancement of their own developing countries. Another aspect that attracted these students to Hawaii is the fact that the environmental parts of the ecosystem units of Hawaii repeatedly occur in other tropical mountainous regions that possess similar tropical, subtropical mesothermal, microthermal, and even alpine (polar) climates in other areas around the world. These environmental complexes, by their climatic, edaphic, geologic, and topographic factors, offers educational benefits that should be available to those who would like to study them especially with regard to multiple land use. Fourteen Hawaiian biogeoclimatic zones are outlined in this document according to field studies that were carried out by the author in 1961-62. They are modifications of the ten vegetation zones of Ripperton and Hosaka in 1942 that were later applied and further elaborated on by Schwartz and Schwartz in 1949. Each of the fourteen zones has a number of distinct habitats that are under the control of either biotic, geologic, or topographic factors. In response to these factors, the habitats are usually represented by distinct plant communities. The number of such ecosystem units is increased by cultivated stands of introduced trees that often have tremendous influence upon the structure of the original vegetation units. Other introduced plants, (herbs and shrubs), also have great influence upon the changes of the environmental factors. As a result, since the Hawaiian Islands offer vast opportunities to study the effect of time on both vegetation and soil development, the indigenous and introduced ecosystems need to be studied in the future.

Label:

Ecology

Date:

1963

Collection:

Periodicals