The University of �鶹��ý at Hilo has reached a milestone: its received official accreditation from Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI), the world’s largest plant conservation network. This acclaimed recognition underscores the garden’s exceptional contributions to conservation, research and education, solidifying its place among the most esteemed botanical collections globally.

The journey began with a single pine tree planted by Don Hemmes, a UH Hilo professor emeritus, to help a student grasp the tree’s structure. What started as a teaching aid evolved into a vibrant botanical haven, showcasing an impressive variety of plants, including cycads, palms and bromeliads from across the globe.

“This accreditation is a testament to the passion and dedication of our volunteers,” said Robert Talbert, a key contributor to the project who oversees volunteers at the garden. “It showcases the importance of protecting these extraordinary plants.”

Conservation champions

Volunteers have invested countless hours to bring this dream to fruition. One of their most significant achievements is the development of the garden’s cycad collection, which represents more than 33% of the world’s cycad species. Cycads are ancient palm-like plants. With nearly 70% of these species threatened with extinction, the collection serves as a critical resource for global conservation efforts. Volunteers meticulously identified and cataloged 582 cycad plants, linking the collection to BGCI’s global Plant Search database.

Achieving accreditation was no small feat. The process demanded a rigorous application, a strategic plan, and comprehensive documentation of the garden’s conservation efforts.

More help wanted

To volunteer or visit, contact Hemmes at hemmes@hawaii.edu or Talbert at rob@roberttalbert.com. More information can also be found on Facebook: .

The University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� Seed Conservation Laboratory has been internationally recognized for its critical work in preserving �鶹��ý’s most endangered plant species.

The lab, represented by manager Nate Kingsley, received top honors at the 8th Global Botanic Garden Congress in Singapore for conserving the greatest proportion of threatened species. Working with partners including the �鶹��ý Plant Extinction Prevention Program and the Division of Forestry and Wildlife, the laboratory has banked more than 33 million seeds representing more than 300 threatened and endangered plant taxa across 55 families.

Back from extinction

Of particular significance recognized by the award was the lab’s work with Cyanea pinnatifida, an endemic plant species declared extinct in the wild in 2001. The wild population had been reduced to a single individual in the Waiʻanae Mountains before seeds were brought into the lab. Through meticulous seed collection and preservation efforts, researchers have banked more than 40,000 seeds between 2007 and 2022. These efforts have enabled collaborative restoration projects that have reintroduced and established plants in multiple protected sites on Oʻahu. Despite ongoing challenges from invasive species and climate change, some sites are showing signs of natural regeneration.

“This international recognition underscores the critical importance of preserving �鶹��ý’s extraordinary and fragile native plant biodiversity, which represents some of the most unique and endangered flora on Earth,” said Lyon Arboretum Interim Director Donald Drake. “By banking seeds of species like Cyanea pinnatifida and working closely with conservation partners, we are not just protecting plants, but safeguarding the ecological heritage that defines our islands and sustains the delicate environmental balance that makes �鶹��ý home.”

The Seed Conservation Lab is one of three storage and propagation facilities that are part of Lyon’s (HRPP). Since 1992, HRPP has focused on the rescue and recovery of �鶹��ý’s most critically endangered native plants.

The Seed Conservation Lab is currently undergoing a complete renovation, which will significantly increase its capacity to conserve native Hawaiian plants. For more information, .

Two University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� women doctoral candidates each earned $10,000 fellowships to support their dissertation research.

Daniela Escontrela Dieguez and Smrity Ramavarapu, both from the , were honored by ., which empowers highly motivated women engaged in academic research in fields that affect women and girls’ quality of life. This is the 13th consecutive year that doctoral candidates from UH ����ԴDz� received these fellowships.

Daniela Escontrela Dieguez

Escontrela Dieguez’s dissertation research focused on corallivores, or animals that consume corals. Through in situ experiments, she tested the coral eating preferences of the Hawaiian cushion sea star, which is abundant along Oʻahu’s southern coral reefs. She also collaborated with the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration to develop a method to extract corallivory estimates from 3D models of coral reefs and then leveraged the data to understand patterns and drivers of corallivory around the island of Oʻahu. She hopes the data and tools can be used by coral reef managers in �鶹��ý to both monitor corallivory and inform coral conservation and restoration initiatives.

“The Soroptimist Fellowship provided me the opportunity to focus entirely on data analysis and writing while freeing me from the daily financial stresses that many of us graduate students face,” said Escontrela Dieguez, who earned her PhD in marine biology.

Since receiving the grant, Escontrela Dieguez has graduated and currently works at the Seattle Aquarium as a research scientist. In her new role, she conducts research to understand the impacts of climate change, overharvesting and water pollution on the species that call the Puget Sound their home.

Smrity Ramavarapu

Ramavarapu is focusing on the need for equitable frameworks to ensure sustainability while preserving cultural integrity. Her dissertation explores the ethical challenges of integrating traditional food systems, particularly those managed by forest-based communities traditionally practicing small-scale fires, into broader efforts to enhance global food system resilience.

“Receiving the Founder Region Fellowship is an incredible honor,” said Ramavarapu, a PhD candidate in botany. “It has provided me the financial support and confidence to continue my work, which I believe has significant implications for both global food security and the preservation of cultural heritage.”

Since 1948, 370 grants totaling nearly $1.8 million have been awarded by the Soroptimist Founder Region Fellowship in fields including: clinical psychology, endocrinology, sociology, genetics, immunology, zoology, marine biology, botany, civil engineering, bioengineering, infectious diseases, agricultural policy reform, law, social science and special education.

2025 applications open on November 1

For those interested in applying for the 2025 Founder Region Fellowship, and on November 13 or November 17. Application deadline is January 25, 2025.

Islands are home to nearly one-third of the world’s plant species, despite covering just 5.3% of the Earth’s land surface. That’s according to a , co-authored by a University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� botanist.

An international team of a dozen researchers analyzed data on more than 304,103 vascular (vascular plants are trees, ferns, and flowering plants; non-vascular plants are mosses, and liverworts) plants—essentially all species known to science worldwide. The team found 94,052 species are native to islands, and of these, 63,280 are endemic—found nowhere else in the world. This research provides the first comprehensive assessment of plants native and endemic to islands worldwide.

“This comprehensive study reveals the important role islands play in Earth’s botanical richness,” said study co-author and UH ����ԴDz� Professor Emeritus Tom Ranker. “By quantifying the uniqueness of island flora and highlighting its vulnerability, this research underscores the urgent need for targeted conservation efforts to protect these irreplaceable hotspots of plant evolution.”

Large tropical islands such as Madagascar, New Guinea and Borneo lead in endemic species counts, while oceanic archipelagos such as �鶹��ý boast the highest proportions of endemic flora. �鶹��ý stands out with 83% of its plant species being endemic to the state. However, individual Hawaiian Islands showed lower single-island endemism, meaning that a large percentage of flora are found on multiple islands in the state. Maui, for instance, has only 14% single-island endemics in its native flora.

Critical conservation needed

The study also highlighted the urgent conservation needs of island plants. Of the island endemics assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, 51% are threatened, and 55% of all documented global plant extinctions occurred on islands.

�鶹��ý faces significant conservation challenges. Its dry forests and other unique habitats are highly endangered. According to the , �鶹��ý is often referred to as the “Endangered Species Capital of the World.” It said that more than 100 plant taxa have gone extinct, and over 200 are considered to have 50 or fewer individuals remaining in the wild. Officially, 366 of the Hawaiian plant taxa are listed as endangered or threatened, and an additional 48 species are proposed as endangered. While only comprising less than 1% of the U.S. land mass, �鶹��ý contains 44% of the nation’s endangered and threatened plant species.

Some examples of plants endemic to �鶹��ý include:

• , a type of fern endemic to Leʻahi (Diamond Head)
• or “pendant kihi fern,” effectively extinct in the wild, though researchers at the National Tropical Botanical Garden are trying to propagate it
• or “Kokiʻo,” a flowering plant endemic to Molokaʻi
• or “ ʻ����ʻ���󾱱���������,” a fern that resembles a four-leaf clover

The study suggests that protected areas alone may be insufficient, calling for integrated approaches including habitat restoration, invasive species removal and ex situ conservation (preservation of biological diversity outside of its natural habitat) programs. Alarmingly, only 6% of islands supporting endemic species currently meet the UN’s 30×30 conservation target.

“Our study underscores the global importance of �鶹��ý’s unique plant life. But these botanical treasures are under severe threat, with many species on the brink of extinction,” Ranker said. “�鶹��ý residents have a special responsibility to protect and restore our native ecosystems, not just for their beauty and cultural significance, but for their irreplaceable contribution to global biodiversity.”

The School of Life Sciences is housed in UH ����ԴDz�’s .

Eight undergraduate students from a variety of disciplines at the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� experienced an all-expenses-paid research trip of a lifetime—spending eight weeks in summer 2024 immersed in the Galápagos Islands. They engaged in mentored research via a transformational journey that promoted deep connections to ʻ�徱�Բ� (land/sea), kānaka (people) communities and mālama ʻ�徱�Բ� (stewardship of places and people).

Creighton Litton, professor, (UROP) director, and one of the eight UH ����ԴDz� faculty members who designed and implemented the program over the past two years, said, “Mentored research opportunities for undergraduate students is a high impact practice that provides myriad benefits to students, mentors, our campus and our islands as a whole. This is an innovative program—possible via a strong collaboration with the (CDF) in Galápagos, and engagement by multiple faculty from across the UH ����ԴDz� campus—that provides our students with transformative learning experiences in research science within a Native Hawaiian Place of Learning context.”

More than 80 students applied, and 12 were invited to enroll in a new spring course on island invasion biology to provide a base of knowledge for their mentored research projects. Eight traveled to the Galápagos and four conducted research in �鶹��ý.

Students developed research proposals in spring 2024 with mentors from UH ����ԴDz� and CDF. The collaborative mentorship approach allowed students to develop their research skills while contributing to real-world scientific questions. During the summer, the traveling students were housed at the CDF research station in the Galápagos, where they conducted their research projects focused on island invasion biology.

During the summer experience, students wrote research papers on every aspect of the scientific process, including literature review, data collection and analysis, conclusions and the socioecological implications of their findings. Each student also crafted a personal, contemporary kaʻao (epic story, tale) to document their experiences, from their hua (initial inspiration) to their haʻalele (preparing for the journey) to the huakaʻi (journey) to the hoʻina (reintegration) back into their on- and off-campus communities.

Important invasive species research

Matthew Kahokuloa’s project involved assessing plant diversity after the reintroduction of giant tortoises on Santa Fé Island.

“Being my first time leaving �鶹��ý, it was amazing to experience the biodiversity and ecology of another archipelago’s ecosystem,” Kahokuloa said. “This trip provided me with invaluable field experience, especially in terms of working in remote environments and applying research methods.”

Emily Josefina Velasquez studied the impacts of Caulerpa racemosa (species of edible green alga) on sand dwelling benthic invertebrates (small aquatic animals that live on the bottom of bodies of water) in the Galápagos.

“You couldn’t walk for 10 minutes without running into a lounging iguana, sea bird, or sea lion, and we were always close to the ocean.” — Nicole Buyukacar

“The Galápagos was a place where my personal growth as an individual thrived and reaffirmed my passion and drive to work in academia,” Velasquez said. “It’s an unforgettable experience. You’re immersed in your project, living, breathing, and dreaming about it. I was surrounded by scientists from diverse backgrounds, and living and working in an environment where everyone shares a passion for understanding the world around them.”

Nicole Buyukacar’s project was about the developmental dynamics and temperature sensitivity of the avian vampire fly.

“The most remarkable thing about the town we worked in, Puerto Ayora, was the abundance of wildlife living right there on our doorstep all the time,” Buyukacar said. “You couldn’t walk for 10 minutes without running into a lounging iguana, sea bird, or sea lion, and we were always close to the ocean. The experience was an incredible blend of learning to integrate academically and socially into a completely different place while constantly being in awe of the natural beauty and learning to understand the reason why it all needs to be protected.”

The students presented their research and kaʻao products at the CDF research station and at the UROP SURE Symposium. Most students are continuing to work with their mentors to produce peer-reviewed journal publications.

This unique opportunity is the result of a collaboration between UH ����ԴDz� and CDF and is funded by the National Science Foundation–International Research Experiences for Students ($300,000 grant), the UH ����ԴDz� Provost’s Office to align the overall program with the campus goal of becoming a Native Hawaiian Place of Learning ($100,000) and the UH ����ԴDz� Office of the Vice Provost for Research and Scholarship ($80,000). The funds will make the program available to UH ����ԴDz� undergraduate students for at least the next two years.

For more information, .

—By Marc Arakaki

A team of researchers led by a biology professor at the was recently awarded $1.3 million by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to study genetic changes underlying adaptive evolution in flowering plants in �鶹��ý, specifically genus Bidens from �鶹��ý, a Hawaiian flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae.

Matthew Knope, associate professor of biology at UH Hilo, is the lead principal investigator of “Evolutionary and functional genomics of Hawaiian Bidens: determining the genetic basis of phenotypic trait diversification in a rapid adaptive radiation.” The other principal investigators are Daniel Jones of Auburn University and Christopher Muir of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Their research combines genomics, developmental biology, ecology and physiology to understand how new traits evolve in a rapidly diversifying endemic lineage of flowering plants—koʻokoʻolau (genus Bidens).

The project will generate new genome assemblies and identify the genetic and developmental changes responsible for leaf, fruits, seed and flower trait evolution. The scientists expect to gain insights to the genetic changes responsible for rapid evolutionary diversification in �鶹��ý and beyond.

This project will offer inter-disciplinary evolutionary training to undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers, and underrepresented groups, preparing them to contribute to scientific research, education and technological advancements.

“This collaborative research is only made possible by combining the complementary expertise of the three labs involved and the generous support of the National Science Foundation,” said Knope. “It is a great honor to get to work on understanding how our native Hawaiian flora has evolved to be what it is today and to help conserve it into the future.”

The project received a total award of $1,334,718 from the NSF Division of Environmental Biology Core Program on Systematics and Biodiversity Science, and begins in January 2025.

—By Susan Enright

Read more at .

U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono visited the University of �鶹��ý on April 2, for National Native Plant Month, a bi-partisan resolution, led by the senator. UH President David Lassner joined Hirono for a tour of Lyon’s Hawaiian Rare Plant Program Greenhouse to see and plant endemic Hawaiian plants.

With the help of Lyon’s horticulture department, Hirono and Lassner planted ʻōhiʻa lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha) trees in the Native Hawaiian Garden collection.

“In �鶹��ý, native plants are significant to our state’s history, culture and environment, and we recognize the importance of preserving our unique biodiversity,” said Hirono. “My resolution to designate April as National Native Plant Month passed in the U.S. Senate, highlighting the importance of native plants in our communities and encouraging people to learn more about the native plants in their own communities.

Don Drake, Lyon’s interim director shared, “It is really inspirational to see our top political and academic leaders promote the conservation of native Hawaiian plants. Their support sends a strong message about how conservation is everyoneʻs responsibility.”

Hirono last visited the arboretum in August 2018, to learn about the work done by the staff and helped to plant a native plant species in the Hawaiian Garden.

The historical biogeography of mind-altering drug plants—such as cannabis, kava, betel nut, ephedra and the opium poppy—are a specialty of a renowned environmental specialist who has served more than 50 years at the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz�.

Professor Mark Merlin’s pioneering research interests include exploring how ancient cultures used plants for healing or religious purposes, investigating how humans have changed the environment over time in places such as �鶹��ý and other tropical Pacific island groups through agriculture or urbanization, and studying how traditional knowledge of plants can help us protect the environment and support sustainability today.

Merlin, who also earned graduate degrees from UH ����ԴDz�, recalled the many professors with whom he worked and the thousands of students that he taught. For example, he worked with UH Sea Grant longtime facilitator, the late Peter Rappa, when current UH President David Lassner was earning his PhD in communication and information sciences. Merlin also taught notable student athletes, including Jim Donovan, former UH lineman and later athletic director, numerous UH football athletes who had careers in the NFL, as well as current Rainbow Warrior football coach Timmy Chang. To all of them, as well as to all his students over his years at UH ����ԴDz�, including many teaching assistants who have gone into positions in academia, Merlin says simply, “thank you.”

Spotlighting �鶹��ý plants

Merlin is proud of his work with a group of scholars to replace continental U.S. ecological examples, such as pine trees and squirrels, used in Pacific regional school textbooks for many years with Hawaiian native examples, including ʻiʻiwi (an endemic species of Hawaiian honeycreeper), ʻō��ʻ�� lehua (a keystone tree in �鶹��ý) and koa (species of large flowering tree native to �鶹��ý). Merlin is also proud of the two guidebooks that he created in the 1970s called Hawaiian Forest Plants and Hawaiian Coastal Plants used by a large variety of people for more than 45 years.

“These field guides got so many people interested in, first of all, exercise, getting out and hiking,” Merlin said. “Second of all, recognizing native plants versus alien plants, especially distinguishing between benign alien plants and those that have become invasive. And then overall developing interest in conservation and protection of �鶹��ý’s unique natural environment and natural history.”

Finding his research passion

Merlin grew up in the Hollywood area. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara. During his college years as a student, protests around the Vietnam War were prevalent across college campuses, Merlin said, and so was the use of psychoactive substances besides alcohol.

He was invited to apply at UH ����ԴDz� and offered a graduate teaching position, eventually earning his master’s and PhD degrees in geography. It was here that he followed his research interest of learning more about plants and the environment.

“I said to myself, if I’m going to spend two years studying for and writing a thesis about something, it better be something interesting. I thought, ‘Back to pot, back to cannabis, back to pakalolo,’” Merlin said. “I started by asking ‘Where did this plant come from? Who started using it? Why did they use it?’ And then I did some research on that and I realized, it’s a super multi-purpose species. So that supported my growing interest in botany, ecology, and ethnobotany, in particular.”

It was this launch pad that inspired Merlin to contribute and foster environmental education and preservation of traditional ecological and ethnobotanical knowledge.

Some of his groundbreaking books, Man and Marijuana (1972), On the Trail of Ancient Opium Poppy (1984), Kava: The Pacific Drug (1992, co-authored) and Cannabis: Evolution and Ethnobotany (2013, co-authored), received critical acclaim. The latter was the co-winner of the Mary Klinger Award for Best Ethnobotany Book by the Society for Ethnobotany. In addition, his more recently co-authored book, Plants and People of the Marshall Islands (2018) was the winner of the Mary Klinger Award.

Merlin also earned numerous honors and accolades, including selection by Gov. George Ariyoshi to serve as an expert environmentalist for a state pesticide committee 1980–88, and a “Lifetime Volunteer Award” (2018) from the �鶹��ý Nature Center “in appreciation for your many years of dedicated service, devotion and commitment to connecting children and families to nature!”

—By Marc Arakaki

Nearly 90% of flowers used for lei-making are imported to �鶹��ý, and the decreasing supply of local flowers is having a drastic impact on the lei industry statewide. To address growing concerns from lei-flower growers, makers and vendors, the University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa (CTAHR) has launched a new plumeria collection at the Urban Garden Center.

Students from Kalani High School helped clean up the plot, amend the soil and plant the first rooted cuttings on January 6. The work day was organized through a collaboration between CTAHR and the Lei Poinaʻole Project of BEHawaii, created in response to concerns about the decreasing supply of local flowers.

“This new collection at Urban Garden Center will be very important for the industry because the current supply cannot meet the demand, and because access to flowers and foliage to make lei is very important for the community,” said Alberto Ricordi, a CTAHR assistant extension agent.

CTAHR receives requests from plumeria growers and landscapers who are seeking new varieties and lei groups. This new collection features more than 30 varieties of flowers and foliage. The partnership is meant to help close the gap of local flowers for lei-making in the next five to six years. Collaborations like this will be key for the success of this project.

“We selected varieties considered good for lei, with traits such as long-lasting flowers, thick petals suitable for handling, and attractive scent and color,” said Ricordi.

More community work days and workshops will be offered in the future. Sign up for the . For questions, contact albertoh@hawaii.edu.

Approximately 90 fifth-grade students from Liholiho Elementary School visited the on November 16 to learn about a variety of STEM fields, including life sciences, chemistry, engineering and computer science.

UH ����ԴDz� students, faculty and staff led the students through different hands-on activities, ranging from exploring �鶹��ý’s limu, exposing objects to extremely cold temperatures, seeing the reactions of chemicals and elements, computer programming and cybersecurity, exploring how a massive concrete canoe is able to float, drone technologies and Formula One style race cars.

“It’s really important for students of all ages to be able to have the opportunity to see how science helps us to understand the world around us. But also that science is a ton of fun,” UH ����ԴDz� Acting Dean and Associate Dean Alison Sherwood said. “We’re hoping through experiences like the kind that we’re having here today, they’ll be encouraged and inspired to be lifelong learners of science.”

UH ����ԴDz� Assistant Dean Song K. Choi said, “To expose and engage young minds, we must begin at the onset of education, so the elementary schools, to initiate the curiosity in the STEM, especially engineering, fields and have these students dream, design, ‘make,’ and possibly understand the allowances and limitations of our world to be creative, innovative in problem solving to be a contributing factor to our community and future.”

Riku Sadanaga, a Liholiho Elementary School student, said that the learning experience has motivated him to become a scientist when he grows up.

“The best thing I learned is new Hawaiian words about plants,” Sadanaga said.

“We come from a career perspective because we want to introduce our children to possible careers in the future and one way that we could find was important was to look at education, what kind of research, what kind of opportunities, internships are available so that they can pursue careers,” said Liholiho Elementary School fifth-grade teacher Frederick Magnenat. “This is a really groundbreaking experience and one-of-a-kind.”

—By Marc Arakaki

A University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� project to digitize tens of thousands of plant specimens from �鶹��ý, across the vast Pacific Ocean and around the world, received a major boost by the . The three-year, $148,882 grant will help Assistant Professor Karolina Heyduk and her team to digitize and catalog more than 55,000 plant specimens, many of which are extinct, to preserve and improve access worldwide to one of the oldest collections of Pacific plants.

“Our goal for the project is to get all 55,000 plant specimens digitized for the whole world to see and facilitate research on Hawaiian plants across the globe,” Heyduk said. “The herbarium represents a really unique collection that is used by both researchers and also used in classes and teaching on campus.”

�鶹��ý has some of the greatest biodiversity in the world and there are approximately 1,400 plant taxa (species, subspecies and varieties) native to the state, according to the . Nearly 90% are found nowhere else in the world. However, more than 100 plant taxa have gone extinct, and more than 200 have 50 or fewer individuals remaining in the wild.

UH ����ԴDz�’s was established in 1908 and is home to many rare and endemic plant specimens from �鶹��ý and other Pacific islands, some of which have since become extinct. The herbarium serves as a crucial record of biodiversity and is an invaluable resource for species that are extinct, threatened or endangered.

The UH ����ԴDz� collection will join other herbaria from around the world, which have digitized their collections and made them available through a dedicated and .

Heyduk plans to employ nearly 10 students each year for the next three years to work on the digitization project, emphasizing education for students from historically-excluded groups, including Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders. The herbarium staff plans to host volunteer digitization events, increase collaboration with UH ����ԴDz�’s campus arboretum and UH ����ԴDz�’s , engage with the public through events at local botanical gardens, and continue efforts to connect the herbarium to Hawaiian culture and knowledge.

Learning through the herbarium

Chase Kane, a junior biochemistry major, is one of the students working on the project. Kane said one of the biggest lessons he has learned through working in the herbarium is discovering how important Native Hawaiian flora are, particularly with native ecosystems. Kane hopes to attend medical school, and said his work in the herbarium has sparked his interest in the medicinal properties of plants.

“I have a much better understanding about the medicinal effects of a lot of native Hawaiian and Pacific plants and flowers,” Kane said. “They’re just really important in the past for healing and medicine, and I think it’s something we should be thinking about going forward in modern medicine.”

G Young Kim, a master’s student in botany, earned her bachelor’s degree in botany in 2021 and is also working on the digitization project. She is most looking forward to seeing how her work will help researchers from around the world to access the collection without having to travel.

“The herbarium has mostly Native Hawaiian specimens and that will help researchers assess and learn more about plants from the Hawaiian archipelago without having to come here,” Kim said. “That will be really valuable in the scientific world.”

To support the Joseph F. Rock Herbarium, .

—By Marc Arakaki

University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz�’s excellence in the field of botany was showcased nationally at the (BSA) 2022 annual conference in Anchorage, Alaska, July 24–28. Ten UH ����ԴDz� faculty members, post-doctoral researchers, graduate and undergraduate students from the delivered talks, and organized workshops and symposia, both virtually and in person.

“As one of the few universities to offer botany undergraduate and graduate degrees, botanists from UH ����ԴDz� have a strong history of participation at BSA meetings,” said Associate Professor Kasey Barton. “Attending the annual BSA meeting gives students, postdocs and faculty members the opportunity to interact with our colleagues from around the world, hear about new science and participate in workshops about critical issues in academia, such as diversity and inclusion, education and research approaches.”

Barton presented a talk on salinity tolerance of �鶹��ý‘s native coastal dune plants, which are threatened by sea-level rise. It was part of the symposium “From High Islands to the Ocean Floor: Pacific Island Plants at the Extreme,” which was organized by UH ����ԴDz� graduate students Ana Flores (PhD candidate) and Scott Van De Verg (recent MS graduate). According to Barton, it is rare for graduate students to organize a symposium at an international meeting like this, and to also secure funding to support the speakers in the symposium is really impressive.

PhD candidate Veronica Gibson delivered two talks on macroalgal physiological ecology under submarine groundwater discharge conditions and biocultural values of groundwater dependent ecosystems. Gibson said that after being unable to attend in-person events over the past years due to the pandemic, attending conferences in this last year of her PhD has been pivotal to networking and making connections for post-doctoral opportunities and future collaborations.

“It was really interesting to learn how I have grown as a scientist over the past two years, and really found my place in studying tropical marine ecosystems and social ecological systems,” Gibson said.

Botany leaders recognized with national award

Assistant Professor Karolina Heyduk was part of a team that organized a colloquium titled “Tackling Coloniality in Plant Sciences: Legacies and Paths Forward.” They had an international group of invited speakers who gave talks on the history and ongoing influence of Western/European and colonialist practices on plant science, ways to change how we think about systems of knowledge and ways to repair the damage done to Indigenous peoples and land.

Heyduk, who is also the director of the , housed in the School of Life Sciences, was the 2022 recipient of the BSA Emerging Leader Award, which is given annually to one scholar in the country who has displayed outstanding accomplishments and has demonstrated exceptional promise for future accomplishments in research, education, public policy and exceptional service to the professional botanical community. UH ����ԴDz� Assistant Professor Christopher Muir, who organized a workshop at the BSA annual conference, won the award in 2020.

Other participants from UH ����ԴDz� included Feresa Corazon Cabrera (PhD student, School of Life Sciences), McKenna Bonn-Savage (recent BS graduate presenting her undergraduate research), Ed McAssey (instructor, School of Life Sciences) and Carrie Tribble (National Science Foundation post-doctoral fellow, School of Life Sciences).

Efforts to protect tropical lowland dry forest in North Kona recently got a big boost as and the state D (DLNR) finalized an agreement to conserve a 706-acre parcel adjacent to the Pālamanui campus.

The Pālamanui Forest Preserve is home to a critically endangered type of ecosystem in �鶹��ý as less than 5% of tropical lowland dry forest remains since human settlement, according to experts.

Under the agreement, �鶹��ý CC–Pālamanui and the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) will collaborate to protect the area from various threats, such as wildfire and destructive animals, while using it as a living laboratory for students and community members.

“We are thrilled to collaborate with the DLNR and DOFAW to protect and restore this threatened ecosystem,” said �鶹��ý CC Chancellor Rachel Solemsaas. “This conservation effort will contribute to carbon sequestration to combat climate change, create unique learning opportunities for the local community, and more. �鶹��ý Community College is committed to the principle of mālama ʻāina, and this project is one way we’re putting that value into action.”

Living laboratory

�鶹��ý CC–Pālamanui lecturer Richard Stevens has been taking his students and the community to the preserve to help with reforestation efforts for years.

In spring 2022, he took his History 151 students to gather seeds from ancient wiliwili trees to take to the State Tree Nursery. After the seeds are grown into young plants, some will be replanted around the “parent” trees as part of reforestation efforts.

“I think that having access to this land helps build relationships and helps community building within the school,” said student Jordyn Picadura.

Picadura said Stevens tried to instill a sense of responsibility in his students to take care of the land and give back.

Stevens said, “It will be part of the reforestation of the drylands here, which is our long-term objective to bring back the lowland dry forest to its former glory.”

For his dedication to nature conservation, Stevens was the from the U. S. Department of the Interior.

Gov. Ige plants tree

On June 24, Gov. David Ige got a close-up look at the Pālamanui living laboratory and planted another tree to count toward the to plant, restore and conserve 100 million trees around the islands by 2030.

That same day, the governor visited the campus, where Elliot Parsons of the UH Regional Species and Climate Change Management Network showed him the garden named “The forest of loved souls,” where native trees are being planted to increase their numbers.

Parsons said, “We need trees, the Earth needs trees, this island needs trees. When you have a personal connection with the trees you are planting, it takes it to an even deeper level.”

• Related UH News stories:
  • 706-acre Pālamanui forest preserve a ‘living laboratory,’ November 30, 2021
  • Ancient trail at �鶹��ý Community College–Pālamanui mapped, December 15, 2015

A national award of excellence in the field of botany has been conferred to the second faculty member in three years from the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� .

Assistant Professor Karolina Heyduk is the 2022 recipient of the by the Botanical Society of America, which is given annually to one scholar in the country who has displayed outstanding accomplishments and has demonstrated exceptional promise for future accomplishments in research, education, public policy and exceptional service to the professional botanical community. UH ����ԴDz� Assistant Professor Christopher Muir won the award in 2020.

“I’ve been a member of the Botanical Society of America (BSA) since my time as a graduate student, and it has been instrumental in shaping who I am as a scientist and as a member of the broader scientific community,” Heyduk said. “To receive this award from the BSA is truly such an honor, especially as it recognizes not only my scientific contributions, but also my efforts to broaden what voices are included in the botanical sciences.”

Rare research

Heyduk’s research focuses on plant ecophysiology, evolutionary biology and genomics to understand the ways plants adapt to harsh environments. Her research requires a high level of computational skills, a thorough understanding of the biology and metabolism involved, and the ability to conduct experiments that are meaningful in terms of the ecology and physiology of the species being investigated, an approach that is rare in plant science research, according to the Botanical Society of America.

“I’ve really enjoyed getting to teach a variety of students, from big intro biology courses to upper level botany labs. In all cases, I strive to make science approachable and relevant to students,” Heyduk said.

She is also the director of the , which is housed in the School of Life Sciences. The herbarium holds about 55,000 dried plant specimens, the majority of which are plants native to the Hawaiian islands.

“�鶹��ý has such a special flora, so promoting the importance of the herbarium has been a top priority,” Heyduk said. “We’ve recently gotten National Science Foundation funding to digitize the herbarium, meaning anyone anywhere in the world can look at the plant specimens the herbarium holds. Students are heavily involved in that process and are central to the success of the herbarium.”

Recruiting underrepresented students

Heyduk has received numerous grants, has dozens of publications, serves on the editorial boards of Applications in Plant Sciences and Annals of Botany, and has been invited to give talks at institutions around the world. She also recruits students from diverse backgrounds, particularly Pacific Islanders and Native Hawaiians, to participate in research activities.

“Historically excluded groups from science—including Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders—remain underrepresented in STEM fields,” Heyduk said. “By intentionally bringing students into the lab or the herbarium, I hope they get experiences that can propel them into whatever comes next—graduate school, medical school or other professional programs. I also hope that by actively contributing to research in the lab or herbarium, students can start to see themselves as important members of the scientific community.”

—By Marc Arakaki

Sometimes we have had a class where the subject material seems a bit tough to interpret. And sometimes a teaching assistant who has been in our place helps make the connections we could not initially see.

University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� graduate students who have studied any life sciences field as an undergraduate or graduate student are invited to apply to become a teaching assistant (TA) in the .

According to School of Life Sciences Associate Director of Instruction Stephanie Kraft-Terry, the school is looking for approximately 64 TAs to assist in teaching undergraduate labs in the areas of biology, botany, marine biology, microbiology and molecular cell biology.

“We hire TAs with background in both undergraduate and graduate studies in the life sciences and encourage anyone with that background who is interested in providing excellent instruction to undergraduate students, regardless of their graduate program, to apply,” Kraft-Terry said.

The application review deadline is April 29. Applications will continue to be accepted but priority will be given to those students who submit an application by April 29. Visit the for more information and to apply.

Creating an impact for students

Breena Gaskov is working as a life sciences TA, while finishing up her first year as a student in the program. Gaskov holds an undergraduate degree in biology with a focus in microbiology.

“Being a TA for the School of Life Sciences allows me to make that impact on students who are looking for their passion in science, and guide them along the way,” Gaskov said. “For me, becoming a School of Life Sciences TA was a no brainer. I now get to come full circle and teach others in the same way that made me fall in love with science!”

Along with receiving a nine-month salary and tuition waiver, Gaskov said one of the major benefits is to be able to personalize your instruction to your skill set.

“I purposely teach in the same way that worked best for me when I was in my students’ place,” Gaskov said. “I have the ability to make even difficult subjects fun, for both me and the students! The biggest one though, for me, is the ability to see the impact being made on students. I have had multiple students walk into class and tell me ‘I was having a bad day today and this class made it better,’ and ‘I actually look forward to coming to this lab.’ I always leave the lab feeling full of happiness, every single time.”

Gaining self-confidence

Chris Nakano became a life sciences TA after hearing about the position from fellow peers in his classes. He earned his graduate degree in in fall 2021.

“Aside from the tuition exemption and stipends, the office staff, lab coordinators and principal investigators are incredibly supportive in both the sense of helping you excel as a budding educator and understanding of your busy schedule as a student,” Nakano said. “It’s a great introduction to scientific pedagogy, and you’ll nurture the self-confidence to troubleshoot the basic lab techniques prevalent in any scientific laboratory. You’ll also be surrounded by experts in the field that are generous in experience and wisdom, who are incredibly eager to share their counsel.”

Nakano recommends interested applicants to apply early, have enthusiasm and be committed.

This work is an example of UH ����ԴDz�’s goals of (PDF) and (PDF), two of four goals identified in the (PDF), updated in December 2020.

—By Marc Arakaki

Native marine macroalgae, also known as limu (seaweed), thrive in environments created by natural groundwater seeps, specifically benefiting from the combined effects of enhanced nutrients despite lowered salinity levels, according to a published by a team of University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa researchers. Conversely, in areas where the seeping groundwater is tainted by excess nitrogen typical of wastewater, the study found an invasive species typically flourishes in �鶹��ý.

Native macroalgae studied here demonstrate faster growth and photosynthesis rates in regimes of natural leakage of groundwater along coastlines, also termed submarine groundwater discharge. But numerous studies have shown that the composition and amount of submarine groundwater discharge have been greatly affected by humans.

“There are multiple ways to improve the situation and prevent further deterioration of submarine groundwater discharge,” said Henrietta Dulai, lead author of the study and professor of at the UH Mānoa . “Recharge can be improved by land-use choices through having more permeable urban surfaces and by restoring native forests. Lower groundwater withdrawal rates can be achieved by better management of water resources and water re-use. Additionally, upgrades to our wastewater infrastructure in light of impending sea-level rise should be one of the primary goals.”

Human disturbed watersheds, particularly those with urban development and conventional agriculture, show a common theme of problems. Not just in �鶹��ý but across the Pacific Islands, wastewater management can be a challenge, with tens of thousands of cesspools still in operation. Especially those along the shoreline are subject to subsurface inundation—readily delivering excess nitrogen and other contaminants to the coastline. Downstream of these areas, submarine groundwater discharge can be polluted by wastewater, agricultural fertilizer inputs and even common-use pharmaceuticals and pesticides.

To investigate the relationship between groundwater input and algal species in an area off southeast Oʻahu, the research team used a variety of methods. In the field, they relied on thermal infrared imagery of the coastline and naturally occurring chemical tracers to assess groundwater seepage; and documented the abundance of native and invasive algal species. In the lab, they measured the growth response of various species of algae to conditions that simulated varying compositions of submarine groundwater.

Improving management practices

Their results point to the critical importance of sound land, water and wastewater management policies and practices.

Efforts to remove land-based sources of wastewater from submarine groundwater discharge are likely to benefit our communities in short and long-term ways. In the short term, shallow reefs are likely to return to overall healthier water qualities in these now impacted coastal regions. In a longer term, regrowth of native, not invasive algae, in those same regions is likely.

“The bottom line is if we want to sustain native macroalgae, we need to preserve submarine groundwater discharge flow and keep associated nutrient loads in check,” said Celia Smith, study co-author, botany professor at UH Mānoa , and co-director of the . “Keeping the discharged groundwater as close to pristine as possible needs to be a goal. Otherwise, we risk setting the stage for persistent, multi-year invasive algal dominance.”

With future studies, the team aims to determine the responses by native and invasive algae to the full range of groundwater discharge—pristine to tainted—to inform biocontrol efforts that outplant native algae, as well as gain insight into sea-level rise impacts on these plants.

Additional study co-authors are Veronica Gibson and Daniel Amato from UH Mānoa , and Leah Bremer from .

This research is an example of UH Mānoa’s goal of (PDF), one of four goals identified in the (PDF), updated in December 2020.

–By Marcie Grabowski

Depending on wastewater management choice, there could be economic and ecological consequences for Kona coast residents, tourists and the marine environment. The wastewater management findings by an interdisciplinary team from the (UHERO), , and were .

Current situation

There are approximately 88,000 cesspools across the state, releasing more than 200,000 cubic meters of wastewater per day to the environment. Much of that wastewater enters into underlying groundwater systems and eventually into nearshore marine ecosystems. In response to environmental and public health risks, the �鶹��ý State Legislature passed Act 125 in 2017, which requires that all cesspools in the state, unless granted an exemption, be upgraded to a septic or aerobic treatment unit, or connected to a sewer system by 2050.

Of the 88,000 cesspools, 6,500 have been identified in the Kailua-Kona area as having the potential to negatively impact coastal water quality and groundwater-dependent ecosystems (GDE). GDEs have historically served as important sources of water and food to Kona’s coastal communities and continue to be highly valued today. To address this issue, the researchers developed a comprehensive framework to evaluate the potential impacts of land use and wastewater management decisions on nearshore water quality and ecosystems along the Kona Coast.

Research results

Eight management scenarios were developed incorporating different combinations of future permitted developments, cesspool conversions and wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) upgrades. Researchers conclude that there will be potential detrimental impacts to the marine environment if no upgrades to cesspools or the WWTP occur. However, on the opposite side, converting all of the existing cesspools to aerobic treatment units and upgrading the existing WWTP to the highest quality provide the best protection to nearshore marine habitats at an estimated cost of $569 million in present value terms.

“When a suboptimal choice is selected among the kinds of scenarios presented here, resulting changes in coastal water quality and habitat quality may lead to reduced human enjoyment of some of Kona’s most prominent activities for residents and tourism industries, including nearshore snorkeling, scuba diving, shore fishing and spearfishing. In addition, such ecological changes can generate intangible costs for local residents, including unpleasant odors, as well as unappealing windrows of invasive species biomass that are costly nuisances and biological threats to native marine biota,” the research team said.

UHERO is in the . .

This work is an example of UH ����ԴDz�’s goals of (PDF) and (PDF), two of four goals identified in the (PDF), updated in December 2020.

New findings reveal the spread of a fungal disease killing off hundreds of thousands of mature ʻōhiʻa trees (Metrosideros polymorpha) on �鶹��ý Island could be exacerbated by the presence of ungulates or animals with hooves. A geographer at the , along with colleagues from the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Department of Agriculture, published a collaborative study that closely examines .

Lead investigator of the study, Ryan Perroy, an associate professor of at UH Hilo, specializes in remote sensing and was integral in obtaining aerial imagery to detect ʻōhiʻa mortality at an individual tree level. The study’s co-authors collected field samples and conducted laboratory testing using data from impacted areas within �鶹��ý Volcanoes National Park (HAVO) and the Laupāhoehoe Forest Reserve.

The spatial patterns of ʻōhiʻa mortality observed across all four sites included in the study show significant differences in areas with and without ungulates, suggesting that ungulate exclusion is an effective management tool to lessen the impacts of ROD in forested areas in �鶹��ý.

“The results from this work show us that the impacts of ROD can vary across the landscape,” said Perroy. “We hope this information can be useful in managing and caring for our native forests.”

Learn more about UH’s work with rapid ʻōhiʻa death

Perroy leads the UH Hilo Spatial Data Analysis & Visualization Research Laboratory alongside Timo Sullivan and Daniel Duda. They all joined forces with a �鶹��ý Island-based research team, which includes David Benitez, an ecologist at HAVO; Flint Hughes, an ecologist at the Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry; and Lisa Keith, Eva Brill and Karma Kissinger, plant pathologists from the Daniel K. Inouye U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center.

The researchers discovered the number of suspected ROD trees in unfenced areas were significantly higher (more than 50 times greater for one location) than those found in fenced areas that prevent hoofed animal access.

• Related UH News story: Tracking the spread of Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death on Kauaʻi, October 12, 2020

ROD was first discovered on �鶹��ý Island in 2014 and has since obliterated hundreds of acres of once sprawling ʻōhiʻa. It is also found on Kauaʻi, Maui and Oʻahu. The deadly disease is caused by two invasive fungi, Ceratocystis huliohia and Ceratocystis lukuohia, and, if left unstopped, could irreversibly change Hawaiian ecosystems and cultural traditions by diminishing the keystone native tree in Hawaiian forests.

Study enhances ROD data collection

Based on collected aerial imagery, the researchers developed a rating system based on tree canopy condition to identify ʻōhiʻa that may be infected. They developed a custom imaging system for helicopter mapping operations, which enables a much wider surveying scale.

Using this system, the researchers quickly generate and share suspect tree candidate locations with partner agencies to rapidly detect new mortality outbreaks and prioritize field sampling efforts. The studies revealed disparities between sites, illustrating challenges to definitively determine the cause of ʻōhiʻa mortality from aerial imagery alone. The integrated approach of imagery, field sampling and lab work proved better at effectively discerning causative factors.

This research identifies effective strategies for HAVO and other protected areas, where study co-author Benitez considers ROD to be a top threat to native forests and ecosystems. “The focal sites include forests near the summit of Kīlauea, including Nāhuku and the ʻŌlaʻa Tract rainforests and the Kahuku Unit,” Benitez explained. “We are very excited about this collaborative research, and the resulting technologies such as a safer and more cost effective airborne mapping system which can pinpoint ROD outbreaks across vast areas on all Hawaiian Islands.”

Need for feral animal control

An unexpected event at one of the study sites showed the impact feral pigs caused after they breached a fenced area. Suspect ROD tree densities in the area rose from practically none to nearly three trees per hectare (nearly 2.5 acres) highlighting the need for ungulate control.

“There are lots of remaining questions that still need to be addressed relating to ungulate species-specific behavior and impacts (pigs vs. goats vs sheep vs. cattle), differences between domesticated and feral animals, and lots of remaining questions regarding non-ungulate factors we think play a role in ʻōhiʻa mortality, from boring beetles to storm events,” said Perroy.

The paper also illustrates the importance of removing infected trees to suppress ʻōhiʻa mortality levels across affected regions.

.

—Story by Susan Enright

A botany course provided an opportunity for face-to-face learning outdoors during the COVID-19 pandemic, offering a welcomed relief in an otherwise virtual summer of study, by utilizing the Mānoa campus, a designated arboretum, as the classroom.

The experiential Botany 160 course equipped students to recognize on sight, and identify by common and botanical names approximately 100 plants on the UH Mānoa campus. At the conclusion, students highlighted plants describing their origin, status in �鶹��ý, diagnostic characteristics, and cultural and economic uses.

In attendance with UH Mānoa student Nataley Nakata were Riley Regan and Kamaile Marcus, high school students from UH Mānoa ’s regularly offered program.

“I was intrigued by how numerous the uses of the plants around campus and the were, and still are; I also realized the gravity of how important species preservation is in regards to the remaining endemic plants here on Oʻahu and throughout the neighbor islands,” said Nakata, a UH Mānoa senior. “I would definitely recommend this course to a friend for the experience of walking around and getting to know the different areas and plants on the UH campus.”

“Having studied about Native Hawaiian plants in scouting, I thought it would be fun to learn more about plants during the summer at UH Mānoa,” said Regan, a junior at ʻIolani School. “Our instructor was great and very knowledgeable. The excursion to Lyon Arboretum was a real highlight of my summer. I was amazed at how many plants that I learned about over such a short time period!”

100-level courses offer exposure

This, and other 100-level courses, serve as an introduction to a wide variety of study areas. By the end of the botany course, students acquired adequate information to view their neighborhoods differently, bringing the background of greenery into focus.

“The value, for me, is introducing plants to people and people to plants in a way that, hopefully, is meaningful to each individual so that each person begins to see themselves as a part of a larger system of ecological connections and understands the impact plants have in our livelihood,” Nōweo Kai, instructor for the botany course, a graduate of UH Mānoa , and curator for the UH Mānoa campus arboretum.

Kai’s responsibilities include managing records and inventory (i.e. genealogy and whereabouts) for the more than 6,000 plants throughout the 320 acre UH Mānoa campus.

“I am privileged to work closely with the landscaping department, faculty and staff, and the broader community members to interpret the campus plants’ rich history and diversity,” Kai added.

This course is an example of UH Mānoa’s goal of (PDF) and (PDF), two of four goals identified in the (PDF), updated in December 2020.

A graduate has been selected by the National Park Service (NPS) to serve as the permanent superintendent of �鶹��ý Volcanoes National Park starting on December 20. Alumna Rhonda Loh has been the acting park superintendent since April 2019.

“My family roots are in �鶹��ý, and I deeply appreciate the islands’ people and cultures,” said Loh. “I am honored to be selected for this position and remain committed to engaging with the local communities in stewardship of our public lands.”

Loh, who earned her PhD in botany from UH ����ԴDz�, began her career in the park service as a volunteer in 1989 before landing her first permanent position as a biological technician at �鶹��ý Volcanoes National Park. She later served as the park’s botanist and then chief of natural resource management. Loh also served as acting superintendent at other national parks across �鶹��ý, including Pearl Harbor National Memorial, Haleakalā National Park, Kaloko-Honokōhau and Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Parks and Kalaupapa National Historical Park.

“Throughout her 25-year career with the National Park Service, Rhonda has sought creative ways to build a positive working environment that fosters collaboration among staff and partners,” said Acting NPS Regional Director Linda D. Walker. “This experience provides her a solid foundation to help further the mission of the National Park Service in �鶹��ý.”

�鶹��ý Volcanoes National Park rises from sea-level to an elevation of 13,677 feet and encompasses two of the world’s most active volcanoes, Kīlauea and Mauna Loa. The park includes seven ecological zones (coast, lowland, mid-elevation woodland, rainforest, upland forest, subalpine and alpine) and is home to seven threatened species including the nēnē (Hawaiian goose), and 47 endangered species, including the honuʻea (hawksbill turtle), ʻuaʻu (Hawaiian petrel) and the Kaʻū silversword.

The park’s rich archeological record connects today’s Hawaiians to their ocean-faring ancestors who made landfall on the island. Visitors can experience the history of geological exploration and the stewardship of natural landscapes by driving the roads, visiting historic districts and buildings and exploring the park’s museum.

—From the �鶹��ý Volcanoes National Park