Biological invasion by Myrica faya in Hawaii: plant demography, nitrogen fixation, ecosystem effects

Myrica faya, an introduced actinorhizal nitrogen fixer, is invading young volcanic sites in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. We examined the population biology of the invader and ecosystem-level consequences of its invasion in open-canopied forests resulting from volcanic cinder-fall. Although Myrica...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ecological monographs 1989-09, Vol.59 (3), p.247-265
Main Authors: Vitousek, Peter M., Walker, Lawrence R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
540211 - Environment, Terrestrial- Basic Studies- Radiometric Techniques- (1990-)
BACTERIA
BIOLOGICAL COMPETITION
Biological invasions
COMPETENCIA BIOLOGICA
COMPETITION BIOLOGIQUE
ECOLOGIA VEGETAL
Ecological invasion
ECOLOGICAL SUCCESSION
ECOLOGY
ECOSISTEMA
ECOSYSTEME
ECOSYSTEMS
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
FEDERAL REGION IX
FIJACION DEL NITROGENO
FIXATION DE L'AZOTE
Forest canopy
Forest soils
GROWTH
HAWAI
HAWAII
ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
METABOLISME DE L'AZOTE
METABOLISMO DEL NITROGENO
MICROORGANISMS
MYRICA
National parks
Nitrogen
NITROGEN 15
NITROGEN FIXATION
NITROGEN ISOTOPES
NITROGEN METABOLISM
Nodules
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
PHYTOECOLOGIE
PLANT COLONIZATION
PLANT ECOLOGY
PLANT GROWTH
POPULATIONS
PUBLIC LANDS
RHIZOBIUM
STABLE ISOTOPES
SUCCESSION ECOLOGIQUE
SUCESION ECOLOGICA
TRACER TECHNIQUES
Trees
USA
VOLCANOES
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Summary:Myrica faya, an introduced actinorhizal nitrogen fixer, is invading young volcanic sites in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. We examined the population biology of the invader and ecosystem-level consequences of its invasion in open-canopied forests resulting from volcanic cinder-fall. Although Myrica faya is nominally dioecious, both males and females produce large amounts of fruit that are utilized by a number of exotic and native birds, particularly the exotic Zosterops japonica. In areas of active colonization, Myrica seed rain under perch trees of the dominant native Metrosideros polymorpha ranged from 6 to 60 seeds@?m^-2@?yr^-^1; no seeds were captured in the open. Planted seeds of Myrica also germinated and established better under isolated individuals of Metrosideros than in the open. Diameter growth of Myrica is >15-fold greater than that of Metrosideros, and the Myrica population is increasing rapidly. Rates of nitrogen fixation were measured using the acetylene reduction assay calibrated with ^1^5N. Myrica nodules reduced acetylene at between 5 and 20 @mmol@?g^-^1@?h^-^1, a rate that extrapolated to nitrogen fixation of 18 kg@?ha^-^1@?yr^-^1 in a densely colonized site. By comparison, all native sources of nitrogen fixation summed to 0.2 kg@?ha^-^1@?yr^-^1, and precipitation added
ISSN:0012-9615
1557-7015
DOI:10.2307/1942601