{"id":146512,"date":"2021-08-17T11:25:09","date_gmt":"2021-08-17T21:25:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=146512"},"modified":"2021-08-17T13:49:36","modified_gmt":"2021-08-17T23:49:36","slug":"rod-linked-to-hoofed-animals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2021\/08\/17\/rod-linked-to-hoofed-animals\/","title":{"rendered":"Rapid \u02bb\u014dhi\u02bba death linked to hoofed animals in 东精影业<\/abbr> Hilo research"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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Aerial image shows the telltale sign of rapid ʻōhiʻa<\/span> death—browning of affected tree crowns.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

New findings reveal the spread of a fungal disease killing off hundreds of thousands of mature ʻōhiʻa<\/span> trees (Metrosideros polymorpha<\/em>) on Hawaiʻi<\/span> Island could be exacerbated by the presence of ungulates or animals with hooves. A geographer at the University of Hawaiʻi<\/span> at Hilo<\/a>, 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 the link between the disease known as rapid ʻōhiʻa<\/span> death (ROD<\/abbr>) and ungulates such as feral pigs<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Left: Custom imaging developed for helicopter mapping operations in Hawaiʻi.<\/span> Right: Aerial image of ʻōhiʻa<\/span> mortality on Hawaiʻi<\/span> Island.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lead investigator of the study, Ryan Perroy<\/strong>, an associate professor of geography and environmental science<\/a> at 东精影业<\/abbr> Hilo, specializes in remote sensing and was integral in obtaining aerial imagery to detect ʻōhiʻa<\/span> mortality at an individual tree level. The study\u2019s co-authors collected field samples and conducted laboratory testing using data from impacted areas within Hawaiʻi<\/span> Volcanoes National Park (HAVO<\/abbr>) and the Laupāhoehoe Forest Reserve.<\/p>\n

The spatial patterns of ʻōhiʻa<\/span> 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<\/abbr> in forested areas in Hawaiʻi<\/span>.<\/p>\n

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

Learn more about 东精影业<\/abbr>\u2019s work with rapid ʻōhiʻa<\/span> death<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Perroy leads the 东精影业<\/abbr> Hilo Spatial Data Analysis & Visualization Research Laboratory alongside Timo Sullivan<\/strong> and Daniel Duda<\/strong>. They all joined forces with a Hawaiʻi<\/span> Island-based research team, which includes David Benitez, an ecologist at HAVO<\/abbr>; 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.<\/p>\n

The researchers discovered the number of suspected ROD<\/abbr> 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.<\/p>\n