Hawaiian tropical high shrublands

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

20°N 156°W / 20°N 156°W / 20; -156

Hawaiian tropical high shrublands
Slopes of Haleakalā, Maui
Ecology
RealmOceanian
BiomeTropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands
Borders
Geography
Area1,900 km2 (730 sq mi)
CountryUnited States
StateHawaii
Climate typeSubtropical highland (Cfb and Cwb)
Conservation
Conservation statusVulnerable[2]
Global 200No[3]

Geography

The high shrublands ecoregion covers an area of 1,900 km2 (730 sq mi) on the upper slopes of the volcanoes Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa, Hualālai, and Haleakalā.

Flora

The plant communities include open shrublands, grasslands, and deserts. Shrubland species include ʻāheahea (Chenopodium oahuense), ʻōhelo ʻai (Vaccinium reticulatum), naʻenaʻe (Dubautia menziesii), and ʻiliahi (Santalum haleakalae). Alpine grasslands are dominated by tussock grasses, such as Deschampsia nubigena, Eragrostis atropioides, Panicum tenuifolium, and pili uka (Trisetum glomeratum). Deserts occur on the coldest and driest peaks, where only extremely hardy plants such as ʻāhinahina (Argyroxiphium sandwicense) and Dubautia species are able to grow.

Fauna

The nēnē (Branta sandvicensis) is one of the few birds found in alpine shrublands, while ʻuaʻu (Pterodroma sandwichensis) nest in this ecoregion.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Hawaii tropical high shrublands". Bioimages. Vanderbilt University. Retrieved 2011-11-19.
  2. ^ a b "Hawaii tropical high 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: 199–224. doi:10.2307/3298564.
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