Abstract in Armenian

Հավայան արեւադարձային չոր անտառները այժմ ոչնչացվում են: Ցավոք, այսօր այս արեւադարձային անտառների միայն 10% -ը  գոյություն ունեն: Սա ողբերգական է, քանի որ այս արեւադարձային չոր անտառները պարունակում են շատ բազմազան էկոլոգիական հատուկ բնական միջավայրներ: Ներկայումս ընթանում են բազմաթիվ հետազոտական ​​ծրագրեր, ոեոնք աշխատում են վերականգնել այս անտառների հայրենի միջավայրիը:

Map of Study Area and Pictures of Tropical Dry Forests (Q1&2)

This map shows where tropical dry forests would have occurred without any human interference.



Source:
Olson, D. M., Dinerstein, E. 2002. The Global 200: Priority 
     ecoregions for global conservation. Annals of the Missouri 
     Botanical Garden 89(2):199-224.



However, only fragments of native Hawaiian tropical dry forests occur today. Here is a map showing the locations of some fragments.

Source:
"Tropical Dry Forests of the Pacific - Hawaii." Tropical Dry 
     Forests of the Pacific - Hawaii. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 
     2013.



Here is an image of what a tropical dry forest looks like without any human interaction within the environment:

Source:
"Justifi Nicaragua Outdoors: Save the Tropical Dry Forest." 
     Justifi. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. 
    <http://justifi.org/nicaragua-outdoors/>.



A fragment of tropical dry forest located in Kaluakauila, Oahu



Source:
"Tropical Dry Forests of the Pacific - Hawaii." Tropical Dry 
     Forests of the Pacific - Hawaii. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2013.

The Historical State of the Ecosystem (Q3)

Some tropical dry forests occur on the leeward side of mountains, under the rain shadow created through orographic precipitation, where the air is neither too moist nor too dry(Rock 1914).

Metrosideros Polymorpha

There is also a wet and dry season specific to Hawaii’s tropical dry forests. The dry season lasts from April to October, while the wet season lasts from November to March.These ecological factors help explain phenomena we see throughout the vegetation of Hawaii’s tropical dry forests. For example, most trees in this ecosystem have thick barks, (about half to 1 inch thick) to help them survive the dry season, however some thin bark species exist as well (Rock 1914). Thus the leeward side of mountains provides the perfect balance of moisture for the growth of vegetation specific to Hawaii’s tropical dry forests.

Erythrina Sandwicensis

Tropical dry forests contain some of the worlds most diverse communities. About 60 percent of the tress found in Hawaii's tropical dry forests are endemic, and thus occur in no other region of the world (Rock 1913). Joseph Rock, one of the first people who studied the native landscape of Hawaii wrote, "It is in these peculiar regions that the botanical collector will find more in one day collecting than in a week or two in a wet region..." (Rock 1913). Unfortunately, they are also one of the world's most endangered ecosystems.

Hibiscus Clayi

The tropical dry forests of Hawaii have a short canopy, about 20-30 meters in height, and also contain shrubs(Gillespie 2013). Also, there are only thee types of fauna, or animals, which are indigenous to the tropical dry forests of Hawaii; those are birds, arthropods, and non-marine mollusks(Loope 2013). The following are some example of the indigenous fauna and flora of the tropical dry forests of Hawaii.

Diospyros Sandwicensis

Reynoldsia Sandwiccensis

Many of Hawaii's native arthropods are flightless; a common occurrence among species that have evolved on islands. Here we have the flightless beetle like lacewing(Francis 1990).

Ancylidae is a type of non-marine mollusk that was once indigenous to the tropical dry forests of Hawaii(Watson 2012). 

Flora Picture Sources:

"Tropical Dry Forests of the Pacific - Hawaii Species Poster." 
     Tropical Dry Forests of the Pacific - Hawaii Species 
     Poster. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2013.

"Tropical Dry Forests of the Pacific - Maui Species Poster." 
     Tropical Dry Forests of the Pacific - Maui Species Poster. 
     N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2013.

Fauna Picture Sources:

Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M.J. 2005 onwards. The families of 

     British non-marine molluscs (slugs, snails and mussels). 
     Version: 4th January 2012. 

"Investigation." Backyard Insects of Tucson. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2013.

Sources for Writing:

Francis G. Hawaiian Terrestrial Arthropods: An Overview. 
     Thesis. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers, 1990. N.p.: 
     Bishop Museum, 1990.Hbs.bishopmuseum.org. Web. 
     22 Nov. 2013.

Gillespie, Thomas. "People and the Earth's Ecosystem." Dodd 147, Los Angeles. 29 Oct. 2013. Class Lecture.

Loope, Lloyd L. Hawaii and the Pacific Islands. Rep. U.S. Geological Survey Biological Resources Division, 19 Aug. 2013, Web. 23 Nov. 2013.

Rock JF (1913) The Indigenous Trees of the Hawaiian Islands. Reprinted in 1974 by Pacific Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii, and Charles F. Tuttle, Rutland, Vermont. 

Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M.J. 2005 onwards. The families of 

       British non-marine molluscs (slugs, snails and

        mussels).Version: 4th January 2012. 

Current Human Impacts (Q4)

Currently, 90 percent of Hawaii's tropical dry forests have vanished(Cabin 2000). The Polynesians were the first group of people to inhabit the Hawaiian Islands. The Polynesians changed the natural landscape of Hawaii by cutting and burning trees such as the Koa and introducing new non-native plant species. Evidence has also shown that about 50 percent of Hawaii’s indigenous bird population was extinct even before the arrival of the Europeans (Loope 2013). And so, this emphasizes the impact of the Polynesians on the Hawaiian natural landscape.
After the arrival of Europeans in 1778, the destruction of the Islands native habitats were accelerated. This acceleration was a direct result of the introduction of non-native ungulate grazing animals, such as cattle, sheep and goat (Loope 2013). These animals had large hooves that would destroy the vegetation they walked on. Furthermore, these animals would graze on indigenous plants, causing many to go extinct (Cabin 2000).

Today, the expansion of infrastructure, real estate, and ranching, along with the logging of ohia and koa trees, has resulted in the deforestation of the tropical dry forests of Hawaii. Furthermore, scientists believe that the inadvertent introduction of non-native plants and animals through transportation and commerce has brought the most significant damage to the tropical dry forests of Hawaii (Loope 2013).


The fountain grass (pennisetum setaceum) is an example of a non-native plant that has spread throughout the island. It was first observed in 1914, and since then has interfered with the growth of Hawaii's native vegetation and has increased the frequency of fires in areas that are traditionally not designed to withstand frequent burns (Cabin 2000).

Hawaiian Honeycreepers illustrate the immense diversity that exists within the tropical dry forests of Hawaii. 

Picture Sources:

Loope, Lloyd L. Hawaii and the Pacific Islands. Rep. U.S. 
     Geological Survey Biological Resources Division, n.d.
     Web. 23 Nov. 2013.

 "History of Na Pali." Na Pali Coast Kauai Boat Tours. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2013.

"Hawaii Real Estate Lawyers." Honolulu Real Estate Attorney. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2013.

Sources for writing:

Cabin, Robert J., Stephen G. Weller, David H. Lorence, Tim 
     W. Flynn, Ann K. Sakai, Darren Sandquist, and Lisa J. 
     Hadway. "Effects of Long-Term Ungulate Exclusion and 
     Recent Alien Species Control on the Preservation and      
     Restoration of a Hawaiian Tropical Dry Forest." 
     Conservation Biology 14.2 (2000): 439-53. Print.

Loope, Lloyd L. Hawaii and the Pacific Islands. Rep. U.S. 

     Geological Survey Biological Resources Division, 19 Aug. 
     2013, Web. 23 Nov. 2013.