School of Life Sciences Weekly Seminar

October 7, 2:30pm - 3:30pm
Mānoa Campus, Bilger 150 - see description for Zoom info Add to Calendar

Biological invasions in coral reef connected insular estuaries

Kimberly Peyton Ph.D.

Research Scientist

State of Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources

Division of Aquatic Resources

Globally estuaries play critical roles in life history, management, and conservation of many fishes because this ecosystem functions as nursery habitat. Compared to coral reefs and streams, estuaries are rarely the focus of research efforts in Hawaii. To assess juvenile fish habitats in estuaries the Division of Aquatic Resources has been monitoring since 2016. Sites on Kauai, Oahu, Maui, and Hawaii Island span geomorphological and hydrological gradients found in these insular estuaries. Remarkably, our pooled results revealed that almost half of the fish sampled (relative abundance) were not native to Hawaiian waters. At the site level the contribution of introduced species to both relative abundance and relative biomass varied. Aquatic systems in Hawaii are compressed landscapes, which can span as little as a few kilometers but with gradients that range across streams, estuaries, and coral reefs. A tendency is for research/management efforts to focus on one of these ecosystems while species, including introduced taxa, may utilize multiple ecosystems. Improving our understanding of these connected ecosystems will contribute to better management of aquatic species, including the biological invaders plaguing our coastal fisheries resources.

Zoom: https://hawaii.zoom.us/j/97517760522

Meeting ID: 975 1776 0522


Event Sponsor
School of Life Sciences, Mānoa Campus

More Information
Edward McAssey, 6103162704, mcassey@hawaii.edu

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