Association between feral pig disturbance and the composition of some alien plant assemblages in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Abstract

Association analysis was used to assess relationships among 25 important alien plant species and their association with feral pig rooting in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii, U.S.A. Results of the association analysis were summarized by means of a simplified, rank-based, polar ordination which yielded three subjective species assemblages. One group was characterized by an association with the endpoint species, Ehrharta stipoides. A second group consisted of species associated with the other endpoint species, Andropogon virginicus. The third group comprised a diverse assemblage of 14 species in the middle of the ordination.