Hawaiian Islands Research Articles

Hawaiian island loses its only mental health counselor — again

Lana‘i residents on the Hawaiian island with severe psychiatric conditions lost crucial support this month when the only on‐island employee of the state agency charged with their care resigned, citing a lack of resources to carry out her duties Honolulu Civil Beat reported April 24. The departure of case manager Kori Kuaana leaves no full‐time staff physically on Lana‘i within the Hawai‘i Health Department's Adult Mental Health Division to help patients with diagnoses that range from depression to schizoaffective disorder manage their symptoms in between their monthly visits from a Maui‐based nurse and quarterly visits from a Maui‐based psychiatrist.

Impact of the Pacific Meridional Mode on Hawaiian Rainfall Variability

Abstract The Pacific meridional mode (PMM) features air–sea interactions within the subtropical and tropical eastern North Pacific; however, its influence on Hawaiian rainfall variability remains elusive. This study aims to elucidate PMM-related large-scale atmospheric patterns and their repercussions on island rainfall dynamics across diverse time scales. In reference to the peak PMM season in boreal spring, we delineate distinct atmospheric patterns during the antecedent winter and concurrent spring. Our analysis employs multiple linear regression and disentangles the roles of El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the PMM in driving rainfall variability. ENSO emerges as the primary driver of winter rainfall variability, while the PMM assumes a pivotal role in spring rainfall, particularly impacting the southern islands. During a (+) PMM phase in winter, anomalous surface westerly winds decelerate prevailing trade winds, engendering an east–west anomalous rainfall dipole pattern across the Hawaiian Islands. This, in turn, amplifies median and lower-quartile seasonal rainfall over the typically arid leeward sides of the island chain. Subsequently, in spring, a (+) PMM intensifies moisture and ascent over the tropical eastern North Pacific, precipitating extensive rainfall across the state. For disturbance-driven rainfall, a (+) PMM coincides with heightened frontal-related rainfall, whereas El Niño is associated with decreased rainfall from Kona lows, upper-level lows, and trade-wind events. Our evaluation of PMM-related daily rainfall intensity underscores spatial variations: A (−) PMM corresponds to reduced moderate daily rainfall over windward sides, potentially exacerbating drought occurrences. Conversely, leeward sides experience an increase in extreme rainfall events in both winter and spring during a (+) PMM, suggesting a heightened risk of floods. Significance Statement This study delves into the intricate dynamics of the Pacific meridional mode (PMM) and its profound implications for Hawaiian rainfall variability. By dissecting PMM-related atmospheric patterns across seasons, we uncover compelling insights: The (+) PMM phases in winter amplify rainfall over typically dry leeward sides, while the spring (+) PMM phases intensify moisture and precipitation across the state. Importantly, our analysis reveals regional shifts in daily rainfall intensity and disentangles the respective roles of ENSO and the PMM in driving rainfall variability across seasons and disturbance types. These findings not only deepen our understanding of regional climate dynamics but also offer valuable insights for water resource management and disaster preparedness in Hawaii and beyond.

Using photo identification to assess demographics and fishery interactions of oceanic whitetip sharks Carcharhinus longimanus in the main Hawaiian Islands

Global declines in oceanic whitetip shark Carcharhinus longimanus populations have resulted in international protections and a ‘threatened’ listing under the United States Endangered Species Act in 2018. Despite having international regulations on catch and trade of C. longimanus populations, large gaps remain in our understanding of their basic biology, ecology, and population structure. The main Hawaiian Islands (MHIs), USA, are thought to be a biologically important area for central Pacific C. longimanus, where commercial and recreational fishers have reported seasonal spikes in abundance and interaction rates. Using photo-identification of dorsal fin patterns, this study describes population demographics, reproductive activity, fishery interactions, and associative behaviors of C. longimanus around the MHIs. From 2006 to 2024, 383 individuals were identified, with 42 individuals sighted more than once. The highest number of encounters was recorded during the spring (March-May) and the lowest in winter (December-February). The sex ratio was ~2:1 females:males (females n = 241: males n = 108), and 42 females (17.4%) had visible mating scars while 87 females (36.1%) had distended abdomens, possibly indicating pregnancy. Fishery interactions were observed on 157 individuals (26.3% of all encounters), and 46.8% of sharks observed in this study were found within 0.4 km of a fish aggregation device, while 19.2% were found in association with marine mammals. These results provide baseline information on C. longimanus around the MHIs and are necessary to inform conservation and management efforts for this protected species throughout the central Pacific Ocean.

A New Species of the Eel Genus Gnathophis (Congridae, Anguilliformes) from the Seamounts of the Emperor–Hawaiian Chain, Western and Central North Pacific

Gnathophis johnsoni sp. nov. is described on the basis of 15 specimens (138–380 mm TL) from the Emperor–Hawaiian Seamount Chain in the western and central North Pacific. The new species is most similar in morphology to G. bathytopos (Atlantic), G. cinctus (eastern Pacific), and G. smithi (Nazca and Salas-y-Gomez Seamounts in the southeastern Pacific) by the sensory pore configuration and vertebral count, but differs from these species in the following characters in combination: darkly pigmented pectoral fin, dorsal fin with black margin broadened caudally and extended onto the distal half of the caudal fin, relatively long head, jaws, gill slit and caudal fin, and on average a greater preanal distance. Although most of morphometrics overlap between the new species and its closest relatives, multivariate statistical analyses clearly discriminate this species. Molecular analysis shows sister relationships between the new species and G. cinctus, with 1.81% of genetic divergence, which significantly exceeds the differences between the haplotypes belonging to the same species (0.36 and 1.08% of divergence, usually not exceeding 0.9%) and confirms both species as close but distinct. The close relationship of G. johnsoni sp. nov. and G. cinctus represents a rare case of biogeographical relations between western and eastern Pacific demersal fish faunas. Molecular data suggest that some morphologically similar species may represent independently evolved lineages, though the group of Gnathophis possessing elevated lateral-line pores is likely monophyletic.

Semi-Markovian Planning to Coordinate Aerial and Maritime Medical Evacuation Platforms

The transfer of patients between two aircraft using an underway watercraft increases medical evacuation reach and flexibility in maritime environments. The selection of any one of multiple underway watercraft for patient exchange is complicated by participating aircraft utilization histories and participating watercraft positions and velocities. The selection problem is modeled as a semi-Markov decision process with an action space including both fixed land and moving watercraft exchange points. Monte Carlo tree search with root parallelization is used to select optimal exchange points and determine aircraft dispatch times. Model parameters are varied in simulation to identify representative scenarios where watercraft exchange points reduce incident response times. We find that an optimal policy with watercraft exchange points outperforms an optimal policy without watercraft exchange points and a greedy policy by 35% and 40%, respectively. In partnership with the United States Army, we deploy for the first time the watercraft exchange point by executing a mock patient transfer with a manikin between two HH-60M medical evacuation helicopters and an underway Army Logistic Support Vessel south of the Hawaiian island of Oahu. Both helicopters were dispatched in accordance with our optimized decision strategy.

Trap evaluation to optimize wild pig removal efforts in remote settings

Context Invasive wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are the most abundant, widespread, and economically significant large vertebrate established in the Hawaiian Islands. Owing to their generalist diet and rooting behavior, wild pigs alter soils and watersheds, negatively affecting native biota. Aims Lethal removal of wild pigs by trapping is often the most effective and practical management action to reduce their impacts, but terrain and access are challenging. Methods We compared the effectiveness and efficiency of three trap designs (i.e. corral, box, and passive net traps) on a fenced population of wild pigs in a remote montane forest setting on the Island of Hawai‘i, where use of cellular-activated ‘smart’ traps was not possible. Key results During three high-intensity removal efforts between 30 November 2021 and 8 May 2022, we trapped and euthanized 435 wild pigs through 162 trapping events. Although each trap type effectively captured wild pigs, passive net traps captured more wild pigs per capture event than did corral and box traps. Specifically, when using passive net traps, we captured approximately four wild pigs per capture event, which was two to three times more than with corral traps and box traps respectively. Passive net traps were more effective and efficient than were box traps, although they performed similarly to corral traps. Conclusions All trap types we tested successfully captured wild pigs, but passive net traps typically captured more wild pigs per event than did traditional corral and box traps. Net traps were a valuable addition to remote trapping strategies. Implications In remote and rugged settings where smart trapping technology cannot be used, we recommend incorporating passive net traps into a trapping program to optimize removal of wild pigs.

A new mesophotic species Platoma piiahiluum sp. nov. (Schizymeniaceae) from the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, Hawaiʻi, USA

ABSTRACT Mesophotic coral ecosystems of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument have been recognized as a major source of endemic Hawaiian assemblages and general taxonomic diversity. Specimens of the nemastomatalean genus Platoma were found to form a new, distinct clade in phylogenetic analyses of both plastid (rbcL) and mitochondrial (COI) markers. Additionally, the mitochondrial and chloroplast genomes of the new Platoma taxon were sequenced and used in phylogenomic reconstructions with related taxa. Structural investigation of the genomes showed the presence of an unusual feature – a stem-loop and inversion within the mitogenome. Morphological analyses showcasing their transparent non-branching thalli with small cortical cells and thinner medullary filaments compared to other species further confirmed these specimens represent a newly discovered and presumed endemic species from the Hawaiian mesophotic zone, which is proposed as Platoma piiahiluum sp. nov. At this point, two species of Platoma are known from Hawaiʻi: Platoma piiahiluum sp. nov. known only from mesophotic habitats in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, and P. ardreanum, known from shallow waters throughout the Archipelago. This study provides further evidence of the high proportion of endemic species in Hawaiian mesophotic coral ecosystems, and highlights the novel diversity of the uninhabited islands and atolls of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument.

Coupled evolutionary rates shape a Hawaiian insect-symbiont system

BackgroundThe Hawaiian Pariaconus psyllid radiation represents a unique system to study the co-evolution of nuclear, mitochondrial, and endosymbiont genomes. These psyllids, which diversified across the Hawaiian Islands during the last 3–3.5 million years vary with their ecological niches on their plant host ‘Ōhi’a lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha) (free-living, open-gall, and closed-gall lifestyles) and harbor one to three beneficial bacterial endosymbionts. Co-evolutionary studies of other multi-endosymbiont insect systems have shown decoupled rates of sequence evolution between mitochondria and endosymbionts. Here we examine the evolutionary trends in Pariaconus psyllids, their mitochondria and their endosymbionts to determine if they fit this paradigm.ResultsWe sequenced a new Carsonella genome from the ohialoha species group (closed-gall, one symbiont), revealing a remarkable degree of gene conservation between two of the most divergent species from this diverse species group that has dispersed across multiple islands. Further, despite the rapid radiation of psyllid species, we observed complete synteny among mitochondrial genomes from all six Pariaconus species in this study, suggesting the preservation of genome structure due to strong purifying selection. Phylogenetic analyses of the nuclear, mitochondrial, and endosymbiont genomes across these six Pariaconus species revealed correlated rates of substitutions, contrary to prior reports of decoupling between mitochondrial and endosymbiont genomes in other insect systems with multiple symbiont partners. Finally, we found that free-living psyllids with three symbionts exhibited elevated mutation rates (~ 1.2–1.6x) across all genomes and elevated rates of fixation of nonsynonymous substitutions in the insect nuclear genome and one of the endosymbionts.ConclusionsThis study highlights the interplay between ecological diversification and genomic evolution in Pariaconus. Further, these data indicate that multiple endosymbiont partners alone are not sufficient to result in decoupling rates of sequence evolution. Future work on basal members of this species radiation will refine our understanding of the mechanisms shaping this dynamic insect-symbiont system and its implications for genome evolution.

In Vitro Assays Suggest Rapid ‘Ōhi’a Death Fungi Can Colonize Metrosideros polymorpha Fine Roots

Rapid ‘Ōhi’a Death (ROD), caused by Ceratocystis lukuohia and C. huliohia, severely impacts ‘ōhi’a lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha), a keystone tree species on the Hawaiian Islands. This study examined the ability of these pathogens to colonize ‘ōhi’a fine roots in a series of root dip experiments under in vitro conditions, focusing on the potential roles of host genetics and root tissue condition in susceptibility. Results showed that both pathogens can colonize and form fruiting bodies on fine roots, however, C. lukuohia had greater colonization rates and produced more perithecia than C. huliohia. Fungal colonization rates were higher in fine roots damaged by excising the root cap, suggesting wounds enhance susceptibility. These findings suggest that fine root damage may facilitate fungal ingress, raising concerns about root infection as a potential pathway for ROD spread.

Dynamics of foraging interactions between cookiecutter sharks (Isistius spp.) and short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) in Hawaiʻi

Cookiecutter sharks (Isistius spp.) are small pelagic squaloid sharks found throughout tropical and sub-tropical waters that are known to feed opportunistically on a range of prey, including animals much larger than themselves. Short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) are resident to Hawaiʻi Island and are often observed with fresh and healed cookiecutter shark bites. In this study, cookiecutter bites were used to infer the spatiotemporal patterns of the foraging behaviour of sharks on pilot whales off the Hawaiian Islands (21°N, 158°W to 18.5°N, 154.5°W). A photo-identification catalogue of 399 resident short-finned pilot whales (representing 5,859 identifications of known individuals from 365 encounters from 2003 to 2012), were used to infer the prevalence and seasonal variation in shark presence. The mean proportion of the pilot whale’s body visible for documenting shark bites was 22.2% (SD ± 10.0). A total of 9,281fresh, healed, and scarred bite marks were documented on 396 of 399 whales (99.2%). Bites were most frequently documented on the head (32.9% of all bites), followed by the lateral sides (29.8%) and peduncle (26.1%), while the dorsal fin had the lowest percentage of bites (11.2%). The presence of fresh bites varied with ordinal date, with peaks in April, July and mid-October and were also negatively correlated with sea surface temperature. There was also a peak in fresh bites in the transition between crescent and quarter lunar phases. These results provide further evidence that cookiecutter sharks in Hawaiʻi may perform seasonal migrations or dietary shifts.

Wave driven cross shore and alongshore transport reveal more extreme projections of shoreline change in island environments

Coastal erosion, intensified by sea level rise, poses significant threats to coastal communities in Hawaiʻi and similar island communities. This study projects long-term shoreline change on the Hawaiian Island of O‘ahu using the data-assimilated CoSMoS-COAST shoreline change model. CoSMoS-COAST models four key shoreline processes: (1) Alongshore transport, (2) Recession due to sea level rise, (3) Cross-shore transport due to waves, and (4) Residual processes represented by a linear trend term. This study marks the first application of CoSMoS-COAST for an oceanic equatorial island with narrow beaches and a dynamic wave climate. The model is informed with a novel combination of shoreline data derived from high-resolution imagery from Planet, Sentinel-2, and Landsat satellites, wave-climate hindcasts specific to Hawai‘i, and regional beach-slope surveys. On a dynamic northern Oʻahu beach, the model achieved a root mean square error of 9.4 m between observations and model output. CoSMoS-COAST predicts that 81% of O‘ahu’s sandy beach coastline could experience beach loss by 2100; with 39.8% of this loss happening by 2030. This represents an increase, 43.3%, in net landward shoreline change compared to previous erosion forecasts, for 0.3 m of sea level rise (2050). Additionally, dynamic processes such as cross-shore equilibrium processes and alongshore sediment transport, play a large contribution to gross shoreline change within the next decade, particularly on O ‘ahu’s north and west shores. In the long term, we find that recession due to sea level rise and residual processes dominate, but dynamic, wave-driven processes (longshore and cross-shore transport) still account for 34% of shoreline change between present and 2100. We assert dynamic, wave-driven processes are a crucial addition for accurate modeling of island sandy beach environments. These findings have implications for O‘ahu’s coastal planning and development, suggesting updates to shoreline policies that rely upon erosion forecasting, and highlights the importance of incorporating wave and alongshore transport in erosion models for other Pacific islands.

A 700-year rupture sequence of great eastern Aleutian earthquakes from tsunami modeling of stratigraphic records

Great Aleutian underthrusting earthquakes produced destructive tsunamis impacting Hawaiʻi in 1946 and 1957. Prior modeling of the 1957 tsunami deposit and runup records on eastern Aleutian and Hawaiian Islands jointly with tide-gauge observations across the Pacific Ocean constrained a rupture model with shallow slip up to 26 m along 600 km of the plate boundary. Here we implement this modeling approach to older deposits and show alternating deep and shallow megathrust slip up to 26, 32, and 22 m for great earthquakes along the same segment in the 18th, 15th, and 14th centuries. All three modeled prehistoric Aleutian earthquakes produce tsunami inundation in Hawaiʻi with the most severe, 14th century event having impacts exceeding the 1957 event. The along-dip variability of these four ruptures spanning seven centuries provides insights on earthquake cycles for engineering design and hazard assessment. The 15th century and 1957 rupture models provide evidence for recurrence of tsunami earthquakes, which can produce disproportionately large tsunamis for a given moment magnitude due to reduced rigidity in the shallow megathrust. The 14th and 18th century events likely ruptured deeper regions that did not slip in 1957, suggesting potential for corresponding deeper failure in the next great eastern Aleutian earthquake.

First northwestern Pacific records of the deep-sea cardinalfish Epigonusglossodontus (Teleostei, Epigonidae) from the Daito Islands, Japan.

The deep-sea cardinalfish Epigonusglossodontus Gon, 1985, previously known only from the Hawaiian Islands, was observed using remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) on steep seafloors surrounding Kitadaito and Minamidaito islands, both being oceanic islands belonging to the Daito Islands, Japan in the northwestern Pacific. A total of 44 hours of ROV observations found sparse populations, each of several individuals, around or within small caves, fissures, and recesses, specifically at depths of 340-588 m within the surveyed depth of 284-1009 m. Seven individuals (36.0-114.8 mm standard length) were successfully collected during the ROV observations around the Daito Islands. A subsequent record of the species (97.5 mm standard length) from the Kyushu-Palau Ridge indicated that the species is widely distributed. A glossy bluish-green body color with black-margined scales was revealed by the field observations, the glossy color fading immediately after death.

Second Report of the Hawaii Bird Records Committee

This is the second report of the Hawaii Bird Records Committee (HBRC). From 2019 to 2024, the HBRC reviewed 37 reports involving 29 bird species, of which 34 reports of 26 species were accepted, two were rejected, and one required recirculation and is still under review. The accepted reports included 15 species new to the Hawaiian Islands, eight second records, one third record, and one sixth record. Two more species were added because of splits to taxa that had been recorded previously. Through 2024, the Hawaiian Islands bird checklist includes 355 species.

Virus incidence in Hawaiian heritage sweetpotato

In Hawaiʻi, sweetpotato cultivation is important for both commercial markets and the important role it held and continues to hold in Indigenous Hawaiian and present-day multicultural food systems. While Hawaiian heritage cultivars maintained in contemporary botanical collections include ancestral varieties from across the Hawaiian Islands, these have not been systematically evaluated for virus content. Collaborating with a local network, the ‘Uala Working Group, we obtained 117 sweetpotato accessions, including Hawaiian heritage cultivars, from the National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG, island of Kauaʻi), Maui Nui Botanical Garden (MNBG, island of Maui), Waimea Valley (WV), and Lyon Arboretum (Lyon, island of Oʻahu), and Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden (AGG, Hawaiʻi Island). Samples from each cultivar were tested for viral content via RT-PCR for eight sweetpotato viruses: sweetpotato virus G (SPVG), sweetpotato feathery mottle virus (SPFMV), sweetpotato virus 2 (SPV2), sweetpotato virus C (SPVC), sweetpotato leaf curl virus (SPLCV), sweetpotato pakakuy virus (SPPV), sweetpotato symptomless virus 1 (SPSMV-1) and sweetpotato chlorotic stunt virus (SPCSV). Seven of the eight sweetpotato viruses tested for were present, making this the first documented occurrence of these viruses in Hawaiʻi, with the exception SPVG (documented prior in 2008). High frequencies of virus were observed, with results confirming the presence of SPSMV-1 (92%), SPFMV (79%), SPPV (72%), SPVG (65%), SPV2 (44%) and SPLCV (26%) with SPVC showing the lowest frequency of occurrence at 10%. SPCSV was not observed in the sample set. The majority of heritage cultivars exhibited multiple infection combinations with double (11%), triple (23%), quadruple (31%), quintuple (25%), sextuple (4%) and septuple (0.8%) infections observed; less than 2.6% were virus free or hosted a single infection. Here we report the incidence of sweetpotato viruses and prevalent virus strains in Hawaiian heritage cultivars which has broad implications for conservation and cultivation of Hawaiian heritage sweetpotato across the Hawaiian Islands.

Diversity responses to precipitation gradients differ between older and younger islands of Hawai‘i

Studying the interaction between macroevolutionary and ecological factors is critical for understanding the principles of diversity regulation and predicting the effects of human activities. Here, we use the geological chronology of the Hawaiian archipelago as a testbed to examine the interaction between island age and climatic factors (i.e., precipitation) on contemporary patterns of tree taxonomic diversity. To this end, we estimated patterns of tree species diversity from 375 forest plots spread across steep precipitation gradients and different substrate ages on a younger island (Hawai‘i; ~ 0.5 million years old), an intermediate-aged island (Maui Nui complex; ~ 2 million years old), and an older island (O‘ahu; ~ 3 million years old). We found a clear positive relationship between precipitation and diversity on the oldest island (O‘ahu), but no such relationship on the two younger islands (islands in the Maui Nui complex and Hawai‘i). We also found high species turnover between drier and wetter environments on the oldest island, which suggests ecological specialization on these habitat types, but not on the younger islands. However, when we included plots that were highly invaded by alien species, the effect varied and precipitation had a larger effect on diversity and turnover on the younger islands. This could be because the younger islands may be more vulnerable to invasions. Our results suggest that the response of diversity to climate variation differs substantially across the Hawaiian Islands, possibly because of differences in the age of the islands; however, biological invasions are degrading this signature. Local diversity responses to a steep precipitation gradient are stronger on older Hawaiian Islands, likely due to longer timescales for macroevolutionary processes. Species turnover to distinct precipitation conditions varies across islands of the Hawaiian archipelago, with older islands exhibiting greater precipitation-driven ecological specialization. Alien species alter local diversity responses to precipitation, particularly on the youngest island of the archipelago. The presence of alien species is modifying the pattern of species turnover across distinct precipitation conditions, with dry and mesic habitats on intermediate-age islands showing higher species turnover. Biological invasions are currently reshaping plant diversity patterns in the Hawaiian archipelago.

Coastal land subsidence accelerates timelines for future flood exposure in Hawai'i

Coastal subsidence exacerbates relative sea level rise, making low-lying areas vulnerable to flooding. In Hawai’i, the contribution of vertical land motion has not been fully studied. This is critical for urban O’ahu, where infrastructure is on low-lying coastal areas with varying sedimentary consolidation. Here we processed Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar data from 2006–2024 for the Hawaiian Islands, referencing them with Global Navigation Satellite System measurements to calculate subsidence rates. We also created a two-meter resolution digital elevation model for coastal O’ahu using 2007–2013 Federal Light Detection and Ranging data, which included hydro-enforcement and gap filling with reprocessed data. Using this elevation data and vertical land motion measurements, we numerically modeled flood exposure. Results suggest that while island-wide subsidence on O’ahu is about 0.6 ± 0.6 mm/yr, the south shore has localized rates exceeding 25.0 ± 1.0 mm/yr. This subsidence, which is much faster than Hawaii’s long-term sea level rise rate (1.54 mm/yr since 1905), could expand flood exposure by up to 53% by 2050 in the Mapunapuna industrial region. Accounting for subsidence compresses the timeline for flood preparedness by up to 50 years, emphasizing the need to integrate these insights into planning and policy for sustainable development and flood mitigation.

The Role of Wind on the Simulated Dispersal and Recruitment of a Commercially Important Hawaiʻi Bottomfish

ABSTRACTVariability in larval transport has long been hypothesized to drive recruitment fluctuations in fishes, yet evidence for these hypotheses is often lacking. Further, the origins of many of these hypotheses come from temperate to subpolar regions, leaving such questions largely underexplored for other regions, especially the tropics. To assess drivers of larval transport in a tropical archipelago, we simulated the dispersal of a culturally and commercially important bottomfish, uku (Aprion virescens), from Penguin Bank, its most prominent spawning location in the main Hawaiian islands. We used Lagrangian particle tracking models forced by a regional ocean model to assess the degree of interisland potential connectivity from this spawning location and the drivers of interannual variability in this potential connectivity across 13 years from 2008 to 2020. Simulated uku larvae released from Penguin Bank primarily reached Maui Nui and Oʻahu, the nearest potential settlement areas, with lower potential connectivity to more distant regions. Interannual variability in overall number of connections was pronounced and linked both to local wind speed and direction, with increased particle loss occurring during higher overall wind speeds and more northerly winds. Recruitment deviations from the stock assessment of uku showed a similar pattern, with recruitment estimates significantly decreasing during years of strong northerly winds. Our results provide evidence, derived from a simulation model integrating ecological and physical components, of larval dispersal patterns contributing to the recruitment of a socioeconomically important species and sensitivity of these patterns to local wind forcing. Understanding how these wind patterns will change in a warming climate may be essential to understanding patterns in uku recruitment in coming years.

Potential transoceanic dispersal of Geodia cf. papyracea and six new tetractinellid sponge species descriptions within the Hawaiian reef cryptofauna.

Kāne'ohe Bay has historically been known for the introduction of alien species from the Caribbean and the Western Indo-Pacific. Recent efforts that explore the reef cryptofauna have shown that in addition to the diversity of non-indigenous species, patch reef environments are rich with undescribed species. Here we integrate molecular phylogeny and systematics to distinguish introduced species from those that are potentially native or endemic. We focus on the order Tetractinellida and document the potential transoceanic dispersal of Geodia papyracea from the Caribbean to Hawai'i. Our integrative approach allowed us to describe new species of Stelletta (Stelletta kela sp. nov., Stelletta hokunalohia sp. nov., Stelletta kuhapa sp. nov., Stelletta hokuwanawana sp. nov., Stelletta apapaola sp. nov.) and one new species of Stryphnus (Stryphnus huna sp. nov.); all collected from the reef cryptofauna via the use of Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures. Specimens were barcoded using 28S and COI molecular markers, providing insights into the phenotypic plasticity of sponges and the phylogenetic placement of these new species based on morphological characters. Using both molecular phylogeny and traditional taxonomy enhances the accuracy of species identification and classification, contributing to a broader understanding of sponge biodiversity within the Hawaiian archipelago.

Write to teach: reducing entrance barriers for special education teacher applicants through SRSD writing

ABSTRACT To help diversify the special education teacher workforce, support needs to be provided to help racially and ethnically diverse students pass required entrance exams to get into special education teacher preparation programs. Many universities and states require special education teacher candidates to pass the Praxis Core: Writing exam. Special education teachers need to be competent writers. This pretest posttest design study included special education teacher applicants from diverse backgrounds across the Hawaiian Islands. Participants were taught planning and composing strategies using the Self-Regulated Strategy Development model. The writing intervention statistically enhanced applicants’ writing knowledge, argumentative writing abilities, and informative source-based writing abilities. Furthermore, the majority of participants who took the official Praxis Core: Writing exam earned passing scores. Findings support the use of systematic writing instruction as an effective strategy in reducing entrance exam barriers, thereby providing more equitable recruitment and preparation of racially and ethnically diverse special education teachers.