Journal of Vegetation Science 6: 211-222, 1995 © IAVS; Opulus Press Uppsala. Printed in Sweden - Primary succession of Hawaiian montane rain forest - 211 Primary succession of Hawaiian montane rain forest on a chronosequence of eight lava flows Kitayama, Kanehiro1,3*, Mueller-Dombois, Dieter1 & Vitousek, Peter M.2 1Department of Botany, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 3190 Maile Way #101, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822, USA; 2Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; author; 3present address: Forestry & Forest Products Research Institute, P.O. Box 16, Tsukuba Norin Kenkyu Danchi, Ibaraki 305, Japan; Tel. +81 298 73 3211; Fax +81 298 74 3720 *Corresponding Abstract. The primary-successional sere of a Hawaiian montane rain forest was inferred from an age sequence of eight closely located ‘a‘ Ç flows (clinker type lava); 8, 50, 140, ca. 300, ca. 400, ca. 1400, ca. 3000 and ca. 9000 yr, on a windward slope of Mauna Loa, Hawaii. All study sites (0.2 ha each) were at 1120 - 1250 m a.s.l. with 4000 mm mean annual rainfall. The 400-yr, 1400-yr, and 9000-yr flows had younger volcanic ash deposits, while the others were pure lava. Comparisons of tree size and foliar nutrients suggested that ash increased the availability of nitrogen, and subsequently standing biomass. An Unweighted Pair Group Cluster Analysis on the samples (flows) using quantitative vascular species composition revealed that clusters were correlated with age regardless of the substrate types (pure lava vs. ash), and an indirect ordination on the samples suggested that the sequence of sample scores along axis 1 was perfectly correlated with the age sequence. Although ash deposits increased biomass, they did not affect the sequence of the successional sere. Both pubescent and glabrous varieties of Metrosideros polymorpha (Myrtaceae) dominated upper canopy layers on all flows ≥ 50 yr and ≤ 1400 yr, but the pubescent variety was replaced by the glabrous on the flows ≥ 3000 yr. Lower layers were dominated initially by a matted fern, Dicranopteris linearis, up to 300 yr, and subsequently by tree ferns, Cibotium spp., to 9000 yr. The cover of Cibotium declined slightly after 3000 yr, while other native herb and shrub species increased. A ‘climax’ stage in the conventional sense was apparently not reached on the observed age gradient, because the sere changed continuously in biomass and species; this divergent successional phenomenon may be unique to Hawaii where the flora is naturally impoverished and disharmonic due to its geographic isolation in contrast to more diverse and harmonic floras in continents. Keywords: Cluster analysis; Metrosideros polymorpha; Nutrient availability; Oceanic island; Ordination; Species diversity; Volcano. Nomenclature: Wagner et al. (1990) for flowering plants; the 1987 version of the checklist by Wagner & Wagner (unpubl.) for pteridophytes. Introduction The Hawaiian Islands are volcanically derived and spatially arranged in a chronological sequence from youngest Hawaii to oldest Kauai. The island of Hawaii shows various geological stages ranging from active to dormant to extinct volcanoes. Mauna Loa (4169 m) is the second youngest volcano on this island; its slopes are very gentle (e.g. rising 4 km over 86 km distance on a NE slope) and consist of numerous lava flows. Ages of historic lava flows are known precisely, and recent geological surveys using 14C dating on buried charcoal have produced a detailed map of prehistoric surface lava flows on Mauna Loa (Anon. 1986; Lockwood et al. 1988). The NE slopes of Mauna Loa and other high mountains in the Hawaiian Islands receive persistent, moist trade winds, 65 - 80 % of the time during a normal year (Blumenstock 1961). The orographic uplift of trade winds on Mauna Loa results in a concentric pattern of isohyets with maximum rainfall at ca. 700 m a.s.l. (Giambelluca et al. 1986). Air temperature changes predictably (lapse rate 0.55 °C/100 m) below the trade wind inversion, which frequently is as low as 1800 - 1900 m a.s.l. (Blumenstock 1961; Giambelluca & Nullet 1991). This climatic pattern together with lava flows of known ages forms a laboratory-type matrix of environments on Mauna Loa (Vitousek et al. 1992). Patterns of succession can be investigated through direct monitoring using permanent plots (Tsuyuzaki 1991; del Moral & Wood 1993), or can be inferred from a sequence of closely located sites which differ only in age or time after disturbances but are controlled for other sources of variation (Jenny 1941, 1980; Drury & Nisbet 1973; Mueller-Dombois & Ellenberg 1974). Primary succession in Hawaii up to a few hundred years was studied with the latter approach by Atkinson (1970), Eggler (1971), and Uhe (1988). However, dates of prehistoric flows were not available to those authors, and 212 Kitayama, K. et al. climatic factors were not well controlled in their studies (Drake & Mueller-Dombois 1993). Doty (1967) and Smathers & Mueller-Dombois (1974) monitored the beginning of succession for several years on new lava flows. Populations of the major woody species in Hawaiian dry forests were compared on two flows of different ages in each of climatically controlled sites (Stemmermann & Ihsle 1993). The only studies of primary succession over an extended period with a controlled climatic condition in Hawaii were conducted on a NE slope of Mauna Loa by Drake & Mueller-Dombois (1993) and Aplet & Vitousek (1994). The former focused on the population development of four major canopy species and one genus of tree fern on six closely located lava flows of different ages at the same altitude (1200 m). The latter analyzed species composition and biomass in a matrix of five ages, from 5 to 3400 yr, at six altitudes, from 914 m to 2438 m. The present study was conducted to include the whole community on the same chronosequence as Drake & MuellerDombois (1993), with two additional flows. Study area This study was conducted on an age sequence of eight lava flows which were located close to each other on a gentle NE slope of Mauna Loa, the island of Hawaii (Fig. 1). The ages of the flows were 8, 50, 140, ca. 300, ca. 400, ca. 1400, ca. 3000 and ca. 9000 yr at the time of the study in 1992. The 8-yr and 9000-yr flows were in addition to those used by Drake & Mueller-Dombois (1993). The flows ≤ 140 yr old are historic, while those ≥ 300 yr were dated from a 14C analysis of buried charcoal (Anon. 1986; Lockwood et al. 1988; Lockwood pers. comm.). All sites, except for the 9000-yr flow at 1120 m, are located at 1200 to 1250 m a.s.l and all sites receive a mean annual rainfall of 4000 mm (Giambelluca et al. 1986). Mean daily air temperature at 1130 m a.s.l on the NE slope (Jan. 92 to May 93) reveals a maximum value of 18.0 °C in Sept. and a minimum of 12.7 °C in Feb.; the diurnal difference between the mean daily maximum and minimum air temperatures at this station is 11.6 °C (Juvik & Nullet in press). The sites are underlain by chemically and physically uniform ‘A‘Ç lava flows (Macdonald et al. 1983; Drake & Mueller-Dombois 1993). ‘A‘Ç lava is composed of rough-textured porous clinker-like rubble, and is thus extremely pervious to water. The 400-yr, 1400-yr and 9000-yr flows are located close to the youngest neighboring volcano, Kilauea, and have thin layers of volcanic ash and fine ejecta (10-15 cm thick). The age of ash is unknown, but obviously younger than the underlying ‘a‘Ç lava. Volcanic ash weathers relatively fast, releasing greater mineral nutrients in a shorter time than lava flows (Balakrishnan & Mueller-Dombois 1983; Vitousek et al. 1983; Drake & Mueller-Dombois 1993). Therefore, it was anticipated that lava with ash would display a community development pattern different from that on pure lava.The vegetation at all sites was intact and not affected by the widespread dieback (Jacobi 1993; Mueller-Dombois 1993). The only potential disturbance factor in the area was feral pigs. Pigs were, however, limited to small patches on the forest floors of the 1400-yr, 3000-yr, and 9000-yr flows because rugged lava restricted their activities and effects of pigs were judged to be inconsequential. All flows were narrow bands < 0.5 km width at the study sites, surrounded by intact vegetation with the same flora. Therefore, the supply of disseminules to newly created flows was not limited substantially (Drake & Mueller-Dombois 1993). Methods Vegetation Fig. 1. Map showing the eight lava flows studied on the NE slope of Mauna Loa, Hawaii. Five plots (each 20 m × 20 m quadrat, total 0.2 ha) were placed more-or-less contiguously from a randomly selected point on each flow. Except on the 8-yr and 9000-yr flows, the plots were located on the transects of Drake & Mueller-Dombois (1993). In each of the plots, the vegetation was stratified into structural layers and all vascular species present in each layer were identified and inventoried with Braun-Blanquet’s cover-abundance scale (the relevé method, Mueller-Dombois & Ellenberg 1974). In the same plot, five tallest canopy trees of - Primary succession of Hawaiian montane rain forest Metrosideros polymorpha, the dominant species in the Hawaiian rain forests (Mueller-Dombois 1987), were measured for height and diameter at breast height (DBH). The enumeration was limited to five trees per plot to ensure that all trees measured belonged to uppermost canopies in all plots. Vegetation data were combined by flow; the coverabundance scales of enumerated species were converted into midpoint values (Mueller-Dombois & Ellenberg 1974) and means were computed by flow. This procedure resulted in a data table of species and samples (flows). Subsequently, reciprocal similarities among the eight flows were computed based on the data table using the percent similarity index, PS (Kovach 1990). The 8yr flow was omitted because its vegetation was extremely sparse and its inclusion would distort relationships of the other flows. An Unweighted Pair Group Cluster Analysis was applied to the resulting similarity matrix. An indirect ordination of the flows was performed on the same data table using Detrended Correspondence Analysis (program DECORANA, Hill 1979). The 8-yr flow was omitted from the ordination for the same reason. Species diversity was computed for each flow based on Simpson’s index: D = 1/Σ pi2 (1) where pi = relativized cover-abundance value of the i-th species. The cluster analysis and the computation of species diversity were performed with MVSP Plus 2.0 (Kovach 1990). 213 micro Kjeldahl procedure with concentrated sulfuric acid, and the ammonium produced was measured by the indophenol blue method on an autoanalyzer. Phosphorus was extracted in the modified Truog solution acidified to pH 2.04 (Ayers & Hagihara 1952). Soil pH was determined on 1:1 fresh soil to de-ionized water. Finally, a subsample of each composite was oven-dried at 105 °C for 48 h to determine water content. Soil mass and chemical data of the 140-yr and 3000-yr flows were used from Vitousek et al. (1992). The 8-yr and 50-yr flows were not analyzed because they did not have a measurable amount of soils. Eight to ten mature sun-leaves of Metrosideros polymorpha were collected from each of five to eight trees on all flows, using a shotgun where sun-leaves could not be obtained by hand. The youngest fully mature whorl of leaves (behind an expanding whorl or a mature bud) was sampled in each case. Fresh leaves were measured for leaf area, and then oven-dried for three days at 70 °C to determine leaf mass per area (LMA). Leaf samples were ground and acid-digested using peroxide/persulfate procedure for N and P; for foliar cations, they were dryashed at 500 °C for 4 h, dissolved in nitric acid, and analyzed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. At some flows, pubescent and glabrous varieties of Metrosideros coexisted. They were collected, analyzed, and reported separately as Vitousek et al. (1992) described significant differences in foliar nutrients between the two varieties. Results Soils and foliar nutrients Soil Soil depth was measured at 20 points in 1 m-intervals along the center line of each plot. Soil samples were collected from three of the five plots on each of the 300yr, 400-yr, 1400-yr, and 9000-yr flows in a systematic manner; ten cores (37 mm diameter, 15 cm depth or to the surface of lava if shallower) were collected in 2-m intervals along the center line of each plot, and mixed into a composite sample for chemical analyses. Additionally, to determine soil mass, five soil cores (5 cm diameter) were collected to the surface of lava in 5-m intervals along each of four 25 m transects where soils were deeper. It should be noted that an unknown amount of organic, and weathered mineral matters filters into interstices of ‘a‘Ç rocks and these could not be sampled by our method. In the laboratory, exchangeable Ca, Mg and K were extracted in 1-N NaCl and analyzed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Organic C was determined by the modified Walkley-Black wet digestion method (Heanes 1984). Total N was digested by the Mean soil depth increased linearly with increasing age expressed on a log scale (r2 = 0.98, p < 0.01) on the lava series without ash (Fig. 2). The ‘soils’ on these flows are highly histic (see below) and the linear relationship indicates continued organic matter accumulation at an ever-decreasing rate at least up to 3000 yr. Mean depth was 0.2 cm on the 50-yr flow, and 19.4 cm on the 3000-yr flow. There were abundant live and dead lichens on the 8-yr flow but no derived soils were found. The soil depth on the 400-yr, 1400-yr, and 9000-yr flows deviated above the regression line due to deposits of younger volcanic ash. Soil organic C concentrations were extremely high on the 140-yr and 300-yr flows (47.8 % and 45.4 %, respectively), suggesting that the soils were purely organic and that weathering of the underlying lava was extremely slow (Table 1). The C concentration on the 3000-yr flow was reduced to 29.2 % probably due to minerals incorporated from the underlying lava. The pH 214 Kitayama, K. et al. Fig. 2. Soil depth on the ‘a‘Ç flows without ash ( ), and with ash ( ). Mean values ± standard errors based on 100 points per flow. differed between the substrate types; it was lower on the lava series than the ash series. Extractable cation concentrations (Ca, Mg and K) were high in the soils from the two youngest lava flows analyzed (140-yr and 300yr), and abruptly decreased on the oldest lava without ash (3000-yr) and in all soils derived from the ash series (Table 1). Fig. 3. Foliar nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations of the glabrous-leaved variety of Metrosideros polymorpha along the age sequence of the eight lava flows. The values are means ± standard errors. Open symbols with solid lines denote leaves from pure lava, and filled symbols with dashed lines from lava with ash. The variety on the 8-yr flow is unknown. Foliar nutrients Mean LMA of Metrosideros (including glabrous and pubescent varieties) from the lava series was initially low on the 8-yr flow, increased to 270 - 290 g/m2, and then declined to 190 g/m2 on the 3000-yr flow (Table 2). Similarly, LMA for the ash series declined from ca. 250 g/m2 on the 400-yr and 1400-yr flows to 180 g/m2 on the 9000-yr flow. Mean foliar N concentrations of the glabrous-leaved variety of Metrosideros (i.e. the most common variety) increased with substrate age on the lava series (Fig. 3). Foliar N concentrations from the ash series were slightly higher than those for the same ages on the lava series (Fig. 3). Mean foliar P concentrations of the glabrous variety did not show any age-related trends on the lava Table 1. Soil mass above the surface of lava, and top soil (15 cm or less) concentrations (oven dry basis) of organic carbon (O-C), total nitrogen (T-N), extractable phosphorus (P) and cations (Ca, Mg, and K), and pH (H2O) on the six lava flows studied for soil analyses on Mauna Loa. Values are means with standard errors in parentheses. Age yr pH T-N P % Pure lava 140 300 3000 * *# Lava+ash 400 # 1400 9000 *Cited O-C Mg K ppm Mass kg/m2 4.1 (0.0) 4.5 (0.1) 4.7 (0.0) 47.8 45.4 (1.2) 29.2 1.1 2.0 (0.0) 1.3 41 (3) 2 (0.2) 55 (3) 3770 (380) 3786 (228) 2200 (240) 700 (60) 544 (20) 120 (15) 430 (20) 589 (15) 180 (20) 4.4 (0.3) 3.6 (0.5) 22.2 (3.9) 5.3 (0.1) 5.1 (0.1) 5.3 (0.1) 14.0 (1.0) 14.1 (0.7) 13.0 (0.6) 1.0 (0.1) 1.1 (0.0) 1.1 (0.0) 16 (1.4) 14 (1.7) 17 (2.5) 1331 (52) 2157 (116) 1798 (87) 266 (8) 265 (9) 238 (18) 84 (14) 82 (1) 76 (3) 27.0 (2.0) 57.7 (5.4) 44.2 (3.6) from and modified based on Vitousek et al. (1992). collected to the surface of lava, depth ranging from 15 to 25 cm. #Samples Ca - Primary succession of Hawaiian montane rain forest - 215 Table 2. Foliar nutrient concentrations on a dry mass basis, and leaf mass per area (LMA) for sun leaves of glabrous (G) and pubescent (P) leaved varieties of Metrosideros polymorpha on the eight lava flows on Mauna Loa. Mean values with standard errors in parentheses. ‘SN’ indicates sample numbers and ‘Both’ unweighted means of pubescent and glabrous leaves. Flow N P (SN) Ca Mg K LMA g/m2 % Pure lava 8# 0.61 (0.06) 0.072 (0.006) 2.12 (0.30) 0.16 (0.03) 0.66 (0.02) 196 50 G(3) P(5) Both 0.62 (0.06) 0.56 (0.02) 0.59 (0.03) 0.078 (0.010) 0.056 (0.003) 0.064 (0.005) 0.86 (0.11) 0.96 (0.08) 0.92 (0.06) 0.08 (0.01) 0.08 (0.01) 0.08 (0.01) 0.62 (0.01) 0.38 (0.04) 0.48 (0.06) 238 (21) 317 (21) 280 (19) 140 G(2) P(4) Both 0.72 (0.02) 0.56 (0.04) 0.61 (0.04) 0.053 (0.001) 0.048 (0.003) 0.050 (0.002) 1.02 (0.20) 0.73 (0.08) 0.82 (0.09) 0.13 (0.01) 0.10 (0.01) 0.11 (0.01) 0.62 (0.06) 0.43 (0.02) 0.49 (0.04) 268 (5) 300 (12) 290 (15) 300 G(3) P Both 0.65 (0.01) 0.63 (0.02) 0.64 (0.02) 0.054 (0.003) 0.060 (0.008) 0.058 (0.005) 1.33 (0.16) 1.04 (0.08) 1.15 (0.09) 0.09 (0.00) 0.09 (0.01) 0.09 (0.01) 0.50 (0.06) 0.35 (0.04) 0.41 (0.04) 243 (8) 283 (14) 269 (12) 3000 G 1.00 (0.04) 0.078 (0.004) 0.78 (0.07) 0.13 (0.01) 0.53 (0.02) 191 (13) Lava+ash 400 G(2) P(3) Both 1.11 (0.10) 0.84 (0.03) 0.95 (0.08) 0.072 (0.009) 0.061 (0.005) 0.065 (0.005) 0.80 (0.09) 0.56 (0.10) 0.68 (0.09) 0.21 (0.06) 0.11 (0.03) 0.16 (0.04) 0.65 (0.10) 0.54 (0.18) 0.59 (0.09) 226 (39) 258 (9) 247 (15) 1400 G(3) p(3) Both 0.96 (0.10) 0.76 (0.03) 0.86 (0.06) 0.065 (0.002) 0.047 (0.004) 0.056 (0.005) 0.72 (0.01) 0.51 (0.19) 0.61 (0.10) 0.16 (0.04) 0.14 (0.03) 0.15 (0.02) 0.55 (0.02) 0.41 (0.05) 0.48 (0.05) 237 (7) 279 (19) 255 (13) 9000 G(4) P(1)* Both 1.07 (0.03) 1.01 1.06 (0.02) 0.080 (0.003) 0.073 0.078 (0.003) 0.67 (0.06) 0.79 0.70 (0.05) 0.16 (0.03) 0.15 0.16 (0.02) 0.59 (0.04) 0.33 0.52 (0.07) 170 (7) 227 182 (12) (5) # Variety unknown. * Found in the close vicinity of the study plot. No pubescent leaves actually found inside the plot. series and differences in the concentrations between the substrate types (lava vs. ash) were not significant. Cation concentrations (Ca, Mg and K) were high in the leaf samples from the 8-yr flow (Table 2). There were no consistent differences in foliar cation concentrations between the substrate types of comparable ages. Vegetation Mean height and DBH of Metrosideros canopy trees on the lava series (Fig. 4) increased linearly with increasing substrate age (on a log scale, r2 = 0.99, p < 0.01 for height and DBH). The 8-yr flow was at an early colonization stage and no measurable trees were found. Mean height and DBH-values on the ash series deviated significantly above the regression lines on the 400-yr and 1400-yr flows. However, the values conformed closely to the regression on the 9000-yr flow. The relationship between DBH and height varied greatly among flows (Fig. 4), suggesting that it is highly substrate ageand type-specific. Quantitative vascular species composition on the eight lava flows varied markedly with age (App. 1). Metrosideros polymorpha dominated the upper layers throughout the age sequence ≥ 50 yr. Dicranopteris linearis dominated the lower layers on the flows ≥ 50 yr and ≤ 140 yr, and was replaced by Cibotium glaucum and Sadleria pallida on the older flows. The cover of rhizomatous hemicryptophytes, Athyrium sandwichianum and Thelypteris sandwicensis, in herb layers steadily increased on the flows ≥ 300 yr. The number of vascular species per 0.2 ha rapidly increased from 10 on the 8-yr to 64 on the 300-yr flow, and then slightly declined and reached a steady state 216 Kitayama, K. et al. Fig. 4. Relationships between flow age and values for mean (± standard deviation) height (circles) and DBH (triangles) of Metrosideros polymorpha canopy trees. Open symbols are for pure lava, and solid symbols for lava with ash. For Metrosideros top-canopy trees on pure lava without ash: H = 8.80 log(age) – 11.81; r2 = 0.99, p < 0.01; DBH = 15.88 log(age) – 23.36; r2 = 0.99, p < 0.01. (Table 3). The greatest richness of canopy tree species (7 taxa) was found on the 300-yr flow and all flows with ash (App. 1). Overall, the greatest number of species were provided from pteridophytes and their number rapidly increased from 2 on the 8-yr to 32 on the 300-yr, and then declined (App. 1). Alien species were very low in number and cover throughout the age sequence. The highest species diversity (0.81) based on Simpson’s index except for the colonizing stage (the 8yr flow) was found on the 300-yr flow (Table 3); here, the total number of species also attained a maximum 64. Interestingly, the 8-yr flow had a higher diversity index - 0.87; this is merely a reflection of high species evenness due to an extremely sparse vegetation cover. There was no distinct linear trend in the diversity index along the age sequence. An Unweighted Pair Group Cluster Analysis applied to the data set in App. 1 demonstrated that sample (flow) clusters were correlated with age regardless of Fig. 5. Results of the Unweighted Pair Group Cluster Analysis applied to the flows studied. The 8-yr flow was omitted from the analysis. the substrate types (Fig. 5). Community similarities between substrates close in age are generally high (> ca. 50%). There are four clusters at 60 % similarity level: 1) 50-yr; 2) 140-yr; 3) 300-yr, 400-yr + ash, and 1400-yr + ash; and 4) 3000-yr, and 9000-yr + ash. The Detrended Correspondence Analysis showed that the highest species variation among the flows was found only along axis 1 (eigenvalue = 0.65) and that three other axes explained little variation (all eigenvalues ≤ 0.1, Table 4). The sequence of sample scores along axis 1 from high to low was perfectly correlated with the age sequence (Spearman’s rank correlation r2 = 1). In contrast, soil depth was not correlated with the sequence of sample scores across the eight flows (Spearman’s rank correlation r2 = 0.51, p > 0.05). Fig. 6 depicts the species abundance curves for dominant taxa selected in each of the tree (tree-fern included) and pteridophyte groups. Species changed unimodally in cover along the age sequence of the eight lava flows (Fig. 6). The modes of the species were staggered along the age sequence and the width of the curves varied greatly among the species, from the order of hundreds of years to thousands of years. Noteworthy is the successional displacement between the two conspecific varieties of Metrosideros polymorpha. The pubescent var. Table 3. Diversity of vascular species (taxa) on the eight lava flows based on Simpson’s index. Diversity values on the 8-yr flow (*) should be downgraded; see the text for explanation. Flow age 8 50 140 300 400 1400 3000 9000 Diversity Evenness 0.87* 0.87* 0.73 0.52 0.66 0.42 0.81 0.45 0.74 0.41 0.77 0.43 0.74 0.42 0.80 0.45 10 25 36 64 63 62 60 60 No. taxa/0.2ha - Primary succession of Hawaiian montane rain forest - Fig. 6. Species abundance curves along the chronosequence of the eight lava flows. Species are plotted against mean midpoint cover values (see text), therefore the curves do not strictly reflect absolute species values. a. Eight top-ranked dominant tree and tree-fern species: MPG = Metrosideros polymorpha var. glaberrima; MPP = M. polymorpha var. polymorpha; CG = Cibotium glaucum; CC = Cibotium chamissoi; CT = Cheirodendron trigynum; IA = Ilex anomala; CO = Coprosma ochracea; ST = Styphelia tameiameiae. b. Seven top-ranked dominant herbaceous species: SC = Sadleria cyatheoides; DL = Dicranopteris linearis; LC = Lycopodium cernuum; SP = Sadleria pallida; TS = Thelypteris sandwicensis; AS = Athyrium sandwichianum; MA = Machaerina angustifolia. Table 4. Eigenvalues and sample scores of the lava flows on the four ordination axes extracted by Detrended Correspondence Analysis. The youngest flow was omitted from the analysis. Flow age 50 140 300 400 1400 3000 9000 Eigenvalue Axis 1 Axis 2 Axis 3 Axis 4 294 267 52 30 28 22 0 65 97 132 142 118 53 0 21 16 4 86 67 7 0 1 35 10 91 68 22 0 0.65 0.10 0.02 0.00 217 polymorpha was displaced by the glabrous var. glaberrima at a later stage; their curves widely overlapped, but the modes were clearly separated. Fig. 7 shows the cumulative cover values of selected dominant species, and four successional phases by combinations of these species. The dominant species selected include Cibotium glaucum, Metrosideros polymorpha var. glaberrima, M. polymorpha var. polymorpha, Dicranopteris linearis, Sadleria pallida; the rest of the species are lumped into one category. Phase 1 (< 140 yr) was characterized by the dominance of Dicranopteris linearis, and by the absence or low cover values of Cibotium glaucum; phase 2 (140 - 300 yr) by the abundance of Dicranopteris linearis and Cibotium glaucum; phase 3 (300 - 1400 yr) by the dominance of Cibotium glaucum and the coexistence of the two varieties of Metrosideros polymorpha; and phase 4 (> 1400 yr) by the displacement of the pubescent by the glabrous variety of Metrosideros polymorpha, and by a slight decline of Cibotium glaucum. The cumulative cover-abundance of the five dominant species (outlined by shaded areas in Fig. 7) increased rapidly from 8 yr to 300 yr, and then attained a near-constant value. Overall cumulative values (indicated by the uppermost line), however, still increased after 300 yr due to the steady increase of other nondominant species. Discussion Influences of volcanic ash The mean height and DBH of Metrosideros polymorpha canopy trees on the 400-yr and 1400-yr ashincorporated flows were substantially greater than those extrapolated from the regression lines for the pure lava series (Fig. 4). Ash deposits apparently caused canopy Metrosideros trees to increase in mean height and DBH. Because the montane rain forest studied was strongly dominated by Metrosideros polymorpha with only a few subordinate canopy species, ash deposits resulted in elevating the entire standing biomass, as Drake & Mueller-Dombois (1993) also observed for basal area. Metrosideros foliar N concentrations were initially low, but increased steadily with age on the lava series, and the concentrations were greater in leaves from the ash than from the lava series (Fig. 3). This was consistent with the findings by Vitousek et al. (1983), who demonstrated that net N turnover was greater in soils derived from ash than from the lava (pÇhoehoe, solid smooth-surfaced type) of comparable ages. Ash deposits in our sites led to an improved N availability, which was responsible for increasing biomass. Ash deposits 218 Kitayama, K. et al. Fig. 7. Four phases, recognized by combinations of dominant species, in the primary successional sere of the Hawaiian montane rain forest. The y-axis indicates cumulative cover values of constituent species. CG = Cibotium glaucum; MPG = Metrosideros polymorpha var. glaberrima; DL = Dicranopteris linearis; MPP = M. polymorpha var. polymorpha; SP, Sadleria pallida; OTHER, all other species combined. may also increase the availabilities of other soil nutrients but the enhanced growth by greater N can dilute concentrations of other nutrients in the leaves (Tanner et al. 1992). In contrast to its effects on biomass, volcanic ash does not seem to have changed the sequence of species displacements in the sere. Axis 1 in the ordination perfectly defined the age sequence (Table 4), and flows of similar ages formed cohesive clusters regardless of ash deposits (Fig. 5). Therefore, the age sequence of the flows (Figs. 6 and 7) can represent the chronosequence of rain forest development on a single flow. We speculate that thin ash deposits may not completely devastate forest canopies, leaving at least dominant trees to recover from the disturbance event. This phenomenon was observed in ash deposits from the 1959 eruption of Kilauea Iki (Smathers & Mueller-Dombois 1974). Inferred primary-successional sere on an ‘a‘Ç lava flow After the formation of an ‘a‘Ç lava flow, the lichen Stereocaulon vulcani (Bory) Ach. densely colonizes exposed porous materials on the flow (Atkinson 1970; Eggler 1971; Mueller-Dombois 1987). Several native species establish individuals within at least 8 yr, including Metrosideros polymorpha, Vaccinium calycinum, Hedyotis centranthoides, Dubautia scabra, Coprosma ernodeoides, Machaerina angustifolia, Nephrolepis cordifolia, and Polypodium pellucidum. The establishment of readily dispersible Metrosideros polymorpha seedlings is constrained only by the availability of ‘safe sites’ for germination (Drake 1992). Such safe sites are not limited on ‘a‘Ç lava flows because there are numerous pockets with fine mineral particles. The development of the Hawaiian montane rain forest after the establishment of Metrosideros seedlings proceeds as follows from phase 1 to phase 4 (Fig. 7). Phase 1 (≤ at least 140 yr): A widely open-canopy Metrosideros scrub with a dense ground cover of Dicranopteris linearis. The mean upper canopy height is ca. 6.5 m in 140 yr. The canopy consists of both varieties of Metrosideros with a greater cover of the pubescent var. polymorpha than the glabrous var. glaberrima. Phase 2 (> at least 140 yr, and ≤ at least 300 yr): An open-to somewhat closed-canopy Metrosideros lowstature forest. The mean upper canopy height becomes ca. 10 m in 300 yr. The canopy consists of both varieties of Metrosideros with a greater cover of the pubescent than the glabrous variety. An accompanying canopy tree species, Cheirodendron trigynum, starts increasing in cover. Cibotium glaucum prevails in the shrub layer. Dicranopteris linearis still persists. Species diversity becomes maximal in this phase because early colonizers and late-seral species coexist. Phase 3 (from as early as 300 yr up to < 3000 yr): A somewhat closed-canopy Metrosideros forest. Mean upper canopy height is expected to be ca. 15 m on ‘a‘Ç lava without ash at 1000 yr (extrapolated from the regression in Fig. 4). Both varieties of Metrosideros still coexist, but the glabrous variety increases until it completely displaces the pubescent one. Cibotium glaucum forms a closed, dense shrub layer. Phase 4 (≥ at least 3000 yr): A closed-canopy Metrosideros forest. Extrapolated from Fig. 4, the mean upper canopy height is ca. 20 m on the ‘a‘Ç lava without ash in 4000 yr. The pubescent variety of Metrosideros has been displaced by the glabrous one. Cibotium glaucum starts to decline in cover, while other native species increase. Halpern et al. (1990) and del Moral & Wood (1993) - Primary succession of Hawaiian montane rain forest observed that chance factors had influenced the primary succession on Mount St. Helens, USA, in many ways (e.g. timing of eruption in relation to growing seasons, availability of microsites, and distance to seed supplies). By contrast, we did not find such evidence that chance factors play significant roles in Hawaii and the inferred sere may be generalized for the study area as far as the environmental setting is the same. The basal area of Metrosideros trees (≥ 5 cm basal diameter) increases linearly with age (log) from phase 1 to an early stage of phase 4 according to Drake & Mueller-Dombois (1993). They found a higher basal area value on the 400-yr flow than that expected from the regression and this is probably due to the favorable effects of ash deposits. There appear to be displacements of several Metrosideros generations in the forest canopy during the 9000-yr sere. Mueller-Dombois (1986, 1987) suggested that generation displacements proceed through canopy dieback, a consequence of the cohort formation and subsequent synchronous cohort senescence; and that the next cohort’s recruitment in this shade-intolerant species follows the dieback. This pattern is more pronounced on pÇhoehoe lava and poorly drained ash than ‘a‘Ç (Jacobi et al. 1983), and we did not observe strong evidence for the importance of dieback in these sites. As Drake & Mueller-Dombois (1993) pointed out, canopy dynamics on ‘a‘Ç lava seems to be driven initially through self-thinning, and gaps by wind thrown trees. Small-scale gap formation by senescent trees probably becomes a driving force at later stages. In all cases, conspecific varieties of Metrosideros polymorpha are the only dominant canopy trees throughout the sere. Seres in which a pioneer species persists as a dominant at later stages despite relatively mild climates seem to be unique to Hawaii and other isolated oceanic islands (Itow & Mueller-Dombois 1988; Mueller-Dombois 1992; Drake & Mueller-Dombois 1993), probably because their floras are depauperate and disharmonic due to isolation (Carlquist 1974). Linear relationships of mean height and DBH with age (log) ≤ 300 yr (Fig. 4) demonstrate growth patterns for a single Metrosideros generation. Continued increases in mean height and DBH (Fig. 4) of this species on the later flows involve several generations. There is evidence that primary production at early stages of primary succession in Hawaii is limited by N availability (Vitousek et al. 1987; L.R. Walker & Vitousek 1991; Vitousek et al. in press), and total and available N gradually increases on older flows (Vitousek et al. 1992). The continued increase of mean height and DBH of Metrosideros polymorpha after the first generation (Fig. 4) may be primarily due to increasing N availability during ecosystem development; P may also be involved 219 in the development (T.W. Walker & Syers 1976) although we did not find direct evidence. The mean DBH of Metrosideros polymorpha on the 9000-yr flow obviously declined compared with that of the 1400-yr flow, in spite of the presence of ash (Fig. 4). The cover of Cibotium glaucum also declined. The reasons for the decline are not known, but perhaps the availability of some nutrients decreases as both waterlogging and element leaching increase. According to the above scenario, the Hawaiian montane rain forest never reaches its ‘climax’ in the conventional sense (Mueller-Dombois 1992). ‘Seral communities’ of the Hawaiian montane rain forest become completely dominated by Metrosideros polymorpha var. glaberrima in a few thousand years, while still continuing to change in biomass and species composition. Acknowledgements. We thank Shinji Kitayama for his excellent assistance in fieldwork throughout the study. This study would not have been possible without his help. Drs. Donald Drake and Guillermo Goldstein commented on the manuscript. 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Figures indicate species dominance values by mean midpoints of Braun-Blanquet’s cover-abundance scales. Age of the lava flows (yr) Tree species Metrosideros polymorpha var. glaberrima M. polymorpha var. polymorpha Cheirodendron trigynum Ilex anomala Psychotria hawaiiensis Myrsine lessertiana M. sandwicensis Xylosma hawaiiense Shrub and tree-fern species Cibotium glaucum Coprosma ochracea Broussaisia arguta Styphelia tameiameiae Cibotium chamissoi Vaccinium calycinum (Hawaii) Hedyotis terminalis Coprosma pubens Tetraplasandra oahuensis Vaccinium reticulatum (typicum) V. calycinum (coriaceous) Clermontia montis-loa Pelea clusiifolia Hedyotis centranthoides Pelea pseudoanisata Rubus hawaiensis Pipturus albidus Nothocestrum longifolium Perrottetia sandwicensis Clermontia parviflora Wikstroemia sandwicensis Eurya sandwicensis 8 50 140 300 400 1400 3000 9000 0.01 5 2 14.5 21.5 0.01 7.5 24 2 0.6 0.01 0.1 0.1 9.5 33 2.5 1 0.1 0.6 0.1 14.5 42.5 5 4 1.5 1.1 0.1 42.5 72.5 5 1.5 7.5 4.5 2.5 0.6 0.1 0.01 72.5 19.5 1.1 7.5 4.5 1.1 0.1 87.5 4 2 0.1 0.1 0.1 2.5 0.6 3 82.5 0.5 1.5 87.5 72.5 0.1 0.1 0.6 0.6 0.1 2 10 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.01 0.1 0.01 0.1 0.1 0.01 0.1 0.01 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.6 0.1 0.1 0.01 2 0.1 2.5 Herbaceous species Machaerina angustfolia Peperomia hypoleuca Uncinia uncinata Astelia menziesiana Nertera granadensis Carex alligata Isachne distichophylla Deschampsia nubigena Peperomia macraeana 0.6 0.1 0.1 0.6 0.5 2 1.5 0.01 0.1 0.01 0.01 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 Liana species Freycinetia arborea Alyxia oliviformis Stenogyne calaminthoides Smilax melastomifolia Low shrub species Cyrtandra platyphylla Labordia hedyosmifolia Vaccinium reticulatum (pahalae) Cyrtandra lysiosepala C. paludosa Cyanea pilosa v. longipedunculata C. degeneriana Dubautia scabra ssp. scabra Coprosma ernodeoides 1.1 0.1 1.5 1.1 0.1 0.1 1.5 0.1 0.01 0.01 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.01 0.6 0.1 0.1 0.01 0.1 0.1 0.01 2 0.6 0.6 0.1 0.6 0.1 1.5 1.5 0.6 0.6 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.01 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 1.1 0.6 0.1 0.1 1.5 1.5 0.6 2.5 1.5 0.1 0.1 0.01 0.1 0.01 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.01 4 7,5 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.6 0.01 0.01 0.1 0.01 2.5 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.01 0.1 2.5 0.01 1.1 222 Kitayama, K. et al. App. 1. (Cont.) Age of the lava flows (yr) 8 Pteridophytic species Dicranopteris linearis Sadleria pallida Athyrium sandwichianum Thelypteris sandwicensis Lycopodium cernuum Dryopteris wallichiana Sadleria cyatheoides Athyrium microphyllum Diploterygium pinnatum Sphaerocionium lanceolatum Mecodium recurvum Nephrolepis cordifolia Adenophorus tamariscinus Grammitis hookeri Lycopodium venustulum Coniogramme pilosa Sadleria souleyetiana Xiphopteris saffordii Psilotum complanatum Elaphoglossum hirtum Polypodium pellucidum Callistopteris baldwinii Grammitis tenella Elaphoglossum alatum Asplenium lobulatum Adenophorus hymenophylloides Odontosoria chinensis Marattia douglasii Adenophorus tripinnatifidus A. pinnatifidus Thelypteris globulifera Dryopteris glabra Psilotum nudum Microlepia strigosa Elaphoglossum wawrae Pleopeltis thunbergiana Thelypteris keraudreniana Sticherus owhyhensis Asplenium contiguum Ophioglossum pendulum Elaphoglossum crassifolium Vandenboschia davallioides Pteris excelsa Dryopteris fusco-atra Adenophorus montanus Huperzia serrata Sadleria pall x soul Thelypteris cyatheoides Asplenium polyodon Alien species Arundina graminifolia Andropogon virginicus Pityrogramma austroamericana Rubus rosifolius Phaius tankarvilleae Erechtites valerianifolia Juncus planifolius Hypericum mutilum Total number of species 0.1 50 140 300 400 1400 3000 9000 28.5 0.1 77.5 1.1 3 19.5 0.01 7.5 7.5 4.5 15 9.5 15 12.5 4.5 0.6 33 19.5 4 12.5 2 0.01 6.5 42.5 0.01 1 1 5 3 0.6 0.5 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 1.1 2 1 0.1 0.01 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.01 0.1 1.5 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.6 0.01 0.1 0.1 0.01 0.6 0.01 0.1 0.1 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.01 0.01 0.1 0.01 0.01 0.1 0.01 2.5 4 0.6 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.6 0.1 2.5 2 1.5 0.1 0.6 0.1 0.1 0.01 0.1 0.1 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.5 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.01 0.01 0.1 0.1 0.01 0.1 0.01 0.01 0.1 0.1 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.1 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.1 0.1 0.01 0.1 0.01 0.1 0.01 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.01 0.01 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.01 0.1 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.01 0.01 0.1 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.1 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.1 0.6 0.6 0.1 0.01 0.1 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 10 25 36 64 63 62 60 60
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