Roadside plant communities on Mauna Loa, Hawaii
Wester L and Juvik JO. 1983. Roadside plant communities on Mauna Loa, Hawaii. Journal of Biogeography. 10(4):307-316
Roadside plant communities on the windward slope of Mauna Loa volcano were sampled over an altitudinal range from 500 to 2500 m, and within a zone 3 m wide along the roadway. A total of sixty-nine plant species were found to inhabit the roadside verge. Introduced plant species comprised 74% of the roadside flora. Species with temperate affinities gradually replaced those of tropical origin at elevations above 1000 m. Overall species diversity decreased with elevation. Within the roadside vegetation a distinctive zonation was found to occur with distance from the roadway. Introduced plant species were dominant on the fine-grained road-fill substrate abutting the roadway, while native plant species occupied adjacent, recent lava flow substrates. There was little spatial overlap between these distinctive communities.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Wester, Lyndon; Juvik, James
- Units
- HAVO
- Keywords
- Mauna Loa HI, Plant Studies