Invasion and recovery of vegetation after a volcanic eruption in Hawai`i
Smathers G and Mueller-Dombois AD. 1972. Invasion and recovery of vegetation after a volcanic eruption in Hawai`i. Dept. of Botany, University of Hawaii. Honolulu, HI
This study covers the plant invasion and recovery after the volcanic eruption in Hawaii. Plant invasion and recovery were studied for nine years after a major volcanic eruption (1959) on the island of Hawaii. Plant species werelisted by cover abundance , substrates were examined for soil moisture properties, temperatures, mineralogical properties, and available plant nutrients and atmospheric environment records were kept of rainfall, lateral rain, and steam interception, and desicacating power. The establishemnt of vegetational regrowth began with algae, then progressed to mosses and ferns, lichens, woody plants, and exotic woody and herbacious plants. The exotic plants appear not to threaten the native plants in competitive replacement, only to fill available niches not already filled by endemic vegetation.