SCIENTISTS SURPRISED BY NUMBER OF ALIEN INSECTS ON NIHOA ISLAND

Entomologist Gordon Nishida from the Bishop Museum reported an apparently high number of alien insects found on the fairly undisturbed island of Nihoa in the northwestern end of Hawaii's chain of islands.

"The extent of alien insects on Nihoa is surprising," said Nishida. "The aliens found were more numerous than the natives." Found in large numbers were 3 species of ants, Australasian cockroaches, giant grasshoppers, wood-boring beetles and leafhoppers which greatly outnumbered the native insects.

"Many of them were found feeding on native plants, perhaps causing significant damage. Others may be feeding on native insect species. Their impacts on the island's native populations are unclear," explained Nishida.

"What's even more surprising is the comparison of alien introductions of insects as compared to plants and animals," said Beth Flint, bird biologist from the US Fish and Wildlife Service. "Nihoa is a relatively undisturbed ecosystem. Of the 26 plant species that have ever been found there, only 6 were alien. We only found 2 of these non-natives on this trip. There are no non-native birds or mammals on Nihoa. When you have rather intact plant and bird communities, it is unusual to find such an imbalance when it comes to insects," Flint continued.

Nihoa has been able to remain a relatively pristine place because access to the island is very difficult. Steep cliffs and ocean swells often prohibit human visitation, which is the primary cause of alien species introductions. As a result, all visits to the island are strictly regulated and require special quarantine protocols

IN OTHER NEWS:
Coral and fish researchers completed their third and final set of dives around the island of Nihoa. The 2 teams conducted their first rapid ecological assessments of the research trip and will report on their initial findings later during the expedition. The sites they surveyed were selected by the companion research vessel, the NOAA Townsend Cromwell, which conducted towboarding surveys of the island on September 10.

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