Ph.D. - Botany
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Item Plant Invasions In Hawai‘i: Fire Risks And Grass Invasion Patterns(2024) Faccenda, Kevin; Daehler, Curtis; BotanyItem Illuminating the Hawaiian Mesophotic Red Blades: Genomic Insights Uncover Novel Biodiversity and Genomic Novelties in the Evolution of Rhodophyta Associated with the Hawaiian Mesophotic Ecosystems(2024) Cabrera, Feresa Corazon Padillo; Sherwood, Alison R.; BotanyItem Mechanisms And Mitigation Of Soil Legacies Of Invasive Grasses(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2023) Singh, Manya; Daehler, Curtis C.; BotanyThe grass-fire cycle can be accurately re-described as the human-grass-fire cycle, with the majority of invasive grass introductions being deliberate, and the majority of ignitions being anthropogenic in nature. With increased fire risk, and altered fire regimes favoring invasives, inhibiting natives, and depressing the resilience of native ecosystems, the stakes for restoring grass-invaded areas are higher than ever. Invasive grasses often grow in monocultures, outcompeting and suppressing other species, but even when removed, an abundance of research has demonstrated evidence of soil legacies that can hinder restoration efforts. Thus, there is a need to identify specific mechanism of soil legacies associated with invasive grasses that limit or inhibit restoration success, in order to translate that knowledge into mitigation strategies that better target these mechanisms. To begin, I gathered studies examining grasses for allelopathic abilities, to see if phylogenetically conserved allelochemicals, including benzoxazinoids, which are mostly Poaceae specific, points to allelopathy as a key soil legacy mechanism that contributes to disproportionate invasive success in the grass family. By narrowing the frame of the landmark allelopathy analysis by Zhang et al. (2020), I found support for the novel weapons hypothesis in invasive grasses; specifically, the allelopathic impact on native recipients, was more negative when the allelopathic species was a non-native grass, compared to when the allelopathic species was a native grass. Additionally, I found support for the phylogenetic distance hypothesis, supporting other research suggesting that allelochemical impacts depend on the phylogenetic distance of the target plant. I did not find support for the biotic resistance hypothesis, specifically that the allelopathic impact when the allelopathic species was a native grass was more negative on a non-native recipient, than a native recipient. Through this analysis, I showed evidence suggesting that land managers ought to consider testing for allelopathy, or considering allelopathy-informed restoration practices, when trying to restore grass-invaded areas. Next, in a field study at Camp Pālehua (Kapolei, O’ahu, Hawai’i) I compared soil characteristics and the soil microbial community between a Megathyrsus maximus invaded area, and an area that was formerly invaded by Megathyrsus maximus but had been restored by community partner Malama Learning Center 18 months prior to the comparison. The two sites shared a long history of grazing, climate and soil characteristics, and slope. While I could not rule out inherent differences between the sites that existed prior to the restoration, I sought to identify differences in soil characteristics and the soil microbial community that could be attributed, at least in part, to the restoration. While the restoration practice at the Malama Learning Center section was relatively successful, the site continued to require frequent hand-weeding, so I was particularly interested in evidence of a soil legacy in the soil microbial community, specifically any “hold-over” or “hold-out” taxa, that may be contributing to on-going re-emergence of grass species in the native ecosystem. I found a genus of fungi (Glomus) and bacteria (Candidatus Udaeobacter) were abundant at both sites and these genera have been identified in the literature as being associated with pastures, suggesting that, in the restoration site, these genera were hold-overs. This suggests that specific members of the soil microbial community could be contributing to on-going, long-lasting soil legacy effects, such that modifying the soil microbial community could mitigate some of these effects. In the third chapter, I conducted a greenhouse plant-soil feedback study, using a whole soil inoculum design, comparing germination, survival, and above/belowground growth in inoculum added soil to control soil. By using inoculum in less the 5% volume (w/w), I was able to isolate for the impact of the soil microbial community while holding soil characteristics and nutrients constant, to test for a soil microbial community mechanism for a soil legacy of an invasive grass (Megathyrsus maximus). In addition, I implemented a moderate drought treatment at 60% pot capacity to test for the impact of drought on any plant-soil feedback, since drought is expected to impact ecosystems in Hawai’i in the future. The native species used to test for feedback from the invasive grass microbial community was the endemic dry forest shrub Chenopodium oahuense. I found evidence that there was positive con-specific feedback (the grass benefited from its own soil microbial community) and negative hetero-specific feedback (negative impacts of the grass soil microbial community on the native), impacting primarily the belowground growth of both species, suggesting that the soil microbial community mediates belowground competition for space and nutrients. In addition, I found an interaction between the presence of the grass soil microbial community and drought that was associated with delayed germination of Chenopodium oahuense, suggesting that a soil legacy effect may contribute to phenological mismatch for native species as climate change progresses. In the fourth chapter, I conducted an experimental restoration at a separate Megathyrsus maximus invaded section of the Camp Pālehua property in Kapolei, O’ahu, Hawai’i using a soil amendment of activated carbon, alone and in combination with a locally sourced biowaste-based biochar fertilizer, to determine whether these amendments might mitigate the soil legacy mechanisms I had previously investigated. Two native species were used: Plumbago zeylanica and Dodonaea viscosa. I found that soil raking alone prior to planting improved the width of Plumbago zeylanica by 1 cm after 1 year. Raking had two effects that could have benefited plant growth: disruption of soil compaction, and suppression of the no-raking indicator fungi Bionectriaceae. In addition, I found that the height of Dodonaea viscosa increased 4 cm with 0.5 kg/m^2 of activated carbon added. Two potential explanations are the neutralization of any present allelochemicals, and the suppression of specific fungi which were indicators of the treatments lacking activated carbon, including Coniophora, which has been found in other studies examining the soil microbiome of restoration projects on former pastures. The hypothesis that after the initial suppression, the activated carbon treatment would create opportunity for the outplants to recruit new members to the soil microbial community, resulting in indicator species for the activated carbon level, was not supported. Overall, I was able to contribute evidence that allelopathic ability and the soil microbial community contribute to the soil legacies of invasive grasses, and in Megathyrsus maximus in Hawai’i, activated carbon can be used to suppress fungi and/or allelopathy to improve outcomes for some native plants, while raking alone can improve outcomes, potentially by disrupt soil compaction suppressing certain fungi. Activated carbon could be used in small scale-projects to create sustaining native ecosystems that can later be used for soil transplants or to provide soil inoculum in larger areas. Additionally, some of the identified fungi suppressed by activated carbon could be tested in isolation, or in different combinations for their impact on native plants.Item Effects Of Climate Change And Eutrophication On Photosynthesis And Carbon-concentrating Mechanisms: Surprising Diversity Among Reef Algae(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2023) Kawachi, Migiwa Shimashita; Smith, Celia; BotanyIncreased anthropogenic CO2 emission since the start of the Industrial Revolution has brought a changing climate and various threats to coastal ecosystems including ocean warming, ocean acidification (OA), and sea level rise. Coral reef ecosystems are especially vulnerable to the climate change, because ocean warming and acidification decrease calcification and increase bleaching in coral. In addition to these impacts of climate change, coastal ecosystems are already experiencing local anthropogenic impacts such as chronic eutrophication and continuing arrival of new invasive species. In Hawai‘i, large-scale blooms of both native and invasive macroalgae are often observed in the region with coastal eutrophication by land-based anthropogenic nutrient input. Predicting the effects of OA (increased CO2 concentration in the ocean) on algae is not straightforward because many algae are already equipped with carbon-concentrating mechanisms (CCMs) with which algae can increase their internal CO2 concentration for photosynthesis. Further, nutrient availability especially that of the macronutrient, nitrogen (N) could alter the operation of algal CCMs because CCMs involve specific, large proteins such as ribulose-1,5-biphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase (RUBISCO) and carbonic anhydrases (CA). This study experimentally investigated how OA and eutrophication, independently and synergistically, affect photosynthesis and CCMs in common Hawaiian reef algae. Algae can quickly change their maximum photosynthetic rates and CCMs when grown under elevated CO2 and N. Further, we found a surprising diversity among reef algae in how they react to elevated CO2 and N with their CCMs. The results of this study suggest that many Hawaiian algae will thrive under future climate change conditions, and OA and eutrophication will likely work in their favor, accelerating the phase shift from coral-dominated to macroalgal-dominated reefs in unpredictably faster paces and with players that are not easily predicted.Item Ecohydrology of Macroalgae and Submarine Groundwater Discharge on Hawaiian Reefs(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2022) Gibson, Veronica Leigh; Smith, Celia; BotanyInteractions among ecological and hydrological processes have emerged as important areas of research as anthropogenic degradation of watersheds and climate change impact groundwater dependent ecosystems (GDE). Coastal reefs are examples of GDE in many tropical high islands; these reefs are subject to significant fresh, nutrient-rich-groundwater which creates estuarine conditions on nearshore reefs. To better understand benthic community dynamics on submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) influenced reefs, benthic cover and biological drivers of community composition at three SGD-influenced sites were analyzed. Generally, nearshore SGD-influenced regions have higher macroalgal coverage than marine offshore regions. Two of the three study sites were dominated in the nearshore SGD-influenced region by two invasive species, while the third site was dominated by native turf and macroalgae. Benthic community analyses reveal that tolerance of hypo-osmotic conditions could strongly influence the dominance of invasive species in low salinity, higher nutrient SGD-influenced regions. The physiological trait that allows plants to respond to hypo-osmotic conditions such as SGD conditions is ability to adjust tissue water potential (TWP). To investigate SGD responses, I updated a method to measure TWP in macroalgae and applied this method to invasive macroalgae that span the SGD-gradient and more narrowly, oceanic distributed native species at Waiʻalae ʻIki. Additionally measured responses included photosynthesis, cellular anatomy, and nitrogen content of four species of Rhodophyta to the SGD-gradient at Waiʻalae ʻIki. Two invasive Rhodophyta exhibited strategies of invasive biology with measurable responses consistent with success under SGD conditions; native species responses remained elusive. Further, in controlled growth experiments, TWP responses tracked simulated SGD-conditions by one Chlorophyte and one Rhodophyte, not found at Waiʻalae ʻIki. Understanding the relationships between SGD and macroalgal physiological ecology is pivotal to protecting native macroalgal diversity and ecosystem function, and to mitigating the effects of anthropogenic watershed degradation and climate change on SGD-influenced nearshore reefs.Item Social-ecological resilience of agroforests in Fiji(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2022) McGuigan, Ashley; Ticktin, Tamara; BotanyGlobal change, including climate and socioeconomic change, has major impacts on linked human and environmental health. In food systems, this precipitated the rise of industrialized agriculture and related increases in nutrition-related non-communicable diseases. Agroforestry has the potential to serve as a food production system that addresses issues of environmental degradation, food security, and nutrition. In Fiji, agroforests are a part of a larger social-ecological system that has also enabled Pacific Island people to be resilient to disasters and disturbances for centuries. However, knowledge about how these systems are adapting to global change and their capacity is for resilience in this changing context, remains incomplete. I address this knowledge gap by exploring the dynamics of agroforests and their capacity for resilience after a catastrophic Category 5 cyclone. Specifically, I used a combination of farmer interviews, agroforest vegetation surveys, and nutritional analyses in 50 agroforests across five districts in Fiji, pre-cyclone Winston, and 1 and 3 years post-cyclone to address: How did Cyclone Winston affect agroforest starch crop and cultivar richness? How did Cyclone Winton affect agroforest trees, and what traits and management practices increase resistance to damage? Does the diversity of ecological functional traits in agroforests predict their nutritional diversity? Starch crop richness was highly dynamic and largely resilient to the cyclone, but cultivar richness declined. Post cyclone tree survival was high across all agroforests (87.8%). Bigger trees experienced more damage than smaller trees, and survival increased as a function of increasing wood density. In addition, the purposeful management of trees in agroforests likely buffered them against damage and mortality. A novel application of functional diversity metrics showed that nutritional functional diversity increased as a function of ecological functional diversity, indicating that agroforests are able to provide important levels of ecological and nutritional functions in the same space. This interdisciplinary research outlines the importance of agroforests in Fiji and their contributions to food system resilience and nutritional security. Understanding how agroforests in social-ecological systems are adapting to current changes is critical to inform the global community on resilience to future disturbances.Item Phylogenetic Affinities Among Sida Species And Allied Genera (malvaceae: Malveae), And Examination Of Sida Fallax Within The Hawaiian Islands And Throughout The Pacific(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2022) Pejhanmehr, Mersedeh; Morden, Clifford W.; BotanyMalveae has the greatest generic and species diversity of the three tribes of subfamily Malvoideae (Malvaceae) with approximately 70 genera and 1040 species. Within Malveae, Sida is one of the largest genera with over 100 species of mostly herbs and small shrubs with world-wide distribution. The generic circumscription of Sida is problematic. Previous genetic analysis with a limited representation of species and genera and one gene region internal transcribed spacer (ITS) indicated that Sida is polyphyletic with a core group of species forming a distinct clade, but many species more closely associated with other genera and clades. In addition, section classification of Sida is problematic and many of these sections are not monophyletic. A study was conducted to investigate these objectives: first characterize the relationships among Sida species; second, determine their relationship to other Malveae genera; third, examine how these associations compare to the section classification; and fourth, investigate the biogeography of species within Sida. To do this, phylogenetic analyses of an extensive sampling of Sida species and most Malveae genera based on nuclear (ITS) and chloroplast DNA (psbA–trnH, rpl16, ndhF and matK) markers were carried out. Sequences were compared using Bayesian phylogenetic analyses. The nuclear and plastid phylogenies indicated that Sida as currently recognized is polyphyletic. The main Sida clade is monophyletic and represents the true “Sida” and is sister to the monotypic genus Fryxellia. The main Sida clade consists of at least 66 species including the type species, S. rhombifolia. Evidence indicates that Sida is largely of central and south American origins which is the center of diversity of the genus. There are at least 18 species currently classified as Sida that were not within the main Sida clade and should be revaluated. The previously identified section alliances are not consistent with the phylogeny and are in need of reevaluation based on morphological and phylogenetic grounds. Sida fallax Walp. (`ilima) (Malveae; Malvoideae; Malvaceae) is native to the Pacific area and is extensively distributed throughout this region. It is noteworthy that Sida fallax is the most widespread and variable taxon of Malvaceae in Hawaiian Islands and it occurs with diverse morphological forms and in different habitats from Hawaii Island to Midway Atoll. There are two extreme ecological forms of S. fallax with many intermediate morphological types between them in the Hawaiian Islands. A low elevation ecotype that is a sprawling, or prostrate shrubs with densely pubescent leaves that occurs along beaches and in dry, coastal shrublands. Sida fallax from other Pacific locations exhibit this form only. In contrast, the mountain ecotype is an erect shrub up to 2 m tall with glabrous leaves that is found in upland communities and mesic forest sites. The range of morphological and ecological diversity in Sida fallax suggest that this species requires further biosystematics investigation. Phylogenetic and population studies were carried out on S. fallax. The purpose of the phylogenetic study was two-fold. The first objective was to explore the genetic diversity among S. fallax populations throughout its native range in the Pacific region. The diversity in habitat and its wide distribution throughout the Pacific regions calls into question whether S. fallax is a single species or potentially multiple cryptic species. The second objective was to investigate the origin of S. fallax. To do this, populations of Sida fallax throughout Hawaiian Islands and different parts of Pacific region were collected. Bayesian phylogenetic analyses based on nuclear [(ITS) and external transcribed spacer (ETS)] and chloroplast regions (psbA–trnH) were carried out. The nuclear and plastid phylogenies of this study clearly demonstrated that Sida fallax is a single species throughout the Pacific region and the different forms of Hawaiian S. fallax are not genetically distinct at the sequence level. Although the pattern of dispersal of S. fallax is not clear, it is evident that an American origin is most likely. The population study objective was to investigate the genetic variation within and among populations from the various habitats and geographic locations throughout the Hawaiian range of S. fallax. To do this, populations were collected from six of the main Hawaiian Islands (Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Maui, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, and Hawaiʻi) and Nihoa in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. DNA samples of 124 samples from 26 populations were selected for Multiplexed ISSR genotyping by sequencing (MIG-seq) to detect single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP). Genetic differences among individuals and populations from across the range of habitat and locations of S. fallax in the Hawaiian Islands were evaluated using PCO analyses. The relationship of FST with the geographical distance between the populations was assessed using Mantel test. The Mantel test identified a significant positive correlation between genetic and geographic distances among S. fallax populations. Three main island groupings were evident in PCO graphs: 1) Oʻahu, Kauaʻi and Nihoa; 2) Maui, Molokaʻi, and Lānaʻi (collectively referred to as Maui Nui); 3) Hawaiʻi Island. Populations from each island grouping intersect at the center of the graph, the zone of intersection (ZOI), suggesting gene flow still exists among them. There was a trend of coastal/beach populations occurring more predominantly near the ZOI, and the mountain/inland or most isolated populations being more away from the ZOI. Overall, populations on a single island were more closely related to each other and to populations on islands within their respective groups than they were to populations on other islands. Because long-distance seed dispersal via ocean currents is more probable for beach ecotype populations, the beach ecotype populations of all islands showed somewhat closer relationships to each other than to mountain ecotype populations and provided some continuity among all the island groups. The overall genetic relationships among islands were to a large extent predictive based on island position within the chain, and, to a lesser extent, within island topography.Item High elevation Hawaiian plant communities: implications for conservation under climate change(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2021) Ainsworth, Alison; Drake, Donald R.; BotanyGlobally, subalpine, and alpine plant communities are receiving increasing attention due to disproportionate rapid warming at high altitudes and the resultant shrinking habitat leaving high-altitude specialists with less habitat and nowhere to migrate. Plant communities on tropical high islands, such as the Hawaiian Islands, are predicted to experience rapid climate change, and if increased temperature and/or drought exceed plant species’ current tolerances, species that are unable to adapt or shift ranges, risk extinction. While extensive climate modeling is underway in Hawaiʻi, few studies have assessed the potential impacts of climate change on high elevation vegetation. To address this knowledge gap, I first quantified habitat specialization for 170 plant species using species co-occurrence data from over one thousand plots to rank species’ realized habitat niche breadth using the Jaccard index. This indirect method of estimating species’ potential climatic flexibility uses increasingly available large plant community data sets with output rankings which represent species’ realized habitat niches. The distribution of species along this continuum differed by species’ biogeographic origin, with endemic plant species ranked on the specialist end and non-native plant species ranked on the generalist end. Habitat specialization rankings also differed by number of habitat moisture types, minimum elevation, number of Hawaiian Islands, and life form. Volcanic mountains in Hawaiʻi have distinct treeline ecotones driven by trade wind inversion. During the past fifty years, periods of increased temperature and drought associated with increasingly frequent cloud inversion events have occurred, but little is known about how these climatic changes have influenced treeline vegetation. Vegetation data from 225 plots spanning treelines (1500-2500 m) on Haleakalā and Mauna Loa were used to categorize ecotonal plant communities. Treeline indicator species differ by moisture and temperature variables with common native species important for all types: wet forest (Cheirodendron and Metrosideros trees, ferns), subalpine woodland (Myoporum and Sophora trees), and subalpine shrubland (Vaccinium and Leptecophylla shrubs, native graminoids). The subalpine woodland contains the most habitat generalist indicator species, likely due to high non-native species richness. Moisture best explains the described patterns in plant community composition, with wet canopy evaporation, mean annual precipitation, and aridity index values differentiating between wet forest and subalpine communities. A wider extent of the subalpine zone (i.e., beyond treeline ecotone) was analyzed to further identify commonalities and differences between plant communities on Haleakalā and Mauna Loa volcanoes. I compared plant species richness, cover, and density data from 89 plots. A total of 138 plant species were recorded and over half of these species were non-native (56%) with the remainder being endemic (30%) and indigenous (14%). Gamma diversity differed between volcanoes with one-third found only on Haleakalā, one-third found only on Mauna Loa, and one-third shared. Species richness per plot differed from gamma diversity in that endemic species were more abundant than non-native species for both volcanoes indicating that while many non-natives are present, their populations remain patchy and not yet widespread. Non-native species richness was higher on Haleakalā than Mauna Loa. In general, the subalpine communities are characterized by patchy low-lying (<1 m) vegetation with lower cover on the younger drier site – Mauna Loa (36%) than on Haleakalā (56%). Community structure was largely consistent with the understory cover data, with endemic Vaccinium (>3500/ha) and indigenous Leptecophyllya (>2430/ha) shrubs dominant. I recommend continued monitoring of biotic communities and climate in this sensitive high elevation zone, additional physiological in situ studies for the few native matrix subalpine plant species, stricter non-native species biosecurity and sanitation protocols, wildfire prevention, and improved documentation of the effects of feral ungulates including their ongoing removal.Item Understanding the potential for restoration through agroforestry in Hawaiʻi(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2021) Hastings, Zoe; Ticktin, Tamara; BotanyAgriculture is a major driver of global environmental change. Restorative practices like agroforestry, that integrate native and non-native, culturally important plants while mimicking the structure and function of native forests have the potential to increase biodiversity and ecosystem services of conventionally managed and fallow agricultural lands. However, what the potential is of restoring these lands using agroforestry and who is able to participate in agroforestry transitions remains a question. I focus on agroforestry transitions in Hawaiʻi, where a long history of Indigenous agroforestry and more recent interest in biocultural restoration provide an important context for understanding equitable pathways to agroforestry today. In the first chapter, I show how integrating co-production of knowledge with functional trait approaches to designing restoration and agroforestry research with local stakeholders can lead to more inclusive and scalable results. In the second chapter, I apply this approach to an experimental restoration that asks, 1) do initial measures of restoration success (i.e., understory composition, understory cover, and mid- and over-story survival) vary between treatments over the first two years, and if so, are these treatment effects mediated by other drivers, and 2) how does the ecological condition of the site compare to pre-restoration? Based on plant community metrics, the results show that non-native forests have a high potential for restoration through agroforestry, and this provides an important first step in documenting what non-native forest to agroforest transitions can look like. The third chapter is a state-wide study, in which I ask, what factors drive and/or restrain transitions to agroforestry, and who is able to participate? I found that agroforestry practitioners are motivated to restore ecosystems and reclaim sovereignty, not just by the direct or practical benefits of agroforestry. Practitioners’ values often conflict with the values of dominant funders, landowners, and other institutions, which produces unique obstacles. Access to off-site resources that are inequitably distributed often determines who can persist despite the obstacles. Taken together, the findings in this dissertation highlight the significant opportunity to restore conventionally managed and fallow agricultural lands through agroforestry and the need for structural change to ensure equitable access to the opportunity presented by these land use transitions.Item A Biodiversity Informatics Approach To Preventing Invasions: Using A Whole Non-native Flora To Investigate Introduction Pathways And Methods For Invasion Tracking(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2021) Brock, Kelsey C.; Daehler, Curtis C.; BotanyNegative impacts from biological invasions continue to rise as non-native species spread around the globe. As the costs of controlling these species increases significantly after their establishment and spread, invasion biologists acknowledge that strategies to prevent invasions should be a key focus in addressing invasive species problems. However, numerous species may be introduced each year, making it difficult to prioritize would-be invaders among hundreds of other species. Thus, strategies that identify and regulate pathways for species introductions are needed to complement species-specific approaches. Furthermore, methods to track the rate at which new species establish and their fate after arrival are lacking, despite the need to assess risks from future invaders and evaluate the success of prevention strategies. To address these issues, I gathered data on the date of naturalization for the entire naturalized flora of the Hawaiian Islands alongside data on their origins, native climate type, taxonomy and likely reason for introduction (introduction pathway). By comparing rates of naturalization for each introduction pathway with changes in socioeconomic factors, I reveal that Hawaiʻi has received a diversity of plants from all over the world, and that the rate of ornamental plant naturalizations has risen dramatically since the mid-20th century, reflecting Hawaiʻi’s shift to a tourism-based economy from an agricultural one. I also show that, although many naturalized plants may currently exist in Hawaiʻi at lower elevations with warmer climates, a large proportion are native to climates similar to those found at higher elevations. This pattern is significant because Hawaiʻi’s remnant native-dominated ecosystems exist primarily at higher elevations, indicating that preventing non-natives from establishing in native ecosystems is crucial to conservation of native species. Additionally, the rate of spread between islands has increased since the mid-20th century, highlighting the need to prevent inter-island spread. To explore the pitfalls that arise when measuring rates of naturalization over time, I then focused on a relatively neglected factor that can bias analyses: time lags that accrue when processing data after their collection in the field. Using computer simulations and an analysis of a real-world case study of two independently collected datasets for the Hawaiian Islands, I illustrate how time lags interact with common data retrieval strategies to influence the interpretation of invasion trends. By doing so, I reveal that long lags due to insufficient field surveying can create the illusion of a sudden onset or exponential rise in naturalization rates, whereas lags in identification, reporting and compilation result in the deceptive appearance of an invasion slow down. I also show that harvesting data from already-compiled resources published by experts may introduce a temporal sampling bias because such works are sporadically produced, thereby introducing an additional lag between reporting and data compilation. Lastly, I investigate a strategy for tracking species after their arrival by using Hawaiʻi’s naturalized species checklist as a starting point and applying a well-recognized framework that categorizes the phase of a non-native species’ establishment along the introduction–invasion continuum. After finding that data deficiencies prevent hundreds of species from being categorized within the framework, I show that data from the Hawaiʻi-Pacific Weed Risk Assessment can be reappropriated to predict whether a data-deficient species will progress along the continuum. Ultimately, I reveal that this predictive tool is a promising supplement to on-the-ground monitoring, especially when frequent field surveys are not feasible. Although globalization continues to facilitate numerous invasions, our ability to harness data and solve problems using biodiversity informatics is advancing rapidly. Here, I contribute to this progress by uncovering trends useful to policymakers and managers in invader-rich regions, while also offering guidance on how to improve methods used to measure those trends and track invasions.