Critically Endangered Fijian Crested Iguana (Brachylophus vitiensis) Shows Habitat Preference for Globally Threatened Tropical Dry Forest.

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dc.contributor.author Morrison, Clare
dc.contributor.author Keppel, Gunnar
dc.contributor.author Thomas, Nunia
dc.contributor.author Rounds, Isaac
dc.contributor.author Harlow, Peter S.
dc.date.accessioned 2012-06-06T00:46:29Z
dc.date.available 2012-06-06T00:46:29Z
dc.date.issued 2009-04
dc.description v. ill. 23 cm.
dc.description Quarterly
dc.description.abstract Tropical dry forests are a unique and threatened ecosystem in the Pacific and globally. In Fiji, the endangered Fijian crested iguana (Brachylophus vitiensis) is endemic to tropical dry forests. Yadua Taba Island contains one of the best remaining stands of tropical dry forest in the Pacific along with the largest (and only secure) population of B. vitiensis in Fiji and has been proposed as a translocation source for iguana conservation. In this study we determined the major vegetation types on Yadua Taba and identified forest habitat preferences of B. vitiensis to (1) characterize the island’s habitats for tropical dry forest regeneration monitoring and (2) understand which forest types are preferred by iguanas for future translocation projects. Vegetation data were collected using reconnaissance, entitation, line transects, and aerial photos. Iguana abundance data were collected by nocturnal surveys of permanent transects. Six major vegetation types were identified of which tropical dry forest was the largest (46% of the island), followed by a combination of rocky cliff–shrubland/grassland vegetation (26%). Our conservative estimate of B. vitiensis population size on Yadua Taba is 12,000 iguanas, the majority of which occur in tropical dry forest. Superabundance of the dry forest understory tree Vavaea amicorum, the favorite fruit species of iguanas, may help account for the high density of iguanas observed. These results highlight the ecological link between tropical dry forest and B. vitiensis and emphasize the importance of rehabilitation or conservation of tropical dry forest habitat in potential iguana translocation sites as part of the management plan for B. vitiensis throughout the Fiji Islands.
dc.format.extent 20 p.
dc.identifier.citation Morrison C, Keppel G, Thomas N, Rounds I, Harlow PS. Critically Endangered Fijian Crested Iguana (Brachylophus vitiensis) Shows Habitat Preference for Globally Threatened Tropical Dry Forest. Pac Sci 63(2): 223-242.
dc.identifier.issn 0030-8870
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/10125/22757
dc.language.iso en-US
dc.publisher Honolulu, University of Hawaii Press
dc.relation.ispartofseries vol. 63, no. 2
dc.subject.lcsh Natural history--Periodicals.
dc.subject.lcsh Science--Periodicals
dc.subject.lcsh Natural history--Pacific Area--Periodicals.
dc.title Critically Endangered Fijian Crested Iguana (Brachylophus vitiensis) Shows Habitat Preference for Globally Threatened Tropical Dry Forest.
dc.type Article
dc.type.dcmi Text
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Pacific Science, Volume 63, Number 2, 2009