HALEAKALA NATIONAL PARK CRATER DISTRICT RESOURCES BASIC INVENTORY: VEGETATION MAP OF THE CRATER DISTRICT

Transcription

1 337 HALEAKALA NATIONAL PARK CRATER DISTRICT RESOURCES BASIC INVENTORY: VEGETATION MAP OF THE CRATER DISTRICT Louis D. hiteaker Department of Botany Univrsity of Haaii at Manoa Honolulu, Haaii A vegetation map of the Crater Distrit of Haleakala National Park as produed at a sale of 1:24,000 that an overlay a omposite of the USGS topographi quadrangle maps that over the same area. After an initial field reonnaissane, the mapping as arried out using 1:12,000 aerial photographs. The map units ere field heked as to the auray of the boundary positions and the strutural and floristi omposition of the vegetation units. The boundaries ere transferred to overlays on 1:12,000 prints of NASA false infrared olor aerial photographs. These maps served as a base for the final map hih as produed ith photographi methods. The mapped vegetation has been lassified into 53 strutural-floristi ommunities that are grouped into four strutural vegetation-types: forest ommunities, srub ommunities, grassland ommunities, and high altitude desert ommunities. Forest ommunities ere defined as areas ith the tallest vegetation layer omposed of oody vegetation greater than 5 m tall that had at least 30% ron over. Srub ommunities ere defined as areas in hihhe uppermost vegetation layer onsisted of oody vegetation greater than 0.3 m but less than 5 m in height ith ron over greater than 30%. Grassland ommunities ere defined as areas in hih grass speies had more than 30% over hile oody speies had less than 30% over. High altitude desert ommunities ere defined as areas ith less than 30% total plant over. Cover has been defined by Mueller-Dombois and Ellenberg (1974) as the vertial projetion of the ron or shoot areas of a speies to the ground and expressed as a perentage of the referene area. In this study, losed over as defined as greater than 60%, open over as beteen 30%-60%, and sparse over as less than 30%. The ommunities ere labeled using a ombination of symbols derived from generi names or other predominant surfae over that orrespond as losely as possible to and are used in a similar manner as those used in Mueller-Dombois and Fosberg's (1974) vegetation map of Haaii Volanoes National Park. A total of 19 symbols ere used in ombinations to lassify the vegetation into the 53 strutural-floristi ommunities that ere mapped.

2 338 Areas for these vegetation ommunities ere generated using an eletroni planimeter. Srub ommunities had the largest total area of hetares (9122 ares). High altitude desert ommunities ere next ith an area of hetares (7708 ares) and grassland ommunities overed hetares (1405 ares). Fbrest ommunities had the smallest total area of hetares (407 ares). Using the map as a base, three topographi vegetation profiles ere onstruted to aid in the interpretation of the map units. The ourses of the profiles are shon in Figure 1. Thes ourses ere hosen so as to ross as muh of the study area a$ possible hile illustrating as muh of the range in vegetation-types and environmental fators as possible. Profile l runs from PU'u Nianiau at the Park boundary on the northestern outer slope at m (6849 ft) elevation to Kilohana on the estern rim of the rater at m (9600 ft). Profile 2 runs from Kilohana, aross the rater floor, to the eastern rim above Paliku Cabin that separates Haleakala Crater from Kipahulu Valley at m (7000 ft). Profile 3 runs from the southern Park boundary in Kaupo Gap at m (3800 ft) up over Kalapaili Ridge at 2484 m (8150 ft) to the northern Park boundary on the northern outer slope at m (7600 ft). Profile 1 (Fig. 2) shos a derease in both mean annual preipitation and mean annual temperature to be assoiated ith the inrease in elevation. An apparent effet of the temperature gradient on the vegetation an be seen at approximately ffi (8500 ft) here the vegetation beomes very sparse and is termed a high altitude desert. This hange may be assoiated ith the diurnal frost boundary, above hih freezing temperatures our at ground level every night of the year. Mueller-Dombois (1967) found the diurnal frost boundary to our at about this elevation on Mauna Loa. Profile 2 (Fig. 3) shos an inrease in mean annual temperature assoiated ith the derease in elevation, and an inrease in mean annual preipitation assoiated ith the est-east orientation. The inrease in rainfall is related to a greater exposure to the effets of the predominant northeasterly trade inds. These fators result in a gradual inrease in over and stature of the vegetation from a lo groing very sparse vegetation (high altitude desert), through several variations of srub ommunities, to a lo stature 'ohi'a rain forest. Profile 3 (Fig. 4) shos a derease in mean annual temperature assoiated ith the inrease in elevation, and an inrease in mean annual preipitation resulting from greater exposure to the effets of the northeasterly trade inds assoiated ith the south to north orientation. Also, the loer end of this profile extends belo the inversion layer hih ours beteen 1700 and 2300 m ( ft) elevation (Blumenstok & Prie 1967). This omplex of fators is assoiated ith the ourrene of several forest ommunities beteen 1292 and 1890 m ( ft) hih are unique to this setion in the study area.

3 339 This variation of the limati regimes ithin the Crater Distrit and along these profiles an be vieed graphially on limate diagrams onstruted by the method of alter (1963) (Fig. 5). Man annual temperature ranges from 17.6 C (64 F) just belo the southern Park boundary in Kaupo Gap at 1088 m (3570 ft) elevation to8.0 C (46 F) at Haleakala Summit at 3055 m (10,025 ft). Mean annual preipitation ranges from 1077 mm (42.4 in.) at the summit to 4508 mm (177.5 in.) at Paliku Cabin at 1945 m (6341 ft) elevation. All five diagrams have a mean monthly temperature urve that shos liitle sesonal variation indiating a tropial limate at all elevations. Also, all five diagrams sho a similar annual pattern of preipitation ith the ettest months being January and Deember and the driest month being June. Drought onditions are indiated if the mean monthly preipitationurve rosses belo the mean monthly temperature urve and is indiated on the diagrams by the stipled areas. This ours at three stations: Haleakala Summit, Haleakala Ranger Station, and Holua Cabin, but only for a short period in June. The mean monthly preipitation urve for Paliku Cabin is above 100 mm for all months and thus indiates a rain forest limate. LITERATURE CITED Blumenstok, D. I., and S. Prie tlimates of the states: Haaii. U.S. Department of Commere, Environmental Siene Servies Administration, ashington, D.C. Mueller-Dombois, D Eologial relations in and SUbalpine vegetation on Mauna Loa, Haaii. of the Indian Botanial Soiety 46(4): the The alpine Journal Mueller-Dombois, D., and H. Ellenberg Aims and methods of vegetation eology. John iley and Sons, In., Ne York. Mueller-Dombois, D., and F. R. Fosberg vegetation map of Haaii Volanoes National Park. CPSU/UH Teh. Rep. 4 (Univ. of Haaii, Botany Dept.) ii+44 pp. alter, H Climati diagrams as means to omprehend the various limati types for eologial and agriultural purposes. Pages 3-9 in A. J. Rutter and F. H. hitehead. The ater relationsof plants. John iley and Sons, In., Ne York.

4 340 FIGURE 1. Courses of the topographi vegetation profiles of the Crater Distrit of Haleakala National Park.

5 1342 mm OIl MEAN ANNUAL PRECIPITATION 11I8mm-I077 mm MEAN ANNUAL TEMPERATURE PARK BOUNDARY :f..ė' iii a:: Ir 2 =[ 4 > 1400 Z I IUO I 1'60, I 10-1 en. (mi.) 1oIOG( "00< OUT IT" :"ot: It &NO "5>< POCJ<[ T IE zu o II. ". r ein (n,) ROCIl "NO C'NO[R SLOPE KILOHANA I I Z 1000 I- oo < >.....J... (SUMMIT) lam I mill.v> sophclaa (SHAVeS ANO AR8QRESUNT SHRuBS) FLAT GROING SHRUBS (STYPMEllA,RAILLAROIA ETC.1 CiUl8OS[ SHRUeS (STYPHEUA. VACONIU. ETC) _ MIXED GRASSES (ANTHOXANnlUM,FESTUCA.HOLCUS.ETC.l 'UTIV ldlif SHRUBS (. A.G RANIUM. ETC I Y HIGH ALTITUOE: T1JSSOO< GRASSES (DESCHAMPSlA. TRISETUM, ETC.1 FIGURE 2. Topographi vegetation profile 1 of the Crater Distrit of Haleakala National Park.

6 l\,) FIGURE 3. Topographi vegetation profile 2 of the Crater Distrit of Haleakala National Park mm MEAN ANNUAL PRECIPITATION 4508mm 8.6 MEAN ANNUAL TEMPERATURE 12.3 ;;; 0: '"ọ >...J KlLOH"N" NAMANA 0 KE "KU" OILl puu PAL,.IKU + "»0 e II' e e e. ;; E E Igi! u i u e.. 2'1() e I"" :I e u I '. U 0,."",...", o...'" "",, UIO."" tol'o0 o...., "L V "i1 oo 0... L. u % :L', 11:" Z.. 0, = """ I.' '",- ". I!\ :. Il'OCtt =' <II l:i a. i. L. V + "- ""'- i Pl.AIN CO"'''15(0 QI a"a AND PAM(l[M()( 8 I... ii a CUIO'.. _..-..-, 'oo.- u.. \.a [.T[IilSI'/[...,A flos P..lItTLY CO"'UIt[D... e".o(1l: MilO.foL. C...D(" Ca.t:S " i "... lava,,,0_ S Ii _- P. <uioo ""'" 9000 eo<> ooסס ""'" '-, ooao z 2....>.. oj I...! I I.I SoPHOR.. CHRYSOPHYLL".=:. flat '.O,"' $14AU8S (STT[L'A...AlI. L...OtA. [TCJ '" RUBUS HAAII[NSIS _ "'.(0 Ci...SSn I'(ST. MO\.CUS. "..T..O... THO... ftc I Q GLOBOSE SHRUBS (SlY...ELl.., V..CCINIU.., E1C.I... HIGH "L TITUOE TUSSOCK Ci"USES IOfSC""".. T...I( TU... "0\ ''"''0 (Te I NATIvE LO SHRUBS (COPROS... OOOOHAE". E1C I..ETIlOSIO(IlOS COLL'''''

7 2500mm MEAN ANNUAL PRECIPITATION 4508mm (est. 3500mm) MEAN ANNUAL TEMPERATURE IO PeCHt) u; a: Z <l: > 1760 ẉ J I8 b!": Od-My ( RANGE OF INVERSION LAYER I PALIKU KALAPAILI RIDGE I O!-Ae I odd (M) IM(mx:\ ns-mx 8RON HUMIC SOIL ITH MANY ROCKS AN 0 LARGE ROCK OUTCROPS ITH FE SMALL ROCKS I j ens-mx IDI ens-mx I ens (rnx) a HUMIC OARK BRON I,0AMY SOIL I I IIQ l (Ii) Qi 7500? en Q X ILl a: I- Q j l- x::>...j Z en j 52...Ja: z - <I( 6000 <l: O...J en > "'0 a: " x UZ ID Q.J. en <I( i<l( ::len,,0 a: a: 500 x ".....J U Q 0...J i zo ' ::l a:: x 0", '" ::> IDa:: " x <I(...J '" " I I I I ,, I km t 9 OOOONAEA ERIOCARPA MYRSINE lanaiensis ACACIA KOA METROCIDEROS COlliNA I mile o GLOBOSE SHRUBS (STYPHElIA, VACCINIUM. ETC'> NATIVE lo SHRUBS (COPROSMA, RAlllARDIA. STYPHELIA. ETC.) MIXED GRASSES (PENNISETUM. FESTUCA, HOlCUS, ETC.) TV" HIGH ALTITUDE TUSSOCK GRASSES (DESCHAMPSIA. HOlCUS. ETC.) FIGURE 4. Topographi vegetation profile 3 of the Crater Distrit of Haleakala National Park.

8 344 FIGURE 5. Climate diagrams and loations of stations for the Crater Distrit of Haleakala National Park.