scholarly journals Senna alata (candle bush).

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeanine Vélez-Gavilán
Keyword(s):  
French Polynesia ◽  
Northern Territory ◽  
Risk Assessments ◽  
Small Tree ◽  
Federated States Of Micronesia ◽  
Disturbed Areas ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Cultivated Plant ◽  
Environmental Weed ◽  
Senna Alata

Abstract S. alata is a shrub or small tree that is used as an ornamental and a cultivated plant throughout its range (Irwin and Barneby, 1982; PROTA, 2016). The species is reported as escaping from cultivation and becoming a weed in pastures, disturbed areas, orchards, plantations and shrublands (Irwin and Barneby, 1982; ILDIS, 2016). Livestock do not eat it, so the species has the potential to spread rapidly without control (ILDIS, 2016). It is reported as invasive in Asia (Hong Kong, Philippines, Singapore), East Africa and Oceania (Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Galapagos Islands, Guam, Hawaii, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Tonga) (PIER, 2016). It is regarded as a significant environmental weed in the Northern Territory of Australia (Weeds of Australia, 2016). Risk assessments prepared for both Australia and the Pacific classed it as high risk (PIER, 2016).

scholarly journals Muntingia calabura (Jamaica cherry).

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabiola Areces-Berazain
Keyword(s):  
Fruit Tree ◽  
Mariana Islands ◽  
Federated States Of Micronesia ◽  
Neotropical Forests ◽  
Northern Mariana Islands ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The Pacific Ocean ◽  
Environmental Weed ◽  
Republic Of Palau ◽  
Muntingia Calabura

Abstract M. calabura is a fast growing tree of disturbed lowland neotropical forests that has been introduced as an ornamental and fruit tree in many Old World countries. It is now widespread and naturalized in Southeast Asia, Australia, and in islands of the Pacific Ocean, in part due to its ability to disperse by bats and birds. It is often regarded as an environmental weed, but has not yet become a severe widespread problem (Werren, 2001; Randall, 2012). Listed as invasive in Puerto Rico (Haysom and Murphy, 2003; Rojas-Sandoval and Acevedo-Rodríguez, 2015), Singapore (Nghiem et al., 2015), Papua New Guinea (Orapa, 2006), Republic of Palau (Space et al., 2009), Nauru (Meyer, 2000) and the Federated States of Micronesia (Haysom and Murphy, 2003). Listed as potentially invasive in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands (Meyer, 2000).

scholarly journals Cnidoscolus aconitifolius (chaya).

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeanine Vélez-Gavilán
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Islands ◽  
Stem Cuttings ◽  
Small Tree ◽  
Southern Mexico ◽  
Cnidoscolus Aconitifolius ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Cultivated Plant ◽  
History Of ◽  
Mayan Civilization

Abstract Cnidoscolus aconitifolius is a shrub or small tree native to southern Mexico and Central America, with a long history of cultivation for its edible leaves and other purposes, dating back to the Mayan civilization. It is believed to have its origins in the Yucatán Peninsula, spreading due to domestication. It has been widely introduced as a cultivated plant in warmer parts of the world, and become naturalized in the wild in some countries, but it is not widely reported as invasive. It has been reported as invasive in the Galapagos Islands, but other sources indicate that it is not abundant in the wild there. In Cuba, it is reported as a transformer species, naturalized and spreading in some habitats, without further details. In most of the countries where it has been introduced, either there is not enough information available, or it is reported with a low possibility of becoming invasive because the cultivated forms reproduce mostly by stem cuttings. PIER (2018), however, assess it as being of high risk for the Pacific islands.

scholarly journals Transmission dynamics of Zika virus in island populations: a modelling analysis of the 2013-14 French Polynesia outbreak

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam J. Kucharski ◽  
Sebastian Funk ◽  
Rosalind M. Eggo ◽  
Henri-Pierre Mallet ◽  
W. John Edmunds ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
Dengue Virus ◽  
Zika Virus ◽  
French Polynesia ◽  
Neurological Complications ◽  
Transmission Dynamics ◽  
Guillain Barre Syndrome ◽  
Island Populations ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Guillain Barré

AbstractBetween October 2013 and April 2014, more than 30,000 cases of Zika virus (ZIKV) disease were estimated to have attended healthcare facilities in French Polynesia. ZIKV has also been reported in Africa and Asia, and in 2015 the virus spread to South America and the Caribbean. Infection with ZIKV has been associated with neurological complications including Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) and microcephaly, which led the World Health Organization to declare a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in February 2015. To better understand the transmission dynamics of ZIKV, we used a mathematical model to examine the 2013–14 outbreak on the six major archipelagos of French Polynesia. Our median estimates for the basic reproduction number ranged from 2.6–4.8, with an estimated 11.5% (95% CI: 7.32–17.9%) of total infections reported. As a result, we estimated that 94% (95% CI: 91–97%) of the total population of the six archipelagos were infected during the outbreak. Based on the demography of French Polynesia, our results imply that if ZIKV infection provides complete protection against future infection, it would take 12–20 years before there are a sufficient number of susceptible individuals for ZIKV to reemerge, which is on the same timescale as the circulation of dengue virus serotypes in the region. Our analysis suggests that ZIKV may exhibit similar dynamics to dengue virus in island populations, with transmission characterized by large, sporadic outbreaks with a high proportion of asymptomatic or unreported cases.Author SummarySince the first reported major outbreak of Zika virus disease in Micronesia in 2007, the virus has caused outbreaks throughout the Pacific and South America. Transmitted by the Aedes species of mosquitoes, the virus has been linked to possible neurological complications including Guillain-Barre Syndrome and microcephaly. To improve our understanding of the transmission dynamics of Zika virus in island populations, we analysed the 2013–14 outbreak on the six major archipelagos of French Polynesia. We found evidence that Zika virus infected the majority of population, but only around 12% of total infections on the archipelagos were reported as cases. If infection with Zika virus generates lifelong immunity, we estimate that it would take at least 15–20 years before there are enough susceptible people for the virus to reemerge. Our results suggest that Zika virus could exhibit similar dynamics to dengue virus in the Pacific, producing large but sporadic outbreaks in small island populations.

scholarly journals French Polynesia: a nuclear paradise in the Pacific

BMJ ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 311 (7003) ◽  
pp. 497-499 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Veeken
Keyword(s):  
French Polynesia ◽  
The Pacific

Bactrocera tryoni. [Distribution map].

1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keyword(s):  
Papua New Guinea ◽  
New Caledonia ◽  
New South ◽  
South Australia ◽  
French Polynesia ◽  
Northern Territory ◽  
Distribution Map ◽  
Bactrocera Tryoni ◽  
South Wales ◽  
New Distribution

Abstract A new distribution map is provided for Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt) Diptera: Tephritidae Attacks fruits (including fruit-vegetables such as tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) and Capsicum). Information is given on the geographical distribution in NORTH AMERICA, USA, California, SOUTH AMERICA, Easter Island, OCEANIA, Australia, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia, French Polynesia, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea.

Alternanthera sessilis (sessile joyweed).

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julissa Rojas-Sandoval ◽  
Pedro Acevedo-Rodríguez
Keyword(s):  
The United States ◽  
Alkaline Soils ◽  
Floodplain Wetlands ◽  
Invasive Weed ◽  
Ephemeral Pools ◽  
Disturbed Areas ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Dry Conditions ◽  
Noxious Weed ◽  
Black Cotton Soils

Abstract A. sessilis is a pioneer species typically growing on disturbed areas and in wetland habitats, and regarded as a fast-growing highly invasive weed. It is adapted to grow on a range of soil types ranging from poor sandy or alkaline soils, to loam or black cotton soils. It is also able to grow in seasonally-waterlogged areas as well as in areas with extreme dry conditions (Holm et al., 1997). A. sessilis can be found invading floodplain wetlands, margins of rivers, streams, canals, ditches, ponds, reservoirs, tanks, marshes, swamps, wet low-lying ground, ephemeral pools, seasonal pans and damp forest. This species is also a weed in fields with sorghum, millet, Eleusine spp., maize, cotton, cassava, cereal crops, pastures, and vegetable farms (Gupta, 2014). Consequently, this species has been listed as invasive in India, South Africa, Namibia, Spain, Hawaii and many other islands in the Pacific Ocean (see distribution table for details). It is also listed as a noxious weed in the United States (USDA-NRCS, 2014).

Identification of key environmental variables associated with the presence of Toothed Leionema (Leionema bilobum serrulatum) in the Strzelecki Ranges, Victoria, Australia

2011 ◽  
Vol 59 (3) ◽  
pp. 207
Author(s):  
Wendy Wright ◽  
Xuan Zhu ◽  
Mateusz Okurowski
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Habitat Suitability ◽  
Rare Species ◽  
Environmental Variables ◽  
Geographical Information Systems ◽  
Predictive Modelling ◽  
Geographical Information ◽  
Suitable Habitat ◽  
Small Tree ◽  
Disturbed Areas

Toothed Leionema is one of four subspecies of Leionema bilobum from the Rutaceae family. A dense shrub or small tree, growing to ~4 m high, it is a poorly investigated species which is considered rare in Victoria, Australia. This paper presents the results of a study using Geographical Information Systems and Weights-of-Evidence predictive modelling to assess the importance of seven environmental factors in determining habitat suitability for this species in the Strzelecki Ranges, Victoria. This method is particularly useful in understanding the distribution of rare species, especially where the ecology of the species of interest is not well understood. Of the seven environmental factors considered here, four were found to be important: elevation, aspect, distance to water and distance to plantation (disturbed) areas. The modelling results indicate that areas with elevations between 350 and 550 m and a dominant south-western aspect that are close to plantation areas (within 700 m), and to water (within 1100–1200 m), provide potentially suitable habitat for Toothed Leionema in the region.

scholarly journals A comparison of two surveys of invertebrates at Pacific Ocean islands: the giant clam at Raivavae Island, Australes Archipelago, French Polynesia

2009 ◽  
Vol 66 (9) ◽  
pp. 1825-1836 ◽  
Author(s):  
Serge Andréfouët ◽  
Kim Friedman ◽  
Antoine Gilbert ◽  
Georges Remoissenet
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Ocean ◽  
Fishery Management ◽  
Satellite Image ◽  
Standing Stock ◽  
French Polynesia ◽  
Giant Clam ◽  
Coverage Density ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The Status ◽  
Ocean Islands

Abstract Andréfouët, S., Friedman, K., Gilbert, A., and Remoissenet, G. 2009. A comparison of two surveys of invertebrates at Pacific Ocean islands: the giant clam at Raivavae Island, Australes Archipelago, French Polynesia. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 66: 1825–1836. An assessment of invertebrate fisheries is currently taking place at several Pacific Ocean islands. The objectives are to obtain either detailed information on certain stocks at limited sites or to assess more broadly a variety of benthic resources across different islands. In French Polynesia, giant clam (Tridacna maxima) populations were surveyed by Service de la Pêche and Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (SPE/IRD). Sampling was optimized to determine stock abundance as a tool to enhance management of the clam fishery. Currently, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) is investigating throughout the Pacific the status of invertebrate resources; a large-scale study not necessarily establishing a precise stock estimate for resources such as clams, but comparing resource status for several target species using coverage, density, and size measures. Raivavae Island (French Polynesia) was investigated by both programmes and offered an opportunity to verify whether the different sampling schedules provided consistent perspectives of the status of the T. maxima resource. The different strategies that SPE/IRD and SPC adopted resulted in no direct spatial overlap between the locations investigated: nevertheless, the ranges of densities and clam sizes recorded were generally consistent between surveys, and both programmes described similar spatial variation in clam presence at an island scale. SPE/IRD provided a detailed map of clam densities per habitat using a high-resolution satellite image, which yielded an estimated standing stock of 8.16 ± 0.91 million clams, representing a flesh biomass of 354 ± 41 t. SPC's study delivered coverage, density, and clam length, but no stock estimate. Unavailable from SPE/IRD, SPC also described the status of a variety of important invertebrate species targeted by fishers in the Pacific. Both programmes independently made similar fishery management recommendations. The relative merits and complementarities of the two approaches in the context of Pacific Ocean Island resource management are discussed.

Taxonomy and biogeography of Molgolaimus Ditlevsen, 1921 (Nematoda: Chromadoria) with reference to the origins of deep sea nematodes

2006 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gustavo Fonseca ◽  
Ann Vanreusel ◽  
Wilfrieda Decraemer
Keyword(s):  
Deep Sea ◽  
Tail Length ◽  
Species Level ◽  
Weddell Sea ◽  
Similar Species ◽  
Disturbed Areas ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Morphometric Features ◽  
Total Community ◽  
The Pacific Ocean

Molgolaimus is a genus of free-living marine nematodes which is found in high densities (10–35% of the total community) up to 2000 m depth. Its occurrence is often associated with organically enriched and recently disturbed areas. Currently, only 16 species have been described, mainly from shallow waters. The present study contributes 17 new species mainly from the Weddell Sea but also from the Pacific Ocean, and provides an illustrated polytomous identification key to species level. The 33 Molgolaimus species described can be identified based on just a few morphometric features: spicule length, body length, anal body diameter, tail length and pharynx length. A first insight into the biogeography of this deep sea genus at species level is presented. A comparison of morphometric characteristics between species suggests that the most similar species co-occur in the same geographical region, rather than within the same bathymetric zones or similar ecosystems separated over long distances. These observations suggest that deep sea nematodes may not have a common origin but might have derived “recently” from shallow water taxa. Therefore, global distribution of nematodes could be explained by means of palaeogeographical events.

scholarly journals Notes on the status of Kuhl's Lorikeet Vini kuhlii in the Northern Line Islands, Kiribati

1995 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 481-489 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dick Watling
Keyword(s):  
French Polynesia ◽  
Small Population ◽  
Disjunct Distribution ◽  
Christmas Island ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Ship Rat ◽  
Austral Islands ◽  
The Status ◽  
Line Islands

SummaryKuhl's Lorikeet Vini kuhlii has a precarious status reflected by its disjunct distribution in the Pacific, with surviving populations in the Northern Line (Kiribati) and Austral Islands (French Polynesia) some 3,000 km apart, possibly as a result of Polynesian trade in red feathers. The species is extinct in the southern Cook Islands. On Rimatara (Austral Islands), where it is believed indigenous, it is still common but the recent introduction of the Rattus norvegicus is of concern. In the Northern Line Islands, R. rattus appears to have all but extirpated the lorikeet on Tabuaeran (Fanning Island), but one small population has apparently survived for over 70 years, an explanation for which may guide in situ conservation of Vini lorikeets on ship-rat-infested islands elsewhere. The arid and unpredictable climate of Kiritimati (Christmas Island) may preclude the establishment of lorikeets. Only on Teraina (Washington Island), where over 1,000 V. kuhlii survive, are there no confirmed threats and good in situ conservation potential.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document