HOME ADVISORY BOARD PROJECTS EDUCATION COMPONENT STANDARDS RESOURCES LINKS
Contact me: felling@hawaii.edu
curriculum vitae | my K-12 project | my research | links |
Acacia koa Candace Felling |
The unique geological, ecological, and biological
resources of the Hawaiian Islands make them an ideal outdoor laboratory in which to
investigate questions relating to ecology, evolution, and conservation biology.
The plants
I study comprise the Hawaiian Acacia complex (commonly referred to as koa).
These are evergreen, nitrogen-fixing, leguminous trees which have evolved in the Hawaiian
environment to become unique taxa that are dominant or co-dominant in 6 out of 8 of the
major forest ecosystems. Koa has been described as Hawaii's premier forest tree and
is highly valued economically (timber), culturally (traditional and modern Hawaiian
ethnobotany), and for its conservation significance (maintenance of Hawaii's watersheds
and preservation of biodiversity). The specific objectives of my research are to:
|
To learn more about the diversity of Koa forests, please click on one of the links below.