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Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center
Research at the Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center focuses on providing the scientific understanding and technologies needed to support and implement sound management and conservation of our Nation's biological resources occurring in Hawai'i and other Pacific island locations.
Featured Research
Featured Research
Learn about research to understand power outages caused by brown treensnakes and explore approaches to protect sensitive infrastructure.
News
Inaugural USGS Wildlife Health Awareness Day - April 25, 2025
Inaugural USGS Wildlife Health Awareness Day - April 25, 2025
Mapping hotspots of first detections of non-native species
Mapping hotspots of first detections of non-native species
Non-native plants consistently drive changes in functional traits of plant communities
Non-native plants consistently drive changes in functional traits of plant communities
Publications
Wake Atoll: Evaluation of plant biosecurity Wake Atoll: Evaluation of plant biosecurity
Introduced organisms can cause substantial effects across most landscapes. Island ecosystems, especially tropical islands, are at elevated risk from introduced organisms. The risks are even higher for tropical islands with moderate or high levels of transit, yet this can be minimized by application of appropriate biosecurity requirements. In this study, we examined the potential for non...
Photographic guide to the leaf litter arthropod community of the lowland wet forest ecosystem of the Island of Hawaiʻi Photographic guide to the leaf litter arthropod community of the lowland wet forest ecosystem of the Island of Hawaiʻi
Leaf litter arthropods are important components of the food web in forests, and their presence and diversity can provide information on forest health. There has been very little documentation of the leaf litter arthropods in Hawaiian forest ecosystems. This technical report is a photographic guide to some common arthropods collected from forest leaf litter at the Liko Nā Pilina Hybrid...
Using distance sampling with camera traps to estimate densities of ungulates on tropical oceanic islands Using distance sampling with camera traps to estimate densities of ungulates on tropical oceanic islands
Reliable population estimates are one of the most elementary needs for the management of wildlife, particularly for introduced ungulates on oceanic islands. We aimed to produce accurate and precise density estimates of Philippine deer (Rusa marianna) and wild pigs (Sus scrofa) on Guam using motion-triggered cameras combined with distance sampling to estimate densities from observations...
Science
Brown Treesnake Project
The brown treesnake is an invasive species that decimated many of Guam’s native vertebrate species. Under the leadership of the Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center (Hawaii) and co-located with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at the Guam National Wildlife Refuge, the brown treesnake team works to prevent snakes spreading to other islands, develop and test tools for control efforts on Guam, and...
Brown Treesnake Rapid Response Team
The Brown Treesnake Rapid Response Team (RRT) evaluates snake sightings and quickly deploys when sightings are credible and match a brown treesnake. The RRT is an interagency partnership that cooperatively prevents the spread of brown treesnakes in the United States and territories.
Developing and evaluating a point-of-use environmental DNA test for rapid field detection of highly invasive brown treesnakes
New terrestrial environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling techniques are sensitive tools for early detection of the highly invasive brown treesnakes (BTS). In a new collaborative research effort involving four USGS science centers, scientists have initiated the development of an innovative point-of-use (POU) assay for BTS. POU assays are tests that can be run in the field with minimal equipment and no...