Rosemary Bearden
Former PIPES Intern
Email: rbearden@hawaii.edu
Research Area: Conservation, Ecology, Biodiversity, Genetics, Forest Health, Invasive Species, Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death
Research Interests
From North Hilo on Hawaiʻi Island, my passion lies in protecting and conserving our native species, natural resources, and ʻāina as a whole. My research interests include forest health, Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death (ROD), invasive species, plant ecology, and community composition.
Current Projects
My research uses eDNA sampling to compare the arthropod communities in fenced and unfenced forests on Hawaiʻi Island. The unfenced forests have feral ungulates and higher rates of Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death infection than the fenced forests. We use eDNA sampling to determine the arthropod-plant biological associations at different sites and examine community changes resulting from the effects of ROD. Arthropods are useful indicators of forest health which allow us to gauge how our forests are being affected by major disturbances such as ROD. This project gives us an understanding of the negative impacts of ROD on our forest communities so that we can take action to properly address those impacts.
