'Akeke'e/Kauai Akepa Honeycreeper
By: Katelyn Olboc
Getting To Know The Basics About Me:
Akeke’e
Hi, I am a ‘Akeke’e, a Hawaiian Honeycreeper Bird; and our scientific name is Loxops Ceruleirostris. If you are wondering about what our name means, then let me explain a little about it. Ke’e means bent or crooked. Loxops means twisted face. They gave us this name because we are known for our asymmetric bill.
We eat insects and sometimes feed on nectar from some trees. We use our helpful bill like some kind of scissor to cut open buds to get our insects. I live on Kaua’i in the native forests with high elevation. Although, our population is dropping due to habitat loss, non-native rats and plants. Our population is around 310 to 1,000 birds. It will mostly likely drop a little more because our population is decreasing.
Our habitat is in Kauai. It’s a safe place for us because there are forests that are above 3,600 feet; which is a place that is too cool for mosquitoes. But, recently the temperature has gotten higher and the warmer climate is allowing mosquitoes to widen their range and get closer to us. The things that would help us survive would be, a habitat high up enough to where we won't be threatened by mosquitoes because they are partly the reason why our population is dropping.
What is Pilina and adaptive radiation?
Selective Pressures And Directional Selection
Our species were originally from Kauai. We are an endemic species to the island of Kauai. We live pretty happily on Kauai, but we are constantly being pressured by predators. We change a lot in our lifestyle due to those threats. Like I said before, our population is a very small group and we travel together. We have many selective pressures among us, but we do everything in our power to survive.
Our selective pressures would be environmental changes and predators/invasive species. One selective pressure would be predators/invasive species because we are currently endangered partly because of them. Mosquitoes are our predator and we are also threatened by avian malaria, habitat degradation and the negative effects that introduced species have on its habitat and prey. That brings me to our second selective pressure: environment changes. Like I said in the beginning, we are constantly in danger because of our other pressures, meaning we move a lot; and moving means we have to adapt to the new environment.
I would say that this would be a directional selection. We all travel as a group and adapt to the new environment together. There is no special trait that is favored or an intermediate form of a trait in an organism that is selected. All alleles (traits) frequency shifts in one direction. That is all I have to share with all you folks, have a nice day!
Adaptive Radiation, Phylogenic Tree, and Extra Pics!!
Adaptive Radiation..
Extra Picture of the Kauai Akepa//'Akeke'e
Phylogenic Tree
References:
Megan Edgar. (2015). 10 Species to see in Hawaii before climate changes eliminates them forever. Retrieved from https://matadornetwork.com/pulse/10-species-see-hawaii-climate-change-eliminates-forever/
Fish and Wildlife Service. (2016). Endangered And Threatened Wildlife. Retrieved from https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2016/02/17/2016-03256/endangered-and-threatened-wildlife-technical-corrections-for-eight-wildlife-species-on-the-list-of
No author stated. (2002-2013). Field guide to birds of North America. Retrieved from https://identify.whatbird.com/obj/1167/_/Akekee.aspx#:~:text=The%20Akekee%20is%20a%20small%20Hawaiian%20Honeycreeper%20endemic,trees%20for%20nesting%20and%20foraging%20for%20small%20arthropods.
Contact for feedback:
Email: katelynolboc@kiheicharter.org
Website: https://www.smore.com/jr840
Phone: (808) 913-7321