TRACING AN INVASION PARADOX ACROSS SCALES: PATTERNS AND TESTS FOR THE EFFECTS OF THE INTRODUCED PREDATORY , ROI ( ARGUS) IN HAWAI‘I

A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE DIVISION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI‘I AT MĀNOA IN PARTIAL FULFULLMENT OF THE REQUIRMENT FOR THE DEGREE OF

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

IN

ZOOLOGY

April 2017

By Jonatha Lauren Giddens

Dissertation Committee: Alan Friedlander, Chairperson Tamara Ticktin Brian Bowen Mark Hixon John N. Kittinger

© Copyright 2017 – Jonatha Lauren Giddens

All rights reserved.

DEDICATION

This dissertation is dedicated to my family, namely my parents Mary Nancy (Cavallo) Giddens and Craig Giddens. You always encouraged me to find my passion and follow it. You trusted in this process of discovery, even though the way was long and winding. Because your’ parenting nurtured imagination and wonder about the world, I am forever a student of, and an advocate for the ocean, with an ever-growing love (philo) of knowledge (sophy). As Goethe said, “We are shaped and fashioned by what we love”. This work has been shaped by a love of the sea.

In nature we never see anything isolated, but everything in connection with something else which is before it, beside it, under it and over it. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe - 1893

i ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to thank my committee members: Alan Friedlander, John N. Kittinger, Brian Bowen, Mark Hixon, and Tamara Ticktin. Your guidance and support has invited me to seek knowledge deeply, as well as broadly, and in so doing has opened up the world for discovery. Each one of you has contributed to this dissertation in your own unique way: Mark challenged me to think and communicate more clearly, Tamara encouraged positive and grounded work, Brian inspiration me to be creative and a story- teller, and Jack’s enthusiasm is contagious, as is his drive to connect research with real- world problem solving in marine conservation. Alan has been a steadfast support. All have shaped who I now am as a scientist, and I am grateful for the opportunity to be your student. I am grateful to Chuck Birkeland for being a mentor in the truest sense of the word. I would not be here without his guidance and investment in my academic path. Thank you for sharing your interest, insights, enthusiasm, and your music. I would like to thank my lab-mates past and present at the Fisheries Ecology Research Lab (FERL). Mary Donovan, Kosta Stamoulis, Eva Schemmel, Hal Koike, Whitney Goodell, Alex Filous, Paolo Usseglio, Keith Kamakawa, and Kaylyn McCoy– your companionship made graduate school fun. And when it wasn’t fun, well, at least we had each other. I would go to sea and embark on a project with each of you, and indeed I hope we have many more collaborations to come. I especially thank Mary Donovan. We met and became roi buddies, (as we studied the same ), and soon turned into dive buddies, conference buddies, and so much more. Upon entering the graduate Program and right on up to the final defense, you were there with a smile of encouragement and with all of the things that I didn’t even know that I needed yet. The UH Zoology and Marine Biology programs are an ohana. I appreciate the collegiality and support across labs and programs. I especially would like to thank Chris Wall, Eileen Nalley, Courtney Couch, Lillian Tuttle, Rachel Dacks, and Chelsea Council for moral support and academic council. I also thank Nyssa Silbiger and Richard Coleman for their good advise on writing and presentations, and my cousin and colleague Steve Alexander for sharing his insight and expertise. This dissertation research could not have been accomplished without The Nature

ii Conservancy Hawaii Marine Program (TNC). The tremendous fieldwork efforts and community outreach events were possible because of the leadership of Eric Conklin and the magic of Chad Wiggins. In particular, Chapter II and the initiation of Chapter III was a joint project between UH and TNC. Chapter III project management was carried through by TNC, and through all aspects of the dissertation research, the Marine Team has been crucial to its success. On a more personal note, Chad has been instrumental on my path as a marine conservation researcher in Hawaii. Chad introduced me to Puako – the place and the community – and through this partnership I found my way to graduate school and to my place as a scientist. I thank the TNC marine field team for their comradery, excellence, and integrity beyond reproach. Specifically, I thank Russell Amimoto, Kydd Pollock, Zach Caldwell, Rebecca Most, Ryan Carr (yay Thursdays!), and Hank Lynch. Thank you to TNC Marine Fellows Ily Iglesias, Brad Wong, and Nahaku Kalei. Also, thank you to Joe Laughlin for teaching us the tow-board survey protocol for Chapter II. I thank Dwayne Minton for our coffee-shop conversations about the roi progress and the story unfolding. This dissertation relied on the support of the Hawaii spear fishing community. Matthew Ramsey played a pivotal role in connecting this research with the wider community. Through Matt’s work, I was able to connect with and learn from amazing people. Specifically, I would like to acknowledge Darrell Tanaka and all the DEADicated roi divers. I thank Kuhea Paracuelles, Kawika Auld, Rhinehart Jensen, Brian Thomas, Jake Merkel, Derek LeVault, Aaron Mickelson, Kimi Makaiau, and Kawika Duvauchelle. I also acknowledge the following organizations: Hilo Dive Club, Kawabanga Spears, Na Kane o Ke Kai, Selective Aloha, Tokyu Foundation, Topshot spearfishing, and All About Fish Maui. Further, I thank Skippy Hau and Linda Castro, Randy Clarke, John Kahiapo, Sierra Tobiason, Liz and Chelsea Morriss and Diesel. Michael Morris, your love of the ocean is a continued inspiration to us all. I have had the best of mentors throughout the years. I am very grateful to Dr. Bill Walsh and the Kona DAR ohana. Dr. Bill hired me as a fish surveyor in my undergraduate days, and has been a mentor ever since. Likewise, I met Dr. Ivor Williams diving with DAR, and have gone to Ivor for advise on analysis and reef fish ecology ever since. Megan Donahue led a working group on Bayesian analysis, and I am thankful for

iii her sharing her expertise. Marc Nadon helped me clarify ideas during my Chapter II analysis, and shared his expert knowledge of fisheries models. Kyle Edwards taught the most useful class I have ever taken – advanced statistics, and was a great help in thinking through the BACI analysis in Chapter III. Mark Hixon led some of the best seminars for graduate students. I am grateful for the opportunity to not only be exposed to new exciting ideas, but also be challenged to put those ideas into words and affectively communicate the “aha” moments that they inspired. I thank the funding sources that made all of this possible: NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (DGE-1329626); EA Kay (Biology Department); Yoshimoto and Maybelle Roth (EECB); ARCS Foundation; NOAA Hawaii Coral Reef Initiative (NA09NOS4260242); NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (NA10NMF463081); PADI (7886); and the UH Manoa Graduate Student Organization. I also thank Malia Chow, Jonathan Maritinez, and Patty Miller of the Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary for their support of my fellowship applications. I thank the administrative and institutional support; the Biology Department (Audrey Shintani and Pia Dizon); UH Diving Safety Office (Dave Pence, Maria Laamang, Keoki Stender); Hawaii Coral Reef Initiative (Risa Minato); and the Office of Graduate Education (Patricia Cooper and Petra Kubalkova). Also thank you to the Hawaii Conservation Alliance for the Hawaii Conservation Conference every year. It is an integral part of professional development as a conservation scientist in Hawaii. In addition to my own dissertation research, I had the honor of participating as a research assistant with the Coastal SEES (Science, Engineeri