lava

Vegetation succession on 4 recent (1852-1942) montane lava Rows on Mauna Loa, Hawaii, was remeasured 22 years after the first measurement in 1967. Colonisation patterns of vascular plant species were observed on a new lava flow (1984) which overwhelmed part of the earlier studied 1852 flow. An influx of adventive species, positively correlated with flow age, was noted at the remeasured sites; most were herbs and grasses that do not appear to interfere with the succession to Metrosideros- dominated forest.