Nihoa: Difference between revisions

==Ecology==

[[File:Millerbird2.jpg|thumb|Nihoa millerbird]]

Nihoa's inaccessibility and lack of major guano deposits made the island unattractive to humans, helping to preserve its [[Endemism|endemic]] species from extinction. Because of Nihoa's small size, most of its endemic organisms are [[endangered species|endangered]], as one single disaster such as an island-wide fire or an introduction of [[invasive species]] could wipe out the whole population. One such invasive species is the [[Schistocerca nitens|gray bird grasshopper]], ''Schistocerca nitens''; from the period between 1999 and 2003, grasshoppers devastated much of the vegetation on the island and posed a real threat to the continued health of plants on Nihoa.<ref name="Litts">{{harvnb|Liittschwager|Middleton|2005|p=94}}</ref> The following year, the numbers decreased and the vegetation became lush again. The grasshoppers probably came to Nihoa by way of wind from [[Kauai]].