Leonard A. Freed

PhD Iowa (Zoology), 1981

Associate Professor, Department of Zoology

Department of Zoology, University of Hawai`i

2538 McCarthy Mall, Edmondson 152

Honolulu, HI 96822

fax: (808) 956-9812

Avian biology; evolutionary and behavioral ecology; conservation

My research integrates basic concepts in evolutionary and behavioral ecology with problems in conservation and restoration biology. Hawaiian honeycreepers and other native birds provide an opportunity to study aspects of adaptive radiation of an insular fauna with the proximate and ultimate causes of endangerment and extinction. The degradation of forests in which most of the birds remain creates an opportunity to study life history of trees in relation to novel environments for regeneration and restoration. My main research site is Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge on Mauna Kea on the island of Hawai'i. There my students and I are studying the mating system, social behavior and life history of birds in sites with substantial differences in bird densities, and we are mapping the forest and documenting associated foliage arthropods to assess the role that habitat quality has on distribution and abundance of insectivorous birds. We have arranged a system of aerial mist nets with which to capture and then color-band and measure birds. With blood samples taken from birds during banding, I collaborate with a geneticist for joint studies in disease, population structure and parentage. We hope to discover the genetic basis of tolerance and resistance to introduced diseases. With the same blood samples, I also collaborate with an endocrinologist for joint studies in sexual selection, plumage variation and circulating levels of key hormones.

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Representative publications

Freed LA, Cann RL. 1989. Integrated conservation strategy for Hawaiian forest birds. Bioscience 39: 475-476.

Freed, L. A. 1988. Demographic and behavioral observations of the Hawaii akepa on Mauna Loa. Elepaio 48: 37-39.

Freed, L. A. 1988. Forced fledging: an investigation of the lengthy nestling period of tropical house wrens. National Geographic Research 4: 395-407.

Freed, L. A., S. Conant, and R. C. Fleischer. 1987. Evolutionary ecology and radiation of Hawaiian passerine birds. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 2: 196-203.

Current students

Tim Male (PhD): fruit dispersal
Winnie Roberts (PhD): honeybee–native bee interactions

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Last update: 5 December 2000
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The University of Hawai`i is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution.