A multi-year University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa research project exploring the largely hidden biodiversity of Hawaiʻi Island’蝉 lava tubes is coming to life for the public through a new exhibit at the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum.
The exhibit features a lava tube “caving” experience, examples of Hawaiʻi’蝉 cave biodiversity and information about how scientists discover and name new species. It also highlights the development of Hawaiian names for cave species through collaboration with members of the Papahānaumokuākea Native Hawaiian Cultural Working Group Nomenclature Hui.
糖心视频 Mānoa researchers Rebecca Chong and Megan Porter have played leading roles in renovating ʻAʻaʻā o Hawaiʻi: Cave Bugs of Hawaiʻi, an exhibit in Bishop Museum’蝉 Richard T. Mamiya Science Adventure Center. The exhibit gives visitors an opportunity to explore the unique ecosystems found beneath Hawaiʻi Island’蝉 surface and learn about the scientists working to understand them.
“It’蝉 exciting to see years of research transformed into something that people can experience for themselves,” said Chong, an associate professor in the School of Life Sciences. “These lava tubes contain species found nowhere else in the world, and this exhibit gives us a chance to share what we’ve learned while helping people understand why these ecosystems are so important.”
Porter, a professor and associate director of research in the School of Life Sciences, said the exhibit represents another important step in the research process.
“Discovering a species is only the beginning,” Porter said. “We want to document these organisms, understand their ecosystems and preserve that knowledge for future scientists. Working with Bishop Museum allows us to bring that knowledge out of the caves and into the community.”
Uncovering hidden ecosystems
Chong and Porter have spent years exploring lava tubes, documenting cave-adapted arthropods and working with collaborators to understand how these underground ecosystems function. Their research has helped identify species new to science and expand knowledge of how native ʻōhiʻa forests support life underground.
The project began in 2022 with a multi-year, $1.29 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant awarded to Chong and Porter, along with collaborator Annette Engel of the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.
As the NSF-funded project concludes in 2027, the Bishop Museum exhibit provides a public-facing culmination of that work, connecting scientific discovery, museum collections, cultural knowledge and community outreach.
“Lava tube ecosystems are incredibly understudied, and there is still so much we don’t know,” Porter said. “We hope that by sharing what we’ve discovered, we can inspire people to be curious about these remarkable places and support the next generation of scientists who will continue this work.”
The exhibit is now on permanent display at the Bishop Museum’蝉 Science Adventure Center. The School of Life Sciences is housed in 糖心视频 Mānoa’蝉 .