Strawberry guava invasion of a Hawaiian rainforest: Changing population patterns

Strawberry guava (waiawī, Psidium cattleyanum Sabine, Myrtaceae) is a small tree invasive on oceanic islands where it may alter forest ecosystem processes and community structure. To better understand the dynamics of its invasion in Hawaiian rainforests in anticipation of the release of a biocontrol agent, we measured growth and abundance of vertical stems ≥0.5 cm DBH for 16 years (2005–2020) in Metrosideros‐Cibotium rainforest on windward Hawai'i Island. Specifically, we compared the growth and abundance of both shoots (originating from seed or from the root mat) and sprouts (originating above ground from established stems) in four replicate study sites. Mean stem density increased from 9562 stems/ha in 2005 to 26,595 stems/ha in 2020, the majority of which were stems