https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/166 Project MUSE®: Latest articles in Pacific Science. daily 1 2026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00 text/html en-US Vol. 55 (2001) through current issue Latest Articles: Pacific Science TWO Project MUSE® Pacific Science 1534-6188 0030-8870 Latest articles in Pacific Science. Feed provided by Project MUSE® https://muse.jhu.edu/article/987424 <p></p> Polynesian rats (Rattus exulans), also known as &#39;iole in &#39;&#x14D;lelo Hawai&#39;i and kiore in M&#x101;ori, with origins traced back to Southeast Asia, have a combined native and introduced range that spans half the globe (Williams 1973, van der Geer 2020; Figure 1). Rattus exulans is unique in that it does not hybridize with any other species, existing in its introduced range for at least seven centuries. Consequently, R. exulans has been used as a commensal model to trace the prehistoric movement of people throughout the Pacific Islands (Matisoo-Smith and Robins 2004). As a species that has been introduced by ancestral Polynesians, R. exulans is recognized as valuable for some groups in the Pacific that may view them as deified ... <a href="https://muse.jhu.edu/article/987432">Read More</a> Project MUSE® https://muse.jhu.edu/ 2026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00 https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/166/image/coversmall Biology and Impacts of Pacific Island Invasive Species. 20. Rattus exulans, the Polynesian Rat (Rodentia: Muridae) 2026-04-09 text/html en-US Biology and Impacts of Pacific Island Invasive Species. 20. Rattus exulans, the Polynesian Rat (Rodentia: Muridae) 2026-04-09 2026 TWO Project MUSE® 396001 2026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00 2026-04-09 https://muse.jhu.edu/article/987425 <p></p> From remote volcanic peaks to densely populated coastlines, the islands of the Pacific Basin have become an unintentional refuge for some of the world&#39;s most pervasive invasive wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). Among them, the yellowjackets (Vespula germanica, V. pensylvanica, and V. vulgaris) stand out as formidable invaders whose ecological impacts are far-reaching. Introduced through accidental transport and human commerce, these generalist predators have established thriving populations across diverse Pacific landscapes, disrupting ecosystems, biodiversity, and agriculture in the areas they invade (van Zyl et al. 2018, Lester and Beggs 2019, Wilson Rankin 2021).These social wasps leverage their excellent sense of ... <a href="https://muse.jhu.edu/article/987432">Read More</a> Project MUSE® https://muse.jhu.edu/ 2026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00 https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/166/image/coversmall Biology and Impacts of Pacific Island Invasive Species. 21. Vespula germanica, V. pensylvanica, and V. vulgaris Yellowjackets (Vespidae) 2026-04-09 text/html en-US Biology and Impacts of Pacific Island Invasive Species. 21. Vespula germanica, V. pensylvanica, and V. vulgaris Yellowjackets (Vespidae) 2026-04-09 2026 TWO Project MUSE® 368786 2026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00 2026-04-09 https://muse.jhu.edu/article/987426 <p></p> Migratory marine species, such as seabirds, marine mammals, tunas, and turtles, travel long distances and exhibit cycles of seasonal movements triggered by food availability, local climate, reproduction, or as a response to complete their biological cycle (Lascelles et al. 2014). Sea turtle hatchlings enter the ocean and proceed to go through a phase known as &#x22;the lost years,&#x22; or oceanic stage, during which their movements and behavior remain poorly understood. While it was originally assumed that hatchlings drift passively with the ocean currents (Carr 1987, Pritchard 1997), more recent studies suggest they might actually engage in active swimming (Putman and Mansfield 2015). Later in life, individuals go through ... <a href="https://muse.jhu.edu/article/987432">Read More</a> Project MUSE® https://muse.jhu.edu/ 2026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00 https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/166/image/coversmall Mixed-Stock Composition Analyses Suggest Michoacán and Revillagigedo as the Principal Sources of Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas) Foraging Grounds Populations in the Baja California Peninsula 2026-04-09 text/html en-US Mixed-Stock Composition Analyses Suggest Michoacán and Revillagigedo as the Principal Sources of Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas) Foraging Grounds Populations in the Baja California Peninsula 2026-04-09 2026 TWO Project MUSE® 93979 2026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00 2026-04-09 https://muse.jhu.edu/article/987427 <p></p> Island species often experience pressures related to limited habitat heterogeneity, reduced food resources, low predation, and interspecific competition (Van Valen 1973, Lomolino 1985, Runemark et al. 2014). A commonly observed change in island species is the body size, where some species exhibit larger forms among small-bodied species and smaller forms among large-bodied species as a response to competitive release and the availability of food resources in these isolated environments (Van Valen 1973, Lomolino 1985). Such changes have been documented in some reptile groups such as snakes (Madsen and Shine 1992, Pearson et al. 2002), lizards (Roitberg 2007, Anaya-Meraz and Escobedo-Galv&#xE1;n 2020, Siliceo-Cantero et ... <a href="https://muse.jhu.edu/article/987432">Read More</a> Project MUSE® https://muse.jhu.edu/ 2026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00 https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/166/image/coversmall Effect of Insularity on Sexual Dimorphism and Habitat Use in an Isolated Population of Sceloporus clarkii (Reptilia: Phrynosomatidae) 2026-04-09 text/html en-US Effect of Insularity on Sexual Dimorphism and Habitat Use in an Isolated Population of Sceloporus clarkii (Reptilia: Phrynosomatidae) 2026-04-09 2026 TWO Project MUSE® 111255 2026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00 2026-04-09 https://muse.jhu.edu/article/987428 <p></p> Conservation has long focused on maintaining intact or historical ecosystems and combatting species introductions by humans. However, novel ecosystems with communities comprised of both native and well-established nonnative species are becoming the global norm (Seastedt et al. 2008, Hobbs et al. 2009, Marris et al. 2013). Nonnative species, a blanket term for species not historically from a certain geographic area, can either be &#x22;invasive,&#x22; causing negative ecological or economic effects, or they can have effects that are undetermined, neutral, or even positive (Py&#x161;ek 1995, Davis and Thompson 2000, Colautti and MacIsaac 2004, Iannone et al. 2021). Discerning the relative benefits and harm of nonnative species to ... <a href="https://muse.jhu.edu/article/987432">Read More</a> Project MUSE® https://muse.jhu.edu/ 2026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00 https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/166/image/coversmall When Invasions Collide: Minimal Indirect Effects of Invasive Snakes on Rodent-Mediated Seed Predation 2026-04-09 text/html en-US When Invasions Collide: Minimal Indirect Effects of Invasive Snakes on Rodent-Mediated Seed Predation 2026-04-09 2026 TWO Project MUSE® 94734 2026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00 2026-04-09 https://muse.jhu.edu/article/987429 <p></p> The Convention on Biological Diversity advocates the establishment of representative marine protected areas in the high seas, including deep seas, to strengthen the protection and management of vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs), such as seamounts, and to safeguard biodiversity, including cold-water corals (Watling and Auster 2017, Baker et al. 2018, Xie and Yin 2019, Combes et al. 2021, Gros et al. 2022). These efforts have been included in the negotiations of the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction framework (e.g., Rogers et al. 2021). The tropical western Pacific Ocean, with its high biodiversity, is proposed as a priority protection area; however, gaps remain in our understanding of the deep-sea ... <a href="https://muse.jhu.edu/article/987432">Read More</a> Project MUSE® https://muse.jhu.edu/ 2026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00 https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/166/image/coversmall Studies on Western Pacific Gorgonians (Anthozoa: Octocorallia: Primnoidae). Part 4: Genera Callogorgia, Calyptrophora, Paracalyptrophora, and Candidella, with Descriptions of a New Genus and Ten New Species 2026-04-09 text/html en-US Studies on Western Pacific Gorgonians (Anthozoa: Octocorallia: Primnoidae). Part 4: Genera Callogorgia, Calyptrophora, Paracalyptrophora, and Candidella, with Descriptions of a New Genus and Ten New Species 2026-04-09 2026 TWO Project MUSE® 263071 2026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00 2026-04-09 https://muse.jhu.edu/article/987430 <p></p> The small Indian mongoose, Urva auro-punctata (hereafter &#x22;mongoose&#x22;), is a slender-bodied mammal introduced to Hawai&#39;i in 1883 to control rat (Rattus spp.) populations in sugarcane fields (Baldwin et al. 1952, Doty 1945 in Berensten et al. 2018). However, using mongooses as a biocontrol failed because rats are primarily nocturnal, while mongooses are strictly diurnal and not adept at climbing trees (Nellis and Everard 1983). Mongooses are found on all the main Hawaiian Islands except Kaho&#39;olawe, L&#x101;na&#39;i, Ni&#39;ihau, and possibly Kaua&#39;i (Duffy et al. 2015, Tomich 1986 in Mostello and Conant 2018). They live at elevations from sea level to 3,048 meters and inhabit all types of habitats in Hawai&#39;i, including wetlands ... <a href="https://muse.jhu.edu/article/987432">Read More</a> Project MUSE® https://muse.jhu.edu/ 2026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00 https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/166/image/coversmall Frequency of Small Indian Mongoose (Carnivora: Herpestidae) Predations on Nests of Endemic Hawaiian Waterbirds 2026-04-09 text/html en-US Frequency of Small Indian Mongoose (Carnivora: Herpestidae) Predations on Nests of Endemic Hawaiian Waterbirds 2026-04-09 2026 TWO Project MUSE® 63903 2026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00 2026-04-09 https://muse.jhu.edu/article/987431 <p></p> The longnose conger Rhynchoconger ectenurus (Jordan and Richardson 1909), belonging to the Congridae family in the Anguilliformes order, is a representative demersal species that occurs over the sandy bottoms of the continental shelf and slope in the subtropical Western Pacific Ocean. In China, its distribution range is mainly from the offshore waters of Zhoushan Archipelago to the northern South China Sea (Chen and Zhang 2015). As a bycatch of bottom trawl fisheries in the East China Sea, the economic value of R. ectenurus is relatively low, and it can only be processed into fish meal in the feed industry. So far, there has seldom been research on this fish species, and genetic data from R. ectenurus is also very ... <a href="https://muse.jhu.edu/article/987432">Read More</a> Project MUSE® https://muse.jhu.edu/ 2026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00 https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/166/image/coversmall Next-Generation Sequencing Explores the Complete Mitogenomic Characteristics of Rhynchoconger ectenurus (Anguilliformes, Congridae): Uncustomary Gene Arrangement and Phylogenetic Relationship 2026-04-09 text/html en-US Next-Generation Sequencing Explores the Complete Mitogenomic Characteristics of Rhynchoconger ectenurus (Anguilliformes, Congridae): Uncustomary Gene Arrangement and Phylogenetic Relationship 2026-04-09 2026 TWO Project MUSE® 103305 2026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00 2026-04-09 https://muse.jhu.edu/article/987432 <p></p> I was appointed as editor of Pacific Science in March 2020. The editorship has been a rewarding experience, but after five years I feel that new blood is essential to keeping the journal moving forward. These are my thoughts on the past five years and the future.Just as I was taking over, the press removed the page charge fee for submissions while offering a reasonable charge for Open Access. The press also continued to publish online color images at no charge. This was and remains a very attractive arrangement for authors, especially now in these days of constricted funding.At the same time, the press implemented an online manuscript management system known as EJP, or eJournal, but nicknamed HAL for its quirks. ... <a href="https://muse.jhu.edu/article/987432">Read More</a> Project MUSE® https://muse.jhu.edu/ 2026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00 https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/166/image/coversmall Words from a Departing Editor 2026-04-09 text/html en-US Words from a Departing Editor 2026-04-09 2026 TWO Project MUSE® 4774 2026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00 2026-04-09