Assessing the impacts of invasive predators on the demography and distribution of native species is critical for understanding mechanisms of species persistence and informing the design of recovery programmes. On the oceanic island of Guam, the introduction of the predatory brown treesnake Boiga irregularis after World War II caused the near-total loss of the native forest avifauna. Localised snake control measures have been implemented since the early 1990s, yet it remains poorly understood how they have impacted Guam’s remaining native bird populations. To address this question, we combined intensive area searches of Andersen Air Force Base (AAFB) with island-wide transect surveys and opportunistic sightings to provide a comprehensive update on the distribution and abundance of Såli (Micronesian Starling, Aplonis opaca) – one of Guam’s last extant native bird species. Area searches of AAFB, where the largest remnant of the Såli population persists, revealed a 15-fold population increase since the last survey in the early 1990s, and transect surveys and opportunistic sightings indicate incipient recolonisation of other urbanised areas of northern and central Guam. We estimate the current island-wide population size at ~1,400 individuals. The population increase can likely be attributed to a combination of snake control measures and the Såli’s ability to exploit urban refugia for nesting and roosting. Although these trends demonstrate some population recovery, a skewed age ratio (>90% adults and subadults) at AAFB and a highly urbanised distribution and low abundance outside AAFB indicate that snake predation continues to strongly impact the population. More intensive snake suppression efforts, particularly in forested areas, may allow for the Såli population to attain its former distribution and abundance on Guam. More broadly, our findings reinforce the importance of urban areas as refugia for some threatened species.

The limestone cliff face overlooking the coastline of Ritidian, on Guam, has revealed several caves with evidence of human activities. Since 2011, archaeological survey and excavation have exposed how use of the caves had changed over time, and that they were the focus of special behaviours, with quite distinct archaeology to that of nearby residential sites. To understand the significance of these caves fully, they must be contextualised within the broader framework of contemporary open-air sites. The result highlights the use of the caves for unique purposes at different times, including as water sources, venues for various art traditions and particular burial customs.

In this exploratory study, a representative community survey of 319 registered voters was conducted in the island of Guam to analyse the relationships between colonial debt (an internalised acceptance of colonisation), resistance to U.S. military presence, support for an impending U.S. military buildup in the island, and the perceived trustworthiness of information sources supportive of the buildup — that is, U.S. officials and the Pacific Daily News, a local newspaper. Results suggest that colonial debt was associated with less resistance to U.S. military presence, more support for the military buildup, and higher trustworthiness of two information sources supportive of the buildup. Resistance to U.S. military presence was linked with less support for the buildup and less trustworthiness of the two information sources. Implications and limitations are discussed.

The type species of Licmophora, L. flabellata (Carm.) C. Ag., is atypical for the genus in having a row of intercalary rimoportulae along the sternum and four plate-like plastids with pyrenoids. The pattern of rimoportulae is sufficiently unique to have prompted the question of whether this species should be separated from the genus. We report here L. comnavmaria sp. nov., which also has a row of intercalary rimoportulae. Its plastids are numerous small plates with a pyrenoid, different from plastids in both L. flabellata and other Licmophora species. Like L. flabellata, the new species forms extensive colonies on long, branched, multistranded mucilage stalks. The new species is distinguished from L. flabellata also by the delicate silicification and the extremely fine striae (55 vs 30–35 in 10 µm). Only one other species, L. pfannkucheae Giffen, has been described with intercalary rimoportulae (plastids unknown) and that species may not be distinct from L. flabellata. Thus the present species is a significant addition to the genus.

Following the 2003 invasion of the armoured scale Aulacaspis yasumatsui to Guam, changes to population traits of the dominant Cycas micronesica were determined. Belt transects with a width of 4 m and an average length of 120 m were established in October 2004 to document plant mortality until January 2011. Stem height, basal diameter and leaf number were also measured for each plant and used to determine density, demography and allometric relationships. Allometric traits and a left-skewed demographic structure of the pre-invasion C. micronesica habitat documented a thriving population with high recruitment potential. Aulacaspis yasumatsui dispersed into the study site 4 mo after the initial census. All seedlings were killed within 9 mo and all juvenile plants were killed within 40 ± 10 mo. Mortality reached 92% by 6 y after chronic scale infestations. Allometry and demography of the 2011 survivors described a collapsing C. micronesica population of stressed and reproductively challenged trees with no recruitment. This classic example of the enemy release hypothesis has resulted in a homogeneous decline in plant density from 2007–2011. The trend predicts extirpation of C. micronesica from west Guam habitats by 2019.

The first known collections of marine algae from Santa Rosa Reef, a submerged seamount located 46 km south-south-west of Guam in the Mariana Islands, occurred at 10.0 to 13.7 m depths in 2003 and 2005. Dasycladus vermicularis, a green alga known predominantly from the Caribbean but also reported from the Philippines in 1976 and the Ryukyus in 1995, and Cutleria irregularis, a brown alga first described from the Hawaiian Islands in 2003, represent the first record of D. vermicularis in the Polynesia–Micronesia region, and the first record of C. irregularis in Micronesia. In total, 8 of the 32 algal species collected at Santa Rosa Reef represent new records for the Mariana Islands.

A sample of vignettes from past and present psychological applications in tropical Guam with an assist from contemporary Singapore. An emphasis on cultural adaptation to an invasion of brown tree snakes is followed by antidotes to teen suicide subsequent a high profile suicidal event. A chaos theory perspective is suggested.

In order to promote cultural sensitivity in addressing mental health problems among the Chamorro people of Guam, the authors conducted a study aimed at exploring indigenous Chamorro alternatives to Western mental health theory. In tape-recorded interviews, thirty Chamorro participants shared their thoughts on Guam's psychosocial problems and the various ways in which Chamorros describe, explain, and address these problems now and historically. The resulting narratives were analyzed through a multi-layered process involving a number of Chamorro and non-Chamorro researchers and the participants themselves. In the spirit of participatory research, direct quotations from the interviews were woven into a synthesized cultural narrative highlighting a multiplicity of participant perspectives. This narrative examines substance abuse, violence, youth and family problems, and socially “bizarre” behavior in the context of cultural changes resulting from modernity and Westernization. The narrative also outlines Chamorro indigenous approaches to helping and healing, including family support, community support, and the use of traditional healers, as well as Chamorro views on Western mental health services. Discussion focuses on the role of mental health discourse in contemporary Chamorro culture.