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796 results on '"Vitousek, Peter"'

5. Microclimatic Effects of Ko (Sugarcane, Saccharum officinarum) Row Planting in the Leeward Kohala Field System, Hawai'i Island

Author

Burnett, Michael W., Coleman, Duncan, Saiz, Gabriel, Bacasen, Kiara, Luccioni, Marina, Marshall, Kehaulani, and Vitousek, Peter M.

Subjects
Soil moisture -- Environmental aspects, Precipitation (Meteorology) -- Environmental aspects, Sugarcane -- Growth -- Environmental aspects, Company growth, Earth sciences, Science and technology
Abstract

The Leeward Kohala Field System (LKFS) on Hawai'i Island once featured over 60 [km.sup.2] of productive, rain-fed croplands. For several centuries, its occupants cultivated 'uala (Ipomoea batatas, sweet potato) as a staple crop between kuaiwi (earthen or rock walls) planted with ko (Saccharum officinarum, sugarcane). These raised ko rows could have influenced 'uala growth through an array of microclimatic processes, including wind abatement, shading, and the redistribution of moisture. While such effects are frequently mentioned in the literature, efforts to directly quantify them and relate them to 'uala production have been lacking. We measured wind speeds, precipitation rates, solar illuminance, soil moisture, and 'uala yields along a transect through three ko rows within the LKFS. Ko rows proved effective windbreaks, reducing near-surface wind speeds by up to 90% and for distances of up to 10 m. The rows also concentrated wind-blown moisture at their upwind edges while creating rain shadows 5-6 m in length. 'Uala yields peaked at 3.8-6.0 kg [m.sup.-2] near the center of inter-row space, probably because 'uala were energy-limited during the wet study period and grew slowly when shaded by the ko. A zone of low turbulence leeward of each ko row also appeared to benefit 'uala growth. Additional measurements are needed to investigate the landscape-level hydrologic effects of ko row planting. Our findings will help guide ongoing efforts to expand agricultural and educational activities in the LKFS. Keywords: sugarcane, sweet potato, traditional agriculture, windbreaks, row planting, microclimates, traditional ecological knowledge, land stewardship, HAWAIIANS WERE UNIQUE within pre-contact Polynesia for their reliance on--and mastery of--dryland agriculture (Lincoln and Vitousek 2017). After beginning to farm in fertile lowlands and river valleys, Hawaiians expanded their [...]

Published
2023

14. Tribute to Professor Dieter Mueller-Dombois

Author

Jacobi, James D., Drake, Donald R., Duffy, David, Kitayama, Kanehiro, and Vitousek, Peter

Subjects
Mueller-Dombois, Dieter, College teachers -- Biography, Earth sciences, Science and technology
Abstract

WE WERE ALL SADDENED to learn of the passing of Professor Dieter Mueller-Dombois on July 19, 2022. He was a giant in the field of ecology and an inspiration to [...]

Published
2023

16. Changes in belowground biodiversity during ecosystem development

Author

Delgado-Baquerizo, Manuel, Bardgett, Richard D., Vitousek, Peter M., Maestre, Fernando T., Williams, Mark A., Eldridge, David J., Lambers, Hans, Neuhauser, Sigrid, Gallardo, Antonio, García-Velázquez, Laura, Sala, Osvaldo E., Abades, Sebastián R., Alfaro, Fernando D., Berhe, Asmeret A., Bowker, Matthew A., Currier, Courtney M., Cutler, Nick A., Hart, Stephen C., Hayes, Patrick E., Hseu, Zeng-Yei, Kirchmair, Martin, Peña-Ramírez, Victor M., Pérez, Cecilia A., Reed, Sasha C., Santos, Fernanda, Siebe, Christina, Sullivan, Benjamin W., Weber-Grullon, Luis, and Fierer, Noah

Published
2019

26. Erosion, Geological History, and Indigenous Agriculture: A Tale of Two Valleys

Author

Vitousek, Peter M., Chadwick, Oliver A., Hilley, George, Kirch, Patrick V., and Ladefoged, Thegn N.

Subjects
Life Sciences, Nature Conservation, Geoecology/Natural Processes, Environmental Management, Zoology, Plant Sciences, Ecology, erosion, geomorphology, Hawai’i, human–environment interaction, intensive agriculture, irrigation, soil fertility, subsidence, weathering
Abstract

Irrigated pondfields and rainfed field systems represented alternative pathways of agricultural intensification that were unevenly distributed across the Hawaiian Archipelago prior to European contact, with pondfields on wetter soils and older islands and rainfed systems on fertile, moderate-rainfall upland sites on younger islands. The spatial separation of these systems is thought to have contributed to the dynamics of social and political organization in pre-contact Hawai’i. However, deep stream valleys on older Hawaiian Islands often retain the remains of rainfed dryland agriculture on their lower slopes. We evaluated why rainfed agriculture developed on valley slopes on older but not younger islands by comparing soils of Pololū Valley on the young island of Hawai’i with those of Hālawa Valley on the older island of Moloka’i. Alluvial valley-bottom and colluvial slope soils of both valleys are enriched 4–5-fold in base saturation and in P that can be weathered, and greater than 10-fold in resin-extractable P and weatherable Ca, compared to soils of their surrounding uplands. However, due to an interaction of volcanically driven subsidence of the young island of Hawai’i with post-glacial sea level rise, the side walls of Pololū Valley plunge directly into a flat valley floor, whereas the alluvial floor of Hālawa Valley is surrounded by a band of fertile colluvial soils where rainfed agricultural features were concentrated. Only 5% of Pololū Valley supports colluvial soils with slopes between 5° and 12° (suitable for rainfed agriculture), whereas 16% of Hālawa Valley does so. The potential for integrated pondfield/rainfed valley systems of the older Hawaiian Islands increased their advantage in productivity and sustainability over the predominantly rainfed systems of the younger islands.

Published
2010

39. Nitrogen and Nature

Author

Vitousek, Peter M., Hättenschwiler, Stephan, and Allison, Steven

Published
2002

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