A living guide to Kauaʻi
Ecological Processes of Kauaʻi
Explore the island’s native and introduced species, habitats, watersheds and conservation work. Each record connects its description, images and sources with the interactive Atlas.
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Invasive-plant hydrologic alteration
Changes in interception, transpiration, infiltration or runoff caused by vegetation conversion.
Invasive-litter and nutrient-cycle alteration
Changes in decomposition, soil carbon and nutrient availability caused by invasive plant litter.
Nutrient enrichment and eutrophication
Excess nutrient loading that stimulates algal or microbial production and can reduce oxygen or coral condition.
Sediment-pollution delivery to coastal waters
Human-accelerated sediment and attached contaminant transport from disturbed watersheds to reefs.
Freshwater diversion and flow alteration
Changes in stream discharge, baseflow, connectivity or habitat caused by withdrawals and channel modification.
Fishing-mediated trophic alteration
Food-web changes caused by removal or size-selective depletion of predators, herbivores or other consumers.
Artificial-light disruption of seabird movement
Attraction, disorientation or fallout of nocturnally flying seabirds caused by artificial light.
Habitat fragmentation and connectivity loss
Reduction of movement, dispersal and gene flow by land conversion, roads, barriers or degraded corridors.
Restoration-driven succession
Directed ecological change following invasive removal, replanting, fencing, hydrologic repair or other restoration.
Predator-control release response
Improvement in reproduction or recruitment after invasive predator suppression.
Biocontrol-mediated interaction change
Alteration of herbivory, competition or population regulation after introduction of biological control agents.
Ridge-to-reef material transfer
Integrated movement of water, sediment, nutrients, organic matter and pollutants from uplands to reefs.
Forest-to-stream litter subsidy
Input of leaves, wood, fruits and terrestrial invertebrates from riparian vegetation to streams.
Stream-to-estuary subsidy
Delivery of freshwater, nutrients, detritus and organisms from streams into estuaries.
Estuary-to-reef exchange
Movement of organisms, nutrients, particles and water between estuarine and reef habitats.
Marine-to-land seabird nutrient subsidy
Transport of marine-derived nutrients to terrestrial nesting colonies by seabirds.
Reef-to-beach carbonate subsidy
Production and delivery of reef-derived sand and skeletal material to beaches and dunes.
Marine-wrack beach subsidy
Transfer of marine organic matter to beach food webs through stranded algae and other wrack.
Ahupuaʻa-scale hydrologic connectivity
Linked movement of water through upland vegetation, soils, groundwater, streams, wetlands, estuaries and coastal ocean.
Watershed–coastal ecological coupling
Ecological response in estuaries and reefs to changes in upstream flow, sediment, nutrients and land cover.
Cross-realm animal nutrient transfer
Movement of nutrients by animals that feed in one realm and excrete, die, nest or reproduce in another.
