A living guide to Kauaʻi
Kauaʻi species, habitats and conservation records
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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Periphyton grazing in streams
Removal of attached algae and biofilms by native and introduced grazers.
Stream-to-ocean export of organic matter and organisms
Downstream export of detritus, nutrients, plankton and organisms that subsidizes estuaries and nearshore waters.
Coral spawning
Synchronous or seasonal release of coral gametes into the water column.
Coral fertilization
Fusion of coral gametes and early embryonic development.
Coral planula dispersal
Transport of coral larvae by currents before settlement.
Coral larval settlement
Attachment and metamorphosis of competent coral larvae onto suitable substrate.
Coral recruitment
Survival and growth of settled juvenile corals into detectable reef population members.
Coral calcification
Biological precipitation of calcium carbonate skeleton by reef-building corals.
Reef accretion
Net accumulation of carbonate framework and reef structure through calcification and sediment binding.
Bioerosion
Biological breakdown of reef carbonate by borers, grazers and excavators.
Coral-algal space competition
Competition for benthic space and light between corals and algae.
Benthic–pelagic coupling on reefs
Exchange of particles, plankton, nutrients and metabolites between the water column and benthic organisms.
Suspension and filter feeding
Removal of plankton and particles from water by corals, sponges, bivalves and other suspension feeders.
Reef structural habitat formation
Creation of three-dimensional habitat by corals and other framework-building organisms.
Reef disease dynamics
Emergence, transmission and ecological effects of coral and other reef diseases.
Bleaching and symbiont loss
Stress-driven loss or dysfunction of coral symbionts, with potential mortality or later recovery.
Anchialine groundwater–seawater mixing
Subsurface mixing that creates brackish anchialine conditions.
Anchialine tidal pumping
Tidal rise and fall transmitted through subterranean connections without a surface ocean channel.
Anchialine algal grazing
Grazing of algae and microbial films by native anchialine shrimp and other invertebrates.
Wetland drawdown and reflooding cycle
Alternation of exposed and inundated conditions that resets vegetation and food availability.
Managed wetland disturbance mosaic
Mowing, disking, grazing, cultivation or water-level management that produces shifting wetland habitat states.
Kalo-loʻi aquatic habitat cycling
Hydrologic and cultivation cycles in loʻi that can maintain shallow-water feeding and nesting habitat.
Estuarine nursery function
Use of estuarine habitats by juvenile fishes and invertebrates during growth and transition stages.
Salinity-gradient ecological sorting
Species and process zonation along freshwater-to-marine salinity gradients.
Wetland and estuarine nutrient transformation
Coupled sedimentation, uptake and microbial processing of nutrients in flooded environments.
Wetland invertebrate production
Production of aquatic invertebrate prey supporting waterbirds, fishes and other consumers.
Tropical-cyclone disturbance
Wind, rainfall, flooding, salt spray and wave disturbance from tropical storms and hurricanes.
High-surf disturbance
Physical disturbance of reefs, beaches, rocky shores and coastal vegetation by large waves.
Drought stress
Water limitation that affects plant function, streamflow, wetlands, fire risk and species survival.
Wildfire
Combustion disturbance that removes biomass, alters soil and favors fire-adapted or invasive vegetation.
Invasive grass–fire feedback
Positive feedback in which fire-promoting grasses increase fire likelihood and post-fire grass dominance.
Flash-flood disturbance
Abrupt high-flow disturbance affecting streams, valleys, estuaries and sediment delivery.
Disease outbreak
Rapid increase in infectious disease prevalence or mortality within a population or community.
Invasive-species pressure
Ecological pressure created by introduced predators, competitors, herbivores, pathogens or ecosystem engineers.
Regime shift
Persistent reorganization from one ecological state to another after thresholds are crossed.
Ecological resistance
Capacity of an ecosystem or population to withstand disturbance without large state change.
Ecological resilience
Capacity to absorb disturbance and recover structure, function or process.
Post-disturbance recovery
Reassembly, recruitment, growth and process restoration following disturbance.
Phenological synchrony
Timing alignment among flowering, fruiting, pollinators, migrants, prey or environmental conditions.
Phenological mismatch
Loss of timing alignment among interacting species or environmental cues.
Resource pulses
Short-lived increases in food, water, nutrients, prey or reproductive resources.
Cumulative and synergistic disturbance
Combined effects of multiple pressures that exceed or alter the effect of any single stressor.
Ungulate browsing and vegetation removal
Consumption and trampling by feral or managed ungulates that reduces understory and regeneration.
Feral-pig rooting and soil disturbance
Rooting, wallowing and trampling that mixes soil, removes vegetation and alters runoff and pathogen exposure.
Rat seed predation and regeneration suppression
Consumption of seeds, fruits, seedlings or reproductive structures by introduced rats.
Rat and cat predation on birds
Predation by introduced mammals on adult birds, chicks and eggs.
Nonnative dispersal of invasive plants
Spread of invasive plants by introduced birds, mammals, water, vehicles or human movement.
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.
