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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Terrestrial photosynthetic primary production
Conversion of solar energy and CO₂ into plant biomass across forests, shrublands, grasslands and coastal vegetation.
Forest canopy primary production
Biomass production by canopy trees and epiphyte-bearing forest crowns that drives forest energy flow and litter inputs.
Understory primary production
Production by ferns, shrubs, herbs, mosses and seedlings beneath forest canopies.
Freshwater periphyton primary production
Photosynthesis by attached algae and microbial films on stream substrates.
Wetland and macrophyte primary production
Biomass production by emergent, floating and submerged wetland vegetation, including managed loʻi mosaics.
Phytoplankton primary production
Photosynthesis by planktonic algae in estuarine, nearshore and offshore waters.
Benthic limu and turf-algal primary production
Photosynthetic production by macroalgae and algal turfs on rocky shores and reefs.
Coral-symbiont primary production
Photosynthesis by algal symbionts within reef-building corals, transferring energy to coral hosts.
Ecosystem respiration
Biological oxidation of organic matter by plants, animals and microbes, returning CO₂ and consuming oxygen.
Litterfall
Transfer of leaves, flowers, fruits, bark and small woody material from vegetation to the ground or water.
Leaf-litter decomposition
Microbial and detritivore breakdown of leaf litter with carbon loss and nutrient release or immobilization.
Deadwood decomposition
Breakdown of fallen branches, logs and standing dead wood by fungi, microbes and invertebrates.
Organic-matter mineralization
Conversion of organic nutrients into inorganic forms available for biological uptake.
Soil organic-carbon accumulation
Retention and stabilization of organic carbon in forest, shrubland and grassland soils.
Wetland carbon burial
Longer-term storage of organic carbon in saturated or periodically flooded wetland sediments.
Aquatic detritus decomposition
Breakdown of organic matter in streams, wetlands, estuaries and nearshore waters.
Dissolved organic-carbon transport
Movement of dissolved organic matter through soils, groundwater, streams and coastal waters.
Oxygen production and consumption balance
Coupled photosynthetic oxygen production and respiratory demand that regulates aerobic habitat quality.
Hypoxia and anoxia development
Decline of dissolved oxygen where respiration and stratification exceed oxygen replenishment.
Biological nitrogen fixation
Conversion of atmospheric N₂ to biologically usable nitrogen by symbiotic or free-living microbes.
Ammonification
Microbial conversion of organic nitrogen into ammonium during decomposition.
Nitrification
Microbial oxidation of ammonium to nitrite and nitrate under oxygenated conditions.
Denitrification
Microbial reduction of nitrate to gaseous nitrogen under low-oxygen conditions.
Phosphorus mobilization and cycling
Release, uptake, sorption and redistribution of phosphorus among organisms, soils, sediments and waters.
Nutrient uptake and immobilization
Biological capture of dissolved nutrients into living biomass or microbial pools.
Nutrient remineralization
Return of nutrients from dead biomass and waste to dissolved inorganic forms.
Stream nutrient spiraling
Repeated uptake, transformation and downstream transport of nutrients through stream food webs and sediments.
Wetland nutrient retention
Retention and transformation of nutrients through plant uptake, sedimentation and microbial processing.
Ridge-to-reef nutrient export
Movement of dissolved and particulate nutrients from watersheds through streams and groundwater to coastal waters.
Animal-mediated nutrient translocation
Movement of nutrients across habitats through feeding, excretion, carcasses, nesting and movement.
Seabird-derived nutrient enrichment
Transfer of marine nutrients to terrestrial breeding sites through guano, prey remains and carcasses.
Rock and mineral weathering
Physical and chemical breakdown of volcanic and sedimentary materials that supplies ions and substrate for soils.
Soil formation
Development of soil horizons through weathering, organic inputs, biota, leaching and time.
Soil aggregation and root stabilization
Formation and stabilization of soil structure by roots, fungi, microbes and organic matter.
Bioturbation of soils and sediments
Mixing and aeration of soil or sediment by burrowing, rooting and animal movement.
Soil erosion
Removal of soil by rainfall, overland flow, wind or disturbance.
Mass wasting and landslides
Downslope movement of soil, regolith and rock during saturation, erosion or slope failure.
Sediment entrainment
Mobilization of loose particles by runoff, streamflow, waves or currents.
Fluvial sediment transport
Downstream transport of suspended and bedload sediment by streams and floods.
Floodplain and valley sediment deposition
Deposition of transported sediment when water velocity declines on valley floors, wetlands and floodplains.
Wetland sediment trapping
Capture and storage of suspended sediment by low-velocity wetland vegetation and basins.
Estuarine sediment trapping and sorting
Retention, settling and grain-size sorting where river flow meets tides and salinity gradients.
Coastal carbonate-sediment production
Production of reef-derived sand and sediment by calcifying organisms, bioerosion and skeletal breakdown.
Rainfall interception
Capture of rainfall by vegetation before water reaches the soil surface.
Cloud-water interception
Capture of fog/cloud droplets by vegetation, adding moisture beyond measured rainfall.
Throughfall and stemflow
Routing of intercepted precipitation from canopy surfaces to soil through drip and stem flow.
Evapotranspiration
Return of water to the atmosphere through evaporation and plant transpiration.
Soil infiltration
Entry of surface water into soil and porous substrate.
Soil-moisture storage
Temporary retention of water in the root zone and soil matrix.
Groundwater recharge
Downward movement of infiltrated water that replenishes aquifers.
Groundwater flow
Subsurface movement of freshwater through volcanic and sedimentary aquifer systems.
Groundwater discharge to streams
Release of groundwater that supports perennial and dry-season streamflow.
Baseflow maintenance
Sustained streamflow between rainfall events through groundwater and stored subsurface water.
Surface runoff generation
Generation of overland or shallow subsurface flow when rainfall exceeds infiltration or storage.
Streamflow generation and routing
Conversion of watershed water inputs into channel flow moving from uplands toward the sea.
Flash-flood pulse
Rapid high-flow events that move water, sediment, nutrients, organisms and woody debris through valleys.
Overbank flooding
Expansion of stream water across floodplains and wetlands during high flow.
Wetland hydroperiod
Timing, depth, duration and frequency of inundation that structures wetland communities.
Groundwater–surface-water exchange
Bidirectional exchange among aquifers, springs, wetlands, streams and estuaries.
Submarine groundwater discharge
Movement of groundwater directly into the coastal ocean through the seabed or shoreline.
