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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Saltwater intrusion and freshwater-lens mixing
Landward or upward mixing of saline water into coastal aquifers and groundwater-dependent ecosystems.
Estuarine freshwater-plume formation
Formation and dispersal of low-salinity plumes where rivers enter bays and coastal waters.
Estuarine mixing
Physical and chemical mixing of freshwater and seawater across salinity gradients.
Tidal exchange
Periodic movement of water, solutes and organisms into and out of estuaries, wetlands, pools and reef flats.
Wave-driven reef circulation
Movement of water across reefs and reef flats caused by breaking waves and wave setup.
Reef-flat flushing
Exchange that renews water and removes or redistributes heat, metabolites, sediment and plankton across shallow reefs.
Sediment resuspension
Re-entrainment of settled sediment by waves, currents, storms or animal activity.
Littoral drift
Alongshore transport of sand and sediment by waves and currents.
Beach erosion and accretion
Seasonal and event-driven loss and gain of beach sediment.
Dune accretion
Build-up of windblown sand in coastal dunes.
Dune stabilization by vegetation
Sand trapping and retention by coastal plants and root systems.
Storm overwash and dune–beach exchange
Landward transport and later redistribution of sand during high surf, storm surge and wave runup.
Reef wave attenuation
Dissipation of incoming wave energy by reef structure before it reaches shore.
Coastal inundation
Temporary marine flooding of low-lying coastal habitats during high water and wave events.
Salt-spray deposition
Wind-driven deposition of sea salts that structures coastal vegetation and soil chemistry.
Beach-wrack deposition
Stranding of algae, seagrass, wood and other marine organic matter on shorelines.
Insect pollination
Transfer of pollen by bees, flies, moths, butterflies, beetles and other insects.
Bird pollination
Transfer of pollen by nectar-feeding birds, including Hawaiian honeycreepers.
Wind pollination
Airborne pollen transfer among wind-pollinated plants.
Native-bird seed dispersal
Movement of native plant seeds by endemic and indigenous birds.
Nonnative-bird seed dispersal
Movement of native or invasive plant seeds by introduced birds.
Wind and gravity seed dispersal
Movement of seeds or spores by air currents, gravity or ballistic release.
Water-mediated propagule dispersal
Movement of seeds, spores or plant fragments by runoff, streams, floods or coastal water.
Seed predation
Consumption or destruction of seeds by vertebrates and invertebrates before germination.
Seed-bank persistence and release
Storage of viable propagules in soil or litter and their later activation under suitable conditions.
Germination
Transition of viable seeds or spores into actively growing seedlings or gametophytes.
Seedling establishment and recruitment
Survival and growth of young plants into established population members.
Canopy-gap regeneration
Plant recruitment and growth triggered by increased light and resources after canopy opening.
Vegetative propagation
Asexual spread by rhizomes, stolons, fragments, suckers or other clonal structures.
Ecological succession
Directional community change following disturbance, substrate creation or abandonment.
Forest regeneration
Combined seed arrival, germination, establishment, growth and replacement that renews forest structure.
Terrestrial herbivory
Consumption of living terrestrial plant tissue by insects, birds, mammals and other herbivores.
Marine herbivory and grazing
Removal of algae or plant material by reef fishes, sea urchins, turtles and other grazers.
Predation
Consumption of living animals by predators across terrestrial, freshwater and marine food webs.
Nest predation
Predation on eggs, chicks or incubating birds at nests.
Scavenging and carrion recycling
Consumption and decomposition of carcasses, returning nutrients to food webs.
Detritivory
Consumption of dead organic material by invertebrates and other detritivores.
Competition
Negative interaction where organisms reduce one another’s access to limiting resources.
Facilitation and nurse effects
Positive interaction where one organism improves habitat or resource availability for another.
Mutualism
Reciprocal interaction in which both partners receive a net ecological benefit.
Mycorrhizal symbiosis
Root–fungus associations affecting nutrient uptake, water acquisition and plant establishment.
Coral–algal symbiosis
Metabolic exchange between corals and photosynthetic symbionts.
Parasitism
Resource extraction by parasites from hosts, potentially affecting survival or reproduction.
Host–pathogen transmission
Spread of infectious agents among susceptible hosts.
Vector-borne pathogen transmission
Transmission of pathogens by biological vectors, including mosquitoes carrying avian malaria.
Microbiome-mediated function
Effects of host-associated microbial communities on nutrition, health, decomposition or disease resistance.
Cleaning symbiosis
Removal of parasites, mucus or tissue by cleaner organisms from host animals.
Ecosystem engineering
Modification of habitat structure or resource availability by organisms such as corals, burrowers and vegetation.
Top-down trophic control
Regulation of prey, herbivores or competitors by consumers at higher trophic levels.
Bottom-up resource control
Regulation of populations and food webs by nutrients, primary production or habitat resources.
Trophic cascades
Indirect multi-level food-web changes triggered by alteration of predators, herbivores or other consumers.
Local organism dispersal
Movement of individuals or propagules among nearby habitat patches.
Aerial dispersal
Wind- or flight-mediated movement of organisms, spores, insects or propagules across the island.
Marine larval dispersal
Transport of planktonic larvae by currents among reefs, shorelines, estuaries and islands.
Juvenile settlement and habitat entry
Transition of dispersing juveniles into benthic, reef, estuarine or terrestrial habitats.
Metapopulation connectivity
Exchange among spatially separated populations that affects persistence and recolonization.
Gene flow
Movement of genes among populations through dispersal and reproduction.
Seasonal migration
Regular seasonal movement between foraging, breeding or refuge habitats.
Elevational movement
Movement along elevation gradients in response to resources, breeding, temperature or disease risk.
Colonization
Establishment of a population in previously unoccupied habitat.
