Peter Vitousek

All Publications

• Changes in belowground biodiversity during ecosystem development PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Delgado-Baquerizo, M., Bardgett, R. D., Vitousek, P. M., Maestre, F. T., Williams, M. A., Eldridge, D. J., Lambers, H., Neuhauser, S., Gallardo, A., Garcia-Velazquez, L., Sala, O. E., Abades, S. R., Alfaro, F. D., Berhe, A. A., Bowker, M. A., Currier, C. M., Cutler, N. A., Hart, S. C., Hayes, P. E., Hseu, Z., Kirchmair, M., Pena-Ramirez, V. M., Perez, C. A., Reed, S. C., Santos, F., Siebe, C., Sullivan, B. W., Weber-Grullon, L., Fierer, N. 2019; 116 (14): 6891–96

  View details for DOI 10.1073/pnas.1818400116

  View details for Web of Science ID 000463069900064

• Changes in belowground biodiversity during ecosystem development. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America Delgado-Baquerizo, M., Bardgett, R. D., Vitousek, P. M., Maestre, F. T., Williams, M. A., Eldridge, D. J., Lambers, H., Neuhauser, S., Gallardo, A., Garcia-Velazquez, L., Sala, O. E., Abades, S. R., Alfaro, F. D., Berhe, A. A., Bowker, M. A., Currier, C. M., Cutler, N. A., Hart, S. C., Hayes, P. E., Hseu, Z., Kirchmair, M., Pena-Ramirez, V. M., Perez, C. A., Reed, S. C., Santos, F., Siebe, C., Sullivan, B. W., Weber-Grullon, L., Fierer, N. 2019

  Abstract

  Belowground organisms play critical roles in maintaining multiple ecosystem processes, including plant productivity, decomposition, and nutrient cycling. Despite their importance, however, we have a limited understanding of how and why belowground biodiversity (bacteria, fungi, protists, and invertebrates) may change as soils develop over centuries to millennia (pedogenesis). Moreover, it is unclear whether belowground biodiversity changes during pedogenesis are similar to the patterns observed for aboveground plant diversity. Here we evaluated the roles of resource availability, nutrient stoichiometry, and soil abiotic factors in driving belowground biodiversity across 16 soil chronosequences (from centuries to millennia) spanning a wide range of globally distributed ecosystem types. Changes in belowground biodiversity during pedogenesis followed two main patterns. In lower-productivity ecosystems (i.e., drier and colder), increases in belowground biodiversity tracked increases in plant cover. In more productive ecosystems (i.e., wetter and warmer), increased acidification during pedogenesis was associated with declines in belowground biodiversity. Changes in the diversity of bacteria, fungi, protists, and invertebrates with pedogenesis were strongly and positively correlated worldwide, highlighting that belowground biodiversity shares similar ecological drivers as soils and ecosystems develop. In general, temporal changes in aboveground plant diversity and belowground biodiversity were not correlated, challenging the common perception that belowground biodiversity should follow similar patterns to those of plant diversity during ecosystem development. Taken together, our findings provide evidence that ecological patterns in belowground biodiversity are predictable across major globally distributed ecosystem types and suggest that shifts in plant cover and soil acidification during ecosystem development are associated with changes in belowground biodiversity over centuries to millennia.

  View details for PubMedID 30877251

• Restoration of ' Aina Malo'o on Hawai 'i Island: Expanding Biocultural Relationships SUSTAINABILITY Lincoln, N., Rossen, J., Vitousek, P., Kahoonei, J., Shapiro, D., Kalawe, K., Pai, M., Marshall, K., Meheula, K. 2018; 10 (11)

  View details for DOI 10.3390/su10113985

  View details for Web of Science ID 000451531700159

• Soil fertility response to Ulex europaeus invasion and restoration efforts BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS Bateman, J., Vitousek, P. M. 2018; 20 (10): 2777–91

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s10530-018-1729-9

  View details for Web of Science ID 000445069800010

• Combining spectroscopic and isotopic techniques gives a dynamic view of phosphorus cycling in soil NATURE COMMUNICATIONS Helfenstein, J., Tamburini, F., von Sperber, C., Massey, M. S., Pistocchi, C., Chadwick, O. A., Vitousek, P. M., Kretzschmar, R., Frossard, E. 2018; 9: 3226

  Abstract

  Current understanding of phosphorus (P) cycling in soils can be enhanced by integrating previously discrete findings concerning P speciation, exchange kinetics, and the underlying biological and geochemical processes. Here, we combine sequential extraction with P K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy and isotopic methods (33P and 18O in phosphate) to characterize P cycling on a climatic gradient in Hawaii. We link P pools to P species and estimate the turnover times for commonly considered P pools. Dissolved P turned over in seconds, resin-extractable P in minutes, NaOH-extractable inorganic P in weeks to months, and HCl-extractable P in years to millennia. Furthermore, we show that in arid-zone soils, some primary mineral P remains even after 150 ky of soil development, whereas in humid-zone soils of the same age, all P in all pools has been biologically cycled. The integrative information we provide makes possible a more dynamic, process-oriented conceptual model of P cycling in soils.

  View details for PubMedID 30104647

• Policy distortions, farm size, and the overuse of agricultural chemicals in China PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Wu, Y., Xi, X., Tang, X., Luo, D., Gu, B., Lam, S., Vitousek, P. M., Chen, D. 2018; 115 (27): 7010–15

  Abstract

  Understanding the reasons for overuse of agricultural chemicals is critical to the sustainable development of Chinese agriculture. Using a nationally representative rural household survey from China, we found that farm size is a strong factor that affects the use intensity of agricultural chemicals across farms in China. Statistically, a 1% increase in farm size is associated with a 0.3% and 0.5% decrease in fertilizer and pesticide use per hectare (P < 0.001), respectively, and an almost 1% increase in agricultural labor productivity, while it only leads to a statistically insignificant 0.02% decrease in crop yields. The same pattern was also found using other independently collected data sources from China and an international panel analysis of 74 countries from the 1960s to the 2000s. While economic growth has been associated with increasing farm size in many other countries, in China this relationship has been distorted by land and migration policies, leading to the persistence of small farm size in China. Removing these distortions would decrease agricultural chemical use by 30-50% and the environmental impact of those chemicals by 50% while doubling the total income of all farmers including those who move to urban areas. Removing policy distortions is also likely to complement other remedies to the overuse problem, such as easing farmer's access to modern technologies and knowledge, and improving environmental regulation and enforcement.

  View details for PubMedID 29915067

• Response: Commentary: Rain, Sun, Soil, and Sweat: A Consideration of Population Limits on Rapa Nui (Easter Island) before European Contact FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION Puleston, C. O., Ladefoged, T. N., Haoa, S., Chadwick, O. A., Vitousek, P. M., Stevenson, C. M. 2018; 6

  View details for DOI 10.3389/fevo.2018.00072

  View details for Web of Science ID 000451661200001

• Plant acclimation to long-term high nitrogen deposition in an N-rich tropical forest PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Lu, X., Vitousek, P. M., Mao, Q., Gilliam, F. S., Luo, Y., Zhou, G., Zou, X., Bai, E., Scanlon, T. M., Hou, E., Mo, J. 2018; 115 (20): 5187–92

  Abstract

  Anthropogenic nitrogen (N) deposition has accelerated terrestrial N cycling at regional and global scales, causing nutrient imbalance in many natural and seminatural ecosystems. How added N affects ecosystems where N is already abundant, and how plants acclimate to chronic N deposition in such circumstances, remains poorly understood. Here, we conducted an experiment employing a decade of N additions to examine ecosystem responses and plant acclimation to added N in an N-rich tropical forest. We found that N additions accelerated soil acidification and reduced biologically available cations (especially Ca and Mg) in soils, but plants maintained foliar nutrient supply at least in part by increasing transpiration while decreasing soil water leaching below the rooting zone. We suggest a hypothesis that cation-deficient plants can adjust to elevated N deposition by increasing transpiration and thereby maintaining nutrient balance. This result suggests that long-term elevated N deposition can alter hydrological cycling in N-rich forest ecosystems.

  View details for PubMedID 29717039

• Soil nutrients and pre-European contact agriculture in the leeward Kohala field system, Island of Hawai"i ARCHAEOLOGY IN OCEANIA Ladefoged, T. N., Preston, A., Vitousek, P. M., Chadwick, O. A., Stein, J., Graves, M. W., Lincoln, N. 2018; 53 (1): 28–40

  View details for DOI 10.1002/arco.5138

  View details for Web of Science ID 000428871300003

• Convergence and contrast in the community structure of Bacteria, Fungi and Archaea along a tropical elevation-climate gradient. FEMS microbiology ecology Peay, K. G., von Sperber, C., Cardarelli, E., Toju, H., Francis, C. A., Chadwick, O. A., Vitousek, P. M. 2017; 93 (5)

  Abstract

  Changes in species richness along climatological gradients have been instrumental in developing theories about the general drivers of biodiversity. Previous studies on microbial communities along climate gradients on mountainsides have revealed positive, negative and neutral richness trends. We examined changes in richness and composition of Fungi, Bacteria and Archaea in soil along a 50-1000 m elevation, 280-3280 mm/yr precipitation gradient in Hawai'i. Soil properties and their drivers are exceptionally well understood along this gradient. All three microbial groups responded strongly to the gradient, with community ordinations being similar along axes of environmental conditions (pH, rainfall) and resource availability (nitrogen, phosphorus). However, the form of the richness-climate relationship varied between Fungi (positive linear), Bacteria (unimodal) and Archaea (negative linear). These differences were related to resource-ecology and limiting conditions for each group, with fungal richness increasing most strongly with soil carbon, ammonia-oxidizing Archaea increasing with nitrogen mineralization rate, and Bacteria increasing with both carbon and pH. Reponses to the gradient became increasingly variable at finer taxonomic scales and within any taxonomic group most individual OTUs occurred in narrow climate-elevation ranges. These results show that microbial responses to climate gradients are heterogeneous due to complexity of underlying environmental changes and the diverse ecologies of microbial taxa.

  View details for DOI 10.1093/femsec/fix045

  View details for PubMedID 28402397

• Controls of nitrogen cycling evaluated along a well-characterized climate gradient. Ecology von Sperber, C., Chadwick, O. A., Casciotti, K. L., Peay, K. G., Francis, C. A., Kim, A. E., Vitousek, P. M. 2017

  Abstract

  The supply of nitrogen (N) constrains primary productivity in many ecosystems, raising the question "what controls the availability and cycling of N"? As a step toward answering this question, we evaluated N cycling processes and aspects of their regulation on a climate gradient on Kohala Volcano, Hawaii, USA. The gradient extends from sites receiving <300 mm/yr of rain to those receiving >3,000 mm/yr, and the pedology and dynamics of rock-derived nutrients in soils on the gradient are well understood. In particular, there is a soil process domain at intermediate rainfall within which ongoing weathering and biological uplift have enriched total and available pools of rock-derived nutrients substantially; sites at higher rainfall than this domain are acid and infertile as a consequence of depletion of rock-derived nutrients, while sites at lower rainfall are unproductive and subject to wind erosion. We found elevated rates of potential net N mineralization in the domain where rock-derived nutrients are enriched. Higher-rainfall sites have low rates of potential net N mineralization and high rates of microbial N immobilization, despite relatively high rates of gross N mineralization. Lower-rainfall sites have moderately low potential net N mineralization, relatively low rates of gross N mineralization, and rates of microbial N immobilization sufficient to sequester almost all the mineral N produced. Bulk soil δ(15) N also varied along the gradient, from +4‰ at high rainfall sites to +14‰ at low rainfall sites, indicating differences in the sources and dynamics of soil N. Our analysis shows that there is a strong association between N cycling and soil process domains that are defined using soil characteristics independent of N along this gradient, and that short-term controls of N cycling can be understood in terms of the supply of and demand for N.

  View details for DOI 10.1002/ecy.1751

  View details for PubMedID 28130777

• Parent material and pedogenic thresholds: observations and a simple model BIOGEOCHEMISTRY Vitousek, P., Dixon, J. L., Chadwick, O. A. 2016; 130 (1-2): 147-157

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s10533-016-0249-x

  View details for Web of Science ID 000387274300011

• Climate-driven thresholds for chemical weathering in postglacial soils of New Zealand JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-EARTH SURFACE Dixon, J. L., Chadwick, O. A., Vitousek, P. M. 2016; 121 (9): 1619-1634

  View details for DOI 10.1002/2016JF003864

  View details for Web of Science ID 000392827000003

• The soil and plant biogeochemistry sampling design for The National Ecological Observatory Network ECOSPHERE Hinckley, E. S., Bonan, G. B., Bowen, G. J., Colman, B. P., Duffy, P. A., Goodale, C. L., Houlton, B. Z., Marin-Spiotta, E., Ogle, K., Ollinger, S. V., Paul, E. A., Vitousek, P. M., Weathers, K. C., Williams, D. G. 2016; 7 (3)

  View details for DOI 10.1002/ecs2.1234

  View details for Web of Science ID 000374896800011

• Evidence for a Historic Change Occurring in China. Environmental science & technology Liu, X., Vitousek, P., Chang, Y., Zhang, W., Matson, P., Zhang, F. 2016; 50 (2): 505-6

  View details for DOI 10.1021/acs.est.5b05972

  View details for PubMedID 26709065

• Nitrogen fixation during decomposition of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) is an important contribution to nutrient supply in traditional dryland agricultural systems of Hawai'i INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL SUSTAINABILITY Lincoln, N. K., Vitousek, P. 2016; 14 (2): 214-230

  View details for DOI 10.1080/14735903.2015.1071547

  View details for Web of Science ID 000375915500005

• Evidence for a historic change occurring in China Environmental Science and Technology Liu, X., Vitousek, P., Chang, Y., Zhang, W., Matson, P., Zhang, F. 2016; 50: 505-506

  View details for DOI 10.1021/acs.est.5b05972

• Identification and evaluation of risk factors related to provincial food insecurity in China JOURNAL OF RISK RESEARCH Qi, X., Vitousek, P. M., Liu, L. 2015; 18 (9): 1184-1202

  View details for DOI 10.1080/13669877.2014.913667

  View details for Web of Science ID 000362881500005

• Using plant functional traits to restore Hawaiian rainforest JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY Ostertag, R., Warman, L., Cordell, S., Vitousek, P. M. 2015; 52 (4): 805-809

  View details for DOI 10.1111/1365-2664.12413

  View details for Web of Science ID 000358004300001

• Integrated reactive nitrogen budgets and future trends in China. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America Gu, B., Ju, X., Chang, J., Ge, Y., Vitousek, P. M. 2015; 112 (28): 8792-8797

  Abstract

  Reactive nitrogen (Nr) plays a central role in food production, and at the same time it can be an important pollutant with substantial effects on air and water quality, biological diversity, and human health. China now creates far more Nr than any other country. We developed a budget for Nr in China in 1980 and 2010, in which we evaluated the natural and anthropogenic creation of Nr, losses of Nr, and transfers among 14 subsystems within China. Our analyses demonstrated that a tripling of anthropogenic Nr creation was associated with an even more rapid increase in Nr fluxes to the atmosphere and hydrosphere, contributing to intense and increasing threats to human health, the sustainability of croplands, and the environment of China and its environs. Under a business as usual scenario, anthropogenic Nr creation in 2050 would more than double compared with 2010 levels, whereas a scenario that combined reasonable changes in diet, N use efficiency, and N recycling could reduce N losses and anthropogenic Nr creation in 2050 to 52% and 64% of 2010 levels, respectively. Achieving reductions in Nr creation (while simultaneously increasing food production and offsetting imports of animal feed) will require much more in addition to good science, but it is useful to know that there are pathways by which both food security and health/environmental protection could be enhanced simultaneously.

  View details for DOI 10.1073/pnas.1510211112

  View details for PubMedID 26124118

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC4507225

• Provincial food security in China: a quantitative risk assessment based on local food supply and demand trends FOOD SECURITY Qi, X., Vitousek, P. M., Liu, L. 2015; 7 (3): 621-632

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s12571-015-0458-5

  View details for Web of Science ID 000355346400015

• Long-Term Effects of Compost and Cover Crops on Soil Phosphorus in Two California Agroecosystems SOIL SCIENCE SOCIETY OF AMERICA JOURNAL Maltais-Landry, G., Scow, K., Brennan, E., Vitousek, P. 2015; 79 (2): 688-697

  View details for DOI 10.2136/sssaj2014.09.0369

  View details for Web of Science ID 000351640900036

• Variation in Rapa Nui (Easter Island) land use indicates production and population peaks prior to European contact PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Stevenson, C. M., Puleston, C. O., Vitousek, P. M., Chadwick, O. A., Haoa, S., Ladefoged, T. N. 2015; 112 (4): 1025-1030

  Abstract

  Many researchers believe that prehistoric Rapa Nui society collapsed because of centuries of unchecked population growth within a fragile environment. Recently, the notion of societal collapse has been questioned with the suggestion that extreme societal and demographic change occurred only after European contact in AD 1722. Establishing the veracity of demographic dynamics has been hindered by the lack of empirical evidence and the inability to establish a precise chronological framework. We use chronometric dates from hydrated obsidian artifacts recovered from habitation sites in regional study areas to evaluate regional land-use within Rapa Nui. The analysis suggests region-specific dynamics including precontact land use decline in some near-coastal and upland areas and postcontact increases and subsequent declines in other coastal locations. These temporal land-use patterns correlate with rainfall variation and soil quality, with poorer environmental locations declining earlier. This analysis confirms that the intensity of land use decreased substantially in some areas of the island before European contact.

  View details for DOI 10.1073/pnas.1420712112

  View details for Web of Science ID 000348417000032

  View details for PubMedID 25561523

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC4313829

• Grassland ecology: Complexity of nutrient constraints. Nature plants Vitousek, P. M. 2015; 1: 15098-?

  View details for DOI 10.1038/nplants.2015.98

  View details for PubMedID 27250262

• Producing more grain with lower environmental costs NATURE Chen, X., Cui, Z., Fan, M., Vitousek, P., Zhao, M., Ma, W., Wang, Z., Zhang, W., Yan, X., Yang, J., Deng, X., Gao, Q., Zhang, Q., Guo, S., Ren, J., Li, S., Ye, Y., Wang, Z., Huang, J., Tang, Q., Sun, Y., Peng, X., Zhang, J., He, M., Zhu, Y., Xue, J., Wang, G., Wu, L., An, N., Wu, L., Ma, L., Zhang, W., Zhang, F. 2014; 514 (7523): 486-?

  Abstract

  Agriculture faces great challenges to ensure global food security by increasing yields while reducing environmental costs. Here we address this challenge by conducting a total of 153 site-year field experiments covering the main agro-ecological areas for rice, wheat and maize production in China. A set of integrated soil-crop system management practices based on a modern understanding of crop ecophysiology and soil biogeochemistry increases average yields for rice, wheat and maize from 7.2 million grams per hectare (Mg ha(-1)), 7.2 Mg ha(-1) and 10.5 Mg ha(-1) to 8.5 Mg ha(-1), 8.9 Mg ha(-1) and 14.2 Mg ha(-1), respectively, without any increase in nitrogen fertilizer. Model simulation and life-cycle assessment show that reactive nitrogen losses and greenhouse gas emissions are reduced substantially by integrated soil-crop system management. If farmers in China could achieve average grain yields equivalent to 80% of this treatment by 2030, over the same planting area as in 2012, total production of rice, wheat and maize in China would be more than enough to meet the demand for direct human consumption and a substantially increased demand for animal feed, while decreasing the environmental costs of intensive agriculture.

  View details for DOI 10.1038/nature13609

  View details for Web of Science ID 000343775900039

• Producing more grain with lower environmental costs. Nature Chen, X., Cui, Z., Fan, M., Vitousek, P., Zhao, M., Ma, W., Wang, Z., Zhang, W., Yan, X., Yang, J., Deng, X., Gao, Q., Zhang, Q., Guo, S., Ren, J., Li, S., Ye, Y., Wang, Z., Huang, J., Tang, Q., Sun, Y., Peng, X., Zhang, J., He, M., Zhu, Y., Xue, J., Wang, G., Wu, L., An, N., Wu, L., Ma, L., Zhang, W., Zhang, F. 2014; 514 (7523): 486-9

  Abstract

  Agriculture faces great challenges to ensure global food security by increasing yields while reducing environmental costs. Here we address this challenge by conducting a total of 153 site-year field experiments covering the main agro-ecological areas for rice, wheat and maize production in China. A set of integrated soil-crop system management practices based on a modern understanding of crop ecophysiology and soil biogeochemistry increases average yields for rice, wheat and maize from 7.2 million grams per hectare (Mg ha(-1)), 7.2 Mg ha(-1) and 10.5 Mg ha(-1) to 8.5 Mg ha(-1), 8.9 Mg ha(-1) and 14.2 Mg ha(-1), respectively, without any increase in nitrogen fertilizer. Model simulation and life-cycle assessment show that reactive nitrogen losses and greenhouse gas emissions are reduced substantially by integrated soil-crop system management. If farmers in China could achieve average grain yields equivalent to 80% of this treatment by 2030, over the same planting area as in 2012, total production of rice, wheat and maize in China would be more than enough to meet the demand for direct human consumption and a substantially increased demand for animal feed, while decreasing the environmental costs of intensive agriculture.

  View details for DOI 10.1038/nature13609

  View details for PubMedID 25186728

• Fertilizer nitrogen recovery efficiencies in crop production systems of China with and without consideration of the residual effect of nitrogen ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS Yan, X., Ti, C., Vitousek, P., Chen, D., Leip, A., Cai, Z., Zhu, Z. 2014; 9 (9)

  View details for DOI 10.1088/1748-9326/9/9/095002

  View details for Web of Science ID 000344963500018

• Resilience against exotic species invasion in a tropical montane forest JOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE Tweiten, M. A., Hotchkiss, S. C., Vitousek, P. M., Kellner, J. R., Chadwick, O. A., Asner, G. P. 2014; 25 (3): 734-749

  View details for DOI 10.1111/jvs.12112

  View details for Web of Science ID 000334184300013

• Indicators of soil fertility and opportunities for precontact agriculture in Kona, Hawai'i ECOSPHERE Lincoln, N., Chadwick, O., Vitousek, P. 2014; 5 (4)

  View details for DOI 10.1890/ES13-00328.1

  View details for Web of Science ID 000335010800005

• Litter quality versus soil microbial community controls over decomposition: a quantitative analysis OECOLOGIA Cleveland, C. C., Reed, S. C., Keller, A. B., Nemergut, D. R., O'Neill, S. P., Ostertag, R., Vitousek, P. M. 2014; 174 (1): 283-294

  Abstract

  The possible effects of soil microbial community structure on organic matter decomposition rates have been widely acknowledged, but are poorly understood. Understanding these relationships is complicated by the fact that microbial community structure and function are likely to both affect and be affected by organic matter quality and chemistry, thus it is difficult to draw mechanistic conclusions from field studies. We conducted a reciprocal soil inoculum × litter transplant laboratory incubation experiment using samples collected from a set of sites that have similar climate and plant species composition but vary significantly in bacterial community structure and litter quality. The results showed that litter quality explained the majority of variation in decomposition rates under controlled laboratory conditions: over the course of the 162-day incubation, litter quality explained nearly two-thirds (64%) of variation in decomposition rates, and a smaller proportion (25%) was explained by variation in the inoculum type. In addition, the relative importance of inoculum type on soil respiration increased over the course of the experiment, and was significantly higher in microcosms with lower litter quality relative to those with higher quality litter. We also used molecular phylogenetics to examine the relationships between bacterial community composition and soil respiration in samples through time. Pyrosequencing revealed that bacterial community composition explained 32 % of the variation in respiration rates. However, equal portions (i.e., 16%) of the variation in bacterial community composition were explained by inoculum type and litter quality, reflecting the importance of both the meta-community and the environment in bacterial assembly. Taken together, these results indicate that the effects of changing microbial community composition on decomposition are likely to be smaller than the potential effects of climate change and/or litter quality changes in response to increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations or atmospheric nutrient deposition.

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s00442-013-2758-9

  View details for Web of Science ID 000329624300027

• Pedogenic Thresholds and Soil Process Domains in Basalt-Derived Soils ECOSYSTEMS Vitousek, P. M., Chadwick, O. A. 2013; 16 (8): 1379-1395

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s10021-013-9690-z

  View details for Web of Science ID 000327096100001

• The global nitrogen cycle in the twenty-first century PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES Fowler, D., Coyle, M., Skiba, U., Sutton, M. A., Cape, J. N., Reis, S., Sheppard, L. J., Jenkins, A., Grizzetti, B., Galloway, J. N., Vitousek, P., Leach, A., Bouwman, A. F., Butterbach-Bahl, K., Dentener, F., Stevenson, D., Amann, M., Voss, M. 2013; 368 (1621)

  Abstract

  Global nitrogen fixation contributes 413 Tg of reactive nitrogen (Nr) to terrestrial and marine ecosystems annually of which anthropogenic activities are responsible for half, 210 Tg N. The majority of the transformations of anthropogenic Nr are on land (240 Tg N yr(-1)) within soils and vegetation where reduced Nr contributes most of the input through the use of fertilizer nitrogen in agriculture. Leakages from the use of fertilizer Nr contribute to nitrate (NO3(-)) in drainage waters from agricultural land and emissions of trace Nr compounds to the atmosphere. Emissions, mainly of ammonia (NH3) from land together with combustion related emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx), contribute 100 Tg N yr(-1) to the atmosphere, which are transported between countries and processed within the atmosphere, generating secondary pollutants, including ozone and other photochemical oxidants and aerosols, especially ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) and ammonium sulfate (NH4)2SO4. Leaching and riverine transport of NO3 contribute 40-70 Tg N yr(-1) to coastal waters and the open ocean, which together with the 30 Tg input to oceans from atmospheric deposition combine with marine biological nitrogen fixation (140 Tg N yr(-1)) to double the ocean processing of Nr. Some of the marine Nr is buried in sediments, the remainder being denitrified back to the atmosphere as N2 or N2O. The marine processing is of a similar magnitude to that in terrestrial soils and vegetation, but has a larger fraction of natural origin. The lifetime of Nr in the atmosphere, with the exception of N2O, is only a few weeks, while in terrestrial ecosystems, with the exception of peatlands (where it can be 10(2)-10(3) years), the lifetime is a few decades. In the ocean, the lifetime of Nr is less well known but seems to be longer than in terrestrial ecosystems and may represent an important long-term source of N2O that will respond very slowly to control measures on the sources of Nr from which it is produced.

  View details for DOI 10.1098/rstb.2013.0164

  View details for Web of Science ID 000319502100013

  View details for PubMedID 23713126

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC3682748

• Mahele: Sustaining Communities through Small-Scale Inshore Fishery Catch and Sharing Networks PACIFIC SCIENCE Vaughan, M. B., Vitousek, P. M. 2013; 67 (3): 329-344

  View details for DOI 10.2984/67.3.3

  View details for Web of Science ID 000329260100003

• Long-term effects of agriculture on soil carbon pools and carbon chemistry along a Hawaiian environmental gradient 4th Conference on the Mechanisms of Organic Matter Stabilization and Destabilization (SOM) - Organic Matter Stabilization and Ecosystem Functions Cusack, D. F., Chadwick, O. A., Ladefoged, T., Vitousek, P. M. SPRINGER. 2013: 229–43

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s10533-012-9718-z

  View details for Web of Science ID 000316018800017

• Irrigated taro (Colocasia esculenta) farming in North Kohala, Hawai'i sedimentology and soil nutrient analyses JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE McCoy, M. D., Ribeiro, A. T., Graves, M. W., Chadwick, O. A., Vitousek, P. M. 2013; 40 (3): 1528-1538

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.jas.2012.08.028

  View details for Web of Science ID 000315015000008

• Enhanced nitrogen deposition over China NATURE Liu, X., Zhang, Y., Han, W., Tang, A., Shen, J., Cui, Z., Vitousek, P., Erisman, J. W., Goulding, K., Christie, P., Fangmeier, A., Zhang, F. 2013; 494 (7438): 459-462

  Abstract

  China is experiencing intense air pollution caused in large part by anthropogenic emissions of reactive nitrogen. These emissions result in the deposition of atmospheric nitrogen (N) in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, with implications for human and ecosystem health, greenhouse gas balances and biological diversity. However, information on the magnitude and environmental impact of N deposition in China is limited. Here we use nationwide data sets on bulk N deposition, plant foliar N and crop N uptake (from long-term unfertilized soils) to evaluate N deposition dynamics and their effect on ecosystems across China between 1980 and 2010. We find that the average annual bulk deposition of N increased by approximately 8 kilograms of nitrogen per hectare (P < 0.001) between the 1980s (13.2 kilograms of nitrogen per hectare) and the 2000s (21.1 kilograms of nitrogen per hectare). Nitrogen deposition rates in the industrialized and agriculturally intensified regions of China are as high as the peak levels of deposition in northwestern Europe in the 1980s, before the introduction of mitigation measures. Nitrogen from ammonium (NH4(+)) is the dominant form of N in bulk deposition, but the rate of increase is largest for deposition of N from nitrate (NO3(-)), in agreement with decreased ratios of NH3 to NOx emissions since 1980. We also find that the impact of N deposition on Chinese ecosystems includes significantly increased plant foliar N concentrations in natural and semi-natural (that is, non-agricultural) ecosystems and increased crop N uptake from long-term-unfertilized croplands. China and other economies are facing a continuing challenge to reduce emissions of reactive nitrogen, N deposition and their negative effects on human health and the environment.

  View details for DOI 10.1038/nature11917

  View details for Web of Science ID 000315661500034

  View details for PubMedID 23426264

• Biological nitrogen fixation: rates, patterns and ecological controls in terrestrial ecosystems. Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences Vitousek, P. M., Menge, D. N., Reed, S. C., Cleveland, C. C. 2013; 368 (1621): 20130119-?

  Abstract

  New techniques have identified a wide range of organisms with the capacity to carry out biological nitrogen fixation (BNF)-greatly expanding our appreciation of the diversity and ubiquity of N fixers-but our understanding of the rates and controls of BNF at ecosystem and global scales has not advanced at the same pace. Nevertheless, determining rates and controls of BNF is crucial to placing anthropogenic changes to the N cycle in context, and to understanding, predicting and managing many aspects of global environmental change. Here, we estimate terrestrial BNF for a pre-industrial world by combining information on N fluxes with (15)N relative abundance data for terrestrial ecosystems. Our estimate is that pre-industrial N fixation was 58 (range of 40-100) Tg N fixed yr(-1); adding conservative assumptions for geological N reduces our best estimate to 44 Tg N yr(-1). This approach yields substantially lower estimates than most recent calculations; it suggests that the magnitude of human alternation of the N cycle is substantially larger than has been assumed.

  View details for DOI 10.1098/rstb.2013.0119

  View details for PubMedID 23713117

• Traditional Ecological Values, Knowledge, and Practices in Twenty-First Century Hawai'i 14th Cary Conference on Linking Ecology and Ethics for a Changing World Vitousek, P., Beamer, K. SPRINGER. 2013: 63–70

  View details for DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-7470-4_5

  View details for Web of Science ID 000343412600005

• Framing Sustainability in a Telecoupled World ECOLOGY AND SOCIETY Liu, J., Hull, V., Batistella, M., DeFries, R., Dietz, T., Fu, F., Hertel, T. W., Izaurralde, R. C., Lambin, E. F., Li, S., Martinelli, L. A., McConnell, W. J., Moran, E. F., Naylor, R., Ouyang, Z., Polenske, K. R., Reenberg, A., Rocha, G. d., Simmons, C. S., Verburg, P. H., Vitousek, P. M., Zhang, F., Zhu, C. 2013; 18 (2)

  View details for DOI 10.5751/ES-05873-180226

  View details for Web of Science ID 000321257100044

• Fungal endophyte communities reflect environmental structuring across a Hawaiian landscape PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Zimmerman, N. B., Vitousek, P. M. 2012; 109 (32): 13022-13027

  Abstract

  We surveyed endophytic fungal communities in leaves of a single tree species (Metrosideros polymorpha) across wide environmental gradients (500-5,500 mm of rain/y; 10-22 °C mean annual temperature) spanning short geographic distances on Mauna Loa Volcano, Hawai'i. Using barcoded amplicon pyrosequencing at 13 sites (10 trees/site; 10 leaves/tree), we found very high levels of diversity within sites (a mean of 551 ± 134 taxonomic units per site). However, among-site diversity contributed even more than did within-site diversity to the overall richness of more than 4,200 taxonomic units observed in M. polymorpha, and this among-site variation in endophyte community composition correlated strongly with temperature and rainfall. These results are consistent with suggestions that foliar endophytic fungi are hyperdiverse. They further suggest that microbial diversity may be even greater than has been assumed and that broad-scale environmental controls such as temperature and rainfall can structure eukaryotic microbial diversity. Appropriately constrained study systems across strong environmental gradients present a useful means to understand the environmental factors that structure the diversity of microbial communities.

  View details for DOI 10.1073/pnas.1209872109

  View details for Web of Science ID 000307551700042

  View details for PubMedID 22837398

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC3420199

• Long-term carbon storage through retention of dissolved aromatic acids by reactive particles in soil GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY Kramer, M. G., Sanderman, J., Chadwick, O. A., Chorover, J., Vitousek, P. M. 2012; 18 (8): 2594-2605

  View details for DOI 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2012.02681.x

  View details for Web of Science ID 000306228300020

• Mineralogical controls on soil black carbon preservation GLOBAL BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES Cusack, D. F., Chadwick, O. A., Hockaday, W. C., Vitousek, P. M. 2012; 26

  View details for DOI 10.1029/2011GB004109

  View details for Web of Science ID 000304263400002

• The Ahupua'a of Puanui: A Resource for Understanding Hawaiian Rain-Fed Agriculture PACIFIC SCIENCE Kagawa, A. K., Vitousek, P. M. 2012; 66 (2): 161-172

  View details for DOI 10.2984/66.2.6

  View details for Web of Science ID 000303625400006

• Introduced Canopy Tree Species Effect on the Soil Microbial Community in a Montane Tropical Forest PACIFIC SCIENCE Lynch, H. B., Epps, K. Y., Fukami, T., Vitousek, P. M. 2012; 66 (2): 141-150

  View details for DOI 10.2984/66.2.4

  View details for Web of Science ID 000303625400004

• The Climate Benefits of Better Nitrogen and Phosphorus Management ISSUES IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Townsend, A. R., Vitousek, P. M., Houlton, B. Z. 2012; 28 (2): 85-91

  View details for Web of Science ID 000307915400027

• Cyanolichens: a link between the phosphorus and nitrogen cycles in a Hawaiian montane forest JOURNAL OF TROPICAL ECOLOGY Benner, J. W., Vitousek, P. M. 2012; 28: 73-81

  View details for DOI 10.1017/S0266467411000605

  View details for Web of Science ID 000299668700008

• Agricultural potential and actualized development in Hawai'i: an airborne LiDAR survey of the leeward Kohala field system (Hawai'i Island) JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE Ladefoged, T. N., Mccoy, M. D., Asner, G. P., Kirch, P. V., Puleston, C. O., Chadwick, O. A., Vitousek, P. M. 2011; 38 (12): 3605-3619

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.jas.2011.08.031

  View details for Web of Science ID 000297384300043

• Are patterns in nutrient limitation belowground consistent with those aboveground: results from a 4 million year chronosequence BIOGEOCHEMISTRY Reed, S. C., Vitousek, P. M., Cleveland, C. C. 2011; 106 (3): 323-336

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s10533-010-9522-6

  View details for Web of Science ID 000297360300003

• Dependence of Forest Structure and Dynamics on Substrate Age and Ecosystem Development ECOSYSTEMS Kellner, J. R., Asner, G. P., Vitousek, P. M., Tweiten, M. A., Hotchkiss, S., Chadwick, O. A. 2011; 14 (7): 1156-1167

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s10021-011-9472-4

  View details for Web of Science ID 000300144100009

• Integrated soil-crop system management for food security PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Chen, X., Cui, Z., Vitousek, P. M., Cassman, K. G., Matson, P. A., Bai, J., Meng, Q., Hou, P., Yue, S., Roemheld, V., Zhang, F. 2011; 108 (16): 6399-6404

  Abstract

  China and other rapidly developing economies face the dual challenge of substantially increasing yields of cereal grains while at the same time reducing the very substantial environmental impacts of intensive agriculture. We used a model-driven integrated soil-crop system management approach to develop a maize production system that achieved mean maize yields of 13.0 t ha(-1) on 66 on-farm experimental plots--nearly twice the yield of current farmers' practices--with no increase in N fertilizer use. Such integrated soil-crop system management systems represent a priority for agricultural research and implementation, especially in rapidly growing economies.

  View details for DOI 10.1073/pnas.1101419108

  View details for Web of Science ID 000289680400020

  View details for PubMedID 21444818

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC3080987

• Vegetation Effects on Soil Organic Matter Chemistry of Aggregate Fractions in a Hawaiian Forest ECOSYSTEMS Stewart, C. E., Neff, J. C., Amatangelo, K. L., Vitousek, P. M. 2011; 14 (3): 382-397

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s10021-011-9417-y

  View details for Web of Science ID 000290492700004

• Cellulose delta O-18 is an index of leaf-to-air vapor pressure difference (VPD) in tropical plants PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Kahmen, A., Sachse, D., Arndt, S. K., Tu, K. P., Farrington, H., Vitousek, P. M., Dawson, T. E. 2011; 108 (5): 1981-1986

  Abstract

  Cellulose in plants contains oxygen that derives in most cases from precipitation. Because the stable oxygen isotope composition, δ(18)O, of precipitation is associated with environmental conditions, cellulose δ(18)O should be as well. However, plant physiological models using δ(18)O suggest that cellulose δ(18)O is influenced by a complex mix of both climatic and physiological drivers. This influence complicates the interpretation of cellulose δ(18)O values in a paleo-context. Here, we combined empirical data analyses with mechanistic model simulations to i) quantify the impacts that the primary climatic drivers humidity (e(a)) and air temperature (T(air)) have on cellulose δ(18)O values in different tropical ecosystems and ii) determine which environmental signal is dominating cellulose δ(18)O values. Our results revealed that e(a) and T(air) equally influence cellulose δ(18)O values and that distinguishing which of these factors dominates the δ(18)O values of cellulose cannot be accomplished in the absence of additional environmental information. However, the individual impacts of e(a) and T(air) on the δ(18)O values of cellulose can be integrated into a single index of plant-experienced atmospheric vapor demand: the leaf-to-air vapor pressure difference (VPD). We found a robust relationship between VPD and cellulose δ(18)O values in both empirical and modeled data in all ecosystems that we investigated. Our analysis revealed therefore that δ(18)O values in plant cellulose can be used as a proxy for VPD in tropical ecosystems. As VPD is an essential variable that determines the biogeochemical dynamics of ecosystems, our study has applications in ecological-, climate-, or forensic-sciences.

  View details for DOI 10.1073/pnas.1018906108

  View details for Web of Science ID 000286804700045

  View details for PubMedID 21245322

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC3033288

• Agriculture in Brazil: impacts, costs, and opportunities for a sustainable future CURRENT OPINION IN ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY Martinelli, L. A., Naylor, R., Vitousek, P. M., Moutinho, P. 2010; 2 (5-6): 431-438

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.cosust.2010.09.008

  View details for Web of Science ID 000286088700015

• Understanding ecosystem retrogression ECOLOGICAL MONOGRAPHS Peltzer, D. A., Wardle, D. A., Allison, V. J., Baisden, W. T., Bardgett, R. D., Chadwick, O. A., Condron, L. M., Parfitt, R. L., Porder, S., Richardson, S. J., Turner, B. L., Vitousek, P. M., Walker, J., Walker, L. R. 2010; 80 (4): 509-529

  View details for Web of Science ID 000283478800001

• Erosion, Geological History, and Indigenous Agriculture: A Tale of Two Valleys ECOSYSTEMS Vitousek, P. M., Chadwick, O. A., Hilley, G., Kirch, P. V., Ladefoged, T. N. 2010; 13 (5): 782-793

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s10021-010-9354-1

  View details for Web of Science ID 000280260100012

• Soil nutrient analysis of Rapa Nui gardening ARCHAEOLOGY IN OCEANIA Ladefoged, T. N., Stevenson, C. M., Haoa, S., Mulrooney, M., Puleston, C., Vitousek, P. M., Chadwick, O. A. 2010; 45 (2): 80-85

  View details for Web of Science ID 000280970200004

• Top-Down Analysis of Forest Structure and Biogeochemistry across Hawaiian Landscapes PACIFIC SCIENCE Vitousek, P. M., Tweiten, M. A., Kellner, J., Hotchkiss, S. C., Chadwick, O. A., Asner, G. P. 2010; 64 (3): 359-366

  View details for Web of Science ID 000279480500001

• Significant Acidification in Major Chinese Croplands SCIENCE Guo, J. H., Liu, X. J., Zhang, Y., Shen, J. L., Han, W. X., Zhang, W. F., Christie, P., Goulding, K. W., Vitousek, P. M., Zhang, F. S. 2010; 327 (5968): 1008-1010

  Abstract

  Soil acidification is a major problem in soils of intensive Chinese agricultural systems. We used two nationwide surveys, paired comparisons in numerous individual sites, and several long-term monitoring-field data sets to evaluate changes in soil acidity. Soil pH declined significantly (P < 0.001) from the 1980s to the 2000s in the major Chinese crop-production areas. Processes related to nitrogen cycling released 20 to 221 kilomoles of hydrogen ion (H+) per hectare per year, and base cations uptake contributed a further 15 to 20 kilomoles of H+ per hectare per year to soil acidification in four widespread cropping systems. In comparison, acid deposition (0.4 to 2.0 kilomoles of H+ per hectare per year) made a small contribution to the acidification of agricultural soils across China.

  View details for DOI 10.1126/science.1182570

  View details for Web of Science ID 000274625800043

  View details for PubMedID 20150447

• Terrestrial phosphorus limitation: mechanisms, implications, and nitrogen-phosphorus interactions ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS Vitousek, P. M., Porder, S., Houlton, B. Z., Chadwick, O. A. 2010; 20 (1): 5-15

  Abstract

  Nutrient limitation to primary productivity and other biological processes is widespread in terrestrial ecosystems, and nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are the most common limiting elements, both individually and in combination. Mechanisms that drive P limitation, and their interactions with the N cycle, have received less attention than mechanisms causing N limitation. We identify and discuss six mechanisms that could drive P limitation in terrestrial ecosystems. The best known of these is depletion-driven limitation, in which accumulated P losses during long-term soil and ecosystem development contribute to what Walker and Syers termed a "terminal steady state" of profound P depletion and limitation. The other mechanisms are soil barriers that prevent access to P; transactional limitation, in which weathering of P-containing minerals does not keep pace with the supply of other resources; low-P parent materials; P sinks; and anthropogenic changes that increase the supply of other resources (often N) relative to P. We distinguish proximate nutrient limitation (which occurs where additions of a nutrient stimulate biological processes, especially productivity) from ultimate nutrient limitation (where additions of a nutrient can transform ecosystems). Of the mechanisms that drive P limitation, we suggest that depletion, soil barriers, and low-P parent material often cause ultimate limitation because they control the ecosystem mass balance of P. Similarly, demand-independent losses and constraints to N fixation can control the ecosystem-level mass balance of N and cause it to be an ultimate limiting nutrient.

  View details for Web of Science ID 000275358100002

  View details for PubMedID 20349827

• Prevalence of Tree Regeneration by Sprouting and Seeding Along a Rainfall Gradient in Hawai'i BIOTROPICA Busby, P. E., Vitousek, P., Dirzo, R. 2010; 42 (1): 80-86

  View details for DOI 10.1111/j.1744-7429.2009.00540.x

  View details for Web of Science ID 000273301100012

• Landscape-level variation in forest structure and biogeochemistry across a substrate age gradient in Hawaii ECOLOGY Vitousek, P., Asner, G. P., Chadwick, O. A., Hotchkiss, S. 2009; 90 (11): 3074-3086

  Abstract

  We compared forest canopy heights and nitrogen concentrations in long-term research sites and in 2 x 2 km landscapes surrounding these sites along a substrate age gradient in the Hawaiian Islands. Both remote airborne and ground-based measurements were used to characterize processes that control landscape-level variation in canopy properties. We integrated a waveform light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system, a high-resolution imaging spectrometer, and a global positioning system/inertial measurement unit to provide highly resolved images of ground topography, canopy heights, and canopy nitrogen concentrations (1) within a circle 50 m in radius focused on a long-term study site in the center of each landscape; (2) for the entire 2 x 2 km landscape regardless of land cover; and (3) after stratification, for our target cover class, native-dominated vegetation on constructional geomorphic surfaces throughout each landscape. Remote measurements at all scales yielded the same overall patterns as did ground-based measurements in the long-term sites. The two younger landscapes supported taller trees than did older landscapes, while the two intermediate-aged landscapes had higher canopy nitrogen (N) concentrations than did either young or old landscapes. However, aircraft-based analyses detected substantial variability in canopy characteristics on the landscape level, even within the target cover class. Canopy heights were more heterogeneous on the older landscapes, with coefficients of variation increasing from 23-41% to 69-78% with increasing substrate age. This increasing heterogeneity was associated with a larger patch size of canopy turnover and with dominance of most secondary successional stands by the mat-forming fern Dicranopteris linearis in the older landscapes.

  View details for Web of Science ID 000271457300011

  View details for PubMedID 19967863

• Opportunities and constraints for intensive agriculture in the Hawaiian archipelago prior to European contact JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE Ladefoged, T. N., Kirch, P. V., Gon, S. M., Chadwick, O. A., Hartshorn, A. S., Vitousek, P. M. 2009; 36 (10): 2374-2383

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.jas.2009.06.030

  View details for Web of Science ID 000270001900032

• Changing sources of strontium to soils and ecosystems across the Hawaiian Islands Annual Fall American-Geophysical-Union Meeting Chadwick, O. A., Derry, L. A., Bern, C. R., Vitousek, P. M. ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV. 2009: 64–76

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.chemgeo.2009.01.009

  View details for Web of Science ID 000270631000007

• Sources of nutrients to windward agricultural systems in pre-contact Hawai'i ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS Palmer, M. A., Graves, M., Ladefoged, T. N., Chadwick, O. A., Duarte, T. K., Porder, S., Vitousek, P. M. 2009; 19 (6): 1444-1453

  Abstract

  Prior to European contact in 1778, Hawaiians developed intensive irrigated pondfield agricultural systems in windward Kohala, Hawai'i. We evaluated three potential sources of nutrients to windward systems that could have sustained intensive agriculture: (1) in situ weathering of primary and secondary minerals in upland soils; (2) rejuvenation of the supply of rock-derived nutrients on eroded slopes and in alluvium; and (3) transport of rock-derived nutrients to crops via irrigation water. Our results show that most windward soils are infertile and suggest that weathering of minerals within upland soils was insufficient to sustain intensive agriculture without substantial cultural inputs. Erosion enhances weathering and so increases nutrient supply, with soils of the largest alluvial valleys (>200 m deep) retaining 37% of calcium from parent material (compared to 2% in upland sites). However, soils of smaller valleys that also supported pre-contact agricultural systems are substantially less enriched. Isotopic 87Sr/86Sr analyses of stream water demonstrate that at low to moderate stream flow over 90% of dissolved strontium derives from weathering of basalt rather than deposition of atmospheric sources; most other dissolved cations also derive from basalt weathering. We calculate that irrigation water could have supplied approximately 200 kg ha(-1) yr(-1) of calcium to pondfield systems, nearly 100 times more than was supplied by weathering in soils on stable geomorphic surfaces. In effect, irrigation waters brought nutrients from rocks to the windward crops.

  View details for Web of Science ID 000269075200007

  View details for PubMedID 19769093

• Agriculture. Nutrient imbalances in agricultural development. Science Vitousek, P. M., Naylor, R., Crews, T., David, M. B., Drinkwater, L. E., Holland, E., Johnes, P. J., KATZENBERGER, J., Martinelli, L. A., Matson, P. A., Nziguheba, G., Ojima, D., Palm, C. A., Robertson, G. P., Sanchez, P. A., Townsend, A. R., Zhang, F. S. 2009; 324 (5934): 1519-1520

  View details for DOI 10.1126/science.1170261

  View details for PubMedID 19541981

• Contrasting Predictors of Fern versus Angiosperm Decomposition in a Common Garden BIOTROPICA Amatangelo, K. L., Vitousek, P. M. 2009; 41 (2): 154-161

  View details for DOI 10.1111/j.1744-7429.2008.00470.x

  View details for Web of Science ID 000263747000003

• Nitrogen in Agriculture: Balancing the Cost of an Essential Resource ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENVIRONMENT AND RESOURCES Robertson, G. P., Vitousek, P. M. 2009; 34: 97-125

  View details for DOI 10.1146/annurev.environ.032108.105046

  View details for Web of Science ID 000272082000006

• Stoichiometry of ferns in Hawaii: implications for nutrient cycling OECOLOGIA Amatangelo, K. L., Vitousek, P. M. 2008; 157 (4): 619-627

  Abstract

  We asked if element concentrations in ferns differ systematically from those in woody dicots in ways that could influence ecosystem properties and processes. Phylogenetically, ferns are deeply separated from angiosperms; for our analyses we additionally separated leptosporangiate ferns into polypod ferns, a monophyletic clade of ferns which radiated after the rise of angiosperms, and all other leptosporangiate (non-polypod) ferns. We sampled both non-polypod and polypod ferns on a natural fertility gradient and within fertilized and unfertilized plots in Hawaii, and compared our data with shrub and tree samples collected previously in the same plots. Non-polypod ferns in particular had low Ca concentrations under all conditions and less plasticity in their N and P stoichiometry than did polypod ferns or dicots. Polypod ferns were particularly rich in N and P, with low N:P ratios, and their stoichiometry varied substantially in response to differences in nutrient availability. Distinguishing between these two groups has the potential to be useful both in and out of Hawaii, as they have distinct properties which can affect ecosystem function. These differences could contribute to the widespread abundance of polypod ferns in an angiosperm-dominated world, and to patterns of nutrient cycling and limitation in sites where ferns are abundant.

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s00442-008-1108-9

  View details for Web of Science ID 000259191000007

  View details for PubMedID 18649088

• A unifying framework for dinitrogen fixation in the terrestrial biosphere NATURE Houlton, B. Z., Wang, Y., Vitousek, P. M., Field, C. B. 2008; 454 (7202): 327-U34

  Abstract

  Dinitrogen (N(2)) fixation is widely recognized as an important process in controlling ecosystem responses to global environmental change, both today and in the past; however, significant discrepancies exist between theory and observations of patterns of N(2) fixation across major sectors of the land biosphere. A question remains as to why symbiotic N(2)-fixing plants are more abundant in vast areas of the tropics than in many of the mature forests that seem to be nitrogen-limited in the temperate and boreal zones. Here we present a unifying framework for terrestrial N(2) fixation that can explain the geographic occurrence of N(2) fixers across diverse biomes and at the global scale. By examining trade-offs inherent in plant carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus capture, we find a clear advantage to symbiotic N(2) fixers in phosphorus-limited tropical savannas and lowland tropical forests. The ability of N(2) fixers to invest nitrogen into phosphorus acquisition seems vital to sustained N(2) fixation in phosphorus-limited tropical ecosystems. In contrast, modern-day temperatures seem to constrain N(2) fixation rates and N(2)-fixing species from mature forests in the high latitudes. We propose that an analysis that couples biogeochemical cycling and biophysical mechanisms is sufficient to explain the principal geographical patterns of symbiotic N(2) fixation on land, thus providing a basis for predicting the response of nutrient-limited ecosystems to climate change and increasing atmospheric CO(2).

  View details for DOI 10.1038/nature07028

  View details for Web of Science ID 000257665300037

  View details for PubMedID 18563086

• Invasive plants transform the three-dimensional structure of rain forests PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Asner, G. P., Hughes, R. F., Vitousek, P. M., Knapp, D. E., Kennedy-Bowdoin, T., Boardman, J., Martin, R. E., Eastwood, M., Green, R. O. 2008; 105 (11): 4519-4523

  Abstract

  Biological invasions contribute to global environmental change, but the dynamics and consequences of most invasions are difficult to assess at regional scales. We deployed an airborne remote sensing system that mapped the location and impacts of five highly invasive plant species across 221,875 ha of Hawaiian ecosystems, identifying four distinct ways that these species transform the three-dimensional (3D) structure of native rain forests. In lowland to montane forests, three invasive tree species replace native midcanopy and understory plants, whereas one understory invader excludes native species at the ground level. A fifth invasive nitrogen-fixing tree, in combination with a midcanopy alien tree, replaces native plants at all canopy levels in lowland forests. We conclude that this diverse array of alien plant species, each representing a different growth form or functional type, is changing the fundamental 3D structure of native Hawaiian rain forests. Our work also demonstrates how an airborne mapping strategy can identify and track the spread of certain invasive plant species, determine ecological consequences of their proliferation, and provide detailed geographic information to conservation and management efforts.

  View details for DOI 10.1073/pnas.0710811105

  View details for Web of Science ID 000254263300079

  View details for PubMedID 18316720

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC2393775

• Amplified temperature dependence in ecosystems developing on the lava flows of Mauna Loa, Hawai'i PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Anderson-Teixeira, K. J., Vitousek, P. M., Brown, J. H. 2008; 105 (1): 228-233

  Abstract

  Through its effect on individual metabolism, temperature drives biologically controlled fluxes and transformations of energy and materials in ecological systems. Because primary succession involves feedbacks among multiple biological and abiotic processes, we expected it to exhibit complex dynamics and unusual temperature dependence. We present a model based on first principles of chemical kinetics to explain how biologically mediated temperature dependence of "reactant" concentrations can inflate the effective temperature dependence of such processes. We then apply this model to test the hypothesis that the temperature dependence of early primary succession is amplified due to more rapid accumulation of reactants at higher temperatures. Using previously published data from the lava flows of Mauna Loa, HI, we show that rates of vegetation and soil accumulation as well as rates of community compositional change all display amplified temperature dependence (Q(10) values of approximately 7-50, compared with typical Q(10) values of 1.5-3 for the constituent biological processes). Additionally, in young ecosystems, resource concentrations increase with temperature, resulting in inflated temperature responses of biogeochemical fluxes. Mauna Loa's developing ecosystems exemplify how temperature-driven, biologically mediated gradients in resource availability can alter the effective temperature dependence of ecological processes. This mechanistic theory should contribute to understanding the complex effects of temperature on the structure and dynamics of ecological systems in a world where regional and global temperatures are changing rapidly.

  View details for DOI 10.1073/pnas.0710214104

  View details for Web of Science ID 000252435300044

  View details for PubMedID 18156366

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC2224191

• Morella cerifera invasion and nitrogen cycling on a lowland Hawaiian lava flow BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS Kurten, E. L., Snyder, C. P., Iwata, T., Vitousek, P. M. 2008; 10 (1): 19-24

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s10530-007-9101-5

  View details for Web of Science ID 000252473900003

• Precontact vegetation and soil nutrient status in the shadow of Kohala Volcano, Hawaii 26th Binghamton Geomorphology Symposium on Geomorphology and Ecosystems Chadwick, O. A., Kelly, E. F., Hotchkiss, S. C., Vitousek, P. M. ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV. 2007: 70–83

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.geomorph.2006.07.023

  View details for Web of Science ID 000251894900006

• Development of a diverse epiphyte community in response to phosphorus fertilization ECOLOGY LETTERS Benner, J. W., Vitousek, P. M. 2007; 10 (7): 628-636

  Abstract

  The role of terrestrial soil nutrient supply in determining the composition and productivity of epiphyte communities has been little investigated. In a montane Hawaiian rainforest, we documented dramatic increases in the abundance and species richness of canopy epiphytes in a forest that had been fertilized annually with phosphorus (P) for 15 years; there was no response in forest that had been fertilized with nitrogen (N) or other nutrients. The response of N-fixing lichens to P fertilization was particularly strong, although mosses and non-N-fixing lichens also increased in abundance and diversity. We show that enhancement of canopy P availability is the most likely factor driving the bloom in epiphytes. These results provide strong evidence that terrestrial soil fertility may structure epiphyte communities, and in particular that the abundance of N-fixing lichens--a functionally important epiphyte group--may be particularly sensitive to ecosystem P availability.

  View details for DOI 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2007.01054.x

  View details for Web of Science ID 000247123900009

  View details for PubMedID 17542941

• Soil phosphorus and agricultural development in the leeward Kohala Field System, Island of Hawai'i PACIFIC SCIENCE Meyer, M., Ladefoged, T. N., Vitousek, P. M. 2007; 61 (3): 347-353

  View details for Web of Science ID 000246422000003

• Phosphorus fertilization increases the abundance and nitrogenase activity of the cyanolichen Pseudocyphellaria crocata in hawaiian montane forests BIOTROPICA Benner, J. W., Conroy, S., Lunch, C. K., Toyoda, N., Vitousek, P. M. 2007; 39 (3): 400-405

  View details for DOI 10.1111/j.1744-7429.2007.00267.x

  View details for Web of Science ID 000245939300013

• Resource-use efficiency and plant invasion in low-resource systems NATURE Funk, J. L., Vitousek, P. M. 2007; 446 (7139): 1079-1081

  Abstract

  No species can maximize growth, reproduction and competitive ability across all environments, so the success of invasive species is habitat-dependent. Nutrient-rich habitats often experience more invasion than resource-poor habitats, a pattern consistent with traits generally associated with successful invaders (high growth rates, early reproduction and many offspring). However, invaders do colonize resource-poor environments, and the mechanisms that allow their success in these systems are poorly understood. Traits associated with resource conservation are widespread among species adapted to resource-poor environments, and invasive species may succeed in low-resource environments by employing resource conservation traits such as high resource-use efficiency (RUE; carbon assimilation per unit of resource). We investigated RUE in invasive and native species from three habitats in Hawaii where light, water or nutrient availability was limiting to plant growth. Here we show that across multiple growth forms and broad taxonomic diversity invasive species were generally more efficient than native species at using limiting resources on short timescales and were similarly efficient when RUE measures were integrated over leaf lifespans. Our data challenge the idea that native species generally outperform invasive species under conditions of low resource availability, and suggest that managing resource levels is not always an effective strategy for invasive species control.

  View details for DOI 10.1038/nature05719

  View details for Web of Science ID 000245950400049

  View details for PubMedID 17460672

• Uplift, erosion, and phosphorus limitation in terrestrial ecosystems ECOSYSTEMS Porder, S., Vitousek, P. M., Chadwick, O. A., Chamberlain, C. P., Hilley, G. E. 2007; 10 (1): 158-170

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s10021-006-9011-x

  View details for Web of Science ID 000246766000014

• Risky business: Temporal and spatial variation in preindustrial dryland agriculture HUMAN ECOLOGY Lee, C. T., Tuljapurkar, S., Vitousek, P. M. 2006; 34 (6): 739-763

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s10745-006-9037-x

  View details for Web of Science ID 000241522400001

• Interactive effects of fire, elevated carbon dioxide, nitrogen deposition, and precipitation on a California annual grassland ECOSYSTEMS Henry, H. A., Chiariello, N. R., Vitousek, P. M., Mooney, H. A., Field, C. B. 2006; 9 (7): 1066-1075

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s10021-005-0077-7

  View details for Web of Science ID 000242334600003

• Vegetation-climate interactions among native and invasive species in Hawaiian rainforest ECOSYSTEMS Asner, G. P., Martin, R. E., Carlson, K. M., Rascher, U., Vitousek, P. M. 2006; 9 (7): 1106-1117

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s10021-006-0124-z

  View details for Web of Science ID 000242334600006

• Prehistoric agricultural depletion of soil nutrients in Hawai'i PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Hartshorn, A. S., Chadwick, O. A., Vitousek, P. M., Kirch, P. V. 2006; 103 (29): 11092-11097

  Abstract

  We investigated the fate of soil nutrients after centuries of indigenous dryland agriculture in Hawai'i using a coupled geochemical and archaeological approach. Beginning approximately 500 years ago, farmers began growing dryland taro and sweet potato on the leeward slopes of East Maui. Their digging sticks pierced a subsurface layer of cinders, enhancing crop access to the soil water stored below the intact cinders. Cultivation also catalyzed nutrient losses, directly by facilitating leaching of mobile nutrients after disturbing a stratigraphic barrier to vertical water movement, and indirectly by increasing mineral weathering and subsequent uptake and harvest. As a result, centuries of cultivation lowered volumetric total calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, and phosphorus content by 49%, 28%, 75%, 37%, and 32%, respectively. In the absence of written records, we used the difference in soil phosphorus to estimate that prehistoric yields were sufficient to meet local demand over very long time frames, but the associated acceleration of nutrient losses could have compromised subsequent yields.

  View details for DOI 10.1073/pnas.0604594103

  View details for Web of Science ID 000239327200049

  View details for PubMedID 16832047

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC1544177

• Business strategies for conservation on private lands: Koa forestry as a case study PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Goldstein, J. H., Daily, G. C., Friday, J. B., Matson, P. A., Naylor, R. A. 2006; 103 (26): 10140-10145

  Abstract

  Innovative financial instruments are being created to reward conservation on private, working lands. Major design challenges remain, however, to make investments in biodiversity and ecosystem services economically attractive and commonplace. From a business perspective, three key financial barriers for advancing conservation land uses must frequently be addressed: high up-front costs, long time periods with no revenue, and high project risk due to long time horizons and uncertainty. We explored ways of overcoming these barriers on grazing lands in Hawaii by realizing a suite of timber and conservation revenue streams associated with their (partial) reforestation. We calculated the financial implications of alternative strategies, focusing on Acacia koa ("koa") forestry because of its high conservation and economic potential. Koa's timber value alone creates a viable investment (mean net present value = $453/acre), but its long time horizon and poor initial cash flow pose formidable challenges for landowners. At present, subsidy payments from a government conservation program targeting benefits for biodiversity, water quality, and soil erosion have the greatest potential to move landowners beyond the tipping point in favor of investments in koa forestry, particularly when combined with future timber harvest (mean net present value = $1,661/acre). Creating financial mechanisms to capture diverse ecosystem service values through time will broaden opportunities for conservation land uses. Governments, nongovernmental organizations, and private investors have roles to play in catalyzing this transition by developing new revenue streams that can reach a broad spectrum of landowners.

  View details for DOI 10.1073/pnas.0600391103

  View details for Web of Science ID 000238872900070

  View details for PubMedID 16782816

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC1502519

• Agricultural intensification: Will land spared from farming be land spared for nature? CONSERVATION BIOLOGY Matson, P. A., Vitousek, P. M. 2006; 20 (3): 709-710

  View details for DOI 10.1111/j.1523-1739.2006.00442.x

  View details for Web of Science ID 000238313200028

  View details for PubMedID 16909562

• Ecosystem science and human-environment interactions in the Hawaiian archipelago Annual Meeting of the British-Ecological-Society Vitousek, P. WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC. 2006: 510–21

  View details for DOI 10.1111/j.1365-2745.2006.01119.x

  View details for Web of Science ID 000236717700001

• Persistence of rock-derived nutrients in the wet tropical forests of La Selva, Costa Rica ECOLOGY Porder, S., Clark, D. A., Vitousek, P. M. 2006; 87 (3): 594-602

  Abstract

  We used strontium isotopes and analysis of foliar and soil nutrients to test whether erosion can rejuvenate the supply of rock-derived nutrients in the lowland tropical rain forest of La Selva, Costa Rica. We expected that these nutrients would be depleted from soils on stable surfaces, a result of over one million years of weathering in situ. In fact, trees and palms in all landscape positions derive a relatively high percentage (> or =40%) of their strontium from bedrock, rather than atmospheric, sources. The fraction that is rock-derived increases on slopes, but with no detectable effect on plant macronutrient concentrations. These results differ from those in a similar ecosystem on Kauai, Hawaii, where plants on uneroded surfaces derive almost all of their foliar Sr from atmospheric, rather than bedrock, sources. The results from La Selva challenge the assumption that tropical Oxisols in general have low nutrient inputs from bedrock, and support the hypothesis that erosion can increase the supply of these nutrients in lower landscape positions.

  View details for Web of Science ID 000236289600008

  View details for PubMedID 16602289

• Temperature influences carbon accumulation in moist tropical forests ECOLOGY Raich, J. W., Russell, A. E., Kitayama, K., Parton, W. J., Vitousek, P. M. 2006; 87 (1): 76–87

  Abstract

  Evergreen broad-leaved tropical forests can have high rates of productivity and large accumulations of carbon in plant biomass and soils. They can therefore play an important role in the global carbon cycle, influencing atmospheric CO2 concentrations if climate warms. We applied meta-analyses to published data to evaluate the apparent effects of temperature on carbon fluxes and storages in mature, moist tropical evergreen forest ecosystems. Among forests, litter production, tree growth, and belowground carbon allocation all increased significantly with site mean annual temperature (MAT); total net primary productivity (NPP) increased by an estimated 0.2-0.7 Mg C x ha(-1) x yr(-1) x degrees C(-1). Temperature had no discernible effect on the turnover rate of aboveground forest biomass, which averaged 0.014 yr(-1) among sites. Consistent with these findings, forest biomass increased with site MAT at a rate of 5-13 Mg C x ha(-1) x degrees C(-1). Despite greater productivity in warmer forests, soil organic matter accumulations decreased with site MAT, with a slope of -8 Mg C x ha(-1) x degrees C(-1), indicating that decomposition rates of soil organic matter increased with MAT faster than did rates of NPP. Turnover rates of surface litter also increased with temperature among forests. We found no detectable effect of temperature on total carbon storage among moist-tropical evergreen forests, but rather a shift in ecosystem structure, from low-biomass forests with relatively large accumulations of detritus in cooler sites, to large-biomass forests with relatively smaller detrital stocks in warmer locations. These results imply that, in a warmer climate, conservation of forest biomass will be critical to the maintenance of carbon stocks in moist tropical forests.

  View details for DOI 10.1890/05-0023

  View details for Web of Science ID 000236020000009

  View details for PubMedID 16634298

• Consensus on climate change TRENDS IN ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION Walther, G. R., Hughes, L., Vitousek, P., Stenseth, N. C. 2005; 20 (12): 648-649

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.tree.2005.10.008

  View details for Web of Science ID 000233878700003

  View details for PubMedID 16701450

• Interactive effects of elevated CO2, N deposition and climate change on extracellular enzyme activity and soil density fractionation in a California annual grassland GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY Henry, H. A., Juarez, J. D., Field, C. B., Vitousek, P. M. 2005; 11 (10): 1808-1815

  View details for Web of Science ID 000232390200022

• Ground-based and remotely sensed nutrient availability across a tropical landscape PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Porder, S., Asner, G. P., Vitousek, P. M. 2005; 102 (31): 10909-10912

  Abstract

  Tropical soils often are assumed to be highly weathered and thus nutrient-depleted, but this prediction applies primarily to geomorphically stable surfaces. Topography complicates the assumption of nutrient depletion, because erosion can enhance the supply of nutrients to tropical ecosystems. Consequently, understanding nutrient availability across landscapes requires a spatially explicit assessment of the relative strength of depletion and enhancement. We document the relationship between foliar nutrients and topographic position across a 20-km(2), 4- to 5-million-year-old eroded landscape in Kaua'i, Hawai'i, and use this relationship to build a bottom-up map of predicted nutrient availability across this landscape. Only approximately 17% of the landscape is nutrient-poor, mostly on stable uplands; nutrient availability on slopes and valley bottoms is much higher, in some cases similar to the most fertile montane forests in the Hawaiian Islands. This pattern was corroborated by top-down remote sensing of area-integrated canopy phosphorus concentrations.

  View details for DOI 10.1073/pnas.0504929102

  View details for Web of Science ID 000231102400033

  View details for PubMedID 16040798

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC1182458

• Ca cycling and isotopic fluxes in forested ecosystems in Hawaii GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS Wiegand, B. A., Chadwick, O. A., Vitousek, P. M., Wooden, J. L. 2005; 32 (11)

  View details for DOI 10.1029/2005GL022746

  View details for Web of Science ID 000229985800003

• The influence of nutrient availability on soil organic matter turnover estimated by incubations and radiocarbon modeling ECOSYSTEMS Torn, M. S., Vitousek, P. M., Trumbore, S. E. 2005; 8 (4): 352-372

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s10021-004-0259-8

  View details for Web of Science ID 000230804500002

• Responses of extracellular enzymes to simple and complex nutrient inputs SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY Allison, S. D., Vitousek, P. M. 2005; 37 (5): 937-944

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.soilbio.2004.09.014

  View details for Web of Science ID 000228242300014

• Short-term controls over inorganic phosphorus during soil and ecosystem development SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY Olander, L. P., Vitousek, P. M. 2005; 37 (4): 651-659

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.soilbio.2004.08.022

  View details for Web of Science ID 000226872900005

• Remote analysis of biological invasion and biogeochemical change PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Asner, G. P., Vitousek, P. M. 2005; 102 (12): 4383-4386

  Abstract

  We used airborne imaging spectroscopy and photon transport modeling to determine how biological invasion altered the chemistry of forest canopies across a Hawaiian montane rain forest landscape. The nitrogen-fixing tree Myrica faya doubled canopy nitrogen concentrations and water content as it replaced native forest, whereas the understory herb Hedychium gardnerianum reduced nitrogen concentrations in the forest overstory and substantially increased aboveground water content. This remote sensing approach indicates the geographic extent, intensity, and biogeochemical impacts of two distinct invaders; its wider application could enhance the role of remote sensing in ecosystem analysis and management.

  View details for DOI 10.1073/pnas.0500823102

  View details for Web of Science ID 000227854800030

  View details for PubMedID 15761055

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC554001

• Erosion and landscape development affect plant nutrient status in the Hawaiian Islands OECOLOGIA Porder, S., Paytan, A., Vitousek, P. M. 2005; 142 (3): 440-449

  Abstract

  We quantified variation in plant nutrient concentrations and provenance along catenas in landscapes of three different ages (0.15, 1.4, and 4.1 ma) in the Hawaiian Islands. Strontium (Sr) isotopes demonstrate that erosion provides a renewed source of rock-derived nutrients to slopes in landscapes of all ages, in some cases reversing a million years of ecosystem development in a distance of 100 m. However the effects of this input vary with landscape age. Plants on uneroded surfaces in a 0.15-ma landscape derive approximately 20% of their Sr from local bedrock (foliar 87Sr/86Sr approximately 0.7085), while on adjacent slopes this increases to approximately 80% (foliar 87Sr/86Sr approximately 0.7045). Despite this shift in provenance, foliar N and P do not vary systematically with slope position. Conversely, eroded slopes in a 4.1-ma landscape show smaller increases in rock-derived cations relative to stable uplands (foliar 87Sr/86Sr approximately 0.7075 vs 0.7090), but have >50% higher foliar N and P. These results demonstrate both that erosion can greatly increase nutrient availability in older landscapes, and that the ecological effects of erosion vary with landscape age. In addition, there can be as much biogeochemical variation on fine spatial scales in eroding landscapes as there is across millions of years of ecosystem development on stable surfaces.

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s00442-004-1743-8

  View details for Web of Science ID 000226357400012

  View details for PubMedID 15538635

• Interactive effects of elevated CO2, N deposition and climate change on plant litter quality in a California annual grassland OECOLOGIA Henry, H. A., Cleland, E. E., Field, C. B., Vitousek, P. M. 2005; 142 (3): 465-473

  Abstract

  Although global changes can alter ecosystem nutrient dynamics indirectly as a result of their effects on plant litter quality, the interactive effects of global changes on plant litter remain largely unexplored in natural communities. We investigated the effects of elevated CO2, N deposition, warming and increased precipitation on the composition of organic compounds in plant litter in a fully-factorial experiment conducted in a California annual grassland. While lignin increased within functional groups under elevated CO2, this effect was attenuated by warming in grasses and by water additions in forbs. CO2-induced increases in lignin within functional groups also were counteracted by an increase in the relative biomass of forbs, which contained less lignin than grasses. Consequently, there was no net change in the overall lignin content of senesced tissue at the plot level under elevated CO2. Nitrate additions increased N in both grass and forb litter, although this effect was attenuated by water additions. Relative to changes in N within functional groups, changes in functional group dominance had a minor effect on overall litter N at the plot level. Nitrate additions had the strongest effect on decomposition, increasing lignin losses from Avena litter and interacting with water additions to increase decomposition of litter of other grasses. Increases in lignin that resulted from elevated CO2 had no effect on decomposition but elevated CO2 increased N losses from Avena litter. Overall, the interactions among elements of global change were as important as single-factor effects in influencing plant litter chemistry. However, with the exception of variation in N, litter quality had little influence on decomposition over the short term.

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s00442-004-1713-1

  View details for PubMedID 15558326

• Imaging spectroscopy studies of Hawaniian ecosystems, carbon properties, and disturbance Conference on Image Processing and Pattern Recognition in Remote Sensing II Asner, G. P., Vitousek, P. M. SPIE-INT SOC OPTICAL ENGINEERING. 2005: 1–8

  View details for DOI 10.1117/12.588738

  View details for Web of Science ID 000227661700001

• Rapid nutrient cycling in leaf litter from invasive plants in Hawai'i OECOLOGIA Allison, S. D., Vitousek, P. M. 2004; 141 (4): 612-619

  Abstract

  Physiological traits that contribute to the establishment and spread of invasive plant species could also have impacts on ecosystem processes. The traits prevalent in many invasive plants, such as high specific leaf areas, rapid growth rates, and elevated leaf nutrient concentrations, improve litter quality and should increase rates of decomposition and nutrient cycling. To test for these ecosystem impacts, we measured initial leaf litter properties, decomposition rates, and nutrient dynamics in 11 understory plants from the Hawaiian islands in control and nitrogen + phosphorus fertilized plots. These included five common native species, four of which were ferns, and six aggressive invasive species, including five angiosperms and one fern. We found a 50-fold variation in leaf litter decay rates, with natives decaying at rates of 0.2-2.3 year(-1) and invaders at 1.4-9.3 year(-1). This difference was driven by very low decomposition rates in native fern litter. Fertilization significantly increased the decay rates of leaf litter from two native and two invasive species. Most invasive litter types lost nitrogen and phosphorus more rapidly and in larger quantities than comparable native litter types. All litter types except three native ferns lost nitrogen after 100 days of decomposition, and all litter types except the most recalcitrant native ferns lost >50% of initial phosphorus by the end of the experiment (204-735 days). If invasive understory plants displace native species, nutrient cycling rates could increase dramatically due to rapid decomposition and nutrient release from invasive litter. Such changes are likely to cause a positive feedback to invasion in Hawai'i because many invasive plants thrive on nutrient-rich soils.

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s00442-004-1679-z

  View details for Web of Science ID 000224999800007

  View details for PubMedID 15549401

• An exotic tree alters decomposition and nutrient cycling in a Hawaiian montane forest ECOSYSTEMS Rothstein, D. E., Vitousek, P. M., Simmons, B. L. 2004; 7 (8): 805-814

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s10021-004-0009-y

  View details for Web of Science ID 000226163400003

• Extracellular enzyme activities and carbon chemistry as drivers of tropical plant litter decomposition BIOTROPICA Allison, S. D., Vitousek, P. M. 2004; 36 (3): 285-296

  View details for Web of Science ID 000223742800002

• Environment, agriculture, and settlement patterns in a marginal Polynesian landscape PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Kirch, P. V., Hartshorn, A. S., Chadwick, O. A., Vitousek, P. M., Sherrod, D. R., Coil, J., Holm, L., Sharp, W. D. 2004; 101 (26): 9936-9941

  Abstract

  Beginning ca. A.D. 1400, Polynesian farmers established permanent settlements along the arid southern flank of Haleakala Volcano, Maui, Hawaiian Islands; peak population density (43-57 persons per km(2)) was achieved by A.D. 1700-1800, and it was followed by the devastating effects of European contact. This settlement, based on dryland agriculture with sweet potato as a main crop, is represented by >3,000 archaeological features investigated to date. Geological and environmental factors are the most important influence on Polynesian farming and settlement practices in an agriculturally marginal landscape. Interactions between lava flows, whose ages range from 3,000 to 226,000 years, and differences in rainfall create an environmental mosaic that constrained precontact Polynesian farming practices to a zone defined by aridity at low elevation and depleted soil nutrients at high elevation. Within this productive zone, however, large-scale agriculture was concentrated on older, tephra-blanketed lava flows; younger flows were reserved for residential sites, small ritual gardens, and agricultural temples.

  View details for DOI 10.1073/pnas.0403470101

  View details for Web of Science ID 000222405600075

  View details for PubMedID 15210963

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC470777

• Soils, agriculture, and society in precontact Hawai SCIENCE Vitousek, P. M., Ladefoged, T. N., Kirch, P. V., Hartshorn, A. S., Graves, M. W., Hotchkiss, S. C., Tuljapurkar, S., Chadwick, O. A. 2004; 304 (5677): 1665-1669

  Abstract

  Before European contact, Hawai'i supported large human populations in complex societies that were based on multiple pathways of intensive agriculture. We show that soils within a long-abandoned 60-square-kilometer dryland agricultural complex are substantially richer in bases and phosphorus than are those just outside it, and that this enrichment predated the establishment of intensive agriculture. Climate and soil fertility combined to constrain large dryland agricultural systems and the societies they supported to well-defined portions of just the younger islands within the Hawaiian archipelago; societies on the older islands were based on irrigated wetland agriculture. Similar processes may have influenced the dynamics of agricultural intensification across the tropics.

  View details for Web of Science ID 000221934300049

  View details for PubMedID 15192228

• Biological and geochemical sinks for phosphorus in soil from a wet tropical forest ECOSYSTEMS Olander, L. P., Vitousek, P. M. 2004; 7 (4): 404-419

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s10021-004-0264-y

  View details for Web of Science ID 000222319200009

• Erosion and the rejuvenation of weathering-derived nutrient supply in an old tropical landscape ECOSYSTEMS Vitousek, P., Chadwick, O., Matson, P., Allison, S., Derry, L., Kettley, L., Luers, A., Mecking, E., Monastra, V., Porder, S. 2003; 6 (8): 762-772

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s10021-003-0199-8

  View details for Web of Science ID 000187308500005

• Polyphenols in litter from tropical montane forests across a wide range in soil fertility BIOGEOCHEMISTRY Hattenschwiler, S., Hagerman, A. E., Vitousek, P. M. 2003; 64 (1): 129-148

  View details for Web of Science ID 000184413200007

• Breaks in the cycle: dissolved organic nitrogen in terrestrial ecosystems FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT Neff, J. C., Chapin, F. S., Vitousek, P. M. 2003; 1 (4): 205-211

  View details for Web of Science ID 000221789900023

• Landslides significantly alter land cover and the distribution of biomass: an example from the Ninole ridges of Hawai'i PLANT ECOLOGY Restrepo, C., Vitousek, P., Neville, P. 2003; 166 (1): 131-143

  View details for Web of Science ID 000182132400011

• Nitrogen fixation in bryophytes, lichens, and decaying wood along a soil-age gradient in Hawaiian montane rain forest BIOTROPICA Matzek, V., Vitousek, P. 2003; 35 (1): 12-19

  View details for Web of Science ID 000182530700002

• An unexpected nitrate decline in New Hampshire streams ECOSYSTEMS Goodale, C. L., Aber, J. D., Vitousek, P. M. 2003; 6 (1): 75-86

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s10021-002-0219-0

  View details for Web of Science ID 000181088800007

• Stoichiometry and flexibility in the Hawaiian model system Conference on Element Interactions Vitousek, P. M. ISLAND PRESS. 2003: 117–133

  View details for Web of Science ID 000221668200006

• Interactions of climate change with biological invasions and land use in the Hawaiian Islands: Modeling the fate of endemic birds using a geographic information system PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Benning, T. L., Lapointe, D., Atkinson, C. T., Vitousek, P. M. 2002; 99 (22): 14246-14249

  Abstract

  The Hawaiian honeycreepers (Drepanidae) represent a superb illustration of evolutionary radiation, with a single colonization event giving rise to 19 extant and at least 10 extinct species [Curnutt, J. & Pimm, S. (2001) Stud. Avian Biol. 22, 15-30]. They also represent a dramatic example of anthropogenic extinction. Crop and pasture land has replaced their forest habitat, and human introductions of predators and diseases, particularly of mosquitoes and avian malaria, has eliminated them from the remaining low- and mid-elevation forests. Landscape analyses of three high-elevation forest refuges show that anthropogenic climate change is likely to combine with past land-use changes and biological invasions to drive several of the remaining species to extinction, especially on the islands of Kauai and Hawaii.

  View details for Web of Science ID 000178967400052

  View details for PubMedID 12374870

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC137869

• Soil phosphorus fractions and symbiotic nitrogen fixation across a substrate-age gradient in Hawaii ECOSYSTEMS Pearson, H. L., Vitousek, P. M. 2002; 5 (6): 587-596

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s10021-002-0172-y

  View details for Web of Science ID 000178121000007

• Oceanic islands as model systems for ecological studies JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY Vitousek, P. M. 2002; 29 (5-6): 573-582

  View details for Web of Science ID 000176652300002

• Towards an ecological understanding of biological nitrogen fixation BIOGEOCHEMISTRY Vitousek, P. M., Cassman, K., Cleveland, C., Crews, T., Field, C. B., Grimm, N. B., Howarth, R. W., Marino, R., Martinelli, L., Rastetter, E. B., SPRENT, J. I. 2002; 57 (1): 1-45

  View details for Web of Science ID 000176001500002

• Nitrogen and nature 2nd International Nitrogen Conference Vitousek, P. M., Hattenschwiler, S., Olander, L., Allison, S. ROYAL SWEDISH ACAD SCIENCES. 2002: 97–101

  Abstract

  Anthropogenic changes to the global N cycle are important in part because added N alters the composition, productivity, and other properties of many natural ecosystems substantially. Why does added N have such a large impact? Why is N in short supply in so many natural ecosystems? Processes that slow the cycling of N relative to other elements and processes that control ecosystem-level inputs and outputs of N could cause N supply to limit the dynamics of ecosystems. We discuss stoichiometric differences between terrestrial plants and other organisms, the abundance of protein-precipitating plant defenses, and the nature of the C-N bond in soil organic matter as factors that can slow N cycling. For inputs, the energetic costs of N fixation and their consequences, the supply of nutrients other than N, and preferential grazing on N-fixers all could constrain the abundance and/or activity of biological N-fixers. Together these processes drive and sustain N limitation in many natural terrestrial ecosystems.

  View details for Web of Science ID 000175937500007

  View details for PubMedID 12078015

• Production and resource use efficiencies in N- and P-limited tropical forests: A comparison of responses to long-term fertilization ECOSYSTEMS Harrington, R. A., Fownes, J. H., Vitousek, P. M. 2001; 4 (7): 646-657

  View details for Web of Science ID 000172503300003

• Stand dynamics, nitrogen accumulation, and symbiotic nitrogen fixation in regenerating stands of Acacia koa ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS Pearson, H. L., Vitousek, P. M. 2001; 11 (5): 1381-1394

  View details for Web of Science ID 000171417700011

• Nitrogen fixation rates of Stereocaulon vulcani on young Hawaiian lava flows BIOGEOCHEMISTRY Kurina, L. M., Vitousek, P. M. 2001; 55 (2): 179-194

  View details for Web of Science ID 000170160000003

• Landslides, alien species, and the diversity of a Hawaiian montane mesic ecosystem BIOTROPICA Restrepo, C., Vitousek, P. 2001; 33 (3): 409-420

  View details for Web of Science ID 000171709800004

• Resource optimization and symbiotic nitrogen fixation ECOSYSTEMS Rastetter, E. B., Vitousek, P. M., Field, C., Shaver, G. R., Herbert, D., AGREN, G. I. 2001; 4 (4): 369-388

  View details for Web of Science ID 000169413600010

• Effects of soil nutrient availability on investment in acquisition of N and P in Hawaiian rain forests ECOLOGY Treseder, K. K., Vitousek, P. M. 2001; 82 (4): 946-954

  View details for Web of Science ID 000168135100004

• Organic matter and nitrogen accumulation and nitrogen fixation during early ecosystem development in Hawaii BIOGEOCHEMISTRY Crews, T. E., Kurina, L. M., Vitousek, P. M. 2001; 52 (3): 259-279

  View details for Web of Science ID 000167397100002

• Potential ecosystem-level effects of genetic variation among populations of Metrosideros polymorpha from a soil fertility gradient in Hawaii OECOLOGIA Treseder, K. K., Vitousek, P. M. 2001; 126 (2): 266-275

  Abstract

  This study assessed intrinsic differences in tissue quality and growth rate among populations of Metrosideros polymorpha native to sites with a range of soil fertilities. We collected seedlings from three Hawaiian mesic forests that were either phosphorus-limited, nitrogen-limited, or relatively fertile. These individuals were grown in a common garden under a factorial high/low, N/P fertilization regime for 1.5 years and then harvested to determine genetic divergence; aboveground growth rate; and lignin, N, and P concentrations in leaves and roots. Allozyme analyses indicated that the three groups had genetically diverged to some degree (genetic distance = 0.036-0.053 among populations). Relative growth rate did not differ significantly among the populations. Senescent leaves from the fertile-site population had the highest N concentrations (due to low N resorption) and had lower lignin concentrations than plants from the N-limited site. Across treatments, P concentrations in senescent leaves were highest in plants from the fertile and P-limited site. Root tissue quality did not generally differ significantly among populations. Since decomposition rate of senescent leaves in this system is related positively to N concentration and negatively to lignin concentration, senescent leaves from the fertile-site population may have a genetic tendency toward faster decay than the others. The intrinsic qualities of the three populations may provide positive feedbacks on nutrient cycling at each site-nutrient availability may be raised to some degree at the fertile site, and reduced at the N- or P-limited sites. Our results suggest that even a small degree of genetic differentiation among groups can influence traits related to nutrient cycling.

  View details for Web of Science ID 000166494800015

• Potential ecosystem-level effects of genetic variation among populations of Metrosideros polymorpha from a soil fertility gradient in Hawaii. Oecologia Treseder, K. K., Vitousek, P. M. 2001; 126 (2): 266-275

  Abstract

  This study assessed intrinsic differences in tissue quality and growth rate among populations of Metrosideros polymorpha native to sites with a range of soil fertilities. We collected seedlings from three Hawaiian mesic forests that were either phosphorus-limited, nitrogen-limited, or relatively fertile. These individuals were grown in a common garden under a factorial high/low, N/P fertilization regime for 1.5 years and then harvested to determine genetic divergence; aboveground growth rate; and lignin, N, and P concentrations in leaves and roots. Allozyme analyses indicated that the three groups had genetically diverged to some degree (genetic distance = 0.036-0.053 among populations). Relative growth rate did not differ significantly among the populations. Senescent leaves from the fertile-site population had the highest N concentrations (due to low N resorption) and had lower lignin concentrations than plants from the N-limited site. Across treatments, P concentrations in senescent leaves were highest in plants from the fertile and P-limited site. Root tissue quality did not generally differ significantly among populations. Since decomposition rate of senescent leaves in this system is related positively to N concentration and negatively to lignin concentration, senescent leaves from the fertile-site population may have a genetic tendency toward faster decay than the others. The intrinsic qualities of the three populations may provide positive feedbacks on nutrient cycling at each site-nutrient availability may be raised to some degree at the fertile site, and reduced at the N- or P-limited sites. Our results suggest that even a small degree of genetic differentiation among groups can influence traits related to nutrient cycling.

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s004420000523

  View details for PubMedID 28547626

• Morphological and physiological adjustment to N and P fertilization in nutrient-limited Metrosideros polymorpha canopy trees in Hawaii TREE PHYSIOLOGY Cordell, S., Goldstein, G., Meinzer, F. C., Vitousek, P. M. 2001; 21 (1): 43-50

  Abstract

  Leaf-level studies of Metrosideros polymorpha Gaud. (Myrtaceae) canopy trees at both ends of a substrate age gradient in the Hawaiian Islands pointed to differential patterns of adjustment to both nutrient limitation and removal of this limitation by long-term (8-14 years) nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and N + P fertilizations. The two study sites were located at the same elevation, had similar annual precipitation, and supported forests dominated by M. polymorpha, but differed in the age of the underlying volcanic substrate, and in soil nutrient availability, with relatively low N at the young site (300 years, Thurston, Hawaii) and relatively low P at the oldest site (4,100,000 years, Kokee, Kauai). Within each site, responses to N and P fertilization were similar, regardless of the difference in soil N and P availability between sites. At the young substrate site, nutrient addition led to a larger mean leaf size (about 7.4 versus 4.8 cm2), resulting in a larger canopy leaf surface area. Differences in foliar N and P content, chlorophyll concentrations and carboxylation capacity between the fertilized and control plots were small. At the old substrate site, nutrient addition led to an increase in photosynthetic rate per unit leaf surface area from 4.5 to 7.6 micromol m(-2) s(-1), without a concomitant change in leaf size. At this site, leaves had substantially greater nutrient concentrations, chlorophyll content and carboxylation capacity in the fertilized plots than in the control plots. These contrasting acclimation responses to fertilization at the young and old sites led to significant increases in total carbon gain of M. polymorpha canopy trees at both sites. At the young substrate site, acclimation to fertilization was morphological, resulting in larger leaves, whereas at the old substrate site, physiological acclimation resulted in higher leaf carboxylation capacity and chlorophyll content.

  View details for Web of Science ID 000166771400006

  View details for PubMedID 11260823

• Cattle grazing, forest loss, and fuel loading in a dry forest ecosystem at Pu'u Wa'aWa'a ranch, Hawai'i BIOTROPICA Blackmore, M., Vitousek, P. M. 2000; 32 (4): 625-632

  View details for Web of Science ID 000166540200005

• Nutrient and mineralogical control on dissolved organic C, N and P fluxes and stoichiometry in Hawaiian soils BIOGEOCHEMISTRY Neff, J. C., Hobbie, S. E., Vitousek, P. M. 2000; 51 (3): 283-302

  View details for Web of Science ID 000089142400003

• Hurricane effects on nitrogen trace gas emissions in Hawaiian montane rain forest BIOTROPICA Riley, R. H., Vitousek, P. M. 2000; 32 (4): 751-756

  View details for Web of Science ID 000166540200019

• Climate cycles, geomorphological change, and the interpretation of soil and ecosystem development ECOSYSTEMS Hotchkiss, S., Vitousek, P. M., Chadwick, O. A., Price, J. 2000; 3 (6): 522-533

  View details for Web of Science ID 000166192700004

• Heterotrophic nitrogen fixation in decomposing litter: Patterns and regulation ECOLOGY Vitousek, P. M., Hobbie, S. 2000; 81 (9): 2366-2376

  View details for Web of Science ID 000089093500002

• Changes in asymbiotic, heterotrophic nitrogen fixation on leaf litter of Metrosideros polymorpha with long-term ecosystem development in Hawaii ECOSYSTEMS Crews, T. E., Farrington, H., Vitousek, P. M. 2000; 3 (4): 386-395

  View details for Web of Science ID 000088984300006

• Nutrient limitation of decomposition in Hawaiian forests ECOLOGY Hobbie, S. E., Vitousek, P. M. 2000; 81 (7): 1867-1877

  View details for Web of Science ID 000088214400009

• The role of polyphenols in terrestrial ecosystem nutrient cycling TRENDS IN ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION Hattenschwiler, S., Vitousek, P. M. 2000; 15 (6): 238-243

  Abstract

  Interspecific variation in polyphenol production by plants has been interpreted in terms of defense against herbivores. Several recent lines of evidence suggest that polyphenols also influence the pools and fluxes of inorganic and organic soil nutrients. Such effects could have far-ranging consequences for nutrient competition among and between plants and microbes, and for ecosystem nutrient cycling and retention. The significance of polyphenols for nutrient cycling and plant productivity is still uncertain, but it could provide an alternative or complementary explanation for the variability in polyphenol production by plants.

  View details for Web of Science ID 000087160800008

• Consequences of changing biodiversity NATURE Chapin, F. S., Zavaleta, E. S., Eviner, V. T., Naylor, R. L., Vitousek, P. M., Reynolds, H. L., Hooper, D. U., Lavorel, S., Sala, O. E., Hobbie, S. E., Mack, M. C., Diaz, S. 2000; 405 (6783): 234-242

  Abstract

  Human alteration of the global environment has triggered the sixth major extinction event in the history of life and caused widespread changes in the global distribution of organisms. These changes in biodiversity alter ecosystem processes and change the resilience of ecosystems to environmental change. This has profound consequences for services that humans derive from ecosystems. The large ecological and societal consequences of changing biodiversity should be minimized to preserve options for future solutions to global environmental problems.

  View details for Web of Science ID 000087080100061

  View details for PubMedID 10821284

• Regulation of soil phosphatase and chitinase activity by N and P availability BIOGEOCHEMISTRY Olander, L. P., Vitousek, P. M. 2000; 49 (2): 175-190

  View details for Web of Science ID 000085422600004

• Precipitation, decomposition and litter decomposability of Metrosideros polymorpha in native forests on Hawai'i JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY Austin, A. T., Vitousek, P. M. 2000; 88 (1): 129-138

  View details for Web of Science ID 000085946700010

• Global change and wilderness science Wilderness Science in a Time of Change Conference Vitousek, P. M., Aber, J. D., Goodale, C. L., Aplet, G. H. US DEPT AGR, FOREST SERV ROCKY MT FOREST & RANGE EXPTL STN. 2000: 5–9

  View details for Web of Science ID 000165332500002

• Decomposition of Metrosideros polymorpha leaf litter along elevational gradients in Hawaii GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY Scowcroft, P. G., Turner, D. R., Vitousek, P. M. 2000; 6 (1): 73-85

  View details for Web of Science ID 000086189700006

• Nutrient limitation to nitrogen fixation in young volcanic sites ECOSYSTEMS Vitousek, P. M. 1999; 2 (6): 505-510

  View details for Web of Science ID 000084534100004

• Weathering versus atmospheric sources of strontium in ecosystems on young volcanic soils. Oecologia Vitousek, P. M., Kennedy, M. J., Derry, L. A., Chadwick, O. A. 1999; 121 (2): 255-259

  Abstract

  We used isotopes of Sr to quantify weathering versus atmospheric sources of foliar Sr in 34 Hawaiian forests on young volcanic soils. The forests varied widely in climate, and in lava flow age and texture. Weathering supplied most of the Sr in most of the sites, but atmospheric deposition contributed 30-50% of foliar Sr in the wettest rainforests. A stepwise multiple regression using annual precipitation, distance from the ocean, and texture of the underlying lava explained 76% of the variation in Sr isotope ratios across the sites. Substrate age did not contribute significantly to variation in Sr isotope ratios in the range of ages evaluated here (11-3000 years), although atmospheric sources eventually dominate pools of biologically available Sr in Hawaiian rainforests in older substrates (≥150,000 years).

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s004420050927

  View details for PubMedID 28308565

• Weathering versus atmospheric sources of strontium in ecosystems on young volcanic soils OECOLOGIA Vitousek, P. M., Kennedy, M. J., Derry, L. A., Chadwick, O. A. 1999; 121 (2): 255-259

  Abstract

  We used isotopes of Sr to quantify weathering versus atmospheric sources of foliar Sr in 34 Hawaiian forests on young volcanic soils. The forests varied widely in climate, and in lava flow age and texture. Weathering supplied most of the Sr in most of the sites, but atmospheric deposition contributed 30-50% of foliar Sr in the wettest rainforests. A stepwise multiple regression using annual precipitation, distance from the ocean, and texture of the underlying lava explained 76% of the variation in Sr isotope ratios across the sites. Substrate age did not contribute significantly to variation in Sr isotope ratios in the range of ages evaluated here (11-3000 years), although atmospheric sources eventually dominate pools of biologically available Sr in Hawaiian rainforests in older substrates (≥150,000 years).

  View details for Web of Science ID 000083846300012

• Controls over the accumulation and decline of a nitrogen-fixing lichen, Stereocaulon vulcani, on young Hawaiian lava flows JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY Kurina, L. M., Vitousek, P. M. 1999; 87 (5): 784-799

  View details for Web of Science ID 000083683500005

• Volcano fixes nitrogen into plant-available forms BIOGEOCHEMISTRY Huebert, B., Vitousek, P., Sutton, J., Elias, T., Heath, J., Coeppicus, S., Howell, S., Blomquist, B. 1999; 47 (1): 111-118

  View details for Web of Science ID 000081664600007

• Deliberate introductions of species: Research needs - Benefits can be reaped, but risks are high BIOSCIENCE Ewel, J. J., O'Dowd, D. J., Bergelson, J., Daehler, C. C., D'Antonio, C. M., Gomez, L. D., Gordon, D. R., Hobbs, R. J., Holt, A., Hopper, K. R., Hughes, C. E., LaHart, M., Leakey, R. R., Lee, W. G., Loope, L. L., Lorence, D. H., Louda, S. M., Lugo, A. E., McEvoy, P. B., Richardson, D. M., Vitousek, P. M. 1999; 49 (8): 619-630

  View details for Web of Science ID 000081683500006

• The globalization of N deposition: ecosystem consequences in tropical environments BIOGEOCHEMISTRY Matson, P. A., McDowell, W. H., Townsend, A. R., Vitousek, P. M. 1999; 46 (1-3): 67-83

  View details for Web of Science ID 000080776300005

• Nitrogen stable isotopic composition of leaves and soil: Tropical versus temperate forests BIOGEOCHEMISTRY Martinelli, L. A., Piccolo, M. C., Townsend, A. R., Vitousek, P. M., Cuevas, E., McDowell, W., Robertson, G. P., Santos, O. C., Treseder, K. 1999; 46 (1-3): 45-65

  View details for Web of Science ID 000080776300004

• Ecosystem constraints to symbiotic nitrogen fixers: a simple model and its implications BIOGEOCHEMISTRY Vitousek, P. M., Field, C. B. 1999; 46 (1-3): 179-202

  View details for Web of Science ID 000080776300010

• Hurricane damage to a Hawaiian forest: Nutrient supply rate affects resistance and resilience ECOLOGY Herbert, D. A., Fownes, J. H., Vitousek, P. M. 1999; 80 (3): 908-920

  View details for Web of Science ID 000082154300015

• Changing sources of nutrients during four million years of ecosystem development NATURE Chadwick, O. A., Derry, L. A., Vitousek, P. M., Huebert, B. J., Hedin, L. O. 1999; 397 (6719): 491-497

  View details for Web of Science ID 000078574900040

• Changing sources of base cations during ecosystem development, Hawaiian Islands GEOLOGY Kennedy, M. J., Chadwick, O. A., Vitousek, P. M., Derry, L. A., Hendricks, D. M. 1998; 26 (11): 1015-1018

  View details for Web of Science ID 000076807000014

• Foliar and litter nutrients, nutrient resorption, and decomposition in Hawaiian Metrosideros polymorpha ECOSYSTEMS Vitousek, P. M. 1998; 1 (4): 401-407

  View details for Web of Science ID 000075676400009

• Microclimate change and effect on fire following forest-grass conversion in seasonally dry tropical woodland BIOTROPICA Freifelder, R. R., Vitousek, P. M., D'Antonio, C. M. 1998; 30 (2): 286-297

  View details for Web of Science ID 000074462000013

• Nutrient dynamics on a precipitation gradient in Hawai'i OECOLOGIA Austin, A. T., Vitousek, P. M. 1998; 113 (4): 519-529

  View details for Web of Science ID 000072196300009

• Ecosystem development on Hawaiian lava flows: biomass and species composition JOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE Aplet, G. H., Hughes, R. F., Vitousek, P. M. 1998; 9 (1): 17-26

  View details for Web of Science ID 000072873800002

• Experimental investigation of nutrient limitation of forest growth on wet tropical mountains ECOLOGY Tanner, E. V., Vitousek, P. M., Cuevas, E. 1998; 79 (1): 10-22

  View details for Web of Science ID 000071525500003

• Within-system element cycles, input-output budgets, and nutrient limitation 7th Cary Conference Vitousek, P. M., Hedin, L. O., Matson, P. A., Fownes, J. H., Neff, J. SPRINGER. 1998: 432–451

  View details for Web of Science ID 000076391800018

• The effects of plant composition and diversity on ecosystem processes SCIENCE Hooper, D. U., Vitousek, P. M. 1997; 277 (5330): 1302-1305

  View details for Web of Science ID A1997XT82700054

• Human domination of Earth's ecosystems SCIENCE Vitousek, P. M., Mooney, H. A., Lubchenco, J., Melillo, J. M. 1997; 277 (5325): 494-499

  View details for Web of Science ID A1997XM86700030

• After the volcano NATURAL HISTORY Vitousek, P. M. 1997; 106 (5): 48-53

  View details for Web of Science ID A1997WZ76600020

• On regression and residuals: Response to Knops et al. OECOLOGIA Vitousek, P. M. 1997; 110 (4): 557-559

  View details for Web of Science ID A1997XD21000016

• On regression and residuals: response to Knops et al. Oecologia Vitousek, P. M. 1997; 110 (4): 557-559

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s004420050195

  View details for PubMedID 28307250

• Introduced species: A significant component of human-caused global change NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY Vitousek, P. M., DAntonio, C. M., Loope, L. L., Rejmanek, M., Westbrooks, R. 1997; 21 (1): 1–16

  View details for Web of Science ID A1997XP01200001

• Biological invasions as global environmental change AMERICAN SCIENTIST Vitousek, P. M., DANTONIO, C. M., Loope, L. L., Westbrooks, R. 1996; 84 (5): 468-478

  View details for Web of Science ID A1996VC02700013

• Process modeling of controls on nitrogen trace gas emissions from soils worldwide JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-ATMOSPHERES Potter, C. S., Matson, P. A., Vitousek, P. M., Davidson, E. A. 1996; 101 (D1): 1361-1377

  View details for Web of Science ID A1996TR61600003

• Terrestrial transects for global change research Koch, G. W., Vitousek, P. M., Steffen, W. L., Walker, B. H. KLUWER ACADEMIC PUBL. 1995: 53–65

  View details for DOI 10.1007/BF00044672

  View details for Web of Science ID A1995TQ95500007

• NUTRIENT DYNAMICS AND NITROGEN TRACE GAS FLUX DURING ECOSYSTEM DEVELOPMENT IN MONTANE RAIN-FOREST ECOLOGY RILEY, R. H., VITOUSEK, P. M. 1995; 76 (1): 292–304

  View details for DOI 10.2307/1940650

  View details for Web of Science ID A1995QC87200025

• POTENTIAL NITROGEN-FIXATION DURING PRIMARY SUCCESSION IN HAWAII VOLCANOS NATIONAL-PARK BIOTROPICA Vitousek, P. M. 1994; 26 (3): 234-240

  View details for Web of Science ID A1994PK38400001

• SUCCESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF A HAWAIIAN MONTANE GRASSLAND BIOTROPICA KARPA, D. M., Vitousek, P. M. 1994; 26 (1): 2-11

  View details for Web of Science ID A1994NE09100001

• LITTER DECOMPOSITION ON THE MAUNA-LOA ENVIRONMENTAL MATRIX, HAWAII - PATTERNS, MECHANISMS, AND MODELS ECOLOGY Vitousek, P. M., Turner, D. R., Parton, W. J., Sanford, R. L. 1994; 75 (2): 418-429

  View details for Web of Science ID A1994MZ45400013

• AN AGE ALTITUDE MATRIX ANALYSIS OF HAWAIIAN RAIN-FOREST SUCCESSION JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY Aplet, G. H., Vitousek, P. M. 1994; 82 (1): 137-147

  View details for Web of Science ID A1994NL94400015

• LEAF MORPHOLOGY ALONG ENVIRONMENTAL GRADIENTS IN HAWAIIAN METROSIDEROS-POLYMORPHA BIOTROPICA GEESKE, J., Aplet, G., Vitousek, P. M. 1994; 26 (1): 17-22

  View details for Web of Science ID A1994NE09100003

• FACTORS CONTROLLING ECOSYSTEM STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION Symposium on Factors of Soil Formation: A 50th Anniversary Retrospective, held during the 1991 Annual Meeting of the Soil-Science-Society-of-America Vitousek, P. M. SOIL SCIENCE SOC AMER. 1994: 87–97

  View details for Web of Science ID A1994BA26Z00005

• TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEM PRODUCTION - A PROCESS MODEL-BASED ON GLOBAL SATELLITE AND SURFACE DATA GLOBAL BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES Potter, C. S., Randerson, J. T., Field, C. B., Matson, P. A., Vitousek, P. M., Mooney, H. A., Klooster, S. A. 1993; 7 (4): 811-841

  View details for Web of Science ID A1993MM23400006

• BARRIERS TO SHRUB REESTABLISHMENT FOLLOWING FIRE IN THE SEASONAL SUBMONTANE ZONE OF HAWAII OECOLOGIA Hughes, F., Vitousek, P. M. 1993; 93 (4): 557-563

  Abstract

  Introduced grass species have invaded extensive areas of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and increased the size and frequency of fire. Following fire, grass cover is enhanced while native shrub cover is reduced; the reduction in most shrubs persists for at least 20 years even in the absence of fire. Shrub seedlings were planted in burned and unburned plots with and without grass cover. Biomass of 14 month old shrub seedlings was generally highest in recently burned/grass removed plots, intermediate in old burn/grass removed plots, and lowest in unburned/grass removed plots. In contrast, shrub biomass in plots with grass cover was low and did not differ significantly among burn treatments. Light competition is likely to be responsible for differences in shrub growth rates; grass cover reduced light to 1-10% of background levels. In addition, pool sizes of available soil N were highest in recently burned, intermediate in old burn, and lowest in unburned areas.

  View details for Web of Science ID A1993KW41400014

• Barriers to shrub reestablishment following fire in the seasonal submontane zone of Hawai'i. Oecologia Hughes, F., Vitousek, P. M. 1993; 93 (4): 557-563

  Abstract

  Introduced grass species have invaded extensive areas of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and increased the size and frequency of fire. Following fire, grass cover is enhanced while native shrub cover is reduced; the reduction in most shrubs persists for at least 20 years even in the absence of fire. Shrub seedlings were planted in burned and unburned plots with and without grass cover. Biomass of 14 month old shrub seedlings was generally highest in recently burned/grass removed plots, intermediate in old burn/grass removed plots, and lowest in unburned/grass removed plots. In contrast, shrub biomass in plots with grass cover was low and did not differ significantly among burn treatments. Light competition is likely to be responsible for differences in shrub growth rates; grass cover reduced light to 1-10% of background levels. In addition, pool sizes of available soil N were highest in recently burned, intermediate in old burn, and lowest in unburned areas.

  View details for DOI 10.1007/BF00328965

  View details for PubMedID 28313825

• BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY AND TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEM BIOGEOCHEMISTRY Symposium on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function Vitousek, P. M., Hooper, D. U. SPRINGER-VERLAG BERLIN. 1993: 3–14

  View details for Web of Science ID A1993BZ53F00001

• NUTRIENT LIMITATIONS TO PLANT-GROWTH DURING PRIMARY SUCCESSION IN HAWAII-VOLCANOS-NATIONAL-PARK BIOGEOCHEMISTRY Vitousek, P. M., Walker, L. R., WHITEAKER, L. D., Matson, P. A. 1993; 23 (3): 197-215

  View details for Web of Science ID A1993MV60300003

• PROCESSES REGULATING SOIL EMISSIONS OF NO AND N2O IN A SEASONALLY DRY TROPICAL FOREST ECOLOGY Davidson, E. A., Matson, P. A., Vitousek, P. M., Riley, R., Dunkin, K., GARCIAMENDEZ, G., Maass, J. M. 1993; 74 (1): 130-139

  View details for Web of Science ID A1993KF77500014

• TROPICAL SOILS COULD DOMINATE THE SHORT-TERM CARBON-CYCLE FEEDBACKS TO INCREASED GLOBAL TEMPERATURES CLIMATIC CHANGE Townsend, A. R., Vitousek, P. M., Holland, E. A. 1992; 22 (4): 293-303

  View details for Web of Science ID A1992KB25800002

• TROPICAL FORESTS AND TRACE GASES - POTENTIAL INTERACTIONS BETWEEN TROPICAL BIOLOGY AND THE ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES BIOTROPICA Vitousek, P. M., Matson, P. A. 1992; 24 (2): 233-239

  View details for Web of Science ID A1992JB55000003

• THE MAUNA-LOA ENVIRONMENTAL MATRIX - FOLIAR AND SOIL NUTRIENTS OECOLOGIA Vitousek, P. M., Aplet, G., Turner, D., LOCKWOOD, J. J. 1992; 89 (3): 372-382

  Abstract

  The accumulation of total carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in soils, available soil nutrients, and foliar nutrients in the native dominant Metrosideros polymorpha were determined across a wide elevational range on 9 lava flows on Mauna Loa, Hawai'i. The flows included a young (<140 y) and an old (>2800 y) áá (rough surface texture) and pāhoehoe (smooth) flow on the wet east and dry northwest side of the mountain. Soil element pools and nutrient availability increased with flow age independent of climate. The dry sites accumulated organic matter and nutrients more slowly than comparable wet sites, but relative nutrient availability to plants (as indicated by soil assays and foliar nutrients) was greater in the dry sites. Accumulation of soil organic matter and nutrients occurred most rapidly in lowerelevation sites on the young flows, but the largest accumulations occurred at higher elevations on old flows. The range of sites sampled represents a complete and largely independent matrix of major factors governing ecosystem structure and function.

  View details for Web of Science ID A1992HJ15300010

• The Mauna Loa environmental matrix: foliar and soil nutrients. Oecologia Vitousek, P. M., Aplet, G., Turner, D., Lockwood, J. J. 1992; 89 (3): 372-382

  Abstract

  The accumulation of total carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in soils, available soil nutrients, and foliar nutrients in the native dominant Metrosideros polymorpha were determined across a wide elevational range on 9 lava flows on Mauna Loa, Hawai'i. The flows included a young (<140 y) and an old (>2800 y) áá (rough surface texture) and pāhoehoe (smooth) flow on the wet east and dry northwest side of the mountain. Soil element pools and nutrient availability increased with flow age independent of climate. The dry sites accumulated organic matter and nutrients more slowly than comparable wet sites, but relative nutrient availability to plants (as indicated by soil assays and foliar nutrients) was greater in the dry sites. Accumulation of soil organic matter and nutrients occurred most rapidly in lowerelevation sites on the young flows, but the largest accumulations occurred at higher elevations on old flows. The range of sites sampled represents a complete and largely independent matrix of major factors governing ecosystem structure and function.

  View details for DOI 10.1007/BF00317415

  View details for PubMedID 28313086

• BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS BY EXOTIC GRASSES, THE GRASS FIRE CYCLE, AND GLOBAL CHANGE ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY AND SYSTEMATICS DANTONIO, C. M., Vitousek, P. M. 1992; 23: 63-87

  View details for Web of Science ID A1992JZ28100004

• Nitrogen transformations and nitrous oxide flux in a tropical deciduous forest in México. Oecologia García-Méndez, G., Maass, J. M., Matson, P. A., Vitousek, P. M. 1991; 88 (3): 362-366

  Abstract

  Emissions of nitrous oxide and soil nitrogen pools and transformations were measured over an annual cycle in two forests and one pasture in tropical deciduous forest near Chamela, México. Nitrous oxide flux was moderately high (0.5-2.5 ng cm-2 h-1) during the wet season and low (<0.3 ng cm-2 h-1) during the dry season. Annual emissions of nitrogen as nitrous oxide were calculated to be 0.5-0.7 kg ha-1 y-1, with no substantial difference between the forests and pasture. Wetting of dry soil caused a large but short-lived pulse of N2O flux that accounted for <2% of annual flux. Variation in soil water through the season was the primary controlling factor for pool sizes of ammonium and nitrate, nitrogen transformations, and N2O flux.

  View details for DOI 10.1007/BF00317579

  View details for PubMedID 28313797

• ECOLOGICAL SUCCESSION AND NUTRIENT BUDGETS - A CITATION-CLASSIC COMMENTARY ON ECOSYSTEM SUCCESSION AND NUTRIENT RETENTION - A HYPOTHESIS BY VITOUSEK,P.M. AND REINERS,W.A. CURRENT CONTENTS/AGRICULTURE BIOLOGY & ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES Vitousek, P. M., Reiners, W. A. 1991: 10-10

  View details for Web of Science ID A1991GH39700001

• SOIL EMISSIONS OF NITRIC-OXIDE IN A SEASONALLY DRY TROPICAL FOREST OF MEXICO JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-ATMOSPHERES Davidson, E. A., Vitousek, P. M., Matson, P. A., Riley, R., GARCIAMENDEZ, G., Maass, J. M. 1991; 96 (D8): 15439-15445

  View details for Web of Science ID A1991GC31400015

• AN INVADER ALTERS GERMINATION AND GROWTH OF A NATIVE DOMINANT TREE IN HAWAII ECOLOGY Walker, L. R., Vitousek, P. M. 1991; 72 (4): 1449-1455

  View details for Web of Science ID A1991GB18500028

• CAN PLANTED FORESTS COUNTERACT INCREASING ATMOSPHERIC CARBON-DIOXIDE JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY Vitousek, P. M. 1991; 20 (2): 348-354

  View details for Web of Science ID A1991FK17900003

• NITROGEN TRANSFORMATIONS AND NITROUS-OXIDE FLUX IN A TROPICAL DECIDUOUS FOREST IN MEXICO OECOLOGIA GARCIAMENDEZ, G., Maass, J. M., Matson, P. A., Vitousek, P. M. 1991; 88 (3): 362-366

  Abstract

  Emissions of nitrous oxide and soil nitrogen pools and transformations were measured over an annual cycle in two forests and one pasture in tropical deciduous forest near Chamela, México. Nitrous oxide flux was moderately high (0.5-2.5 ng cm-2 h-1) during the wet season and low (<0.3 ng cm-2 h-1) during the dry season. Annual emissions of nitrogen as nitrous oxide were calculated to be 0.5-0.7 kg ha-1 y-1, with no substantial difference between the forests and pasture. Wetting of dry soil caused a large but short-lived pulse of N2O flux that accounted for <2% of annual flux. Variation in soil water through the season was the primary controlling factor for pool sizes of ammonium and nitrate, nitrogen transformations, and N2O flux.

  View details for Web of Science ID A1991GP20700009

• NITROGEN LIMITATION ON LAND AND IN THE SEA - HOW CAN IT OCCUR BIOGEOCHEMISTRY Vitousek, P. M., Howarth, R. W. 1991; 13 (2): 87-115

  View details for Web of Science ID A1991GH74100001

• ECOSYSTEM APPROACH TO A GLOBAL NITROUS-OXIDE BUDGET BIOSCIENCE Matson, P. A., Vitousek, P. M. 1990; 40 (9): 667-671

  View details for Web of Science ID A1990DZ70100009

• C in Hawaiian Metrosideros polymorpha: a case of internal resistance? Oecologia Vitousek, P. M., Field, C. B., Matson, P. A. 1990; 84 (3): 362-370

  Abstract

  Sun leaves of Metrosideros polymorpha were collected in 51 sites on 9 lava flows that represented gradients of elevation, precipitation, substrate age, and substrate texture on Mauna Loa volcano, Hawai'i. Leaf mass per unit leaf area increased with increasing elevation on all flows, while foliar nitrogen concentration decreased with increasing elevation and increased with increasing substrate age. Foliar δ(13)C became less negative with increasing elevation on the wet east-side lava flows, but not the dry northwest-side flows; it did not reflect patterns of precipitation or presumed water availability. δ(13)C was very strongly correlated with leaf mass per area across all of the sites. Limited gas-exchange information suggested that calculated ci/ca did not decrease with elevation in association with less-negative δ(13)C, and photosynthesis per unit of nitrogen was significantly reduced in high-elevation plants. These results are consistent with a substantial internal resistance to CO2 diffusion in the thick Metrosideros polymorpha leaves in high elevation sites.

  View details for DOI 10.1007/BF00329760

  View details for PubMedID 28313026

• SOURCES OF VARIATION IN NITROUS-OXIDE FLUX FROM AMAZONIAN ECOSYSTEMS JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-ATMOSPHERES Matson, P. A., Vitousek, P. M., Livingston, G. P., SWANBERG, N. A. 1990; 95 (D10): 16789-16798

  View details for Web of Science ID A1990EB20200036

• EFFECTS OF SOIL RESOURCES ON PLANT INVASION AND COMMUNITY STRUCTURE IN CALIFORNIAN SERPENTINE GRASSLAND ECOLOGY Huenneke, L. F., Hamburg, S. P., Koide, R., Mooney, H. A., Vitousek, P. M. 1990; 71 (2): 478-491

  View details for Web of Science ID A1990CV62800008

• BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS AND ECOSYSTEM PROCESSES - TOWARDS AN INTEGRATION OF POPULATION BIOLOGY AND ECOSYSTEM STUDIES OIKOS Vitousek, P. M. 1990; 57 (1): 7-13

  View details for Web of Science ID A1990CT25900004

• GROWTH-RESPONSES OF TROPICAL SHRUBS TO TREEFALL GAP ENVIRONMENTS ECOLOGY Denslow, J. S., Schultz, J. C., Vitousek, P. M., Strain, B. R. 1990; 71 (1): 165-179

  View details for Web of Science ID A1990CN23200017

• VARIATION IN FOLIAR DELTA-C-13 IN HAWAIIAN METROSIDEROS-POLYMORPHA - A CASE OF INTERNAL RESISTANCE OECOLOGIA Vitousek, P. M., Field, C. B., Matson, P. A. 1990; 84 (3): 362-370

  Abstract

  Sun leaves of Metrosideros polymorpha were collected in 51 sites on 9 lava flows that represented gradients of elevation, precipitation, substrate age, and substrate texture on Mauna Loa volcano, Hawai'i. Leaf mass per unit leaf area increased with increasing elevation on all flows, while foliar nitrogen concentration decreased with increasing elevation and increased with increasing substrate age. Foliar δ(13)C became less negative with increasing elevation on the wet east-side lava flows, but not the dry northwest-side flows; it did not reflect patterns of precipitation or presumed water availability. δ(13)C was very strongly correlated with leaf mass per area across all of the sites. Limited gas-exchange information suggested that calculated ci/ca did not decrease with elevation in association with less-negative δ(13)C, and photosynthesis per unit of nitrogen was significantly reduced in high-elevation plants. These results are consistent with a substantial internal resistance to CO2 diffusion in the thick Metrosideros polymorpha leaves in high elevation sites.

  View details for Web of Science ID A1990EC00700009

• SEEDLING AND CLONAL RECRUITMENT OF THE INVASIVE TREE PSIDIUM-CATTLEIANUM - IMPLICATIONS FOR MANAGEMENT OF NATIVE HAWAIIAN FORESTS BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION Huenneke, L. F., Vitousek, P. M. 1990; 53 (3): 199-211

  View details for Web of Science ID A1990DU06500004

• NITROUS OXIDE FLUX FROM DRY TROPICAL FORESTS GLOBAL BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES Vitousek, P., Matson, P., Volkmann, C., Maass, J., Garcia, G. 1989; 3 (4): 375-382

  View details for DOI 10.1029/GB003i004p00375

  View details for Web of Science ID 000211480500007

• BIOLOGICAL INVASION BY MYRICA-FAYA IN HAWAII - PLANT DEMOGRAPHY, NITROGEN-FIXATION, ECOSYSTEM EFFECTS ECOLOGICAL MONOGRAPHS Vitousek, P. M., Walker, L. R. 1989; 59 (3): 247-265

  View details for Web of Science ID A1989AM64100003

• NITROGEN AVAILABILITY AND NITRIFICATION DURING SUCCESSION - PRIMARY, SECONDARY, AND OLD-FIELD SERES PLANT AND SOIL Vitousek, P. M., Matson, P. A., VANCLEVE, K. 1989; 115 (2): 229-239

  View details for Web of Science ID A1989AG59200008

• Foliar 15N natural abundance in Hawaiian rainforest: patterns and possible mechanisms. Oecologia Vitousek, P. M., Shearer, G., Kohl, D. H. 1989; 78 (3): 383-388

  Abstract

  Foliar samples were obtained from symbiotic nitrogen-fixers and control plants (non-fixers) along elevational and primary successional gradients in volcanic sites in Hawai'i. Most control plants had negative δ15N values (range-10.1 to +0.7‰), while most nitrogen-fixers were near 0‰. Foliar 15N in the native tree Metrosideros polymorpha did not vary with elevation (from sea level to tree-line), but it did increase substantially towards 0‰ on older soils. The soil in an 197-yr-old site had a δ15N value of approximately-2‰, while in a ∼67000-yr-old site it was +3.6‰. We suggest that inputs of 15N-depleted nitrogen from precipitation coupled with very low nitrogen outputs cause the strongly negative δ15N values in non-nitrogen-fixing plants on early successional sites.

  View details for DOI 10.1007/BF00379113

  View details for PubMedID 28312585

• FOLIAR N-15 NATURAL ABUNDANCE IN HAWAIIAN RAINFOREST - PATTERNS AND POSSIBLE MECHANISMS OECOLOGIA Vitousek, P. M., Shearer, G., Kohl, D. H. 1989; 78 (3): 383-388

  Abstract

  Foliar samples were obtained from symbiotic nitrogen-fixers and control plants (non-fixers) along elevational and primary successional gradients in volcanic sites in Hawai'i. Most control plants had negative δ15N values (range-10.1 to +0.7‰), while most nitrogen-fixers were near 0‰. Foliar 15N in the native tree Metrosideros polymorpha did not vary with elevation (from sea level to tree-line), but it did increase substantially towards 0‰ on older soils. The soil in an 197-yr-old site had a δ15N value of approximately-2‰, while in a ∼67000-yr-old site it was +3.6‰. We suggest that inputs of 15N-depleted nitrogen from precipitation coupled with very low nitrogen outputs cause the strongly negative δ15N values in non-nitrogen-fixing plants on early successional sites.

  View details for Web of Science ID A1989T479200014

• Nitrous oxide flux following tropical land clearing Global Biogeochemical Cycles Luizao, F., Matson, P., Livingston, G., Luizao, R., Vitousek, P. 1989; 3: 281-285

  View details for DOI 10.1029/gb003i003p00281

• Elevational and age gradients in hawaiian montane rainforest: foliar and soil nutrients. Oecologia Vitousek, P. M., Matson, P. A., Turner, D. R. 1988; 77 (4): 565-570

  Abstract

  Soils and plants were sampled along an elevational gradient from 265-1675 m on a 133-and a 3100-year-old lava flow on Mauna Loa, Hawai'i. Soil organic matter and nutrients accumulated more rapidly at low elevation on the young flow, but reached higher levels at higher elevation on the old flow. Foliar nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations were less and specific leaf weight greater for Metrosideros polymorpha leaves collected at high versus low elevations and on the young versus the old flow. Foliar δ13C was strongly correlated with specific leaf weight across the range of sites sampled.

  View details for DOI 10.1007/BF00377275

  View details for PubMedID 28311279

• NITROUS-OXIDE FLUX AND NITROGEN TRANSFORMATIONS ACROSS A LANDSCAPE GRADIENT IN AMAZONIA JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-ATMOSPHERES Livingston, G. P., Vitousek, P. M., Matson, P. A. 1988; 93 (D2): 1593-1599

  View details for Web of Science ID A1988M303000022

• ELEMENT INTERACTIONS IN FOREST ECOSYSTEMS - SUCCESSION, ALLOMETRY AND INPUT-OUTPUT BUDGETS BIOGEOCHEMISTRY Vitousek, P. M., Fahey, T., Johnson, D. W., Swift, M. J. 1988; 5 (1): 7-34

  View details for Web of Science ID A1988L992500003

• SOIL-NITROGEN TURNOVER IS ALTERED BY HERBICIDE TREATMENT IN A NORTH-CAROLINA PIEDMONT FOREST SOIL FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT ANDARIESE, S. W., Vitousek, P. M. 1988; 23 (1): 19-25

  View details for Web of Science ID A1988M400500002

• ELEVATIONAL AND AGE GRADIENTS IN HAWAIIAN MONTANE RAINFOREST - FOLIAR AND SOIL NUTRIENTS OECOLOGIA Vitousek, P. M., Matson, P. A., Turner, D. R. 1988; 77 (4): 565-570

  Abstract

  Soils and plants were sampled along an elevational gradient from 265-1675 m on a 133-and a 3100-year-old lava flow on Mauna Loa, Hawai'i. Soil organic matter and nutrients accumulated more rapidly at low elevation on the young flow, but reached higher levels at higher elevation on the old flow. Foliar nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations were less and specific leaf weight greater for Metrosideros polymorpha leaves collected at high versus low elevations and on the young versus the old flow. Foliar δ13C was strongly correlated with specific leaf weight across the range of sites sampled.

  View details for Web of Science ID A1988R443600019

• NITROGEN TRANSFORMATIONS IN A RANGE OF TROPICAL FOREST SOILS SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY Vitousek, P. M., Matson, P. A. 1988; 20 (3): 361-367

  View details for Web of Science ID A1988P241000016

• EXCHANGE OF MATERIALS BETWEEN TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS AND THE ATMOSPHERE SCIENCE Mooney, H. A., Vitousek, P. M., Matson, P. A. 1987; 238 (4829): 926-932

  Abstract

  Many biogenic trace gases are increasing in concentration or flux or both in the atmosphere as a consequence of human activities. Most of these gases have demonstrated or potential effects on atmospheric chemistry, climate, and the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems. Focused studies of the interactions between the atmosphere and the biosphere that regulate trace gases can improve both our understanding of terrestrial ecosystems and our ability to predict regional-and global-scale canges in atmospheric chemistry.

  View details for Web of Science ID A1987K781000026

  View details for PubMedID 17829357

• BIOLOGICAL INVASION BY MYRICA-FAYA ALTERS ECOSYSTEM DEVELOPMENT IN HAWAII SCIENCE Vitousek, P. M., Walker, L. R., WHITEAKER, L. D., MUELLERDOMBOIS, D., Matson, P. A. 1987; 238 (4828): 802-804

  Abstract

  The exotic nitrogen-fixing tree Myrica faya invades young volcanic sites where the growth of native plants is limited by a lack of nitrogen. Myrica quadruples the amount of nitrogen entering certain sites and increases the overall biological availability of nitrogen, thereby altering the nature of ecosystem development after volcanic eruptions.

  View details for Web of Science ID A1987K681000034

  View details for PubMedID 17814707

• INTRODUCED SPECIES IN HAWAII - BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH TRENDS IN ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION Vitousek, P. M., Loope, L. L., STONE, C. P. 1987; 2 (7): 224-227

  Abstract

  The articles in this volume illustrate that the Hawaiian islands are perhaps the most extraordinary living museum of evolution on the planet. However, Hawaii's value as a museum has diminished as the products of millions of years of evolutionary radiation have been lost to habitat destruction and biological invasions by exotic species. Human-caused habitat destruction can largely be controlled in parks and preserves, but exotic species do not respect park boundaries and can degrade native communities within protected areas. On the other hand, invasions by exotic species provide a dynamic laboratory of ecological processes at the same time as they erode the value of the evolutionary museum.

  View details for Web of Science ID A1987J338200012

  View details for PubMedID 21227856

• DIFFERENCES IN EXTRACTABLE PHOSPHORUS AMONG SOILS OF THE LA SELVA BIOLOGICAL STATION, COSTA-RICA BIOTROPICA Vitousek, P. M., Denslow, J. S. 1987; 19 (2): 167-170

  View details for Web of Science ID A1987J378900011

• NITROGEN TRANSFORMATIONS FOLLOWING TROPICAL FOREST FELLING AND BURNING ON A VOLCANIC SOIL ECOLOGY Matson, P. A., Vitousek, P. M., Ewel, J. J., Mazzarino, M. J., Robertson, G. P. 1987; 68 (3): 491-502

  View details for Web of Science ID A1987H301400004

• BIOASSAYS OF NUTRIENT LIMITATION IN A TROPICAL RAIN-FOREST SOIL OECOLOGIA Denslow, J. S., Vitousek, P. M., Schultz, J. C. 1987; 74 (3): 370-376

  View details for Web of Science ID A1987L238200009

• Cross-system comparisons of soil nitrogen transformationas and nitrous oxide flux in tropical forest ecosystems Global Biogeochemical Cycles Matson, P. A., Vitousek, P. M. 1987; 1: 163-170

  View details for DOI 10.1029/gb001i002p00163

• NITROGEN AND PHOSPHORUS AVAILABILITY IN TREEFALL GAPS OF A LOWLAND TROPICAL RAIN-FOREST JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY Vitousek, P. M., Denslow, J. S. 1986; 74 (4): 1167-1178

  View details for Web of Science ID A1986F492100019

• HUMAN APPROPRIATION OF THE PRODUCTS OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS BIOSCIENCE Vitousek, P. M., Ehrlich, P. R., EHRLICH, A. H., Matson, P. A. 1986; 36 (6): 368-373

  View details for Web of Science ID A1986C429000006

• Microbial transformations of labelled nitrogen in a clear-cut pine plantation. Oecologia Vitousek, P. M., Andariese, S. W. 1986; 68 (4): 601-605

  Abstract

  Labelled nitrogen was used to evaluate the effects of intensive forest management on soil nitrogen transformations. The total release of N into inorganic forms (ammonium plus nitrate) was much greater than net N mineralization in all treatments. Immobilization of N by microbes was greatest in minimally-treated harvested plots, while the turnover of N within soil microbes was greatest in intensively-treated plots. Ammonium was immobilized 2.4-3.2 times more rapidly than nitrate in havested plots; nitrification in disturbed sites could thus increase the availability of N to regrowing vegetation.

  View details for DOI 10.1007/BF00378778

  View details for PubMedID 28311719

• THE RESPONSE OF PLANTS TO ELEVATED CO2 .2. 2 DECIDUOUS-FOREST TREE COMMUNITIES OECOLOGIA Williams, W. E., Garbutt, K., Bazzaz, F. A., Vitousek, P. M. 1986; 69 (3): 454-459

  View details for Web of Science ID A1986C708500018

• NUTRIENT CYCLING IN MOIST TROPICAL FOREST ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY AND SYSTEMATICS Vitousek, P. M., Sanford, R. L. 1986; 17: 137-167

  View details for Web of Science ID A1986F014300007

• THE NATURE OF NUTRIENT LIMITATION IN PLANT-COMMUNITIES AMERICAN NATURALIST Chapin, F. S., Vitousek, P. M., VANCLEVE, K. 1986; 127 (1): 48-58

  View details for Web of Science ID A1986AYX2300004

• MICROBIAL TRANSFORMATIONS OF LABELED NITROGEN IN A CLEAR-CUT PINE PLANTATION OECOLOGIA Vitousek, P. M., ANDARIESE, S. W. 1986; 68 (4): 601-605

  Abstract

  Labelled nitrogen was used to evaluate the effects of intensive forest management on soil nitrogen transformations. The total release of N into inorganic forms (ammonium plus nitrate) was much greater than net N mineralization in all treatments. Immobilization of N by microbes was greatest in minimally-treated harvested plots, while the turnover of N within soil microbes was greatest in intensively-treated plots. Ammonium was immobilized 2.4-3.2 times more rapidly than nitrate in havested plots; nitrification in disturbed sites could thus increase the availability of N to regrowing vegetation.

  View details for Web of Science ID A1986A436700020

• DISTURBANCE, NITROGEN AVAILABILITY, AND NITROGEN LOSSES IN AN INTENSIVELY MANAGED LOBLOLLY-PINE PLANTATION ECOLOGY Vitousek, P. M., Matson, P. A. 1985; 66 (4): 1360-1376

  View details for Web of Science ID A1985ANN8200029

• FINE-ROOT BIOMASS AND NUTRIENT CYCLING IN ARISTIDA-STRICTA IN A NORTH-CAROLINA COASTAL-PLAIN SAVANNA CANADIAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY-REVUE CANADIENNE DE BOTANIQUE SATERSON, K. A., Vitousek, P. M. 1984; 62 (4): 823-829

  View details for Web of Science ID A1984SR97400029

• MECHANISMS OF NITROGEN-RETENTION IN FOREST ECOSYSTEMS - A FIELD EXPERIMENT SCIENCE Vitousek, P. M., Matson, P. A. 1984; 225 (4657): 51-52

  Abstract

  Intensive forest management led to elevated losses of nitrogen from a recently harvested loblolly pine plantation in North Carolina. Measurements of nitrogen-15 retention in the field demonstrated that microbial uptake of nitrogen during the decomposition of residual organic material was the most important process retaining nitrogen. Management practices that remove this material cause increased losses of nitrogen to aquatic ecosystems and the atmosphere.

  View details for Web of Science ID A1984SX61000030

  View details for PubMedID 17775660

• SOIL DEVELOPMENT AND NITROGEN TURNOVER IN MONTANE RAINFOREST SOILS ON HAWAII BIOTROPICA Vitousek, P. M., VANCLEVE, K., Balakrishnan, N., MUELLERDOMBOIS, D. 1983; 15 (4): 268-274

  View details for Web of Science ID A1983SX19800004