Mueller-Dombois, Dieter

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10125/532

DR. DIETER MUELLER-DOMBOIS specialty is vegetation ecology, an area in which I wrote a university textbook together with a European colleague (Aims and Methods of Vegetation Ecology, Wiley & Sons, 1974). Based on that background I became particularly interested in vegetation and ecosystem dynamics, an area in which I did research for the past 25 years. Island ecosystems vary along a spectrum of biological diversity and disturbance regimes and often display a special dynamics that is rarely found in continental ecosystems. The differences are elucidating and carry a strong message for forestry and natural area management.

News

Dr. Dieter Mueller-Dombois
Emeritus Professor, Department of Botany (1963-1990)
Ph.D., University of British Columbia, Vancouver, 1960
dieter@hawaii.edu

Student Mentoring: 18 dissertations, 17 theses

Browse

Now showing 1 - 20 of 54

HCR 54, Requesting Amendment of DLNR Regulation 4 to Provide for Koa Harvesting for Cultural and Historical Purposes - Statement for House Committee on Water, Land Use, Development and Hawaiian Affairs Public Hearing - 5 March 1980
(1980-03-05) Mueller-Dombois, Dieter; Cox, Doak C.; Smith, Clifford; Conant, Sheila
HB 2106, Making an Appropriation for Research On Biological Control of Banana Poka - Statement for House Committee on Water, Land Use, Development and Hawaiian Affairs Public Hearing - 27 February 1980
(1980-02-27) Mueller-Dombois, Dieter; Cox, Doak C.
Integrated island ecosystem ecology in Hawaii: spatial distribution of island biota: introduction
(Island Ecosystems IRP, U.S. International Biological Program, 1975-06) Mueller-Dombois, Dieter; Bridges, Kent W.
This portion of the synthesis volume is being reproduced now because it is important that all synthesis volume contributors have these basic materials as they prepare their own contributions. Chapter 6, the subject matter of this report, follows the first five chapters that were contained in Technical Report 54 (Introductory Survey, Part I of the Synthesis Volume). It is expected that there will be some reworking of sections of this report as more data are analyzed and the integration needs of the entire synthesis part become more apparent. Chapter 6 is only the introduction to Part II. Additional material will include the altitudinal distribution of individual organism groups (Chap. 7) and their spatial integration along the Mauna Loa Transect (Chap. 8). This report is a draft manuscript of the introduction to Part II of our proposed synthesis volume. As chapter 6, this introduction forms the continuation to Part I in Technical Report 54, which contains the first five chapters. Part II, which is concerned with an analysis of the spatial distribution of island biota in an ecosystem context, is one of four major synthesis areas of the Island Ecosystems Integrated Research Program of the US/IBP. This report gives the conceptual and physical background to our distribution analysis along a transect on a high-island mountain, Mauna Loa. It further discusses current ecological theory of species distributions along environmental gradients and presents examples together with the analytical techniques that we adopted for all organism groups investigated in spatially integrated community samples.
HB 1563, Relating to Forests - Statement for House Committee on Water, Land Use, Development and Hawaiian Affairs Public Hearing - March 3, 1987
(1987-03-03) Mueller-Dombois, Dieter; Miller, Jacquelin N.
SB 974, To Control the Gorse Infestation on the Islands of Hawaii and Maui - Statement for Senate Committee on Agriculture, Energy, and Ocean Resources Public Hearing - February 25, 1987
(1987-02-25) Mueller-Dombois, Dieter; Smith, Clifford; Miller, Jacquelin
Integrated island ecosystem ecology in Hawaii: introductory survey
(Island Ecosystems IRP, U.S. International Biological Program, 1975-02) Mueller-Dombois, Dieter
This report is a draft manuscript of Part I (Introductory Survey) of the synthesis volume of the US/IBP Island Ecosystems Stability and Evolution Subprogram. Further parts to follow are: Part II Spatial Distribution of Island Biota; Part III Temporal Relationships of Island Biota; Part IV Community Structure and Niche Differentiation; Part V Genetic variation within Island Species; Part VI General Conclusions.
Vegetation types: a consideration of available methods and their suitability for various purposes
(Island Ecosystems IRP, U.S. International Biological Program, 1974-11) Mueller-Dombois, Dieter; Ellenberg, Heinz
The problem of classifying vegetation is discussed in relation to three general objectives: (1) inventorying existing vegetation types for conservation purposes, (2) providing a framework for biological field studies and local management, and (3) understanding plant and community distribution and dynamics in relation to the environment. It is shown that the map scale which is used imposes a set of constraints on the method of classification. Several different map scales are discussed in terms of these limitations. A number of well known structural and floristic classifying schemes are reviewed including a new scheme of world ecosystems. The IBP/CT (Conservation of Terrestrial Ecosystems) checksheet survey is evaluated in the light of these methods. The conclusion is made that Fosberg's structural scheme, which was adopted for the check-sheet survey, provided only a first approximation to the ultimate objective of inventorying existing vegetation types for conservation purposes. A recommendation for a next step is made, which involves a scheme of hierarchical mapping of world ecosystems. It is anticipated that this activity will be carried out under the UNESCO Man-and-the-Biosphere (MAB) Project No. 8 (Conservation of Natural Areas and of the Genetic Materials they contain).
Fourth progress report and budget proposal for FY 1975
(Island Ecosystems IRP, U.S. International Biological Program, 1974-03) Mueller-Dombois, D.; Bridges, K.
This document is the fourth annual progress report of the ISLAND ECOSYSTEMS STABILITY AND EVOLUTION Subprogram of the U. S. International Biological Program (IBP). It covers the period from February 1973 through February 1974. During the fourth year, the Subprogram has completed a majority of its field studies and begun the preparation of a draft synthesis volume. This report discusses the scientific objectives which are proposed for the terminal year of funding, details the general plan by which these objectives will be met, and highlights some of the scientific accomplishments which have been recognized. A revised and detailed plan for the presentation of the synthesis results is included, as are compilations of the Contribution Numbers, Technical Reports, and Student Dissertations and Theses.
The influence of SO2 fuming on the vegetation surrounding the Kahe power plant on Oahu, Hawaii
(Island Ecosystems IRP, U.S. International Biological Program, 1972-10) Mueller-Dombois, Dieter; Spatz, Gunter
The study relates to an investigation of the vegetation around Kahe power station, a recently established electricity generating plant at Kahe Point on SW Oahu. A vegetation map was prepared from aerial photographs at 1:5,000 and a search was made for possible S02 damage manifestations from the fumes emitted by the plant. Three major communities were identified, (1) closed forest of Prosopis pallida, (2) open forest-scrub dominated by Leucaena leucocephala and Acacia farnesiana and 3) open scrub-grassland dominated by the native pili grass (Heteropogon contortus). Within each of these major units, two to three floristic and structural subunits were mapped. No S02 damage was noted in the vascular plants. A separate survey of rock-lichens on identically sea-breeze-exposed ridges, north and south of the power plant, showed a considerably lower abundance of foliose rock-lichens in the southern area which receives much of the S02 plume. It was concluded that a beginning influence is shown by the lower abundance of lichens and that S02 damage in the vascular plants may show up only during the rainy season when the vegetation is actively growing. The investigation was done during the dry season in September.
Natural area system development for the Pacific region, a concept and symposium
(Island Ecosystems IRP, U.S. International Biological Program, 1973-06) Mueller-Dombois, Dieter
This report presents the concept and proceedings (in form of abstracts) of an international symposium of the Ecology Section of the Scientific Committee on Pacific Botany held at the Second Inter-Congress of the Pacific Science Association in Guam, May 20-25, 1973. The concept for a natural area system in the Pacific Region is developed through a brief problem analysis, a statement of objectives, an assessment of the criteria for natural areas to be included in the system and through proposing a hierarchical system for assembling the necessary information. The symposium theme is structured into six subthemes concerned with (1) Conceptual aspects, (2)Geographic and climatic analyses of natural areas in different Pacific countries, including a show of maps, (3)Analyses of community- and habitat-variation within major reserves, (4} Biogeographic similarity and difference-evaluation between ecological reserves, (5)Human influences and protection status of each area, and (6} The need for additional areas to be considered in the system. Twenty-two abstracts are enclosed from participants in South America, New Zealand, Australia, New Caledonia, Fiji, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan, Japan, California and Hawaii. An international orientation towards developing a natural area system and with this, a scientific basis for the extrapolation of results of ecosystems research in the Pacific Region falls into the broader objectives of the ISLAND ECOSYSTEMS IRP of the U.S. International Biological Program. A follow-up program is suggested for the 13th Pacific Science Congress in Vancouver, August 18-30, 1975.
Third progress report and budget proposal for FY 74 and FY 75
(Island Ecosystems IRP, U.S. International Biological Program, 1973-03) Mueller-Dombois, D.; Bridges, K.
This document is the third annual progress report of the Island ECOSYSTEMS STABILITY AND EVOLUTION Subprogram of the U. S. International Biological Program (IBP). It covers the period from February 1972 through February 1973. During this third year, the Subprogram has moved towards further integration in accordance with the synthesis aims of IBP. Our ten areas of research activity (detailed in Tech. Rpt. #2:18-19) have been consolidated into four synthesis themes. These are: (1) SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF BLAND BIOTA (2) TEMPORAL PHENOMENA IN ISLAND ECOSYSTEMS (3) NICHE DIFFERENTIATION IN ISLAND ECOSYSTEMS (4) GENETIC Variation OF ISLAND SPECIES IN RELATION TO ENVIRONMENT
Some aspects of island ecosystems analysis (a preliminary conceptual synthesis)
(Island Ecosystems IRP, U.S. International Biological Program, 1973-03) Mueller-Dombois, Dieter
The point is made that ecological principles generated from the study of continental ecosystems cannot be extrapolated to oceanic islands without reservations. Island ecosystems are not necessarily unique at the level of biome or formation structure, but they differ greatly at the level of life form and species structure, and as such, they differ also in their functional and dynamic relations. The greatest departure occurs in the area of species interaction .Examples of such departures are given in three areas of ecosystem analysis: (1) Spatial distribution of island biota, (2) Niche differentiation, and (3) Successional phenomena. The differences in ecological relationships of oceanic island ecosystems area direct reflection of their special biological evolution, caused by geographic isolation , small habitat size and recent geological age. Perhaps more so than elsewhere, ecosystem analysis is on islands cannot be meaningful without an appreciation of their special evolutionary relationships. However, to some extent this applies also when trying to extrapolate results of ecosystem analysis from one biogeographic region to another. It is suggested that the ecological consequences of different biological evolutions are best recognized by studying ecologically similar species within the context of their general niches and by relating these to the ecosystem as a whole.
The influence of feral goats on the lowland vegetation in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
(Island Ecosystems IRP, U.S. International Biological Program, 1972-10) Mueller-Dombois, Dieter; Spatz, Gunter
The coastal lowland of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, particularly its western part, is a concentration center of feral goats. Here, in a tropical seasonal climate, a widespread vegetation is an annual Eragrostis tenella grassland that occurs on lava rock substrates with thin layers of ash. Localized within this area occurs also a small area of deep-ash deposit (Puu Kaone) that is occupied by perennial introduced grass with scrub. Experimental goat displacement in form of exclosures on these two grasslands has shown that both are entirely goat-derived vegetations. The response to displacement of goats was immediate in both areas. In the annual grassland, bunchgrasses, woody gamaephytes and an endemic legume vine (Canavalia kauensis) became established within less than two years, while the annuals are fast disappearing. In the perennial grassland, Melinis minutiflora enlarged its grass mat, woody plants became more abundant and exposed soil was partially covered within a year after exclosure construction. The remarkable recovery of the endemic vine in the annual grassland shows that goat removal still holds hopes for at least a partial return of native vegetation. The effects of goats apart of their physical degradation of the lowland ecosystem has been primarily in the form of exhausting the seed supply of native plants by feeding on seedlings wherever they occurred in this territory. Total elimination of goats from this area can be expected to yield a partial return of native plants on these rockland surfaces.
The Kahana Valley Ahupua'a, a PABITRA study site on O'ahu, Hawaiian Islands
(University of Hawaii Press, 2005-04) Mueller-Dombois, Dieter; Wirawan, Nengah; Jacobi, James D.
The acronym PABITRA stands for Pacific-Asia Biodiversity Transect, a network of island sites and conservation professionals collaborating throughout the Pacific-Asia region. An ideal PABITRA site is a broad landscape transect from sea to summit. Such a landscape is Kahana Valley on Windward O'ahu. Kahana Valley served during prior centuries as an ahupua'a, a Polynesian unit of land management that integrated the three biological resource zones, the upland forests, the agriculturally used land below, and the coastal zone, into a sustainable human support system. Results of terrestrial biodiversity surveys, as begun with a vegetation/environment study and a paleoecological investigation, are presented in relation to historical land use and sea level changes. In spite of the many former human-induced modifications of the Kahana Valley landscape, the natural structure and function of its ecosystems are well preserved. The distribution patterns of vegetation can be interpreted in terms of Hawaiian ecological zones in combination with the valley's precipitation, topography, stream system, and archaeological features. Currently, efforts are under way to restore the Kahana State Park (recently renamed Ahupua'a 'O Kahana State Park) as a functional ahupua'a. In addition, focused collaborative research can yield helpful information for further restoration and integrated management of the Kahana ahupua'a as a historic Hawaiian Heritage Site.
The PABITRA Project: Island landscapes under global change
(University of Hawaii Press, 2005-04) Mueller-Dombois, Dieter; Daebler, Curtis C.
The Pacific-Asia Biodiversity Transect (PABITRA) is a network of the Ecosystem Division in the Pacific Science Association's Task Force on Biodiversity. The PABITRA project seeks to develop a network of ocean-to mountain transects on islands across the Pacific to test hypotheses about biodiversity and promote sustainable use of island ecosystems under the influence of global change. A specific objective of PABITRA was to establish an ocean to-mountain transect in Fiji with major involvement of the resident islanders. Along this transect, a number of biodiversity study sites were to be selected for further research. The transect was established during two consecutive field workshops, from 18 November to 3 December 2002. Involved were 25 University of the South Pacific (USP) students, eight local faculty including Fiji Government and nongovernmental organization officials, and seven overseas collaborators. The outcome was documented in a 69-page illustrated report issued by the USP Institute of Applied Sciences as well as at a special symposium presented during the 20th Pacific Science Congress in Bangkok (17-21 March 2003) titled "Island Landscapes under Global Change: the PABITRA Project." Seven papers presented by members of the Fijian PABITRA group are published here, following this introductory paper. In addition, five papers introducing PABITRA activities outside Fiji are included in this special issue. The PABITRA project is ongoing and it is hoped that these papers will stimulate broad interest and participation in PABITRA's key objectives of promoting integrative resource management in Pacific Island environments.
The biological resource value of native forest in Hawaii with special reference to the tropical lowland rainforest at Kalapana
(Hawaii Audobon Society, 1985-04) Mueller-Dombois, Dieter
A public controversy has arisen over the recent logging and wood chipping operation in native forest at Kalapana. I got involved at a point where the argument of dispute was whether the forest at Kalapana was unique or not. The question of uniqueness is important with regard to future land management of this area, but uniqueness is not the only aspect worth considering. This I will explain later in my conclusions. A sizeable segment of the interested public considers the forest unique, while the landowner (Campbell Estate Corporation) and the logging company (Bio Power Corporation) are not convinced of the uniqueness of this native forest. Therefore, more information was requested specifically by Mr. Warren Ramsey, the President of Bio Power Corporation, who agreed to mitigate his operation orentirely pull out of the area if more creditable evidence could begiven.Mr. Ramsey's request for such information came to me inform of a letter dated December 27, 1984. His letter was a response to a December 18 letter of mine, which summarized some of the points I had presented
Pacific Island Forests: Successionally Impoverished and Now Threatened to Be Overgrown by Aliens?
(Honolulu, University of Hawaii Press, 2008-07) Mueller-Dombois, Dieter
Indigenous forests in remote islands are generally impoverished of secondary successional tree species. After canopy disturbances, the same indigenous tree species seem to resume dominance by a process known as ‘‘autosuccession’’ or ‘‘direct succession.’’ Primary forest tree species are mostly colonizer species. Mature island forests are difficult to categorize as either pioneer, successional, or climax forests by their canopy species composition. Climax forests, which characterize mature forests in less-isolated areas, are typically of distinctly different canopy species composition than the pioneer forests. In central Canada, for example, pioneer pine forests are replaced in succession by mixed hardwood/softwood forests under exclusion of fire. This process is known as ‘‘normal replacement succession’’ or ‘‘obligatory succession.’’ Another wellknown ecological concept distinguishes between ‘‘primary’’ and ‘‘secondary’’ forests in the continental tropics. Secondary forests are formed by fast-growing relatively short-lived second-growth species, which quickly assemble after major disturbances. It usually takes a long time for primary tropical rain forest trees to reappear in secondary forests. In contrast, primary island forests rarely include fast-growing indigenous canopy species that form such secondary forests in the continental tropics. Instead, secondary forests in islands are now made up mostly of introduced species. In this paper I attempt to evaluate alien plant invasion in remote islands in view of these concepts of ecological succession.
Spatial variation and vegetation dynamics in the coastal lowland ecosystem, Hawaii Volcanoes National park
(Cooperative National Park Resources Studies Unit, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Botany, 1980-06) Mue1ler-Dombois, Dieter; Smith, Clifford W
Hawaii IBP synthesis: 8. insland ecosystems: what is unique about their ecology?
(Cooperative National Park Resources Studies Unit, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Botany, 1978-07) Mueller-Dombois, Dieter; Smith, Clifford W
Hawaii IBP synthesis: 2. the Mauna Loa transect analysis
(Cooperative National Park Resources Studies Unit, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Botany, 1978-06) Mueller-Dombois, Dieter; Smith, Clifford W

Browse

Recent Submissions