Dr. Dieter Mueller-Dombois at Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park. Photograph taken by Nicholas Tomasello
The new issue of Pacific Science pays tribute to Dr. Dieter Mueller-Dombois, who is best known for his work studying the ōhi‘a forests of Hawai‘i for over fifty years.
The double issue complies new articles reflecting Mueller-Dombois’s research, with many papers written by his students and those influenced by his work. Editor David Duffy—along with researchers James D. Jacobi, Donald R. Drake, Kanehiro Kitayama and Peter Vitousek—remembers Mueller-Dombois in this volume:
“We were all saddened to learn of the passing of Professor Dieter Mueller-Dombois on July 19, 2022. He was a giant in the field of ecology and an inspiration to countless students, colleagues, and friends to learn to appreciate and work to preserve the composition, structure, and function of our natural ecosystems…
He was also a passionate teacher and his classes and field trips at the university were highly popular and focused on teaching appreciation of Hawai‘i’s natural ecosystems and methods to study vegetation. During his time at the University of Hawai‘i he taught thousands of undergraduate students and successfully chaired 17 MS and 18 PhD graduate students…
During his career he served as an inspirational model for a new generation of people involved with conservation in Hawai‘i, as well as throughout the Pacific. Many of those that he mentored are now continuing to expand his legacy as they serve in important natural resource research, management, and administration roles. While his knowledge, leadership, and friendship will be sorely missed, we all need to build upon his inspiring career and continue to strive to ensure that natural ecosystems conservation is appreciated and effective throughout Hawai‘i, the greater Pacific island nations, as well as globally.”
Call for Submissions
Pacific Science is the official journal of the Pacific Science Association. Appearing quarterly since 1947, Pacific Science is an international, multidisciplinary journal reporting research on the biological and physical sciences of the Pacific basin. It focuses on biogeography, ecology, evolution, geology and volcanology, oceanography, paleontology, and systematics. Manuscript submissions on topics such as Pacific biodiversity, conservation, and sustainability are also encouraged. In addition to publishing original research, the journal features review articles providing a synthesis of current knowledge.
Contributions to the biological and physical sciences of the Pacific area are welcomed from authors in all parts of the world. Manuscripts should be submitted online. Authors will receive a confirmation of their submission.
Electronic Submissions
Submit manuscript online at https://pacificscience.msubmit.net/
Table of Contents
Tribute to Professor Dieter Mueller-Dombois
James D. Jacobi, Donald R. Drake, David Duffy, Kanehiro Kitayama, and Peter Vitousek
Climate-Induced Forest Mortality in the Tropical Pacific Islands: What Do We Really Know?
Hans Juergen Boehmer and Stephen Galvin
Microclimatic Effects of Ko- (Sugarcane, Saccharum officinarum) Row Planting
in the Leeward Kohala Field System, Hawai‘i Island
Michael W. Burnett, Duncan Coleman, Gabriel Saiz, Kiara Bacasen, Marina Luccioni, Ke-haulani Marshall, and Peter M. Vitousek
‘Ōhi‘a lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha): A Most Resilient and Persistent Foundation Species in Hawaiian Forests
James D. Jacobi, Hans Juergen Boehmer, Lucas Berio Fortini, Samuel M. ‘Ohukani’ōhi’a Gon III, Linda Mertelmeyer, and Jonathan Price
A 60-Year Record of Plant Colonization on Alpine Lava Flows, Maunaloa,Hawai‘i: Climate Change, Substrate Control, and Human Disturbance
James O. Juvik, Brett T. Rodomsky, Jessica A. Kirkpatrick, Marie M. McKenzie, John E. Barnes, Sonia P. Juvik, Kathryn Y. Akamine, John P. Lockwood, and Dieter Mueller-Dombois
Changes in Community Composition and Functional Traits After Cyclones and Fire in a Pacific Rainforest
Gunnar Keppel, Thomas Ibanez, and Edward L. Webb
A Comparative Study of the Floristic Diversity and Structure of Relictual Littoral and Swamp Forests in the Island of Tahiti (French Polynesia, South Pacific)
Solène Fabre Barroso, Olivier Flores, Pauline Palmas, Robin Pouteau, and Jean-Yves Meyer
Shrub Dieback and El Niño Drought in Hawai‘i: Life Stage Demography and Population Rejuvenation
Robert A. Wright and Dieter Mueller-Dombois
Hawaiian Subalpine Plant Communities: Implications of Climate Change
Alison Ainsworth and Donald R. Drake
Gap Model Simulation of Metrosideros-Cibotium Stand Structure and Displacement Dieback
Philip J. Burton and Steven G. Cumming
Landscape Development From Point Zero
Reinhard F. Hüttl and Werner Gerwin
Vegetation Succession Following Clearcutting of Lowland Hawaiian Rainforest on the Island of Hawai’i
Dennis H. Grossman and R. Flint Hughes
A Conversation on the UH Botany Department, Vegetation Ecology, and Life with Professor Emeritus Dr. Dieter Mueller-Dombois
Georgia Hart-Fredeluces and David Duffy
Read Pacific Science online at Project MUSE, BioOne, or ScholarSpace
