Avifaunal extinctions, vegetation change, and Polynesian impacts in prehistoric Hawai'i

Bibliographic Data

ID21099178
AuthorsJ Stephen Athens (0000-0003-4502-4535, International Archaeological Research Institute, Inc. 2081 Young St. Honolulu HI 96826–2231 USA), H David Toggle (International Archaeological Research Institute, Inc. 2081 Young St. Honolulu HI 96826–2231 USA), Jerome V Ward (Pacific Palynology PO Box 14 Sweet Briar VA 24595 USA), David J Welch (International Archaeological Research Institute, Inc. 2081 Young St. Honolulu HI 96826–2231 USA)
Year2002
Volume37
Issue2
Pages57-78
Publication date2002-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueArchaeology in Oceania/Archæology & physical anthropology in Oceania (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0728-4896 • E-ISSN: 1834-4453
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/j.1834-4453.2002.tb00507.x
OpenAlexW2000771423
LanguageEN
Citations received50
References cited22

Pre‐contact avifaunal extinctions in Hawai'i generally have been attributed to human predation and/or landscape alteration by colonizing Polynesians. However, until recently there have been insufficient data for evaluating most of the important variables involved in this issue. This situation has changed with recent archaeological, paleontological, and wetland coring research conducted on O'ahu's ‘Ewa Plain, a hot, dry emerged limestone reef characterized by numerous sinkholes. The main evidence obtained from this research includes (1) wetland coring data that stratigraphically demonstrate forest decline before any burning, (2) radiocarbon dating of bones of rats and extinct birds that provides a time frame for their occurrence unavailable from stratified deposits, and (3) the radiocarbon‐based history of human settlement of the 'Ewa Plain. Based on this evidence the argument is made that (1) at least some major avian extinctions occurred within the period immediately following Polynesian colonization, (2) these extinctions were due primarily to the rapid decline of their native lowland forest habitat, (3) human settlement of the 'Ewa Plain occurred after native forest collapse, not coincident with it, and (4) the main source of destruction of the native forests was the introduced Polynesian rat, Rattus exulans , not Hawaiian agricultural clearing and burning. This model also explains the absence of large quantities of bird bone in early sites (in contrast to other places in Polynesia and Micronesia), and the absence in early middens of many plants (notably Kanaloa kahoolawensis ) that were common in the native forest

Archaeology · Biology · Coring · Geography · Habitat · Polynesians · Prehistory · Radiocarbon dating · Wetland · Isotope Analysis in Ecology · Marine animal studies overview · Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies · Ecology