The Latest Biology News And Medical NewsBiology News 2Health News 2Biology News 3Health News 3
HOME >> BIOLOGY >> NEWS
Volcanic soils yield new clues about the emergence of powerful chiefdoms in Hawaii

When the first Europeans arrived in the Hawaiian Islands in 1778, they found a thriving, complex society organized into chiefdoms whose economies were based primarily on farming.

On the islands of Kauai, O'ahu and Molokai, the principal crop was taro a starchy plant grown in irrigated wetlands where the supply of water was usually abundant.

But on Maui and the Big Island of Hawaii, the main staple was the sweet potato a more labor-intensive crop planted in relatively dry fields where success depended on adequate seasonal rainfall. Some anthropologists say that, by the late 1700s, sweet potato production had reached its maximum capacity. As a result, the chiefdoms on Maui and Hawaii began aggressively coveting the taro ponds that flourished on other islands. Pressure to find new sources of food may be one reason why Kamehameha, chief of the island of Hawaii, launched an invasion in 1795 that culminated in his eventual conquest of the entire island chain.

But one question has long troubled anthropologists, ecologists and historians alike: Why was large-scale sweet potato farming confined to just a few areas of Maui and Hawaii? After all, the Polynesians first arrived in the Hawaiian archipelago around 800 A.D., so they had hundreds of years to develop potato fields throughout the islands.

The answer, according to an international research team, may lie in the soil. Writing in the June 11 edition of the journal Science, the researchers conclude that relatively recent volcanic eruptions on Maui and the island of Hawai'i produced a handful of sites with soil nutritionally rich enough to raise large quantities of sweet potatoes. What's remarkable, say the authors, is that early Polynesian settlers found these fertile farmlands, which were originally covered by thick tropical forest, and successfully exploited them for hundreds of years.

"The public perception of the early Polynesians focuses on their greatness as navigators
'"/>

Contact: Mark Shwartz
mshwartz@stanford.edu
650-723-9296
Stanford University
10-Jun-2004


Page: 1 2 3 4 5

Related biology news :

1. Volcanic ash detector boosts air safety
2. Ancient Volcanic Cataclysms Discovered In The Indian Ocean
3. Ancient Antarctic Environment Rocked By Volcanic Eruptions
4. Ancient Volcanic Winter Tied To Rapid Genetic Divergence In Humans
5. Potential for enhanced sequestration of carbon in soils supports evaluations
6. Using soils as filters to prevent crypto from moving to the groundwater
7. A new hope for heavy metal contaminated soils
8. Accelerated global warming from nutrient shortages for trees and soils
9. Study shows prions stick around in certain soils
10. Increasing nitrogen in Earths soils may signal global changes, say U. of Colorado researchers
11. Duke experiment hints that not much extra carbon dioxide will be locked up in future forests wood or soils

Post Your Comments:
(Date:11/23/2009)...new study provides "incontrovertible evidence" tha...d of Sumatra about 73,000 years ago deforested muc...enter, researchers report. , The volcano ejected... atmosphere, leaving a crater (now the world,s lar...d 35 kilometers wide. Ash from the event has been ...
(Date:11/23/2009)... A new study by University of Alabama at Birmingha...I) and co-existing medical conditions (co-morbidit...among African-Americans compared to Caucasians who...line Nov. 23 in Cancer , a journal of the America...lthough BMI and co-morbidity are independent predi...
(Date:11/23/2009)...ring of recent discoveries about the multiple heal...his multi-purpose nutrient, increased awareness of...t, spurred research and even led to an appreciatio...nging from the health of your immune system to pre... influenza, vitamin D is now seen as one of the mo...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):Supervolcano eruption -- in Sumatra -- deforested India 73,000 years ago 2Racial disparity in colon cancer survival not easily explained, UAB researchers say 2Multiple health concerns surface as winter, vitamin D deficiences arrive 2Multiple health concerns surface as winter, vitamin D deficiences arrive 3U of M plant scientist uncovers clues to yield boosting quirks of corn genome 10826 1U of M plant scientist uncovers clues to yield boosting quirks of corn genome 10826 2Nanotube defects equal better energy and storage systems 14928 1Nanotube defects equal better energy and storage systems 14928 2New maize map to aid plant breeding efforts 10824 1
(Date:11/23/2009).../PRNewswire-FirstCall/--NeogenCorporation(Nasdaq: ...electedtoNeogen,sBoardofDirectorsatthecompany,srec...rethan40yearsofexperienceinthefood,agriculture,and...sorofagriculturaleconomicsatVirginiaTechUniversity...schiefagriculturenegotiatorwiththerankofambassador...
(Date:11/23/2009)...Nov.23/PRNewswire/--Frost&Sullivan,theGrowthPa...nstratingleadershipandinnovationThursday,November1...anquetheldinSanAntonio,Texas. ,, (Logo: http://..., TheHealthcareInnovationAwardsaregiventocompanie...andmanagementofhealthcare.Suchcompanieshaveshownsu...
(Date:11/20/2009)...ountries have an opportunity to take the lead in t...he University of Valencia (UV), working together w...ctive fabric of the Spanish biotechnology industry...sectors have more clout than those in English-spea...od and plants has been overlooked by the leading c...
(Date:11/20/2009)..., November 20 Karolinska Developme... Fund (EIF) has entered into a,co-investment agree... be,managed by Karolinska Development and used to ...harmaceutical and medical technology companies. EI...stment fund. The agreement,represents EIF,s larges...
Breaking Biology Technology:Richard T. Crowder Joins Neogen's Board of Directors 2Excellence in Healthcare Innovation Recognized by Frost & Sullivan 2Excellence in Healthcare Innovation Recognized by Frost & Sullivan 3Spanish biotechnology should focus on food and plant sectors to be more competitive 2Karolinska Development and EIF Start Landmark Co-Investment Fund for Life Science Innovation 2Karolinska Development and EIF Start Landmark Co-Investment Fund for Life Science Innovation 3
Other News:
...Kan. -- Beef producers might get to say good-bye t...abscess in cattle, and hello to a vaccine that is ...2 years, T.G. Nagaraja, professor in diagnostic me..., has worked to develop the vaccine, which he said...
....C. After demonstrating that 30 minutes of brisk...as drug therapy in relieving the symptoms of major...ical Center researchers have now shown that contin...pression returning.. Last year, the Duke research...
...birth weight may be affected by the amount of soci...ccording to a new study..."It is critical that psy...h weight and fetal growth restriction are identifi... morbidity and mortality, healthcare costs, and pa...
...e the recipes for life, then proteins are the culi...trol many biological processes in organisms rangin...understand proteins--and perhaps find ways to cont...sional structures. ..The National Institute of Ge...
K-State professor develops vaccine to stop liver abscess in cattle 2Effect of exercise on reducing major depression appears to be long-lasting 2Effect of exercise on reducing major depression appears to be long-lasting 3Social support during pregnancy can affect fetal growth and birth weight 2NIGMS Structural Genomics Awards scale up protein structure studies 2NIGMS Structural Genomics Awards scale up protein structure studies 3NIGMS Structural Genomics Awards scale up protein structure studies 4
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Biologists at Harvard University and the University of California, San Diego, have found that a simple interaction between just two genes determines the patterns of fur coloration
About 40 percent of deaths worldwide are caused by water, air and soil pollution, concludes a Cornell researcher. Such environmental degradation, coupled with the growth in world population, are major
...ever change isnt just a romantic platitude. Its a ...mong the creatures that produce scads of genetical...ater fleas. These creatures provide a chance to wo...ironments that turn out differently than their kin...
To help pave the way for future combat operations in the cyber domain, Eighth Air Force Commander Lt Gen. Robert Elder and his staff hosted a meeting at Barksdale AFB in Shreveport, La on July 16-17 t
Interaction of just 2 genes governs coloration patterns in mice 2Pollution causes 40 percent of deaths worldwide, study finds 2Clones on task serve greater good, evolutionary study shows 2AFCYBER holds science and technology symposium 2