Pollen Reference Study of Endemic Euphorbiaceae Taxa in Hawai‘i, Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park, North Kona, Hawai‘i Island
Ward JV and Athens JS. 2014. Pollen Reference Study of Endemic Euphorbiaceae Taxa in Hawai‘i, Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park, North Kona, Hawai‘i Island. International Archaeological Research Institute, Inc.. Honolulu, Hawaii
This report presents a continuation of an earlier pollen reference investigation of endemic Euphorbiaceae on behalf of Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park (KAHO), in North Kona, Hawai‘i Island (Ward and Athens 2012). These additional reference investigations were conducted by International Archaeological Research Institute, Inc. (IARII) under contract to the National Park Service (NPS). The scope of work for the present study was to provide a more conclusive identification of an unknown pollen type, originally identified as Euphorbia (small type), which was recovered from a paleoenvironmental core at ‘Aimakapā Fishpond (Athens and Ward 2006). As noted above, this type was referred to as the Euphorbia (small type) pollen, which comprised between 20 and 80 percent of the early pollen assemblage; it then abruptly disappeared from younger intervals in the pollen record. Since the immediately younger interval, Layer IV at 102-104 cm, pertained to the time of Polynesian settlement based on the presence of pollen from two Polynesian plant introductions, Cocos nucifera and Cordyline fruticosa (Athens and Ward 2006:35), it is possible that the loss of the Euphorbia (small type) pollen was due to extirpation of this taxon as a result of anthropogenic impacts (Athens and Ward 2006:35, 39).
- Type
- Unpublished Report
- Authors
- Ward, Jerome; Athens, J.
- Date of Issue
- 2014-02
- Publisher
- International Archaeological Research Institute, Inc.
- Units
- KAHO
- Keywords
- Aimakapa Fishpond, Euphorbia, Pollen, sediment core, vegetation community