Pacific NEON
National Ecological Observatory Network
A planning site targeting the National Science Foundation NEON Program
American Samoa Community College
Land Grant Research Service Inventory
Setting:
American Samoa is a U.S. Territory located approximately 2,600 miles south of Hawaii. It is the southernmost of all U.S. possessions, and the only U.S. jurisdiction in the South Pacific. The Territory is comprised of seven islands (five volcanic islands and two coral atolls). The combined land area of the islands is approximately 76 square miles. The five volcanic islands, which are the major inhabited islands of American Samoa, are Tutuila, Aunu'u, Ofu, Olosega and Ta'u. Tutuila, the largest island, is also the center of government and business. The three islands of Ofu, Olosega and Ta'u, collectively referred to as the Manu'a Islands, are 66 miles east of Tutuila. The two outer most islands, Rose Atoll and Swain's Island, are approximately 160 miles and 230 miles from Tutuila, respectively. Both are quite small, with Rose Atoll in protected status as a National Wildlife Refuge and Swain's inhabited by a subsistence population of about 20 people. The main islands are steep and mountainous, emerging from the ocean floor two to three miles below the sea surface. Highest elevations are approximately 3,100 feet on Ta’u Island (Lata Mountain) and 2,150 feet on Tutuila Island (Matafao Peak).
Location:
The Land Grant research facility, Tauiliili Pemerika Center (TPC), is located on the American Samoa Community College campus near the middle of 15 mile long Tutuila Island. The facility is situated close to the main road, which offers convenient access to all areas of the island. With few other research laboratories on island, the TPC presents the best maintained and equipped facility on-island. General equipment items include microscopes, incubators, ELISA, and computers, as well as several vehicles for researcher use. The lab is outfitted for tissue culture, plant disease diagnosis, cryopreservation, insect rearing facilities, molecular biology capabilities, two wet chemical labs with atomic absorption, drying ovens and leaf area PAR equipment. TPC features an extensive arthropod collection as well as a wide-range collection of plant disease specimens, wood decay fungi, lichens, parasitic and non-parasitic algae.
Unique attributes of site:
Researchers at this site have access to areas of minimally disturbed paleo-tropical rain forest. Within this forest can be found various agro-forestry operations, an example of a vanishing sustainable agriculture system. In addition, units of one of the most remote U.S. national parks (National Park of American Samoa) are situated on several of the islands.
The close collaborations of many agencies on island (e.g. The National Research Conservation Service of the United States Department of Agriculture, American Samoa Environmental Protection Agency) allow for the sharing of expertise in numerous disciplines, thus ensuring projects have the benefit of thorough peer review and input.
Research at the site:
The biological opulence of the terrestrial ecosystem is the central focus of the research carried out at TPC. Researchers are examining the flora, the insect community, and sustainable agro-forestry practices. The individual projects include: (1) agricultural entomology, (2) medical entomology, (3) survey of incidence and severity of banana bunch top disease, (4) black leaf streak disease, (5) plant parasitic nematodes, (6) taro leaf blight disease, (7) plant parasitic algae, (8) wood decay fungi and (9) Integration of shade tolerance and weed management on tropical hardwoods.
URL:
http://www2.ctahr.hawaii.edu/adap2/ascc_landgrant/index.htm
Contact:
Dr. Darren Okimoto, Sea Grant Extension Agent
okimotod@hawaii.edu
Phone: (684)699-5358 or cell (684)258-3811
Fax: (684)699-5011
Land Grant Research Service
Division of Community and Natural Resources
American Samoa Community College
P.O. Box 5319
Pago Pago, AS 96799
Phone: (684)699-2550/1394
Fax: (684)699-5011
Web Master
David Kimball
dkimball@hawaii.edu
Pacific NEON
http://www.pacificneon.hawaii.edu