BCI 2010 Census Data Online

We are pleased to announce that the data from the 7^th census of the 50-hectare plot on Barro Colorado Island, Panama, are now available. The data can be downloaded at: http://ctfs.arnarb.harvard.edu/webatlas/datasets/bci/.

The 7^th BCI census was supported by National Science Foundation grant DEB-0948585 to Stephen Hubbell and the Center for Tropical Forest Science of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Rolando Pérez and Salomón Aguilar led the fieldwork for the recensus. Suzanne Lao coordinated the entry, checking and management of the data. Rick Condit oversaw the implementation of the census.

The massive task of recensusing the plot would not have been possible without the efforts of many people who have worked on the BCI 2010 census as well as prior censuses. Thanks and congratulations to all involved!

For more information, please contact Dr. Richard Condit at conditr@gmail.com

CTFS-SIGEO Forest Dynamics Symposium Talks Released

Symposium participants at STRI, Panama.

On February 22nd, 2011, CTFS-SIGEO hosted a forest research symposium at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama. The symposium talks focused on new research directions being addressed by the CTFS network in both tropical and temperate forests. Talks were diverse, spanning mathematical modeling of diversity, life history of trees, DNA bar-coding, herbivory, vertebrates, disease ecology, and land use change projections. The symposium was held in the Tupper auditorium at STRI and was broadcast live on the web. Video recordings of the talks are now available at http://www.stri.si.edu/english/webcast/recent_webcasts.php.

New Book from the CTFS-SIGEO Network: The Ecology and Conservation of Seasonally Dry Forests in Asia

CTFS is pleased to announce the publication of The Ecology and Conservation of Seasonally Dry Forests in Asia, edited by William J. McShea, Stuart J. Davies and Naris Bhumpakphan.  William McShea is a research ecologist at the Conservation Ecology Center in the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Smithsonian Institution. Stuart Davies is Director of the Center for Tropical Forest Science-Smithsonian Institution Global Earth Observatory Program of the Arnold Arboretum at Harvard University and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Naris Bhumpakphan is an Associate Professor in the Department of Forest Biology at Kasetsart University in Bangkok, Thailand.

Seasonally dry forests are the most widespread forest type remaining in South and Southeast Asia. For many endangered species, such as tigers, elephants, deer, and primates, this unique habitat is central to their survival. The forests are also intimately linked to humans in the region, who have lived in and relied on them for centuries. Despite the importance of seasonally dry forests, little is known of their ecology. The chapters in this volume draw connections between forests, endangered species, and agricultural communities in the region. The contributors, many of whom are in-country researchers and managers who have spent years studying this ecosystem, provide an overview of the ecology and conservation of seasonally dry forests in Asia. The book also includes case studies for the conservation of species dependent on these ecosystems, such as tigers, elephants, deer, banteng, and gibbons, and discussions of effective management and conservation of seasonally dry forests.

The Ecology and Conservation of Seasonally Dry Forests in Asia is published by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, and can be purchased here or at http://www.rowmanlittlefield.com/Catalog/Flyer2.shtml?SKU=1935623028.

Publications: Jan - Mar 2011

Brenes-Arguedas, T., A. B. Roddy, P. D. Coley, T. A. Kursar. 2010. Do differences in understory light contribute to species distributions along a tropical rainfall gradient? Oecologia. Published online 1 Dec 2010.

Full text

Goldsmith, G. R., L. S. Comita, and Siew Chin Chua. 2011. Evidence for arrested succession within a tropical forest fragment in Singapore. Journal of Tropical Ecology 27:323–326.

Abstract

Heckel C. D., N. A. Bourg, W. J. McShea, and S. Kalisz. 2011. Nonconsumptive effects of a generalist ungulate herbivore drive decline of unpalatable forest herbs. Ecology, 91(2), 319–326.

Full text

Kress WJ, Erickson DL, Swenson NG, Thompson J, Uriarte M, et al. 2011. Advances in the Use of DNA Barcodes to Build a Community Phylogeny for Tropical Trees in a Puerto Rican Forest Dynamics Plot. PLoS ONE 5(11): e15409.

Full text

Meegaskumbura, M. and K. Manamendra-Arachchi. 2011. Two new species of shrub frogs (Rhacophoridae: Pseudophilautus) from Sri Lanka. Zootaxa 2747: 1–18 (2011)

Abstract

Metz, Margaret, Wayne Sousa, and Renato Valencia. 2010. Widespread density-dependent seedling mortality promotes species coexistence in a highly diverse Amazonian rain forest. Ecology, 91(12),3675-3685

Full text

Mohandass, D.and P. Davidar. 2011. The relationship between area, and vegetation structure and diversity in montane forest (shola) patches in southern India. Plant Ecology & Diversity, 3: 1, 67-76

Abstract

Nock, C.A., P.J. Baker, W. Wanek, A. Leis, M. Grabner, S. Bunyavejchewin and P. Hietz. 2011. Long-term increases in intrinsic water-use efficiency do not lead to increased stem growth in a tropical monsoon forest in western Thailand. Global Change Biology 17, 1049–1063.

Abstract

Norden, N., R. C. G. Mesquita, T. V. Bentos, R. L. Chazdon & G. B. Williamson. 2011. Contrasting community compensatory trends in alternative successional pathways in central Amazonia. Oikos 120(1), 143-151.

Full text

Novotny, V., S. E. Miller, L. Baje, S. Balagawi, Y. Basset, et al. 2010. Guild-specific patterns of species richness and host specialization in plant–herbivore food webs from a tropical forest.

Journal of Animal Ecology, 79, 1193–1203

Full text

Wright, S. J., K. Kitajima, N. J. B. Kraft, P. B. Reich, I. J. Wright, D. E. Bubker, R. Condit, J. W. Dalling, S. J. Davies, S. Diaz, B. M. J. Engelbrecht, K. E. Harms, S. P. Hubbell, et al. 2010. Functional traits and the growth–mortality trade-off in tropical trees. Ecology, 91(12), 2010, pp. 3664–3674

Full text

Zimmermann, A., B. Zimmermann, and H. Elsenbeer. 2010. Comment on ‘‘Spatial throughfall heterogeneity in a montane rain forest in Ecuador: Extent, temporal stability and drivers” by Wullaert et al. [J. Hydrol. 377 (2009) 71–79]. Journal of Hydrology 395,133–136.

Abstract

New Book from the CTFS-SIGEO Network

We are pleased to announce the publication of Trees of Panama and Costa Rica by Richard Condit, Rolando Pérez and Nefertaris Daguerre. Richard Condit is a staff scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama. Rolando Pérez is chief botanist and Nefertaris Daguerre is a forest specialist with the Center for Tropical Forest Science at the STRI.

L-to-R: Richard Condit, Rolando Pérez , and Nefertaris Daguerre.

This is the first field guide dedicated to the diverse tree species of Panama and Costa Rica. Covering almost 500 tropical tree species, Trees of Panama and Costa Rica includes 438 high-resolution color photos, 480 color distribution maps, and concise descriptions of key characteristics for every species. Family and species accounts are treated alphabetically and describe family size, number of genera and species, floral characteristics, and relative abundance. Color distribution maps supplement the species descriptions, and facing-page photographic plates detail bark, leaf, flower, or fruit of the species featured. Helpful appendices contain a full glossary, a comprehensive guide to leaf forms, and a list of families not covered.

Trees of Panama and Costa Rica is published by Princeton University Press and can be purchased here: http://press.princeton.edu/titles/9289.html or at Amazon.com here: http://www.amazon.com/Trees-Panama-Costa-Princeton-Guides/dp/0691147108

Plot Census Finished in the Atlantic Coastal Forest of Brazil

A new CTFS-SIGEO plot located in high conservation value forest in Ilha do Cardoso State Conservation Park, in the Atlantic Coastal Forests of São Paulo State, southeastern Brazil, has now been finished. Located on a pristine island, this 10.48 ha plot was established in 2004 as part of a four-plot network funded by the State of São Paulo Research Foundation. The plot is in coastal ‘restinga’ forest, a form of coastal heath forest, which is particularly rich in endemic species.

 

Before 2006, only trees larger than 5 cm DBH had been censused. In 2009, Dr. Alexandre Oliveira from the University of São Paulo conducted a recensus to incorporate trees down to 1 cm. Now, two years and almost 50,000 trees later, the data are entered in the CTFS-SIGEO database, and researchers have started analyses. Ilha do Cardoso Plot researchers welcome collaborative work using the plot. Please contact Dr. Oliveira for further information or see: http://ecologia.ib.usp.br/labtrop/doku.php?id=labtrop:labtrop:eng

CTFS-SIGEO Temperate Forest Ecologist and Plot Coordinator Appointed: Dr. Sean McMahon

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Sean McMahon has joined the Center for Tropical Forest Science-Smithsonian Institution Global Earth Observatory (CTFS-SIGEO) to coordinate research and training activities for the Temperate Forest plots of the CTFS-SIGEO network.