Tupper 4pm seminarTuesday, July 26, 4pm seminarspeaker will be Julia VelasquezBo s q u e s , p ais aje s ,c o sm o lo g ía y c o n s e rv ac ió ne n tre las in d íg e n asWo u n aan d e l e s te d ePan am á

Bambi seminarThursday, July 28, Bambiseminar speaker will be OmarLópezTitle to be announced

Feria de la SaludA Heath Fair will be held atthe Tupper Center ExhibitHall on Thursday, July 28from 2-5pm.

La Feria de la Salud se llevaráa cabo en el Salón deExhibiciones del CentroTupper el jueves 28 de julio,de 2 a 5pm.

Arrived this weekPaula Mejia, University ofFlorida, to study the geologicalhistory of the Neotropicalforest, at the CTPA.

Justin Niedzialek, Universityof Connecticut, to studywater, energy, andbiogeochemical budgets in thehumid tropics, on BCI andGamboa.

Arriving next weekGerman De La Parra,Colombia, to study the bio-stratigraphy of theNeotropics, at the CTPA.

Terra Theim, University ofWisconsin, to study the geneflow and geneticdifferentiation in Psychotria, onBCI.

STRI newsSmithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panamá www.stri.org July 22, 2005

ACP visits STRI

Members of the Panama CanalAuthority’s Department forSafety, Environment andSecurity visited STRI onTuesday, July 19, to presenttheir on-going projects and getacquainted with the staff ofthe Office forCommunications and PublicPrograms, Security personneland the Office of ExternalAffairs.

Based on work done by thePanama Canal Commissionduring the last century, theACP’s Department for Safetyand Environment works tomaintain Panama and thecommunities inside thePanama Canal Watershed

(PCW) informed of theirdevelopment plans and long-term conservation strategies; hasinvested important resources tocertify propriety rights tohistorical owners inside thePCW; is involved inreforestation efforts withSTRI's Project for Reforestationwith Native Species(PRORENA); monitors thequality of water for bothconsumption and operation ofthe Canal; and is committed toimprove the quality of life of thePCW residents and theeducation of their children.

The ACP's Department forSafety and Environment invitedSTRI to maintain former levels

of inter-institutional partnershipand build new bridges ofcommunication andcollaboration. The ACP issuesCocuyo, a bi-monthly newspaperthat focuses on efforts topromote sustainable projectsand education among theinhabitants of the Panama CanalWatershed.

The photo shows (from the left)OCAPP’s Lidia de Valencia,Cecilia Mañosa, OCAPP deputydirector Mónica Alvarado anddirector Stanley HeckadonMoreno, Juan Héctor Díaz,director of ACP's Departmentfor Safety and Environment, andother members of ACP andSTRI staff.

More publicationsCondit, Richard G., Aguilar,Salomon, Hernandez, Andres,Perez, Rolando, Lao, Suzanne,and Pyke, Christopher R.2005. "Spatial changes in treecomposition of high-diversityforests: How much ispredictable?" In: EldredgeBermingham, Christopher W.Dick, and Craig Moritz (Eds.)Tropical rainforests: Past,present, and future. 271-294.Chicago and London:University of Chicago Press.

Davis, Charles C., Webb,Campbell O., Wurdack,Kenneth J., Jaramillo, CarlosA., and Donoghue, Michael J.2005. "Explosive radiation ofMalpighiales supports a Mid-Cretaceous origin of moderntropical rain forests." AmericanNaturalist 165(3): E36-E65.

Diaz, M.C., Van Soest,R.W.M., Rutzler, K., andGuzman, Hector M. 2005."Aplysina chiriquiensis, a newpedunculate sponge from theGulf of Chiriquí, Panamá,Eastern Pacific (Aplysinidae,Verongida)." Zootaxa 1012: 1-12.

Forsman, Z.H., Guzman,Hector M., Chen, ChaolunAllen, Fox, G.E., andWellington, Gerard M. 2005."An ITS region phylogeny ofSiderastrea (Cnidaria:Anthozoa): is S. glynniendangeredor introduced?" Coral Reefs 24:343-347.

Hubbell, Stephen P. 2005."Large-scale diversity andspecies-area relationships intropical tree communitiesunder the neutral theory." In:Eldredge Bermingham,Christopher W. Dick, andCraig Moritz (Eds.) Tropicalrainforests: Past, present, andfuture. 41-71. Chicago andLondon: University ofChicago Press.

Miembros del Departamentode Seguridad y Ambiente de laAutoridad del Canal de Panamávisitaron STRI el martes, 19 dejulio para presentar susproyectos actuales yfamiliarizarse con el personal yel trabajo de la Oficina deComunicaciones y ProgramasPúblicos de STRI, personal deSeguridad y la Oficina AsuntosExternos.

Basados en trabajo dejado porla Comisión del Canal dePanamá durante el pasadosiglo, el Departamento deSeguridad y Ambiente de laACP trabaja para mantener aPanamá y a las comunidadesdentro de la Cuenca del Canalde Panamá informados sobresus planes de desarrollo yestrategias de conservación alargo plazo; han invertidorecursos importantes paraotorgar títulos de propiedad alos dueños históricos de lastierras dentro de la Cuenca delCanal, están trabajando juntocon los esfuerzos dereforestación del Proyecto deReforestación con EspeciesNativas del STRI

(PRORENA); monitorean lacalidad del agua tanto para elconsumo como para lasoperaciones del Canal; y estáncomprometidos en la tarea deelevar la calidad de vida de loshabitantes de la Cuenca delCanal y la educación de sushijos.

El Departamento de Seguridady Ambiente de la ACP invitó aSTRI a mantener los antiguosniveles de cooperación inter-institucional y a construirnuevos puentes decomunicación y colaboración.La ACP publica el periódicobi-mensual Cocuyo que destacalos esfuerzos para promoverproyectos de desarrollosostenible y de educación paralos residentes de la Cuenca

La foto muestra (desde laizquierda) a Lidia de Valencia yCecilia Mañosa de OCAPP, lasubdirectora de OCAPP MónicaAlvarado y el director StanleyHeckadon Moreno, Juan HéctorDíaz, director del Departamentode Seguridad y Ambiente de laACP, y otros miembros delpersonal de la ACP y STRI.

Perez leaves STRIJosé Manuel Pérez, deputydirector of STRI's Project forReforestation with NativeSpecies serving as acting

director until recently, left hisposition in order to dedicate fulltime to his own business.

More arrivalsChristian Gelpke, PrincetonUniversity, to work with theAutomated Telemetry System(ARTS), on BCI.

Christian Ziegler, STRIcommunication associate andRobert Horan, from theUniversity of Georgia, to workon several articles coveringresearch activities at STRI

DeparturesEldredge Bermingham toManaus, Brazil, to attend theBDFFF ManagementCommittee meetings, then toBoston to consult withcolleagues at Harvard, and toBelize to work at the SI CarrieBow Key station. Todd Capson to Corvallis, OR,to attend the American Societyof Pharmacognosy workshop. Ira Rubinoff to the US to meetwith various donors, to Bostonto meet with officials atHarvard University, and toWashington DC on officialbusiness at SI. S. Joseph Wright toUberlandia, Brazil, to attendthe ATBC meetings.

New publicationsBeebe, K., Bentley, G.E., andHau, Michaela. 2005. "Aseasonally breeding tropicalbird lacks absolutephotorefractoriness in thewild, despite highphotoperiodic sensitivity."Functional Ecology Online.

Benfield, Sarah L., Guzman,Hector M., and Maira, JamesM. 2005. "Temporal mangrovedynamics in relation to coastaldevelopment in PacificPanama." Journal ofEnvironmental Management 76(3):263-276.

More publicationsLafferty, Kevin D., Smith,K.F., Torchin, Mark E.,Dobson, Andrew P., andKuris, A.M. 2005. "The role ofinfectious diseases in naturalcommunities: What introducedspecies tell us." In: Dov F. Sax,John J. Stachowicz, and StevenD. Gaines (Eds.) Species Inva-sions: Insights into Ecology, Evolu-tion and Biogeography.Sunderland, Massachusetts:Sinauer.

Leigh, Jr., Egbert Giles, andRubinoff, Ira. 2005. "Under-standing and conserving tropi-cal diversity: perspectives fromBarro Colorado Island." In:Eldredge Bermingham, Chris-topher W. Dick, and CraigMoritz (Eds.) Tropical rain-forests: Past, present, and future.223-250. Chicago and London:University of Chicago Press.

Mora, Camilo, and Robertson,D. Ross. 2005. "Causes oflatitudinal gradients in speciesrichness: A test with fishes ofthe tropical eastern Pacific."Ecology 86(7): 1771-1782.

Moritz, Craig, Dick, Christo-pher W., and Bermingham,Eldredge. 2005. "From thepast to the future: evolution,ecology, and conservation oftropical rainforests." In:Eldredge Bermingham, Chris-topher W. Dick, and CraigMoritz (Eds.) Tropical rain-forests: Past, present, and future. 1-3. Chicago and London: Uni-versity of Chicago Press.

Moritz, C, Dick, C.W., andBermingham, Eldredge. 2005."Overview: Processes, people,and prospects for tropicalrainforests." In: EldredgeBermingham, Christopher W.Dick, and Craig Moritz (Eds.)Tropical rainforests: Past, present,and future. 529-531. Chicagoand London: University ofChicago Press.

More publicationsOboh-Ikuenobe, Francisca,Obi, Chuks G., and Jaramillo,Carlos A. 2005. "Lithofacies,palynofacies, and sequencestratigraphy of Palaeogenestrata in SoutheasternNigeria." Journal of AfricanEarth Sciences 41(1): 79-101

Tieleman, B. Irene, Williams,Joseph B., Ricklefs, Robert E.,and Klasing, Kirk C. 2005."Constitutive innate immunityis a component of the pace-of-life syndrome in tropicalbirds." Proceedings of the RoyalSociety (London) B Online.

Turner, Benjamin L. 2005."Storage-induced changes inphosphorus solubility of air-dried soils." Soil Science Societyof America Journal 69: 630-633.

Wright, S. Joseph. 2005. "TheEl Niño Southern Oscillationinfluences tree performance intropical rainforests." In:Eldredge Bermingham,Christopher W. Dick, andCraig Moritz (Eds.) Tropicalrainforests: Past, present, andfuture. 295-310. Chicago andLondon: University ofChicago Press.

MiscellaneousFor sale: 2003 Nissan SentraB13, 16,000km, CD player,$7500. One owner. Interestedplease contact:minakousui@pa.inter.nfrom the Japanese Embassy.

For sale: Double bed, boxspring and mattress, Antiquemahogany table and fourchairs, Orbitreck exercisemachine never used. Woodenbookshelves, cedro espino,mountain bikes. Best offer.Interested please call MónicaAlvarado at 264-1435.Available on July 29.

Pérez started working for STRIin November 2004, joining aninterdisciplinary team ofresearchers working for thedevelopment of socially,ecologically and economicallyviable strategies ofreforestation. We wish him thebest.

José Manuel Pérez, subdirectordel Proyecto de Reforestación con Especies Nativas (PRO-RENA), quien

fungía como director encargado,dejó su posición para dedicarsetiempo completo a sus negocios.

Pérez empezó a trabajar en STRIen noviembre de 2004 uniéndosea un equipo multidisciplinario deinvestigadores que trabajan en eldesarrollo de estrategias para larestauración forestal que seansocial, ecológica yeconómicamente viables. Le deseamos lo mejor.

New species of sponges

Staff scientist Héctor M.

Guzmán and collaborators

discovered a new species of

sponge (see various speciments

in the photo). They described

the new species in the article

“Aplysina chiriquiensis, a new

pedunculate sponge from the

Gulf of Chiriquí, Panamá,

Eastern Pacific (Aplysinidae,

Verongida)” in the journal

Zootaxa (vol. 1012: 1-12). The

species was first seen near

Coiba, but it is very abundant on

coral reefs in 15-35 m depth in

all Panama, the Galapagos

Islands, Costa Rica and the

Pacific coast of Colombia.

El biólogo de STRI, HéctorGuzmán y colaboradoresdescubrieron una nueva especiede esponja (vea variosespecímenes en la foto). Losinvestigadores describieron lanueva especie en el artículo“Aplysina chiriquiensis, a newpedunculate sponge from theGulf of Chiriquí, Panamá,Eastern Pacific (Aplysinidae,Verongida)” en la revista Zootaxa(vol. 1012: 1-12). La especie fuevista por primera cerca de Coiba,pero es abundante en arrecifescoralinos en todo Panamá a unaprofundidad de 15-35 m, enCosta Rica, las Islas Galápagos yen la costa Pacífica de Colombia.

science inprogress:

Looking forthe perfectcocktail

(three of three)

In addition to research and

reforestation activities, PRORENA

is also committed to offes

opportunities for the new

generation of biologists, with

large experimentation sites.

Undergraduate interns assist

PRORENA staff and graduate

students in plantation and

ecological research projects, and

have time to complete

independent projects.

Dylan Craven, graduate student

from Yale University (in the

photo), uses plant canopy

analyzers LAI-2000 (LICOR) to

quantify environmental luminosity

in broad sunlight, and under 22

species of trees planted in

Soberania National Park and Rio

Hato, in 2003.

Soberania and Rio Hato represent

different precipitation levels.

Some species are expected to

behave differently according to

precipitation, characterized by leaf

area index (LAI). LAI is the ratio of

the foliage area to the ground

area, the measure of plant grow.

Craven conducts 18

measurements in each plot to

broaden statistical comparisons

and add an element of spacial

analysis. At the end of the day in

the field, he interpolates the data

from both analyzers and generates

the LAI for each plot. These

measurements will provide data

for experiments to control

Saccharum spontaneum or Canal

grass, that dies under shadow.

Presently, PRORENA seeks two

more graduate students, one to

examine the relative socio-

economic impacts of reforestation

projects vs intensive agriculture

and cattle ranching; and another to

analyze the impact of reforestation

incentive laws in Central America,

suggesting incentive structures

most likely to promote widespread

reforestation, sound forest

management, and participation by

broad segments of society.

Además de investigar y reforestar,

PRORENA también está

comprometido con la capacitación

de la nueva generación de biólogos

y ofrece extensos sitios de

experimentación. Pasantes de pre-

grado asisten al personal y

estudiantes graduados de

PRORENA en proyectos ecológicos

y de plantación, y tienen tiempo

para completar sus propios

proyectos.

Dylan Craven, estudiante de

maestría de la Universidad de Yale

(en la foto) utiliza analizadores de

plantas del dosel LAI-200 (LICOR)

para medir la luz ambiental al sol y

a la sombra de 22 especies de

árboles plantados en el Parque

Nacional Soberanía y en Río Hato

en 2003.

Soberanía y Río Hato representan

diferentes niveles de

precipitación. Algunas especies

difieren en comportamiento de

acuerdo a la precipitación,

caracterizadas por el índice de

superficie foliar (LAI, por sus

siglas en inglés). LAI es la tasa de

superficie foliar por área de suelo,

o sea, la medida de crecimiento de

la planta.

Craven hace 18 mediciones en

cada parcela para ampliar las

comparaciones estadísticas y

añadir un elemento de análisis

espacial. Al final del día, extrapola

los datos de los analizadores y

genera el LAI para cada parcela.

Estas medidas suministrarán

información necesaria para los

experimentos de control de la paja

canalera, que muere bajo la

sombra de los árboles.

Actualmente PRORENA busca dos

estudiantes graduados más: uno

para examinar impactos socio-

económicos de proyectos de

reforestación vs. agricultura y

ganadería intensiva; y otro para

analizar el impacto de leyes de

incentivo en Centroamerica, y

sugerir estructuras que

promuevan la reforestación,

administración sólida de bosques,

y amplia participación en la

sociedad.