Tupper 4pm seminarTue, Jun 6, 4pm seminarspeaker will be Eva TothSTRIThe advantages of beingsocial: colonization rate andsuccess of sponge hosts bySy n alp h e u s snappingshrimps

Monthly talkWed, Jun 7 monthly talkspeaker will be Robert B.Srygley, University of OxfordLas mariposas vienen delmar: migraciones demariposas a través del marCaribe y el istmo dePanamá

Bambi seminarThu, Jun 8, Bambi seminarspeaker will be TommasoZillio, STRI PostdocSpatial scaling relationshipsin ecology

Arriving next weekFumie Iizuka, University ofArizona, to study long-termhistory of native Americanpeople of Panama andneighboring areas, at theCTPA.

Adam Roddy, University ofUtah, to conduct the project:Do differential responses todesiccation, herbivory andlight determine the habitatspecializations of rainforesttrees along a rainfall gradient?

Karen Warkentin, BostonUniversity, to continue herproject on how embryosassess danger: the role ofvibrational cues, in Gamboa.

Grace Chen, Michigan StateUniversity, to study the effectsof biotic interactions andabiotic stress on plantadaptation in the tropics, inGamboa and BCI.

STRI newsSmithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panamá www.stri.org June 2, 2006

STRI celebratesInternationalBiodiversity Day inSariguaSTRI was invited to participatein the celebration of theInternational Biodiversity Dayon Monday, May 22 in an eventat Parque Nacional Sarigua,organized by Panama'sEnvironmental Authority(ANAM). This year’scelebration was dedicated toefforts to fight the proliferationof desert areas.

Rolando Pérez, from STRI’sCenter for Tropical ForestScience (CTFS) offered the talk“Arboles del Parque NacionalSarigua y los Alrededores”[Trees at Parque NacionalSarigua and surrounding areas],and led participants to a walk tosee the trees along the differenttrails in the park.

A guide with the same title“Arboles del Parque NacionalSarigua y los Alrededores”,produced by Pérez with aresearch grant provided by theCTFS rests at the STRI Libraryand the Park's Station.

According to SebastiánGonzález, director of theParque Nacional Sarigua, thisdocument is one of the fewscientific works conducted in

the area that can also beused by visitors andstudents from high schoolas well as universitystudents.

Photos, descriptions andinformation aboutPanamanian palms, treesand shrubs are featured inthe CTFS web site:http://ctfs.si.edu

STRI fue invitado a participaren la celebración del DíaInternacional de laBiodiversidad el lunes 22 demayo, organizado por laAutoridad Nacional delAmbiente (ANAM). Lacelebración de este año fuededicada a los esfuerzos paraluchar contra la proliferación deáreas desérticas.

Rolando Pérez, del Centro deCiencias Forestales del Trópicode STRI ofreció la charla“Arboles del Parque NacionalSarigua y los Alrededores” ylideró una caminata con losparticipantes para conocer losárboles a lo largo de diferentessenderos del parque.

Una guía con el mismo nombre“Arboles del Parque Nacional

Sarigua y Alrededores”producido por Pérez confondos suministrados por elprograma de becas parainvestigaciones del CTFSreposa en la Biblioteca de STRIy en la Estación del Parque.

De acuerdo a SabastiánGonzález, director del ParqueNacional Sarigua, estedocumento es uno de los pocostrabajos científicos llevados acabo sobre el área, que tambiénpuede ser usado por visitantes yestudiantes de secundaria yuniversidad.

Fotos, descripciones botánicase información sobre palmas,árboles y arbustos panameñosaparecen en la página de webdel CTFS:http://ctfs.si.edu

More arrivalsChristina Riehl, Princeton, tojoin STRI's AutomatedTelemetry Project, on BCI.

Andrew Mason, University ofToronto, to study thecommunication at extremefrequencies in rainforestkatydids, on BCI.

Jose Luis Andrade, Centro deInvestigación Científica deYucatan, to collaborate withKlaus Winter, at Tupper.

Katia Silvera, University ofFlorida, to study Crassulaceanacid metabolism (CAM) intropical plants, at Tupper.

Gregory Adler, University ofWisconsin, to study thediversity and abundance ofrodents, on BCI and Gamboa.

New publicationsMalhi, Yadvinder, Wood,Daniel, Baker, Timothy R.,Wright, James, Phillips, OliverL., Cochrane, Thomas, Meir,Patrick, Chave, Jerome,Almeida, Samuel, Arroyo,Luzmilla, Higuchi, Niro,Killeen, Timothy J., Laurance,Susan G., Laurance, WilliamF., Lewis, Simon L.,Monteagudo, Abel, Neill,David A., Vargas, PercyNunez, Pitman, Nigel C. A.,Quesada, Carlos Alberto,Salomao, Rafael, Silva, JoseNatalino., Lezama, ArmandoT., Terborgh, John, Martinez,Rodolfo V., and Vinceti,Barbara. 2006. "The regionalvariation of aboveground livebiomass in old-growthAmazonian forests." GlobalChange Biology Online.

Olendorf, Robert, Rodd, F.Helen, Punzalan, David,Houde, Anne E., Hurt, Carla,Reznick, David N., andHughes, Kimberly A. 2006."Frequency-dependentsurvival in natural guppypopulations." Nature441(7093): 633-636.

Nature:“Where thefish aregreener?”Carla Hurt, from Scripps doingresearch at STRI's Naos IslandLaboratories, published theletter “Frequency-dependentsurvival in natural guppypopulations” with colleaguesRobert Olendorf (principalinvestigator), F. Helen Rodd,David Punzalan, Anne E.Houde, David N. Reznick andKimberly A. Hugues in Nature(June 1), vol. 441: 633-636.

“One of the trickiest problemsin evolutionary biology is toexplain how natural populationsmaintain an element of geneticdiversity. Of all the proposedmechanisms, theory shows thatfrequency-dependent selectioncan be the most potent, yetthere is only indirect evidencefor its importance in naturalpopulations. An experimentalmanipulation in natural

populations of guppies nowshows that there is a significantsurvival advantage for raregenotypes (exotic colouring inmales) in natural populations ofguppies. This is perhaps thebest experimental evidence yetthat frequency-dependentselection can be a potentmechanism maintaining geneticvariation in naturalpopulations.”

Editor's summary, Nature

NSF grant to Lauranceand HarmsSTRI’s William F. Laurance andKyle Harms, of Louisiana StateUniversity received a grant of$450,000 from the NationalScience Foundation to fund theproject “Ecological impacts ofhabitat fragmentation onAmazonian tree communities.”The funds will be used tocontinue their long-term studiesof complex tree assemblages inthe Amazon and to extend theirwork to smaller (1-10cm) widetrees, as well as larger trees.

William F. Laurance de STRI, yKyle Harms, de Louisiana State

University recibieron fondospor la cantidad de $450,000 deNational Science Foundation,para financiar el proyecto“Impactos ecológicos defragmentación del hábitat encomunidades de árbolesamazónicos.”

Los fondos se utilizarán paracontinuar sus estudios a largoplazo de las formaciones deárboles complejos en elAmazonas y para extender sutrabajo de árboles de pequeñodiámetro (1-10 cm) a árbolesmás grandes.

New book on Panama's biodiversityAnnette Aiello, Karla Aparicio,Mireya Correa, ClementinaChung, Stanley Heckadon-Moreno, Alicia Ibáñez, BelkysJimenez, Diomedes Quintero,Noris Salazar-Allen and RafaelSamudio are some of thecontributors to the new bookedited by Santiago Castroviejoand Alicia Ibáñez in Spanish andEnglish Studies on the biodiversity ofthe Bahia Honda Region (Veraguas,Panama). The book waspublished in 2005 as volume 20of Biblioteca de Ciencias Series, inMadrid. Castroviejo is a research

profesor at Real Jardin Botanico,Madrid. Ibáñez, who recentlyobtained a Ph.D. fromUniversidad de Salamanca,works in a biopropection projectwith STRI's InternationalCollaborative BiodiversityGroups in Panama.

Annette Aiello, Karla Aparicio,Mireya Correa, ClementinaChung, StanleyHeckadon-Moreno, AliciaIbáñez, Belkys Jimenez,Diomedes Quintero, NorisSalazar-Allen y Rafael Samudio

More publicationsPandolfi, John M., andJackson, Jeremy B.C. 2006."Ecological persistenceinterrupted in Caribbean coralreefs." Ecology Letters Online.

Reeves, R. Guy, andBermingham, Eldredge. 2006."Colonization, populationexpansion, and lineageturnover: phylogeography ofMesoamerican characiformfish." Biological Journal of theLinnean Society 88(2): 235-255.

Robertson, D. Ross, Karg,Frances, Leao de Moura,Rodrigo, Victor, Benjamin C.,and Bernardi, Giacome. 2006."Mechanisms of speciationand faunal enrichment inAtlantic parrotfishes."Molecular Phylogenetics andEvolution Online.

Sayer, Emma J., Tanner, E.,and Cheesman, A. 2006."Increased Litterfall ChangesFine Root Distribution in aMoist Tropical Forest." Plantand Soil 281(1 - 2): 5-13.

STRI in the news“PanAfrica: Report urgesrethink on value of forestresources.” 2006. SciDev.Net(London) May 25.

“Scientific group endorsesradical plan to saverainforests.” 2006. Eurekalert!May 19.

“A study of young coral couldassist efforts to protect reefs”by Jerilyn Watson, LawanDavis, Jill Moss and CynthiaKirk. 2006. Voice of AmericaNews, May 15.

“Lemos y el LaboratorioMarino de Punta Galeta,Colón” by Stanley Heckadon-Moreno. 2006. Epocas(Supplement to La Prensa): 10-11.

STRI's CTFS and Yale seek program directorThe joint program betweenSTRI's Center for TropicalForest Science and YaleSchool of Forestry andEnvironmental Studies seeks aprogram director to overseeboth Asian and LatinAmerican education programs,initially based in New Haven.

The position has a duration offive years, with continuationpossible. Extensive travel tofield sites in Asia, LatinAmerica, Panama andSingapore is expected. Thechosen candidate will report toprincipal investigators fromYale and STRI. He/she willdevelop and administer atropical forest biodiversityeducation program to educate

practitioners and educatorsbased in Panama andSingapore. Supervise and trainteaching fellows, assistants,interns in the delivery ofworkshops, field trips, etc.Ensure program quality,monitor project finances, andmanage fund-raising. Requiresmaster's degree in a disciplinerelevant to tropical forestbiodiversity conservation.PhD preferred. Must have twoto five years of relatedexperience in Latin America orAsia (may be graduate fieldwork), expertise in appliedresearch and teaching, andsupervisory experience.Fluency in English and at leastone other related language,preferably Spanish or Malay.

For full details, please applyon line at www.yale.edu/jobs.Include resume, cover letterand three professional lettersof recommendation. Referencesource code EACH33769 onall correspondence.Application deadline is June30, 2006. Salary range: $45K to$65K plus benefits. Forgeneral inquiries, pleasecontact professor MarkAshton, Yale University,School of Forestry &Environmental Studies at:mark.ashton@yale.edu.

Yale University is anAffirmative Action, EqualOpportunity Employer.

son algunos de los autores deun nuevo libro editado porSantiago Castroviejo y AliciaIbáñez en Español e InglésEstudios sobre la biodiversidadde la región de Bahía Honda(Veraguas, Panamá). El libro

fue publicado en 2005 como elvolumen 20 de la serieBiblioteca de Ciencias enMadrid. Castroviejo es unprofesor de investigación en elReal Jardin Botanico en Madrid.Ibáñez, quien recibió

recientemente su doctorado enla Universidad de Salamanca,trabaja en un proyecto debioprosección en los Grupos deCooperación Internacional parala Biodiversidad (ICBG) deSTRI, en Panamá.

Golfo de Chiriquí, by A. IbáñezAlicia Ibáñez, biologist atSTRI's InternationalCollaborative BiodiversityGroups (ICBG) authored thebook Golfo de Chiriquí: ecosistemasy conservación de la zona insular ycostera, 2006 [Golf of Chiriqui:coastal and insular zoneconservation and ecosystems].

Golfo de Chiriquí is oa a projectsupported by The NatureConservancy in Panama (TNC)to gather and analyze scientificinformation on the region'snatural resources. Aiming topromote a sustainabledevelopment in Golfo deChiriquí, that includes CoibaIsland National Park, the TNCprovided funds to HéctorGuzmán, to access reefcommunities; Juan L. Maté, to

study fisheries situation, andIbáñez, for the analysis ofecosistems, published in thisbook.

Alicia Ibáñez, bióloga en losGrupos de CooperaciónInternacional para laBiodiversidad de STRI, es laautora del nuevo libro Golfode Chiriquí: ecosistemas yconservación de la zona insulary costera, 2006.

Golfo de Chiriquí es parte de unproyecto financiado por TheNature Conservancy (TNC)para recoger y analizarinformación científica sobre losrecursos naturales del área. Conel objetivo ayudar a undesarrollo sostenible del Golfode Chiriquí, que incluye al

Parque Nacional Coiba, TNCsuministró fondos a HéctorGuzmán para estudiar lascomunidades de corales, a JuanL. Maté, para medir la situaciónpesquera, y a Ibáñez para elanálisis de los ecosistemas,publicado en este libro.

science in progress:

Living on suspended soilsStory by Gabriela Castaño-Meneses

Edited by M Alvarado & ML Calderon

Photo: MA Guerra

The canopy is a

generous ecosystem

capable of maintaining

a large diversity of

plants and animals.

Nutrients and debris

from trees and

epiphytes accumulate,

offering suspended

soils to groups like

mites and

collembolans.

With nearly 8000

species known

worldwide,

collembolans conform

a dominant group in

tropical forests due to

their abundance, and

reach huge densities in

the canopy.

Collembolans are

small hexapods of less

than 2 mm in length,

whose main activity is

decomposing

vegetable organic

matter. They also play

an important role

serving as food to a

great variety of

arthropods.

Gabriela Castaño-

Meneses, postdoctoral

fellow from

Universidad Nacional

Autónoma de Mexico

working with IBISCA

(Investigating the

Biodiversity of Soil and

Canopy Arthropods)

studies collembolans

in San Lorenzo forest

on the Atlantic coast of

Panama, to determine

their diversity,

abundance and vertical

stratification.

These studies will

allow the

establishment of the

necessary bases to

determine the

importance of

collembolans in

canopy leaf litter

decomposing

processes.

El dosel del bosque es

un ecosistema

generoso, capaz de

mantener una gran

diversidad de plantas y

animales. Nutrientes y

detritus de árboles y

epífitas se acumulan

en el dosel, ofreciendo

suelos suspendidos a

grupos como ácaros y

colémbolos.

Con cerca de 8000

especies conocidas a

nivel mundial, los

colémbolos conforman

un grupo dominante en

los bosques tropicales

debido a su

abundancia,

alcanzando enormes

densidades en el

dosel. Los colémbolos

son pequeños

hexápodos de menos

de 2 mm de largo, cuya

actividad principal es

descomponer la

materia orgánica

vegetal. También

juegan un papel

importante, al servir de

alimento para una gran

variedad de

artrópodos.

Gabriela Castaño-

Meneses, becaria

postdoctoral de la

Universidad Nacional

de México, quien

trabaja con IBISCA

(Investigando la

Biodiversidad de

Artrópodos en Suelos

y el Dosel) estudia los

colémbolos en el

bosque de San

Lorenzo en la costa

atlántica de Panamá,

para determinar su

diversidad, abundancia

y su estratificación

vertical en el dosel y

sotobosque.

Estos estudios

permitirán establecer

las bases necesarias

para determinar la

importancia de los

colémbolos en los

procesos de

descomposición en las

hojarascas

acumuladas del dosel.