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opennotspecifiedJan 2020View details →

FIGURE 3 in A protocol for online documentation of spider biodiversity inventories applied to a Mexican tropical wet forest (Araneae, Araneomorphae)

FIGURE 3. Example of a species page documented with standard views Cyrtognatha petila Dimitrov & Hormiga 2009. http:// www.unamfcaracnolab.com/WPGS_TUXV/tuxv.html

opennotspecifiedJan 2020View details →

FIGURE 4 in A protocol for online documentation of spider biodiversity inventories applied to a Mexican tropical wet forest (Araneae, Araneomorphae)

FIGURE 4. Species richness estimations. Red triangles with values indicated with (*) correspond to the species estimations for those treatments fitted to a lognormal distribution. White and red triangles over the x axis indicate higher overestimations.

opennotspecifiedJan 2020View details →

FIGURE 5. Species richness estimations slopes. Jack 2s in A protocol for online documentation of spider biodiversity inventories applied to a Mexican tropical wet forest (Araneae, Araneomorphae)

FIGURE 5. Species richness estimations slopes. Jack 2s indicates the slope average for these estimations based on incidence (BAT) and abundance (Bat and Estimates). Same averages were calculated for Jack 1s and Chao 1 and 2 estimation slopes. Column indicated with (*) correspond to the slope value for pitfalls under Chao's estimations.

opennotspecifiedJun 2020View details →

FIGURE 9 in First record of Synagelides Strand, 1906 (Araneae: Salticidae) from Sri Lanka description of four endemic species from tropical wet forest of the island

FIGURE 9. Synagelides orlandoi sp. nov. A–B, male (A, dorsal view; B, ventral view). C–E left palp (C, prolateral view; D, ventral view; E, retrolateral view). Scale bars: A–B = 0.5 mm, C–E = 0.1 mm.

opencc-zeroSep 2020View details →

Canopy structure and forest understory conditions in a wet Amazonian forest – no change over the last 20 years

Climate change is altering forest dynamics in the tropics, with large potential impacts on forest structure and understory conditions. However, we found that canopy height distribution and openness remained stable over two decades in the western Amazon, and that gap creation rates would need to increase 300% before affecting equilibrium.

opencc-zeroDec 2017View details →

Data from: Short-term precipitation exclusion alters microbial responses to soil moisture in a wet tropical forest

Many wet tropical forests, which contain a quarter of global terrestrial biomass carbon stocks, will experience changes in precipitation regime over the next century. Soil microbial responses to altered rainfall are likely to be an important feedback on ecosystem carbon cycling, but the ecological mechanisms underpinning these responses are poorly understood. We examined how reduced rainfall affect- ed soil microbial abundance, activity, and community compo- sition using a 6-month precipitation exclusion experiment at La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica. Thereafter, we ad- dressed the persistent effects of field moisture treatments by exposing soils to a controlled soil moisture gradient in the lab for 4 weeks. In the field, compositional and functional re- sponses to reduced rainfall were dependent on initial condi- tions, consistent with a large degree of spatial heterogeneity in tropical forests. However, the precipitation manipulation sig- nificantly altered microbial functional responses to soil mois- ture. Communities with prior drought exposure exhibited higher respiration rates per unit microbial biomass under all conditions and respired significantly more CO2 than control soils at low soil moisture. These functional patterns suggest that changes in microbial physiology may drive positive feed- backs to rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations if wet tropical forests experience longer or more intense dry seasons in the future.

opencc-zeroDec 2017View details →

Data from: An extensive suite of functional traits distinguishes wet and dry Hawaiian forests and enables prediction of species vital rates

1. The application of functional traits to predict and explain plant species' distributions and vital rates has been a major direction in functional ecology for decades, yet numerous physiological traits have not yet been incorporated into the approach. 2. Using commonly measured traits such as leaf mass per area (LMA) and wood density (WD), and additional traits related to water transport, gas exchange and resource economics, including leaf vein, stomatal, and wilting traits, we tested hypotheses for Hawaiian wet montane and lowland dry forests (MWF and LDF respectively): (1) forests would differ in a wide range of traits as expected from contrasting adaptation; (2) trait values would be more convergent among dry than wet forest species due to the stronger environmental filtering; (3) traits would be inter-correlated within "modules" supporting given functions; (4) relative growth rate (RGR) and mortality rate (m) would correlate with a number of specific traits, with (5) stronger relationships when stratifying by tree size, and (6) RGR and m can be strongly explained from trait-based models. 3. The MWF species' traits were associated with adaptation to high soil moisture and nutrient supply and greater shade tolerance whereas the LDF species' traits were associated with drought tolerance. Thus, on average, MWF species achieved higher maximum heights than LDF species and had leaves with larger epidermal cells, higher maximum stomatal conductance and CO2 assimilation rate, lower vein lengths per area, higher saturated water content and greater shrinkage when dry, lower dry matter content, higher phosphorus concentration, lower nitrogen to phosphorus ratio, high chlorophyll to nitrogen ratio, high carbon isotope discrimination, high stomatal conductance to nitrogen ratio, less negative turgor loss point, and lower WD. Functional traits were more variable in the MWF than LDF, were correlated within modules, and predicted species' RGR and m across forests, with stronger relationships when stratifying by tree size. Models based on multiple traits predicted vital rates across forests (R2 = 0.70-0.72; P < 0.01). 4. Our findings are consistent with a powerful role of broad suites of functional traits in contributing to forest species' distributions, integrated plant design, and vital rates.

opencc-zeroAug 2019View details →

Data from: Spatio-temporal effects of logging and fire on tall, wet temperate eucalypt forest birds

Forests globally are subject to multiple disturbances such as logging and fire that create complex temporal variation in spatial patterns of forest cover and stand age. However, investigations that quantify temporal changes in biodiversity in response to multiple forms of disturbance in space and time are relatively uncommon. Over a 10-year period, we investigated the response of bird species to spatio-temporal changes in cover associated with logging and wildfire in the Mountain Ash (Eucalyptus regnans) forests of south-eastern Australia. Specifically, we examined how bird occurrence changed with shifts in the proportion of area burnt or logged in a 4.5km radius surrounding each of 87 field survey sites. Overall species richness was greatest in older forest patches. Bird species richness declined as the amount of fire around each site increased. At the individual species level, most species were more likely to be found in old growth than younger forest. Twenty-five of 36 bird species we modeled, exhibited a negative response to the amount of fire in the surrounding landscape (while two species responded positively to fire). Only nine species exhibited signs of post-fire recovery. Ten species were more likely to be recorded as the proportion of logged forest surrounding a site increased, suggesting a possible "concentration effect" with displaced birds moving into unlogged areas following harvesting of adjacent areas. In contrast to predictions from the disturbance-congruence hypothesis, no bird species exhibited similar responses to fire and logging in the landscape surrounding our sites. Similarly, no bird life history traits were associated with burned or logged forest, although insectivorous birds were more likely to be found in old growth forests and increased over time. Birds in Mountain Ash forests are strongly associated with old growth stands and exhibit complex, time-dependent and species-specific responses to landscape disturbance. Despite logging and fire both being high-severity perturbations, species responses to one kind of landscape-scale disturbance are not readily predictable based on an understanding of the responses to another kind of (albeit superficially similar) disturbance.

opencc-zeroDec 2016View details →

Data from: Ants as ecological indicators of rainforest restoration: community convergence and the development of an Ant Forest Indicator Index in the Australian wet tropics

Ecosystem restoration can help reverse biodiversity loss, but whether faunal communities of forests undergoing restoration converge with those of primary forest over time remains contentious. There is a need to develop faunal indicators of restoration success that more comprehensively reflect changes in biodiversity and ecosystem function. Ants are an ecologically dominant faunal group and are widely advocated as ecological indicators. We examine ant species and functional group responses on a chronosequence of rainforest restoration in northern Australia, and develop a novel method for selecting and using indicator species. Four sampling techniques were used to survey ants at 48 sites, from grassland, through various ages (1–24 years) of restoration plantings, to mature forest. From principal components analysis of seven vegetation metrics, we derived a Forest Development Index (FDI) of vegetation change along the chronosequence. A novel Ant Forest Indicator Index (AFII), based on the occurrences of ten key indicator species associated with either grassland or mature forest, was used to assess ant community change with forest restoration. Grasslands and mature forests supported compositionally distinct ant communities at both species and functional levels. The AFII was strongly correlated with forest development (FDI). At forest restoration sites older than 5–10 years that had a relatively closed canopy, ant communities converged on those of mature rainforest, indicating a promising restoration trajectory for fauna as well as plants. Our findings reinforce the utility of ants as ecological indicators and emphasize the importance of restoration methods that achieve rapid closed-canopy conditions. The novel AFII assessed restoration status from diverse and patchily distributed species, closely tracking ant community succession using comprehensive species-level data. It has wide applicability for assessing forest restoration in a way that is relatively independent of sampling methodology and intensity, and without a need for new comparative data from reference sites.

Fig. 16.8 in The Caribbean lowland evergreen moist and wet forests

Fig. 16.8 Entrance to the Boca Tapada community in the Refugio Nacional Vida Silvestre Maquenque at the northern end of the San Juan–La Selva Biological Corridor. The community lies along the Río San Carlos near the confluence with the Río San Juan and the border with Nicaragua. This area is the breeding and nesting area of Costa Rica's remaining population of Great Green Macaws. Photo by Deedra McClearn.

Fig. 16.7 in The Caribbean lowland evergreen moist and wet forests

Fig. 16.7 Aerial view in February 2011 (dry season) showing the border between pineapple fields and secondary forest on the property of the Costa Rican—Swiss Tropical Fruit Marketing Companyin Horquetas, Sarapiquí. This property is known as Finca Roswita. Photograph taken on a joint photography mission of OTS, Panthera Costa Rica, and Lighthawk.

Fig. 16.6 in The Caribbean lowland evergreen moist and wet forests

Fig. 16.6 Map of the locations of the plant collections used in the vegetation analysis. Additional color coding represents the Holdridge Life Zones covered herein.

Fig. 16.5 in The Caribbean lowland evergreen moist and wet forests

Fig. 16.5 Fifty-seven-year record of precipitation at the La Selva Biological Station. (Upper) Despite a wide range of wet years and dry years, the mean annual precipitation has held steady at 4,000 mm of rain for the entire duration of this record. (Lower) Monthly rains are expected to be high from May through December, with a dry season in January, February, and March. This pattern holds true as a mean over 50 years (green bars), but is subject to considerable variation from year to year. The year 2014 was characterized by a severe dry season and an extremely rainy wet season.

Fig. 16.2 in The Caribbean lowland evergreen moist and wet forests

Fig. 16.2 Map of the main protected areas and indigenous reserves found in Costa Rica's Caribbean evergreen moist and wet forest lowlands. Map prepared by Marco V. Castro.

Fig. 16.9 in The Caribbean lowland evergreen moist and wet forests

Fig. 16.9 These images of Costa Rican wildlife stamps from the 1980s depict the green turtle and the great green macaw, and represent an increasing environmental awareness by both the Costa Ricangovernment and the public in general.

Fig. 16.4 in The Caribbean lowland evergreen moist and wet forests

Fig. 16.4 View from the top of the CARBONO research tower on the SSO trail at the La Selva Biological Station, July 2010, in the middle of the rainy season. The view is looking southward towards San José (which is 55 km away in a straight-line distance on the other side of the peaks on the horizon). The base of the tower is at 97 m a.s.l. The peak on the left is Cacho Negro, a dormant volcano 2,100 m high. The peak on the far right is Volcán Barva, which provides the run-off for most of the streams and rivers of La Selva. Much of the forest in the middle ground is part of the San Juan–La Selva Biological Corridor. Photo by Orlando Vargas.

Fig. 16.1 in The Caribbean lowland evergreen moist and wet forests

Fig. 16.1 Map of Costa Rica showing major roads, national population centers, as well as details of the Caribbean lowlands (shown in colors). The Pan-American Highway is shown as a thick yellow line. The northern edge of the zone is the border with Nicaragua (including the Río San Juan) and the eastern edge is the Caribbean Sea. Although the railway is no longer in use, its extent (solid black lines) is depicted here to illustrate the route taken by highland coffee from the Central Plateau to the port city of Limón during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Note that there are two towns labeled Puerto Viejo. One is in the canton of Sarapiquí (near La Selva Biological Station) and the other is near Limón. Unwary researchers heading to La Selva have been known to catch the wrong bus in San José and to end up on the Caribbean coast. The Caribbean lowlands have contributions from six of the country's 11 conservation areas. ACG (Guanacaste), ACA-HN (Arenal-Huertar Norte), ACA-T (Arenal-Tilarán), ACCVC (Cordillera Volcánica Central), ACTo (Tortuguero), and ACLA-C (La Amistad-Caribe). The La Selva Biological Station and EARTH University are indicated by stars.