The effectiveness of a Mesoamerican ‘paper park’ in conserving cloud forest avifauna

Mesoamerican cloud forests are important centres of biodiversity, but are under severe pressure from anthropogenic activities. Protected areas have been established to conserve remaining areas of this habitat, but it is debatable how effective these under-resourced ‘paper parks’ are in preserving biodiversity. This study investigates this issue utilising species-level data, examining composition of avifaunal communities within an undermanaged cloud forest park. Research was conducted in the Parque Nacional Cusuco, North–West Honduras. Results indicate that overall avian species richness is greater in the less heavily protected buffer zone than the nominally inviolate core zone. However, core zone areas are shown to be effective in preserving threatened and range-restricted species. Results therefore demonstrate that buffer zone forest has a comparably reduced conservation value, but the overall park system appears to be effective in conserving the core zone. These findings should be taken into account when considering extensions to protected area networks in Mesoamerica.     

Digital transformation—life cycle assessment of digital services,multifunctional devices and cloud computing

The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment -     

How heterogeneous are the cloud forest communities in the mountains of central Veracruz, Mexico?

The montane forest in central Veracruz, Mexico is a hotspot of biodiversity. We asked whether lower and upper montane forests could be distinguished in this ecoregion. Variables of vegetation and seasonality in precipitation were tested across 14 sites between 1,250- and 2,550-m elevations. A total of 1,639 individuals and 128 tree species was recorded. There was a unimodal pattern in the richness of species, genera, and families; their richness was positively correlated with precipitation in the wettest quarter of the year, though there were no differences in the basal area and density. Rarefaction, species turnover, nonmetric multidimensional scaling, and a cluster histogram suggest two major groups: lower elevation forests that are less diverse, have low beta diversity and are more similar in composition, with Clethra macrophylla, Liquidambar styraciflua, and Quercus lancifolia as indicator species; and higher elevation forests that are more diverse, have high species turnover, and include forests with Quercus corrugata and Prunus rhamnoides, and forests with Fagus grandifolia, Persea americana, and Ternstroemia sylvatica as indicator species. However, other communities (an Oreomunnea mexicana at the upper site, and a limestone site in the lower forests), exemplify the high regional heterogeneity. We conclude that elevation and seasonality in precipitation produce a directional change in richness and indicator species, but not in vegetation structure. Lower montane forests differed from cloud forests at upper elevations. However, other factors should be included—mainly biogeographic affinities, historic and recent anthropogenic disturbance—to conclusively distinguish them. Montane forest can still be considered very heterogeneous and very high in beta diversity.     

Spider diversity in epiphytes: Can shade coffee plantations promote the conservation of cloud forest assemblages?

Cloud forests (CF) are disappearing due to anthropogenic causes such as cultivation. A characteristic feature of the CF is that a high proportion of its biomass occurs in the form of epiphytes, which are vital microhabitats to canopy dwelling arthropods. Coffee plantations overlap with CF and replace them. Epiphytes are abundant in shade coffee (SC) plantations and therefore these plants are an appropriate background for comparing the diversity between these systems. Spiders are understudied in canopies, and since they are major predators and their communities are highly sensitive to environmental changes, they can be used to test the similarity between habitats. We conducted a diversity assay of spiders living in epiphytes in cloud forest fragments and SC plantations, to test the hypothesis that SC plantations function as refugia. We manually sampled epiphytes within the canopy of two coffee plantations and two fragments of cloud forest in central Veracruz, Mexico. Our results show that SC plantations account for higher spider abundance and species richness than cloud forest fragments, there is little overlap between the species found in both systems, and the range of distribution and the guild structure of the spider assemblages between both systems is similar. As there were no significant differences between cloud forest fragments and SC plantations in terms of spider species assemblages, species distribution and guild structure the epiphytes from the SC plantations can be consider a refuge for the spider fauna from the surrounding cloud forest fragments. Epiphyte load and tree height are important factors driving the differentiation at community level, between sites and habitats. Bromeliads harbored more spiders than the other types of epiphytes, and since these plants are frequently removed by farmers or extracted for commercial and religious purposes, we suggest that preserving epiphytes in coffee plantations and cloud forest fragments could aid in the conservation of spiders.     

Effects of invasive cane toads on Australian mosquitoes: Does the dark cloud have a silver lining?

Research on the ecological impacts of invasive organisms typically looks only for negative impacts, ignoring the possibility that the wider community might see benefits in some of these effects. To truly understand the impact of invasive species, we need to look as broadly as possible, and incorporate studies on a diversity of variables. The spread of the South American cane toad (Bufo marinus) through tropical Australia is widely viewed as an ecological catastrophe, but anecdotal reports suggest that the invasion of toads may reduce the numbers of mosquitoes (and thus, potentially, the risk they pose to human health). We conducted experiments to determine whether the presence of toad tadpoles affects survival rates, adult body sizes and/or rates of oviposition of four species of disease-carrying mosquitoes. In the laboratory, the presence of toad tadpoles significantly reduced the sizes of adult mosquitoes at emergence, and also reduced survival rates of the larvae of one mosquito species. In field trials, mosquitoes were less likely to oviposit in waterbodies containing toad tadpoles. Accordingly, these data suggest (but do not prove) that toad invasion may reduce mosquito abundance. More generally, any overall evaluation of the impact of an invasive species needs to consider possible benefits (e.g. to human health) as well as negative effects (e.g. to native species). Both types of information are essential to inform community decisions about the management of feral taxa such as the cane toad in Australia.     

Phylogeography of Liquidambar styraciflua (Altingiaceae) in Mesoamerica: survivors of a Neogene widespread temperate forest (or cloud forest) in North America?

We investigate the genetic variation between populations of the American sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), a tree species with a disjunct distribution between northeastern Texas and Mexico, by analyzing sequences of two chloroplast DNA plastid regions in Mesoamerica. Our results revealed phylogeographical structure, with private haplotypes distributed in unique environmental space at either side of the Trans‐Mexican Volcanic Belt, and a split in the absence of gene flow dating back ca. 4.2–1.4 million years ago (MYA). Species distribution modeling results fit a model of refugia along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts but the present ranges of US and Mesoamerican populations persisted disjunct during glacial/interglacial cycles. Divergence between the US and Mesoamerican (ca. 8.4–2.8 MYA) populations of L. styraciflua and asymmetrical gene flow patterns support the hypothesis of a long‐distance dispersal during the Pliocene, with fragmentation since the most recent glacial advance (120,000 years BP) according to coalescent simulations and high effective migration rates from Mesoamerica to the USA and close to zero in the opposite direction. Our findings implicate the Trans‐Mexican Volcanic Belt as a porous barrier driving genetic divergence of L. styraciflua, corresponding with environmental niche differences, during the Pliocene to Quaternary volcanic arc episode 3.6 MYA, and a Mesoamerican origin of populations in the USA.     

Are cloud forest tree structure and environment related in the Venezuelan Andes?

Cloud forest vegetation structure and composition were studied in the Venezuelan Andes at three sites in Mérida State. Although the sites are within 10 to 30 km of each other, climatic, geologic and topographic differences are remarkable. The main purpose of the study was to determine the relationship of specific environmental variables to forest vegetation characteristics, including basal area, tree height, density and diversity, and leaf area index (LAI). At 51 plots, all trees' diameter at breast height >10 cm were recorded and identified. Although the environment at the three sites is distinctive, the tree species composition of the most abundant species was very similar. None of the measured environment variables were significantly correlated with the measured vegetation structure variables, except LAI, which was correlated with slope orientation; LAI showed higher values at south‐facing plots. Tree height was relatively uniform, while basal area was highly variable and reached very high values. Stem densities were in the range reported elsewhere in cloud forests. Multivariate analysis using structure or composition data shows segregation of the plots by site. Principal component analyses by site indicate a minor impact of environmental factors on forest variables. At each site, a particular group of species are correlated with the ordination axes. We conclude that species pools and forest dynamics add to the complexity of the structure of the studied cloud forests.     

Can <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pinus</Emphasis> plantations facilitate reintroduction of endangered cloud forest species?

Coniferous plantations have been widely used by reforestation programs seeking to mitigate the effects of deforestation in mountainous areas in different parts of the world. However, some studies show that pine plantations can simulate natural mechanisms of succession, thereby facilitating the incorporation of other native species of mid- and late-successional stages. Existing pine plantations could function as a substitute habitat and facilitate the establishment of native and endangered cloud forest species. To test this hypothesis, we planted two endangered species from the family Juglandaceae (Juglans pyriformis and Oreomunnea mexicana) under twelve-year-old canopy plantations of Pinus patula and compared them to individuals planted in open (control) sites and recorded their survival and growth. The results show that the survival of J. pyriformis and O. mexicana was significantly higher below the canopy of P. patula plantations than in the open site. However, growth rates varied significantly among species and sites. Although pine plantations may favor the survival of seedlings, they cannot ensure the growth of plants without additional forest management.     

Do cloud forest tree species differ in their suitability as a substrate for epiphytic bromeliads?

There is evidence for the existence of varying degrees of host preference in vascular epiphytes; certain tree species can be positively, neutrally, or negatively associated with epiphytes. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether tree species of the cloud forest differ in their suitability as a substrate for epiphytic bromeliads. To evaluate the association between epiphytic bromeliad cover and host tree species, we sampled 62 plots (each of 200 m²) in four cloud forest fragments in Veracruz, Mexico. For all trees ≥10 cm in diameter at breast height (DBH), we recorded species name, DBH, and percentage cover of bromeliads in categories of tree coverage. In total, 587 trees belonging to 52 species were recorded. All of the 10 tree species used to assess differences in epiphyte cover (each with a minimum of nine individuals) supported bromeliads, but mean bromeliad cover differed significantly among the tree species. The tree species that concentrated the highest bromeliad cover were Quercus sartorii (29.86%) and Liquidambar styraciflua (21.72%). Our results indicate that, while none of the tree species analyzed was a limiting host for epiphytic bromeliads in general, varying levels of bromeliad cover occur depending on the host species in tropical montane cloud forest fragments suggesting that certain tree species are better hosts than others. The implications for conservation efforts of differential tree species suitability as epiphyte hosts are discussed.     

Do artificial nectar feeders affect bat–plant interactions in an Ecuadorian cloud forest?

Plant–pollinator interactions are critical to ecosystems. However, when artificial nectar feeders are available in an area, they could draw pollinators away from plants. We tested the effects of artificial nectar feeders in an Ecuadorian cloud forest on four aspects of bat–plant interactions: (1) bat relative abundance; (2) bat pollen loads; (3) flower visitation rates, and (4) breeding success of a bat‐pollinated species (Burmeistera glabrata). We divided the study site into areas close to (~30 m) and far from (~500 m) three different feeder sites. At each distance, we captured nectar bats (Anoura caudifer, Anoura cultrata, and Lonchophylla robusta) to estimate their relative abundance and to collect pollen from fur and fecal samples. We also videotaped flowers to estimate bat visitation rates and recorded different breeding success variables of B. glabrata. We found that areas close to feeders have higher relative bat abundance by a factor of 40. In spite of this, the presence of feeders did not affect bat pollen loads, nor the flower visitation rates and breeding success of B. glabrata. Interestingly, there were differences in pollen loads between the three bat species, in that L. robusta individuals rarely carried pollen and were only captured near feeders.     

Resource allocation mechanisms for maximizing provider’s revenue in infrastructure as a service (IaaS) cloud

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is a cloud computing service provided over the internet to facilitate the provisioning of various services such as storage, processes, etc. The provider in the IaaS market may offer some purchasing plans including: reservation, on-demand, and spot plans for its resources. As in real scenarios, demand volume for each plan is assumed to be a random variable with a given probability distribution. The provider maximizes its average revenue in the long run by optimal allocation of its resources among the plans. We formulate an Integer Linear Programming (ILP) model with a stochastic constraint, to determine the number of resources to be allocated for each plan in every time slot in the planning horizon. First, fixed prices are considered for each plan, then two mechanisms of Continuous Double Auction and Second Price Sealed Bid Auction are considered for reservations and spot plans, respectively, to obtain market-driven prices of the services. The Seasonal Weighted Moving Average method is used to predict the amount of demand in every slot. Finally, the proposed mechanisms are evaluated through simulations and the results confirm the effectiveness of the methods in maximizing the revenue and overall utilization of the available IaaS capacity.

     

Fragmentation in the clouds? The population genetics of the native bee <Emphasis Type="Italic">Partamona bilineata</Emphasis> (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponini) in the cloud forests of Guatemala

Habitat fragmentation and loss are important drivers of genetic differentiation, often leading to a decrease in genetic diversity. Yet, natural populations of tropical bees often show a lack of differentiation, even in fragmented landscapes, suggesting resilience to deal with unfavourable land use. It is not clear what leads to this lack of differentiation, but large population sizes, high rates of dispersal and stable demography likely play important roles. Here, we investigate the population genetic structure and infer the present and historic demography of the eusocial stingless bee Partamona bilineata from tropical montane cloud forests in Guatemala. We used microsatellites and mitochondrial DNA to test for genetic differentiation, to infer migration rates, and to evaluate the effects of landscape. We also used demographic modelling to trace population sizes over time. We found that six populations of P. bilineata exhibited only subtle differentiation, with the exception of one site at the edge of the cloud forest, which was clearly distinct from all others. Effective population sizes (number of colonies) appeared to be rather small (18?±?6 colonies) compared to the original sample size (N?=?51?±?9), but stable over time, and inferred rates of gene flow were low; yet, no genetic bottleneck was detected. A statistical model including elevation was the best in explaining the observed pattern of differentiation. We find that P. bilineata does not exhibit strong genetic structure, making it a resilient species for provision of pollination services. But, at the same time, our data point to the potential vulnerability of this and similar species, as effective population sizes appear to be low and hence populations may be easily affected by future environmental change. As such, P. bilineata may be representative of many other tropical stingless bees, for which lack of differentiation has been invoked.     

Externalising moods and psychological states in a cloud based system to enhance a pet-robot and child’s interaction

Background

This PATRICIA research project is about using pet robots to reduce pain and anxiety in hospitalized children. The study began 2 years ago and it is believed that the advances made in this project are significant. Patients, parents, nurses, psychologists, and engineers have adopted the Pleo robot, a baby dinosaur robotic pet, which works in different ways to assist children during hospitalization.

Methods

Focus is spent on creating a wireless communication system with the Pleo in order to help the coordinator, who conducts therapy with the child, monitor, understand, and control Pleo’s behavior at any moment. This article reports how this technological function is being developed and tested.

Results

Wireless communication between the Pleo and an Android device is achieved. The developed Android app allows the user to obtain any state of the robot without stopping its interaction with the patient. Moreover, information is sent to a cloud, so that robot moods, states and interactions can be shared among different robots.

Conclusions

Pleo attachment was successful for more than 1 month, working with children in therapy, which makes the investment capable of positive therapeutic possibilities. This technical improvement in the Pleo addresses two key issues in social robotics: needing an enhanced response to maintain the attention and engagement of the child, and using the system as a platform to collect the states of the child’s progress for clinical purposes.

     

Do canopy herbivores mechanically facilitate subsequent litter decomposition in soil? A pilot study from a Neotropical cloud forest

There is increasing evidence that the above- and belowground components of ecosystems influence one another, thereby controlling key processes such as organic matter decomposition. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that leaf herbivory in forest canopies could facilitate subsequent leaf litter decomposition in soils, through changes in leaf quality (i.e., litter palatability) or geometric form (i.e., increased availability of leaf edges made by herbivore damages). In a 9-month field experiment in an Ecuadorian tropical cloud forest, we compared the decomposition rates of entire leaves (EL) and 15?%-damaged leaves (DL) of Ficus cuatrecasana showing similar initial leaf chemistry. We found that DL decomposed significantly faster than EL in early stages of decomposition (i.e., between 0 and 38?days). A parallel experiment using cellulose discs on which we simulated different degrees of damages revealed, however, that geometry per se (i.e., increased edge availability) did not influence decomposition rates. We discuss these contrasting results and propose that higher edge availability in damaged leaves may promote the access of microbes and/or macro-detritivores to leaf tissues thereby enhancing the initial stages of leaf decomposition.     

Moisture status during a strong El Niño explains a tropical montane cloud forest’s upper limit

Growing evidence suggests short-duration climate events may drive community structure and composition more directly than long-term climate means, particularly at ecotones where taxa are close to their physiological limits. Here we use an empirical habitat model to evaluate the role of microclimate during a strong El Niño in structuring a tropical montane cloud forest’s upper limit and composition in Hawai‘i. We interpolate climate surfaces, derived from a high-density network of climate stations, to permanent vegetation plots. Climatic predictor variables include (1) total rainfall, (2) mean relative humidity, and (3) mean temperature representing non-El Niño periods and a strong El Niño drought. Habitat models explained species composition within the cloud forest with non-El Niño rainfall; however, the ecotone at the cloud forest’s upper limit was modeled with relative humidity during a strong El Niño drought and secondarily with non-El Niño rainfall. This forest ecotone may be particularly responsive to strong, short-duration climate variability because taxa here, particularly the isohydric dominant Metrosideros polymorpha, are near their physiological limits. Overall, this study demonstrates moisture’s overarching influence on a tropical montane ecosystem, and suggests that short-term climate events affecting moisture status are particularly relevant at tropical ecotones. This study further suggests that predicting the consequences of climate change here, and perhaps in other tropical montane settings, will rely on the skill and certainty around future climate models of regional rainfall, relative humidity, and El Niño.     

A comparative analysis of karyotypes of three species of Macleaya—producers of a complex of isoquinoline alkaloids

Using a set of methods (C-banding, DAPI-staining, fluorescence hybridization in situ (FISH) with probes of 26S and 5S rDNA, and analysis of meiosis), the first comparative cytogenetic study of three species of Macleaya, producers of complex isoquinoline alkaloids, cordate Macleaya cordata (Willd.) R. Br. (2n = 20), small-fruited Macleaya microcarpa (Maxim.) Fedde (2n = 20) and Macleaya kewensis Turrill (2n = 20), was first carried out. On the basis of morphometric analysis, formulas of karyotypes were made for each species. Species ideograms for M. cordata, M. microcarpa, and M. kewensis were constructed taking into account the polymorphic variants of the C-banding patterns and indicating the location of 26S and 5S rDNA sites. A comparative study revealed that the karyotypes of M. microcarpa and M. kewensis have more in common with each other than with M. cordata. Analysis of meiotic chromosomes suggests of genetic stability of Macleaya genomes. The results of chromosome analysis were used to confirm the close relationship of Macleaya and to clarify their phylogenetic relationships.     

Effect of γ-Irradiation on Development of Lachrymator of Onion

A thermosensitive uracil requiring mutant of Bacillus subtilis Marburg 168 thy trp₂ ts42 was examined as to the colony forming ability at the permissive and nonpermissive temperatures. The viability of the mutant cells decreased rapidly at the restrictive temperature in the modified Woese’s (MW) medium. However, the cells retained viability when sodium succinate or potassium chloride was added to the medium at that temperature although uracil deficiency was unchanged. A little but significant incorporation of adenine-8-¹⁴C into RNA still continued even after the incorporation of N-acetyl-³H-d-glucosamine into acid insoluble fraction of the cells terminated in the MW medium at 48°C. Both incorporations as well as increase of absorbance were slowed down in the presence of sodium succinate at 48°C. This mutant, ts42, was more sensitive to deoxycholate (DOC) than the parent strain. The restoration of colony forming ability after the temperature shift back from 48 to 37°C was suppressed by the addition of DOC to the medium. However, the cell became resistant to DOC when uracil was added to the medium prior to the temperature shift.     

Mechanisms of action of the α-amylase of Micromonospora melanosporea

The -amylase of Micromonospora melanosporea was produced extracellularly during batch fermentation in a 5.0-1 fermentor. The absence of an organic nitrogen source in its growth medium facilitated subsequent purification of the enzyme by ammonium sulphate fractionation and two consecutive Superose-12 gel-filtration steps. The enzyme exhibited maxima for activity at pH 7.0 and 55° C and was 72% stable at pH 6.0–12.0 for 30 min at 40° C. It had a relative molecular mass of 45 000 and an isoelectric point at pH 7.6. The enzyme catalyses the conversion of starch to maltose (53%, w/w) as the predominant final end-product. Initial hydrolysis of this substrate, however, gave rise to the formation of maltooligosaccharides in the range maltotriose to maltohexaose. Maximum yields of these intermediate sugars accumulated to between 31 and 42% (w/w) as the reaction proceeded. The action of the M. melanosporea amylase on high concentrations of saccharides larger than maltotriose resulted in the formation of mainly maltose and maltotriose without concomitant glucose production. A combination of hydrolytic and transfer events is postulated to be responsible for this phenomenon and for the high maltose levels achieved. Correspondence to: C. T. Kelly