Sandfly distribution and abundance in a tropical rain forest

1. The distribution patterns of sandflies (Diptera: Psychodidae) upon tree buttresses were studied in tropical rain forest at Finca la Selva in the Caribbean lowlands of Costa Rica. 2. Four species of sandfly, Lutzomyia shannoni Dyar, L. trapidoi F. & H., L. ylephiletor F. & H. and L. vespertilionis F. & H. comprising 97% of those caught, used tree buttresses as diurnal resting sites. Their distribution on the buttresses was aggregated. 3. During the dry season tree species had no significant effect upon the distribution of the sandflies. However, during the wet season the distributions of two of the species, L. trapidoi and L. ylephiletor, were significantly affected by the species of tree; it is suggested that some species of tree may provide greater protection from rainfall than others. 4. L. vespertilionis was restricted to a single buttress on each positive tree. Distribution of this species is evidently determined by the distribution of its host animal, the bat (Emballonuridae). Female flies feed upon the bat's blood and male flies may be attracted to the bat as it provides a source of female sandflies. It is suggested, therefore, that tree buttresses serve as sandfly swarming sites. 5. Within a large buttress the sandflies are not randomly distributed but are aggregated in particular areas. Within these aggregations, the sandflies are vertically zoned upon the buttress with a shift in species composition with height. Two hypothesis were suggested to account for this distribution pattern: a response to an environmental gradient or an interaction between the four species of fly.     

Substantial labile carbon stocks and microbial activity in deeply weathered soils below a tropical wet forest

Contrary to large areas in Amazonia of tropical moist forests with a pronounced dry season, tropical wet forests in Costa Rica do not depend on deep roots to maintain an evergreen forest canopy through the year. At our Costa Rican tropical wet forest sites, we found a large carbon stock in the subsoil of deeply weathered Oxisols, even though only 0.04–0.2% of the measured root biomass (>2 mm diameter) to 3 m depth was below 2 m. In addition, we demonstrate that 20% or more of this deep soil carbon (depending on soil type) can be mobilized after forest clearing for pasture establishment. Microbial activity between 0.3 and 3 m depth contributed about 50% to the microbial activity in these soils, confirming the importance of the subsoil in C cycling. Depending on soil type, forest clearing for pasture establishment led from no change to a slight addition of carbon in the topsoil (0–0.3 m depth). However, this effect was countered by a substantial loss of C stocks in the subsoil (1–3 m depth). Our results show that large stocks of relatively labile carbon are not limited to areas with a prolonged dry season, but can also be found in deeply weathered soils below tropical wet forests. Forest clearing in such areas may produce unexpectedly high C losses from the subsoil.     

Annual wood production in a tropical rain forest in NE Costa Rica linked to climatic variation but not to increasing CO2

Increased atmospheric [CO₂] could theoretically lead to increased forest productivity (‘CO₂ fertilization’). This mechanism was hypothesized as a possible explanation for biomass increases reported from tropical forests in the last 30+ years. We used unique long‐term records of annually measured stands (eighteen 0.5 ha plots, 10 years) and focal tree species (six species, 24 years) to assess the effects of rainfall, temperature, and atmospheric [CO₂] on annual wood production in a neotropical rain forest. Our study area was a meso‐scale section (600 ha) of old‐growth Tropical Wet Forest in NE Costa Rica. Using the repeated remeasurements we directly assessed the relative effects of interannual climatic variation and increasing atmospheric [CO₂] on wood production. A remarkably simple two‐factor model explained 91% of the interannual variance in stand‐level tree growth; the statistically independent factors were total dry season rainfall (positive effect, r²=0.85) and night‐time temperature (negative effect, r²=0.42). Stand‐level tree mortality increased significantly with night‐time temperature. After accounting for dry season rainfall and night‐time temperature, there was no effect of annual [CO₂] on tree growth in either the stand or focal species data. Tree growth in this Tropical Wet Forest was surprisingly sensitive to the current range of dry season conditions and to variations in mean annual night‐time temperature of 1–2°. Our results suggest that wood production in the lowland rainforests of NE Costa Rica (and by extension in other tropical regions) may be severely reduced in future climates that are only slightly drier and/or warmer.     

西双版纳热带山地雨林生物量研究

观测了西双版纳山地气候,建立了山地雨林生物量回归方程,调查了海拔1 100~1 820 m范围5块样地(面积0.16~0.25 hm2)的热带山地雨林生物量。结果表明,海拔1 105和1 610 m的年平均温度分别为20.1和16.6℃,年降雨量分别为1 659和2 011 mm,旱季(11~4月)降雨量分别为295和283mm,年平均相对湿度分别为81%和84%;5块样地生物量变化为256.4~368.6 t.hm-2,平均为312.6t.hm-2,其中乔木占97.1%、木质藤本占1.2%、幼树和灌木占1.3%、草本和幼苗占0.4%;采用热带季节雨林生物量回归方程估计山地雨林生物量,会使得总生物量以及树干和树根生物量高估38.3%~61.5%,树枝生物量低估7.6%~30.8%。可见,西双版纳山地海拔增加导致雨季降雨量增加,山地雨林生物量较热带季节雨林降低32.6%,季节雨林生物量方程不适用于山地雨林。     

Jack of all trades masters novel host plants: positive genetic correlations in specialist and generalist insect herbivores expanding their diets to novel hosts

One explanation for the widespread host specialization of insect herbivores is the 'Jack of all trades-master of none' principle, which states that genotypes with high performance on one host will perform poorly on other hosts. This principle predicts that cross-host correlation in performance of genotypes will be negative. In this study, we experimentally explored cross-host correlations and performance among families in four species (two generalist and two specialist) of leaf beetles (Cephaloleia spp.) that are currently expanding their diets from native to exotic plants. All four species displayed similar responses in body size, developmental rates and mortality rates to experimentally controlled diets. When raised on novel hosts, body size of larvae, pupae and adults were reduced. Development times were longer, and larval mortality was higher on novel hosts. Genotype × host-plant interactions were not detected for most traits. All significant cross-host correlations were positive. These results indicate very different ecological and evolutionary dynamics than those predicted by the 'Jack of all trades-master of none' principle.     

Throughfall exclusion and leaf litter addition drive higher rates of soil nitrous oxide emissions from a lowland wet tropical forest

Tropical forests are a significant global source of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N₂O). Predicted environmental changes for this biome highlight the need to understand how simultaneous changes in precipitation and labile carbon (C) availability may affect soil N₂O production. We conducted a small‐scale throughfall and leaf litter manipulation in a lowland tropical forest in southwestern Costa Rica to test how potential changes in both water and litter derived labile C inputs to soils may alter N₂O emissions. Experimentally reducing throughfall in this wet tropical forest significantly increased soil emissions of N₂O, and our data suggest that at least part of this response was driven by an increase in the concentration of dissolved organic carbon [DOC] inputs delivered from litter to soil under the drier conditions. Furthermore, [DOC] was significantly correlated with N₂O emissions across both throughfall and litterfall manipulation plots, despite the fact that native NO₃^? pools in this site were generally small. Our results highlight the importance of understanding not only the potential direct effects of changing precipitation on soil biogeochemistry, but also the indirect effects resulting from interactions between the hydrologic, C and N cycles. Finally, over all sampling events we observed lower mean N₂O emissions (<1 ng N₂O‐N cm^?2 h^?1) than reported for many other lowland tropical forests, perhaps reflecting a more general pattern of increasing relative N constraints to biological activity as one moves from drier to wetter portions of the lowland tropical forest biome.     

Conservation of tropical forest birds in countryside habitats

The pressing need to increase agricultural production often seems at odds with conserving biodiversity. We find that if managed properly, the tropical countryside may provide a substantial opportunity for tropical bird conservation. We detected 144 bird species from 29 families in agricultural areas outside of extensive native forest in southern Costa Rica. The majority of the species detected were observed foraging, often kilometres from extensive native forest. We estimate that 46% of those native to this region (excluding nocturnal species and waterfowl) are utilizing the countryside in some manner. Forecasts of biodiversity change under various land-use scenarios indicate that policies that affect habitat composition could greatly impact the persistence of these species in the countryside. In particular, if tall trees and edge habitats were removed from this landscape, we predict that bird richness in the countryside would decline by approximately 40%.     

The soil C pool in different agroecosystems derived from the dry tropical forest of Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Inventories of soil C pools are still lacking from tropical sites. Our objective was to assess total C and N concentrations in the different mineral soil fractions down to 50 cm depth in relation to selected physical and chemical properties of 5 ecosystems at La Flor Sustainable Center in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. The ecosystems studied were a derived savanna with scattered trees, a gallery forest, an abandoned Mango indigofera L. plantation, a Citrus sp. plantation, and a Saccharum officinarum L. (sugarcane) plantation. Significant differences were found for the main fixed factor ecosystem for all variables analyzed (ANOVA). The TSC concentration was significantly higher in the sugarcane plantation compared to the rest of land use systems. The TSC concentration decreased significantly with increase in depth in all ecosystems and ranged from 20.3–38.3 to 4.3–20.9 g kg⁻¹ in the 0–10 and 40–50 cm depth, respectively. In all cases, the clay + silt fraction (<50 μm) contained the highest C concentration. N concentration (0–10 cm depth) at La Flor ranged from 0.32 to 0.19%, and decreased in the order sugarcane > Curatella savanna > Mango and Citrus plantations > gallery forest. A principal component analysis (PCA) performed with all variables studied showed that the ordination of land uses (ecosystems) in the factorial plane defined by the first two axes was significant (Monte Carlo permutation test, P < 0.0001). The highest TSC pool down to 50 cm depth was obtained in the sugarcane plantation (160 Mg C ha⁻¹) while less C was found in the rest of ecosystems, i.e. from 66 (gallery forest) to 80 Mg C ha⁻¹ (Curatella savanna). The TSC concentration obtained in the sugarcane plot is likely the result of the incorporation of surface residues into the soil that would have otherwise been lost through burning, which is the current practice in the region. Further studies on C stabilization in the clay fraction are thus needed to test the hypothesis of soil C enrichment due to residue management. Finally, trade-offs are to be considered for both preservation of the fragile dTf and the productivity of derived land uses that increases soil C at the same time.     

Limnological observations of an intermittent tropical dry forest stream

This study examines aspects of the seasonal limnology of an intermittent stream in the dry forest region of northwest Costa Rica. It focuses on annual water level fluctuations and both seasonal and among pool variation in dissolved oxygen concentration and water temperature. Dry season pools differed in morphometry and the rate of decline in water levels subsequent to the seasonal floods. Rate of water level decline was related both to pool depth and to the exposure of the pool to the sun. Oxygen concentration was generally low in the dry season, but increased during the rainy season in association with rain events and seasonal flooding. A repeated-measures analysis of variance indicated that seasonal effects accounted for 40% of the variance in oxygen concentration for residual pools. Differences among pools were also significant. However, there was strong evidence for a significant interaction between seasonal and spatial influences on oxygen values in the system. Variation in water temperature was small, but differences among pools, sampling dates, and their interaction were all significant. Periphyton production increased significantly between the late wet season sample in November and the dry season sample in February. Incident light intensity explained 76% of the variation among pools in net periphyton production in the dry season.     

Patterns and trends in tropical forest cover

Abstract

In the 2005 edition of the Global Forest Resources Assessment of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, a moderate negative trend was reported regarding the change of tropical forests: the net annual change was estimated at ?11.8 million ha for the period 2000–2005, while the rate was ?11.65 for the previous decade. Tropical Asia showed the highest rate and most negative trend, passing from ?0.8% to ?0.96% per year. The remote sensing survey done for previous Forest Resource Assessment editions covering the period 1980–2000 revealed distinct change processes in the three tropical regions. Survey results indicated that socio‐economic and cultural aspects that characterise and differentiate the geographic regions determine the nature of the change processes and underlying cause–effect mechanisms, while the ecological setting determines the intensity of change and reveals its environmental implications. A comparison of deforestation processes of the two decades indicated an on‐going process of “radicalisation” of the dynamics determined by an increasing frequency of high‐gradient changes (e.g. total clearing rather than fragmentation and degradation) and by a shift of deforestation fronts towards wetter zones, with a consequent higher per‐hectare carbon emission associated with deforested areas.     

Nitrate reduction in sediments of lowland tropical streams draining swamp forest in Costa Rica: An ecosystem perspective

Nitrate reduction and denitrification were measured in swamp forest streams draining lowland rain forest on Costa Rica's Atlantic slope foothills using the C₂H₂-block assay and sediment-water nutrient fluxes. Denitrification assays using the C₂H₂-block technique indicated that the full suite of denitrifying enzymes were present in the sediment but that only a small fraction of the functional activity could be expressed without adding NO₃ ^–. Under optimal conditions, denitrification enzyme activity averaged 15 nmoles cm^–3 sediment h^–1. Areal NO₃ ^– reduction rates measured from NO₃ ^– loss in the overlying water of sediment-water flux chambers ranged from 65 to 470 umoles m^–2 h^–1. Oxygen loss rates accompanying NO₃ ^– depletion averaged 750 umoles m^–2 h^–1. Corrected for denitrification of NO₃ ^– oxidized from NH₄ ⁺ in the sediment, gross NO₃ ^– reduction rates increase by 130 umoles m^–2 h^–1, indicating nitrification may be the predominant source of NO₃ ^– for NO₃ ^– reduction in swamp forest stream sediments. Under field conditions approximately 80% of the increase in inorganic N mass along a 1250-m reach of the Salto River was in the form of NO₃ ^– with the balance NH₄ ⁺ . Scrutiny of potential inorganic N sources suggested that mineralized N released from the streambed was a major source of the inorganic N increase. Despite significant NO₃ ^– reduction potential, swamp forest stream sediments appear to be a source of inorganic N to downstream communities.     

Mating system dynamics of Ocotea tenera (Lauraceae), a gynodioecious tropical tree

Progeny arrays of Ocotea tenera (Lauraceae), a gynodioecious tree endemic to Costa Rica, were electrophoretically surveyed for allozyme variation to estimate the outcrossing rate in the overall population and to test for differences in outcrossing rates between hermaphroditic and female trees. Multilocus outcrossing rate estimates across 3 yr indicated O. tenera predominantly outcrosses. However, significant heterogeneity in single-locus outcrossing rates was found among loci. Two loci (Fe1, Fe2) gave high outcrossing estimates, and a third locus (Gdh) gave much lower outcrossing estimates. Heterogeneity in Gdh pollen allele frequencies, consanguineous matings, and selection against homozygous zygote genotypes at the Fe1 and Fe2 loci are factors contributing to the discrepancy in outcrossing rate estimates among loci. There were no differences in the mating systems of hermaphroditic and female trees, which suggests that factors beyond prevention of self-fertilization may have also promoted the evolution of gynodioecy in O. tenera.     

Long-term CO2 production from deeply weathered soils of a tropical rain forest: evidence for a potential positive feedback to climate warming

Currently, it is unknown what role tropical forest soils will play in the future global carbon cycle under higher temperatures. Many tropical forests grow on deeply weathered soils and although it is generally accepted that soil carbon decomposition increases with higher temperatures, it is not known whether subsurface carbon pools are particularly responsive to increasing soil temperatures. Carbon dioxide (CO₂) diffusing out of soils is an important flux in the global carbon. Although soil CO₂ efflux has been the subject of many studies in recent years, it remains difficult to deduct controls of this flux because of the different sources that produce CO₂ and because potential environmental controls like soil temperature and soil moisture often covary. Here, we report results of a 5‐year study in which we measured soil CO₂ production on two deeply weathered soil types at different depths in an old‐growth tropical wet forest in Costa Rica. Three sites were developed on old river terraces (old alluvium) and the other three were developed on old lava flows (residual). Annual soil CO₂ efflux varied between 2.8–3.6 μmol CO₂‐C m^?2 s^?1 (old alluvium) and 3.4–3.9 μmol CO₂‐C m^?2 s^?1 (residual). More than 75% of the CO₂ was produced in the upper 0.5 m (including litter layer) and less than 7% originated from the soil below 1 m depth. This low contribution was explained by the lack of water stress in this tropical wet forest which has resulted in very low root biomass below 2 m depth. In the top 0.5 m CO₂ production was positively correlated with both temperature and soil moisture; between 0.6 and 2 m depth CO₂ production correlated negatively with soil moisture in one soil and positively with photosynthetically active radiation in the other soil type. Below 2 m soil CO₂ production strongly increased with increasing temperature. In combination with reduced tree growth that has been shown for this ecosystem, this would be a strong positive feedback to ecosystem warming.     

Changes in diversity along a successional gradient in a Costa Rican upper montane Quercus forest

Changes in terrestrial vascular plant diversity along a successional gradient were studied in a Costa Rican upper montane Quercus forest. In 1991 and 1992 species presence and cover were recorded in 12 successional 0.1 ha forest plots. A total of 176 species in 122 genera and 75 families were found. Asteraceae was the most speciose family. With the help of TWINSPAN three successional phases were classified: (i) Early Secondary Forest (ESF, 145 spp.), (ii) Late Secondary Forest (LSF, 130 spp.) and (iii) Primary Forest (PF, 96 spp.). Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA) species ordination using DECORANA illustrates that different ecological species groups can be distinguished along the time sequence. Alpha diversity (Shannon-Wiener index, among others) in ESF and LSF was significantly greater than in PF. This is probably explained by downslope migration of numerous sub(alpine) species to cleared and recently abandoned montane sites. Beta diversity applying Sørensen's similarity coefficients declined during succession. Using linear regression, the minimum time required for floristic recovery following disturbance and abandonment was calculated at 65.9 years. A comparison with other studies shows that secondary forests in upper montane Costa Rica can be as diverse as in neotropical lowlands.     

The occurrence of Frankia in tropical forest soils of Costa Rica

Infective and effective Frankia were shown to occur in five diverse tropical forest soils of Costa Rica. Results of a plant infection assay indicated that Frankia is a common component of the soil biota in low and high elevation, primary and secondary forest soils. This is the first report of Frankia in lowland tropical rainforests of the Americas. These results suggest either a nonsymbiotic population of soil Frankia, the presence of unknown actinorhizal host species, or an ability of Frankia to be dispersed over long distances.     

Spatial distribution of understory fruit-eating birds and fruiting plants in a neotropical lowland wet forest

Spatial distribution of fruit-eating birds and fruiting shrubs of the Melastomataceae and Rubiaceae were examined on a 10 ha plot in tropical lowland wet forest of Costa Rica. Many plant species and most birds exhibited considerable spatial variation in their occurrence on the plot, as indicated by the distribution patterns of shrubs with ripe fruits and captures in mist nets, respectively. In many cases, captures of fruit-eating birds were correlated with abundance of fruiting plants, particularly for species that rely heavily on fruits. In general, fruit-eating birds concentrated their use of the plot to areas rich in fruiting shrubs. This differential use of certain areas likely results in differential visitation to fruiting plants located in these areas and in a heterogeneous dissemination of seeds into the habitat.