1

1

continuing THREADS – LOOK AT THEM AS

ULTIMATE INTERCONNECTORS to keep

ecosystems resilient

CASE STUDIES: Animal species dependent upon forests for some

phase of their survival, not generalist species that can live anywhere,

some are keystone species important in the recovery rate of forest

landscapes impacted by disturbances, they are important

interconnectors of structures/functions in forests

yesterday: Mammals and bats – adapted to disturbances & different phases of forest

growth, utilize the entire landscape and not just a few habitats, greatly impacted by land use,

some are on endangered species lists, some are part of human mythology

TODAY: Coqui – Lunar cycles, hurricanes, adapted to

human/natural disturbances, helps forests recover when

calling for mates, loved in Puerto Rico going back to

original Taino people and hated in Hawaii [too noisy!!],

human disturbance footprint eliminated by natural

disturbances

tomorrow:

Salmon – keystone species that is also a cultural symbol, fertilizes forests with ocean nutrients

Mycorrhizas – allow forests to grow in nutrient poor and toxic environments, symbionts that

nitrogen enrichment kills, humans eat their fruiting bodies (mushrooms)

Puerto Rico & Coqui [frog]:

How a Disturbance Maintains a Frog and

How frogs Make these Forests Resilient

Photos: Dan Vogt

Coqui Puerto Rico

<iframe width="560" height="315"

src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Un20E7thDcM" frameborder="0"

allowfullscreen></iframe>

2

https://annexx51.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/puerto-rico-map-physical.jpg

“The caves are the heart of the Taino,”

says Domingo Abreu Collado. Shown

here are the Pomier Caves in the

Dominican Republic. (Maggie Steber)http://www.smithsonianmag.com/people-places/what-became-of-the-taino-

73824867/?all

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/people-places/what-became-of-the-

taino-73824867/?all

Homeland rich with cave drawings, testify to hallucinogens that fueled

otherworldly visions, i.e., leader sniffs cohoba power (Maggie Steber)

Taino – indigenous people of the Caribbean who

valued this little frog & drew images on cave walls

Puerto Rico - On the way to

Aguadilla and Rincon you see

this guy- La cara del Indio en

Isabela, Puerto Rico; https://www.pinterest.com/morganalafae/favorite-

places-spaces/

Taino carving

3

Coqui =

Recorded on petroglyphs so

important for indigenous

communities (Tainos)

No charismatic

megafauna in

Puerto Rico so this

little frog has that

role

Note: When an indigenous

community includes a

species in its stories, what

does it tell you about the

importance of that species in

their survival??

Many Taíno Indian myths surround the

coquí. Coquíes are found in much of the

Taíno art like pictographs and pottery. http://www.elboricua.com/coqui.html

http://artid.com/members/blanco/art/43974-coqui/

2 FACTS YOU NEED TO KNOW:

[1] The ‘Stage’ or forest where the Coqui Lives since

explains why this frog is important and humans

are less important

[2] How their Mating Habits and their Condo house

preferences Contribute to Forest RESILIENCY

TO UNDERSTAND WHY THIS FROG IS

SO IMPORTANT IN PUERTO RICO:

COMMENT: Coqui are interconnected to:

• Leaf chemical quality which is controlled by lunar cycles and insect

populations

• Forest nutrient cycles through urination

• They are not keystone species because of who likes to eat them

but how they link structures and functions of these forests

Coqui’s Live in the

Tabonuco Forest (so

tropical forests are its

home)

4

LETS GET BACK to the

Tabonuco Tree or look

at it’s other name

‘turpentine trees’

The resin from this tree

really smells good

• Wood used for building railway

sleepers, heavy construction,

cabinetwork, boat construction

& boxes, flooring, violin bows,

and billiard cues

• Sap used medicinally by early

settlers & for making candles,

incense

• Sap used by Amerindian tribes

to coat torches & start fires,

caulking materials for boats

LETS GET BACK to the

Tabonuco Tree

or ‘turpentine trees’

What is sap and where do

you get it?

http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/ethnobotany/resins.shtml

Look at all the other things

you get from this tree!!

BUT post-1900 - International markets stopped buying

SUGAR CANE (mostly to make rum), no

one wanted Puerto Rico’s sugar or coffee

SO Sugar cane fields abandoned, forests started to come back

FACTS:

1900 - >90 deforested

1936 - 40% deforested, so forests growing back

Pre-1900, Tabonuco Forests almost ALL cut down

5

http://www.scscb.org/programs/Program_resources/c

ebf-2008-caribbean-forest-maps.htm

This shows the extensive forest cover in Puerto Rico today –

our story takes place in the forest that is circled

Eda Melendez Colom and Ariel E. Lugo. 2006. LTER publication

KEY POINT: Forest surrounded by Human

land-uses but doesn’t degrade

Used to be

forests,

converted

to

agricultural

fields or

pastures,

houses

Closed Forests

in dark greenBUT

FORESTS are

coming back

which is our

story for today

KEY POINT: Natural disturbances eliminate human

land-use impacts – human footprint eliminated by nature

FACT: Nature is resilient to

Invasive exotic animal species who are not adapted to

common disturbances

Most other cases,

invasive species push

ecosystems to tipping

point and degradation

But these forests still need

the little coqui frog!!

6

Monkey Island (Cabo Santiago) - 10 minute boat ride from Naguabo,

PR [39-acre island just off coast, cannot land on it, it is a research

center]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/ff/DangerMonkeySign.jpg/220px-

DangerMonkeySign.jpg; http://repeatingislands.com/2014/12/30/rhesus-monkeys-

in-puerto-rico-remain-vital-to-research/

Rhesus

monkeys also

used in

psychological,

behavioral

studies; Photo:

Alexander

Mazurkevich/Shutterstock

Research

colony for

testing AIDS

vaccines

(Brennan

Linsley/AP)

Look at exotic invaders!!

Monkey Island (Cabo Santiago)

• In 1960’s and 70’s -

descendants of

individuals who

escaped from

research centers 30

years ago now

running wild in PR

• 1,000 - 2,000 rhesus and

patas monkeys exist in ~11

separate colonies since

escaped

Life couldn’t get any better

except for the cat!!

BUT

“the escapees and their

progeny are raising concern

among public health and

environmental officials…When

an automobile in an urban

area near San Juan …hit an

adult rhesus monkey, a

number of emergency

personnel were exposed to

the monkey’s body fluids. The

monkey subsequently tested

positive for antibodies to B-

virus (Cercopithecine

herpesvirus 1)”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/p

mc/articles/PMC3322806/

7

Puerto Rico Lays Traps for Marauding Monkeys,

Wednesday, June 13, 2007,

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,282094,00.html

“SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico —

Authorities in Puerto Rico are

using cages and mangos to try

to trap hundreds of marauding

monkeys — descendants of

escaped research on the island of

Cavo Santiago, off Puerto Rico; Local farmers blame

monkeys for devastating

melon, pepper and pumpkin

crops over the last decade”

OKAY What does forest

resiliency have to do

with coqui’s??

Or Considering HISTORICAL

LAND-USES cutting and

removing 90% of PRs forests,

why do we even have any

tropical forests on the island of

Puerto Rico??

QUESTION: What do you have a lot of in

Puerto Rico and you have to be adapted

to if you want to live in the forests?

One of the ANSWERS:

https://soundcloud.com/user6380197/tropical-thunderstorm-

with?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_campaign=share&utm_m

edium=email

Play for 1 minute

8

Water

everywhere

Signature of excess

water visible in this

landscape

Rocks as big as cars

move with a storm

Landslides

common – whole

hillslopes flow

down

Plants adapted to get

rid of the excess

water:

• Foliage drip lines to

get rid of water

• Aerenchyma –

modified roots - to get

oxygen to roots under

anaerobic conditions

http://luq.lternet.edu/data/lterdb09/data/CTE-photos/coqui10.JPG

Animals

adapted to

high water:

Less water,

coquis smaller

& less able to

attract mates

(common

situation along

edges of

forests where

drier)

9

http://www.mnwetlands.umn.edu/tour/tour_images/vege1.jpg

Aerenchyma - secondary

respiratory tissue or

modified periderm, found in

many aquatic plants and

distinguished by the large

intercellular spaces

Exotic & Invasive plants without aerenchyma

not survive in these environments with high

rainfall

http://luq.lternet.edu/data/lterdb09/data/CTE-photos/coqui10.JPG

shrimp

snails

frogs

All adapted to lots of

water and mostly active

at night time!! You

become a ‘night owl’ if

you research these

guys!!

http://luq.lternetedu/data/lterdb09/data/CTE-photos/coqui10.JPG; http://www.scielo.cl/fbpe/img/lajar/v41n4/art02-figura01.jpg

shrimp

All adapted

to lots of

water!!

live part of life in fresh

water streams but then go

into the ocean

According to scientists,

may take several years for

juveniles to crawl back up

to the head water streams

10

Major Hurricanes - frequency of

hitting Puerto Rico

• Once/20 yrs

• Hurricane Hugo 1989 –

once/40 year return frequency

Another FACT – the other part of the story to

understand why coqui are important for

Puerto Rico’s forests are the disturbances!

http://www.photolib.noaa.

gov/htmls/wea00451.htmPuerto Rico

Hurricane Georges hits Puerto Rico on

September 21, 1998. Image by Dennis

Chesters, Marit Jentoft-Nilsen, Craig

Mayhew, and Hal Pierce, Laboratory for

Atmospheres, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center from data derived

from NOAA GOES-8 satellite. Image from

"http://rsd.gsfc.nasa.gov/rsd/images/Georges.html".

6 Hurricanes during

Vogt’s 10 yr study in

PR:

• Sept 1989 – Hugo

• early-mid Sept 1995

– Luis & Marilyn

• Jul 1996 – Bertha

• Sept 1996 –Hortense

• Sept 1998 - Georges

11

Eda Melendez Colom and Ariel E. Lugo. 2006. LTER publication

Puerto Rico

and hurricanes

since 1980s

Take home

message: ecosystems

adapted to lots of hurricanes

(if not adapted not survive in

environment where hurricanes

hit frequently)

Each

number is

a hurricane

that went

over Puerto

Rico – at

least 15!!

Appears totally

devastated but

ecosystems

adapted to this

AS LONG AS THEY

have a resident

frog that makes

these forests

resilient!!

In PUERTO RICO, tropical sounds at

night time mostly made by frogs that are

endemic (= found no where else naturally)

Eleutherodactylus or just coqui

(pronounced koo-KEE)

12

Puerto Rican

folk tales

- If leave

Puerto Rico

will never sing

again

Coqui image in a cup of coffee in San Juan, PRhttps://d262ilb51hltx0.cloudfront.net/max/2000/1*YL5aoHkw8s07ONyCviYV0Q.jpeg

https://s-media-cache-

ak0.pinimg.com/236x/c2/fd/a4/c2fda42053d18b7b831345

84fc90bdbc.jpg

Doesn’t hurt that coqui sing so well and

make you smile/happy!! It also works on

female coqui!!

Natural History• Most abundant and

widespread frog

(>20,000/ha)

• Nocturnally active, i.e., at

night time – feed, calling

(calls primarily from 1-2m

[3-7‘] height on exposed

perches) and mating at

night

• Diurnal retreats - hides in

forest leaf litter during day

and shuttle to elevated

perches at night

13

Role in the Food Web

• ‘Sit and wait’ predators

• Mostly consume insects

that fly by foliage or leaves

• Consumes tremendous

amount of insects (114,000

individuals/ha/night)

• No predator appears to limit populations – no

animal eats coqui!!

Likes human built structures –

especially WET areas and where

the structure funnels their calling

sound for a mate – increases

success of attracting a mate

14

Or even better for a coqui is a shower!! Or even

light covers in the kitchen!!

NOT QUITE

LIKE THE

MOVIE Psycho

and its shower

scene

Showers

great

because its

wet and the

shape of a

shower

causes

marvelous

resonance

that

amplifies

the coqui

call

- attracts

females when

calling

What is the link

between the

Coqui and

Hurricanes?

Remember what happens

to these forests when a

hurricane hits.

Lots of new homes –

habitats – produced with

debris

Condo

heaven!!

15

http://luq.lternet.edu/data/lterdb09/data/CTE-photos/coqui10.JPG

Coqui’s are in ‘habitat BLISS’ after hurricanes

Karen H. Beard

It can’t be better than this!!

Why the Coqui is so

important for Puerto

Rico?

• Eats a lot of insects which eat plant

leaves (reduces herbivory)

• When calling for mates, deposits a lot

of very high quality and readily

available nutrients in their urine

• Trees need these nutrients to grow

especially after a hurricane

Coquís eat a lot of Insects – is this

important and why??

Coqui eat so many insects

each night

http://flatrock.org.nz/static/frontpage/assets/animals/hawaiian_frogs2.jpg

Therefore, fewer

insects flying around

reduces plant leaves

being eaten so able

to photosynthesize

16

http://www.clipsahoy.com/webgraphics2/as1978.htm

PLUS Coquis URINATE while calling for mates

Coquis increase nutrient availability through urination

(deposition of excrements)

Back to our story

about our frog!!

0

1

2

3

4

5

DOC DON NH4+ NO3- Ca K Mg P

Elements

Me

an

Co

nce

ntr

atio

n

(mg

/L)

Coquí

No Coquí

Beard et

al. Oecologia

Nutrients found on water found on leaf surface [X axis] & Y axis mineral concentrations

What is in URINE made of??

Why does urine help plants?

Would you believe plant growth limiting nutrients supplied in the urine!!

http://www.keepandshare.com/htm/calendars/lun

ar_moon_phases_calendar/moon_phases.php

http://www.lostamerica.com

/

http://www.youtube.com/w

atch?v=b9xhOQ26QYI

See Class Reading: Lunar Influence:

Understanding Chemical Variation

and Seasonal Impacts on

Botanicals. by Ian Cole, Michael

J. Balick ; HerbalGram. 2010;85:50-56

17

-the homicide rate

-traffic accidents

-crisis calls to police or fire stations

-domestic violence

-births of babies

-suicide

-major disasters

-casino payout rates

-assassinations

-kidnappings

-aggression by professional hockey players

-violence in prisons

-psychiatric admissions -agitated behavior by nursing home residents

-assaults

-gunshot wounds

-stabbings

-emergency room admissions

-behavioral outbursts of psychologically challenged rural adults

-vampirism

-alcoholism

-sleep walking

-epilepsy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phases_of_the_moon

LUNAR CYCLES and

HUMANS goes back

a long time!!

Lunar cycle -

http://www.whatsthatbug.com/beetles10.html

NOTE:

How

DARK

NOTE:

How

LIGHT

Lunar cycle -

http://www.whatsthatbug.com/beetles10.html

FULL MOON

(FM) - Lots of

complex carbon

compounds in

leaves

Light at night!!

NEW MOON (NM) –Less complex carbon

compounds in leaves

Dark Nights!!

Insects are

hungry!

Not enough

to eat since

hard to

digest, no

food value!!

What lunar

phase do you

think coqui like

better?? Too dark for insects

to see plants

18

How does the lunar cycle interconnect structures and

functions in the Puerto Rico forests?

ULTIMATE NASTINESS:

Initially humans get bitten

by lots of insects until

coqui start to eat them!!

Puerto Rico immediately

after a hurricane we were

bitten a lot by insects!!http://www.palmtreepassion.com/images/damaged_palm_leaf.jpg; http://flatrock.org.nz/static/frontpage/assets/animals/hawaiian_frogs2.jpg; http://www.whatsthatbug.com/beetles10.html;

http://www.medicinenet.com/bad_bugs_pictures_slideshow/article.htm;

https://www.google.com/search?q=images+of+insects+biting+people+in+tropics&biw=1680&bih=901&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=i5lCVfP-

IoOvogT97YGgCA&ved=0CDIQ7Ak#imgrc=RqNq1uaOd4K8eM%253A%3B_SinR6aZ8JINZM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fi.telegraph.co.uk%252Fmultimedia%252Farchive%252F02190%252

Fmosquito_2190958b.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.telegraph.co.uk%252Fnews%252Fscience%252Fscience-news%252F9884790%252FMosquito-repellent-Deet-losing-its-

effectiveness.html%3B620%3B387

Lunar-based harvesting

Many harvesters of natural resources in

tropics (Belize, Panama, Puerto Rico)

believe critical to harvest during the full moon

because materials harvested at this phase

are more durable or nutritious

AMBIO: A Journal of the Human Environment

Article: pp. 485–490, Indigenous Knowledge Informing Management of Tropical

Forests: The Link between Rhythms in Plant Secondary Chemistry and Lunar Cycles,

Kristiina A. Vogt, Karen H. Beard, Shira Hammann, Jennifer O'Hara Palmiotto, Daniel

J. Vogt, Frederick N. Scatena, Brooke P. Hecht

NOTE: plants change their

chemistry in response to lunar

phases and need lunar

phases for triggering these

changes

Lunar-based harvesting practice

mentioned by indigenous groups to

ethnobotanists/social ecologists

studying use/harvest of products in

parts of tropical Africa and tropical

Americas. Examples:

• rice in Indonesia

• certain wet woods in

Puerto Rico

• palm fronds for roofing

thatch in the American

tropics

Rice collection

Moon image taken by the Galileo Orbiter, 1998.http://dandapani.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/central-java-rice-

paddy-women.jpg

19

Belgium Experiments With Mystical "Full

Moon" Beer. Reuters, Date: 27-Sep-10;

Country: BELGIUM; Author: Emily

Coleman

Full moons are often associated

with tides, insanity and

creatures like werewolves, but

it turns out they're also good

for brewing beer.

family-owned brewery produced first

batch of specialist beer brewed by

the light of a full autumn moon

Full moon speeds up fermentation

process, shortening it to five days

from seven, which adds extra punch

to the beer without making it harsh,

according to connoisseurs

A woman holds up a

bottle of Paix-Dieu

beer in Brussels

September 24, 2010, Photo: Thierry Roge

The Coqui (Eleutherodactlus coqui) is only native to Puerto Rico.

This map shows its distribution outside of its native range

http://fwcb.cfans.umn.edu/courses/nresexotics3002/GradPages/Coqui/Pages/distribution.htm

Spread of the coqui

to southeast US and

eventually …

Hawaii!!!

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/maps/north-america/usa/hawaii/map_of_hawaii.jpg

20

Introduced with ornamental

plants

Introduced to control insect

populations

Why did they get

to Hawaii!!!

Coqui are New

species in Hawaii:• Hawaii has no native

amphibians so open

ecological niche

• Coqui compete with

birds for food,

reduce pollinator

populations

• Coqui have no native

predators so nothing

controls its

population density

Dilemma – frogs going

extinct around the

world but Hawaii

doesn’t want them

http://fwcb.cfans.umn.edu/courses/nresexotics3002/GradPages/Coqui/#Potential impacts on Hawaiian natives

Initially, coquis were mainly consuming mostly

leaf litter non-native invertebrates but this

has changed. TODAY they are eating

native invertebrate species

They preferred prey items: ants,

amphipods – sand fleas [small shrimp

like crustaceans]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphipod

21

http://luq.lternet.edu/data/lterdb09/data/CTE-photos/coqui10.JPG

~ 20,570 individuals/ha in Puerto Rico &

consume 114,000 invertebrates/ha/night

~ 90,000 individuals/ha in Hawaii; eating

690,000 invertebrates/ha/night

Karen H. Beard

Coqui frog population densities in Lava Tree

State Monument (Pahoa, HI) are the highest in

the state of Hawai’I

On some nights, the frogs’ chorus in the park

reaches 70 decibels – about as loud as a

vacuum cleaner

Hawaii" (Honolulu Star-

Bulletin, 07JAN2007)

"The coqui frog is the worst

Impacts

“We must not let tiny

shrieking monsters

destroy threat ever to

tourism and the state's

overall economic health...”"

(excerpted from article)

http://www.hear.org/species/eleutherodactylus_coqui/; https://www.toovia.com/top/7-issues-about-hawaii-s-coqui-frog-conflict;

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qkGEo7smLnY/St63pRYkP-I/AAAAAAAAAAM/Ob7sd7mJUQQ/S226/keepkonaquiet.jpg t

22

Pest alerts

Pest Alert: Stop the spread of Caribbean frogs

Pest Alert poster to educate the public and prevent

further spread of Caribbean frogs in Hawaii.

A letter to the horticulture industry

A letter to the horticulture industry from the Hawaii

Department of Agriculture (HDOA) requesting help in

stopping the spread of coqui and greenhouse frogs

within the state.

Caribbean frogs (Eleutherodactylus coqui and

Eleutherodactylus planirostris): MISC target species

Caribbean frogs (Eleutherodactylus coqui and

Eleutherodactylus planirostris) are targeted by the Maui

Invasive Species Committee (MISC).

http://www.hear.org/species/eleutherodactylus_coqui/

http://mauisierraclub.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/coquipest-624x441.png

http://ecx.images-

amazon.com/images/I/515DY

J9AK0L._SY344_BO1,204,2

03,200_.jpg

http://honolulumagazine-

images.dashdigital.com/images/2012/Jun1

2/coquiFrogs/coquifrogs1.jpg?ver=1338848

990

Coqui killed with caffeine –

overdose kills coqui – but not

use todayhttps://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/gif/ffff1.gif Spraying water with lime to

kill coquihttp://archives.starbulletin.com/2002/07/07/news/arti.jpg

Christmas trees are cooled down in

the refrigerated containers and later

opened and pounded on the ground

to shake any pests loose http://hdoa.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Xmas2013-

treereloading.jpg

23

Control methods

Heat being used to kill coqui frog

"A local [ed.: Waimanalo, Hawaii] nursery is using heat to

kill the pesky coqui frog in potted plants. In a recent test

done at Leilani Nursery, nine out of ten frogs died after

being exposed to temperatures of more than 113 degrees

for five minutes." (AP, as reported by KPUA.net 30 January 2006)

Citric acid is the only EPA approved chemical for use

in controlling coqui. Frogs breathe through their skin

so they are highly sensitive to chemicals contacting

their skin.

Other products have been reported to be effective

such as baking soda, concentrated Simple Green

Soap, and hydrated lime. Caffeine, at about 10 times

the concentration found in coffee, was studied for

use but not approved. http://www.lehuanet.com/coquicontrol/indexBioCtl.html

If coqui are well-established in your area:

REPLACE thick understory vegetation with thinner vegetation.

SPRAY all landscape and potted plants with citric acid or hot water.

MOW a buffer zone around your house to help reduce noise.

BEFORE

- dead leaves

- leaf litter

AFTER

- leaves trimmed

- debris cleared

What does managing

vegetation do to coqui’s??

Photo Credit Isaac Shozuya

If these do not work, do what a student from Spring 2013

did on the Big Island, Hawaii

24

Check the laws in your area. In many parts of

the world, it's illegal to kill non-invasive species,

but people are encouraged to manage invasive

species. http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Frogs

Invasive in Hawaii but not

Puerto Rico but frogs are

endangered around the

world so hard to kill them

Endangered amphibians

worldwide

Amphibians have existed

on earth for about 300

million years, yet within

the last several decades

more than 120 species are

thought to have

disappeared for ever

because of human

activities. http://www.endangeredspeciesinternational.org/amphibians

4.html