Tupper 2pm seminarNo seminar on Tuesday. OnFriday, at 2pm, specialseminar speaker will beTimothy J. DeVoogd, USDepartment of StateSinging in the brain — neurobiology ofbirdsong and implicationsfor brain evolution

Bambi seminarThursday, October 16, Bambiseminar speaker will be SarahMeiss, California University ofPennsylvania.A mutant Phaseolusvulgaris with the ability toselectively restrictnodulation

Colon talkThursday, October 16, themonthly talk in Colón will begiven by Argelis Ruiz, STRI¿Por qué las tortugasmarinas visitan Panamá?Hotel Melía Panamá, 7pm

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

Margaret Crofoot, HarvardUniversity, to study thedistribution and movementpatterns of white-facedcapuchins on BCI.

Ron Eytan, Louisiana StateUniversity, to conduct aphylogenetic analysis ofmicrohabitat differentiationand metabolic rate in the reeffish genus Acanthemblemaria,at Bocas.

Owen McMillan, NorthCarolina State University, tostudy the the evolution ofmimicry in Heliconius.

STRI newsSmithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panamá www.stri.org October 10, 2008

APANAC and SENACYT heldannual congressPanama's Association for theAdvancement of Science andthe Secretariat for Science andTechnology held their XIIannual National Congress forScience and Technology at theConvention Center, City ofKnowledge, on Wednesday,October 1 . The congress wasst

presided over by Oris Sanjur,president of APANAC, andmanager of STRI's MolecularLaboratories on Naos Island.

The congress, dedicated to theintegration of scientific andtechnical knowledge into thesociety included a keynotepresentation by Miguel JoséYacamán from the Universityof Texas The opportunity wasalso used to present STRIbotanist Mireya Correa (alsowith the University of Panama)with the 2008 Science Award.

STRI researchers andassociates Marcy J. Balunas,Moisés Bernal, Ana Celis,Roberto Cipriani, PhyllisColey, Richard Cooke, AydeéCornejo, Mireya D Correa ,Catherina Caballero-George,William H. Gerwick, GretehunGrajales, Mahabir P. Gupta,Héctor M. Guzmán, StanleyHeckadon-Moreno, IleanIsaza, Liliana Iturrado, Maríadel Carmen Ruiz Jaén, CarlosJaramillo, Máximo Jiménez,Thomas Kursar, Jorge

Lezcano,Omar López,SergioMartínez,IndiraMartínez, JuanMaté, JuliaMayo, CamiloMontes, Enrique Moreno,Aaron O'Dea, Catherine Potvin,Félix Rodríguez , NorisSalazar-Allen, Oris Sanjur,Larissa Segundo, Gwen Kellerand Michiel Van-Breugelparticipated in the researchpresentations.

La Asociación Panameña para elAvance de la Ciencia(APANAC) y la SecretaríaNacional para Ciencias yTecnología (SENACYT) llevó acabo su XII Congreso Nacionalde Ciencia y Tecnología en elCentro de Convenciones de laCiudad del Saber, el miércoles,1ro de octubre. El congreso fuepresidido por Oris Sanjur,presidenta de APANAC yadministradora de losLaboratorios Moleculares deSTRI en Isla Naos.

El congreso, dedicado a laintegración de la ciencia y latecnología en la sociedad,incluyó la conferencia magistralde Miguel José Yacamán, de laUniversidad de Texas.Durante la ocasión, se presentó

el Premio Ciencia 2008 a MireyaD. Correa, científica de STRI, yprofesora de la Universidad dePanamá.

Investigadores y afiliados deSTRI Marcy J. Balunas, MoisésBernal, Ana Celis, RobertoCipriani, Phyllis Coley, RichardCooke, Aydeé Cornejo, MireyaD Correa , CatherinaCaballero-George, William H.Gerwick, Gretehun Grajales,Mahabir P. Gupta, Héctor M.Guzmán, Stanley HeckadonMoreno, Ilean Isaza, LilianaIturrado, María del CarmenRuiz Jaén, Carlos Jaramillo,Máximo Jiménez, ThomasKursar, Jorge Lezcano, Omar R.López-Alfano, Sergio Martínez,Indira Martínez, Juan Maté, JuliaMayo, Camilo Montes, EnriqueMoreno, Aaron O'Dea,Catherine Potvin, FélixRodríguez, Noris Salazar-Allen,Oris Sanjur, Larissa Segundo,Gwen Séller y MichielVan-Breugel participaron en elcongreso en las diferentespresentaciones.

Biodiversity in awarmer worldWill climate change exceed life'sability to respond? “Biodiversity ina warmer world” published intoday's, issue of Science, illustratesthat cross-disciplinary researchfostered by STRI clearly informsthis urgent debate.

As an extremely diverse region ofrainforest and coral reefs, thetropics may have the most to loseas a result of global warming.Some disagree, arguing thattropical organisms will be favoredas their ranges expand intotemperate areas. Few empiricalstudies provide specific answers tohelp us choose conservation andmitigation measures.

Science asked Jens Svenning,University of Aarhus, and STRI’sRichard Condit to review twopapers about species range change:“In a range analysis for plants andinsects on a mountain slope inCosta Rica, Colwell et al. show thata 3.2NC increase in temperaturethreatens 53% of the area's specieswith lowland extinction and 51%with range shift gaps, meaning thatthey have nowhere else to go.

The other study they reviewed, byMoritz et al., follows historicalrange expansions and contractionsfor small mammals in YosemiteNational Park in California, USAand shows that ranges maycontract dangerously as they arepushed further and further upmountain slopes.

To provide the proper perspectivefor this work Svenning, who held apostdoctoral fellowship with theSmithsonian Global EarthObservatories (SIGEO) in2000-2002 and Condit citeempirical work by colleagues at theSmithsonian and others: in a 2001Science article by STRI’s CarlosJaramillo et al., plant pollendiversity in rock cores fromnorthern South America revealedthat warming events in the tropicsover 60 million years were notparticularly detrimental, with thecaveat that warming in fragmented

landscapes or crossing atemperature threshold couldcause severe extinctions in thefuture.

Extant species that evolved inwarmer climates should retain theability to tolerate warmer climatesin the future, as argued in a 2001issue of Science by STRI’sEldredge Bermingham andformer postdoctoral fellowChristopher Dick.

It is not clear which factors(temperature, moisture,competition with other species,habitat limitation) are the primarycauses of tropical extinctions.Drought tolerance, however,definitely limits tropical plantdistributions. This was reportedin the May 2007 issue of Natureby STRI research associateBettina Engelbrech, andcolleagues.

Condit and Svenning also citetheir own studies from thetropics and temperate areaswhere other drivers of extinctionare at work. They call for morediscoveries of the sort that oftenresult when researchers arebrought together in places likeSTRI's facilities in Panama,where camaraderie fuels criticalecological research within anintellectual context thatencourages a deep time and wideworld perspective.

Information taken frm EurekAlert!,by Beth King

New publicationsAlbrecht, Larissa, Meyer,Christoph F. J., and Kalko,Elisabeth K. V. 2007."Differential mobility in twosmall phyllostomid bats,Artibeus watsoni andMicronycteris microtis, in afragmented Neotropicallandscape." Acta Theriologica52(2): 141-149.

Anker, Arthur, and Jeng,Ming Shiou. 2007."Establishment of a newgenus for Arete borradaileiCoutiere, 1903 and Athanasverrucosus Banner andBanner, 1960, withredefinitions of AreteStimpson, 1860 and AthanasLeach, 1814 (Crustacea:Decapoda: Alpheidae)."Zoological Studies 46(4): 454-472.

Anker, Arthur.20 2007."Pseudalpheopsis guana gen.nov., sp. nov. (Crustacea:Decapoda), a new alpheidshrimp from the BritishVirgin Islands, CaribbeanSea." Zoological Studies 46(4):428-440.

Baer, Boris, Dijkstra,Michiel B., Mueller, UlrichG., Nash, David R., andBoomsma, Jacobus J. 2008."Sperm length evolution inthe fungus-growing ants."Behavioral Biology Online.

Baeza, Juan Antonio. 2007."The origins of symbiosis asa lifestyle in marine crabs(genus Petrolisthes) from theeastern Pacific: doesinterspecific competitionplay a role?" Revista deBiologia Marina y Oceanografia42(1): 7-21.

Safety number:212-8211

More publicationsBaeza, Juan Antonio, Reitz,Jennifer M., and Collin,Rachel. 2007. "Protandricsimultaneoushermaphroditism and sexratio in Lysmata nayaritensisWicksten, 2000 (Decapoda:Caridea)." Journal of NaturalHistory 41(45-48): 2843-2850.

Bellemain, Eva, andRicklefs, Robert E. 2008."Are islands the end of thecolonization road?" Trends inTechnology and Evolution 23(8):461-468.

Boyero, Luz, Rincon, P.A.,and Pearson, R.G. 2008."Effects of a predatory fishon a tropical detritus-basedfood web." Ecological Research23(4): 649-655.

Breedy, Odalisca, andGuzman, Hector M. 2008."Leptogorgia ignita, a newshallow-water coral species(Octocorallia: Gorgoniidae)from the tropical easternPacific." Journal of the MarineBiological Association of theUnited Kingdom 88(5): 893-899.

Caballero-George, Caterina,Sorkalla, T., Bermingham,Eldredge, and Haberlein, H.2008. "Fluorescencecorrelation spectroscopy(FCS) a powerful biophysicmethod for drug discovery:Study of Alexa532-endothelia 1 binding on theendothelia ETA receptor onliving cells." Planta Medica74(9): 1156-1157.

Cadena, Edwin R.,Jaramillo, Carlos M., andParamo, Maria. 2007. "Thefirst late pleistocene recordof Kinosternon (Cryptodira:Kinosternidae) turtles fornorthern South America,Pubenza locality,Colombia." South AmericanJournal of Herpetology 2(3):201-205.

More publicationsCastro, E.A., Trejos, D.E.,Berovides-Alvarez, V., Arias,Tomas D., and Ramos, C.W.2007. "Genetic polymorphismand forensic parameters ofnine short tandem repeat lociin Ngobe and EmberaAmerindians of Panama."Human Biology 79(5): 563-577.

Cipriani, Roberto, Guzman,Hector M., and Lopez, Melina.2008. "Harvest history andcurrent densities of the pearloyster Pinctada mazatlanica(Bivalvia: Pteriidae) in LasPerlas and Coiba Archipelagos,Panama." Journal of ShellfishResearch 27(4): 691-700.

Cipriani, Roberto, Guzman,Hector M., Vega, Angel J., andLopez, Melina. 2008."Population assessment of theconch Strombus galeatus(Gastropoda, Strombidae) inPacific Panama." Journal ofShellfish Research 27(4): 889-896.

Collin, Rachel, and Miglietta,Maria Pia. 2008. "Reversingopinions on Dollo's Law."Trends In Ecology & EvolutionOnline.

Collo, G., Astini, R. A.,Cardona, A., Do Campo, M.D., and Cordani, U. 2008."Metamorphic ages of low-grade units in the centralregion of Famatina: Thesignature of the OcloyicOrogeny (Ordovician)." RevistaGeologica de Chile 35(2): 191-213.

Condit, Richard, Le Boeuf,Burney J., Morris, Patricia A.,and Sylvan, Marshall. 2007."Estimating population size inasynchronous aggregations: aBayesian approach and testwith elephant seal censuses."Marine Mammal Science 23(4):834-855.

More publicationsCrawford, Andrew J. 2007."Chiasmocleis panamensis(Panama humming frog).Predation." Herpetological Review38(2): 181.

Cubilla Rios, Luis, Cherigo, L.,Rios, C., Togna, G. D., andGerwick, William H. 2008."Phytochemical analysis andantileishmanial activity ofDesmotes incomparabilis, anendemic plant from Panama."Planta Medica 74(9): 963-963.

Daws, Matthew I., Crabtree,Lora M., Dalling, James W.,Mullins, Christopher E., andBurslem, David F.R.P. 2008."Germination responses towater potential in Neotropicalpioneers suggest large-seededspecies take more risks."Annals of Botany Online.

Eberhard, William G. 2007."Radial organisation in theweb of a pisaurid, Thaumasiasp. (Araneae: Pisauridae)."Bulletin of the BritishArachnological Society 14(2): 49-53.

Guzman, Hector M., Cipriani,Roberto, and Jackson, JeremyB.C. 2008. "Historical declinein coral reef growth after thePanama Canal." Ambio 37(5):342-346.

Guzman, Hector M., Cipriani,Roberto, Vega, Angel J.,Lopez, Melina, and Mair,James M. 2008. "Populationassessment of the Pacificgreen spiny lobster Panulirusgracilis in Pacific Panama."Journal of Shellfish Research27(4): 907-915.

Healy, C., Gotelli, Nicholas J.,and Potvin, Catherine. 2008"Partitioning the effects ofbiodiversity andenvironmental heterogeneityfor productivity and mortalityin a tropical tree plantation."Journal of Ecology 96(5): 903-913.

Continues on page 5

CTFS/SIGEO Database IIWorkshop

STRI’s Center for TropicalForest Science/SmithsonianInstitution Global EarthObservatories (CTFS/SIGEO)held a training workshop fromMonday, September 29 toMonday, October 6. Theworkshop was held at theGamboa School and the TupperCenter Exhibit Hall.

The aim of the workshop wasto offer training in the use ofthe recently developed MySQLdatabase for much greaterstandardization and security forthe global network of forestplot data. Eighteen participantsfrom 12 CTFS/SIGEO ForestDynamic Plots in LatinAmerica, North America, Africaand Oceania received trainingfrom Richard Condit andSuzanne Lao.

A similar workshop will be heldin Singapore in November forthe CTFS/SIGEO plots inAsia.

El Centro de Ciencias Forestalesdel Trópico de STRI/Observa-torios Globales de la Tierra delSmithsonian (CTFS/SIGEO)llevaron a cabo un taller decapacitación del lunes 29 deseptiembre al lunes, 6 de octubreen la Escuela de Gamboa y elCentro de Exhibiciones delCentro Tupper.

El objetivo del taller fue ofrecercapacitación en el uso de la basede datos recién creada MySQL,para una mayor estandarización yseguridad para la red global dedatos de parcelas de bosques.Dieciocho participantes de 12parcelas de dinámica de bosquesde CTFS/SIGEO en AméricaLatina, Norteamérica, Africa yOceanía recibieron capacitaciónpor Richard Condit y SuzanneLao.

Un taller similar se llevará a caboen Singapur en noviembre paralas parcelas CTFS/SIGEO deAsia.

Month of the OceansAs part of the celebration of theMonth of the Ocean, a forum"Océanos: generadores deriquezas" was held at STRI. Theparticipants presented anintroduction to the diversity ofcoastal marine resources inPanama, its importance, threatsand the necessary measures toavoid its destruction.

Como parte de la celebracióndel Mes de los océanos, un foro"Océanos: generadores deriquezas" se llevó a cabo en

STRI. Los expositorespresentaron un pantallazo sobrela diversidad de recursos marinoscosteros de Panamám suimportancia, amenazas, yacciones a seguir para evitar sudestrucción.

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, October 8, 2008

Story: Andreas Rudh

Edited by M Alvarado &

ML Calderon

Photos: MA Guerra

Speciation, the

evolution of new

species, is a very

active field of research.

The basis of speciation

is often thought to be

divergence in

morphologic and

genetic traits among

different areas of a

species geographic

range.

For his PhD project on

the population

differentiation in

Strawberry Poison

Frogs (Dendrobates

pumilio) Andreas

Rudh, from Uppsala

University, Sweden

and colleague Björn

Rogell, investigate

possible causes and

consequences of the

unique morphologic

divergence exhibited

by this species found

on islands, and along

the mainland of Bocas

del Toro.

The variation in

coloration is

interesting from an

evolutionary

perspective since it is

thought to work both

as a warning signal to

potential predators but

also be involved in

sexual selection.

During the visits of

Rudh and Rogell to

Bocas del Toro in the

last four years, they

have been collecting

spectral

measurements,

photographic

documentation and

behavioral

observations together

with tissue samples for

genetic analysis.

With these data they

will assess questions

on how different

properties of the frogs,

both behavioral and

morphological, might

co-evolve and possibly

explain the amazing

variation that these

frogs exhibit today.

La especiación, o

evolución de nuevas

especies, es un campo

de investigación muy

activo. Frecuentemente

se piensa que la base

de la especiación es la

diversificación de

características

morfológicas y

genéticas entre

diferentes áreas del

rango geográfico de

las especies.

En su proyecto de tesis

sobre la diferenciación

en las poblaciones de

las ranas venenosas

Dendrobates pumilio,

Andreas Rudth, de la

Universidad de

Uppsala en Suecia y su

colega Björn Rogell,

investigan las posibles

causas y

consecuencias de esta

divergencia

morfológica única que

esta especie exhibe

tanto en las islas como

en tierra firme de

Bocas del Toro.

La variación en la

coloración es

interesante desde el

punto de vista

evolutivo ya que se

piensa que trabaja

tanto como señal de

peligro para

depredadores

potenciales como para

la selección sexual.

Durante sus visitas a

Bocas del Toro durante

los últimos cuatro

años, Rudh y Rogell

han colectado medidas

espectrales,

documentación

fotográfica y

observaciones de

comportamiento junto

con muestras de tejido

para análisis

genéticos.

Con esta data esperan

encontrar las

respuesta sobre cómo

las diferentes

características de las

ranas, tanto

morfológicas como en

su comportamiento

pueden co-evolucionar

y posiblemente

explicar la asombrosa

variación que estas

ranas exhiben hoy día.

Danger, sex, andmysteries behindcolors in Bocas

More publicationsThe present update of the STRI bibliography 2007-2008 was possible thanks to the collaboration of Alvin Hutchinson, from the Smithsonian Institution Libraries

Hultgren, Kristin M., andStachowicz, John J. 2008"Alternative camouflagestrategies mediatepredation risk amongclosely-related co-occurring kelp crabs."Oecologia 155(3): 519-528.

Jorge, Maria Luisa S.P.2008 "Effects of forestfragmentation on twosister genera ofAmazonian rodents(Myoprocta acouchy andDasyprocta leporina)."Biological Conservation141(3): 617-623.

Laurance, William F.2008 "Theory meetsreality in fragmentedforests." AnimalConservation 11(5): 364-365.

Laurance, Susan G., andLaurance, William F.2007 "Chaunus marinus(cane toad). Predation."Herpetological Review 38(3):320-321.

Liu, F., Roubik, DavidWard, He, D., and Li, J.2007 "Old comb fornesting site recognitionby Apis dorsata? Fieldexperiments in China."Insectes Sociaux 54(4): 424-426.

Martinez, Luis S., Della-Togna, G., Gerwick,William H., and CubillaRios, Luis. 2008"Antileishmanialconstituents of thepanamanian endophyticfungus Phoma herbarumstrain M16." PlantaMedica 74(9): 1047-1047.

Mejia, Luis Carlos, Rojas,E.I., Maynard, Zuleyka,Van Bael, Sunshine A.,Arnold, Anne Elizabeth,Hebbar, P., Samuels,G.J., Robbins, Nancy,and Herre, EdwardAllen. 2008 "Endophyticfungi as biocontrolagents of Theobromacacao pathogens."Biological Control 46(1): 4-14.

Mendoza-Franco, EdgarF., and Reina, Ruth G.2008 "Five new speciesof Urocleidoides(Monogenoidea) (Mizelleand Price 1964) Kritsky,Thatcher, and Boeger,1986, parasitizing thegills of Panamanianfreshwater fishes." Journalof Parasitology 94(4): 793-802.

Miura, Osamu, Nishi,Syuhei, and Chiba,Satoshi. 2007"Temperature-relateddiversity of shell colourin the intertidalgastropod Batillaria."Journal of Molluscan Studies73(3): 235-240.

Miura, Osamu. 2007"Molecular geneticapproaches to elucidatethe ecological andevolutionary issuesassociated with biologicalinvasions." EcologicalResearch 22(6): 876-883.

Otero, J. Tupac,Flanagan, Nicola S.,Herre, Edward Allen,Ackerman, James D., andBayman, Paul. 2007

"Widespread mycorrhizalspecificity correlates tomycorrhizal function inthe Neotropical,epiphytic orchid Lonopsisutricularioides(Orchidaceae)." AmericanJournal of Botany 94(12):1944-1950.

Perez Gonzalez, ClaudiaMassiel. 2008 Aplicacionde la tecnica de cultivo in vitroen alga roja Kappachycusalvarezii (Rhodophyta,Gigartinales). University ofPanama, Panama.

Radtke, M.G., daFonseca, C.R.V., andWilliamson, G. Bruce.2008 "Forest fragmentsize effects on dungbeetle communities?"Biological Conservation141(3): 615-616.

Rapp, Mathieu. 2007"The immature stages ofPantophthalmus planiventris(Wiedemann, 1821)(Diptera:Pantophthalmidae)."Studia Dipterologica 14(1):27-36.

Rubinoff, Ira,Bermingham, Eldredge,Lydeard, Charles, andDavies, Stuart James.2007 "SmithsonianInstitution Global EarthObservatories." InAchache, Jose (Ed.), Thefull picture: 82-84. Geneva:Group of EarhObservatories.

Smith, Adam R., Wcislo,William T., andO'Donnell, Sean. 2008

"Body size shapes casteexpression, andcleptoparasitism reducesbody size in thefacultatively eusocial beesMegalopta(Hymenoptera:Halictidae)." Journal ofInsect Behavior 21(5): 394-406.

Smith, Jaclyn A., Tierney,Simon M., Park, YungChul, Fuller, Susan, andSchwarz, Michael P. 2007"Origins of socialparasitism: Theimportance of divergenceages in phylogeneticstudies." MolecularPhylogenetics and Evolution43: 1131-1137.

Stouffer, Philip C., andBierregaard, Jr., RichardO. 2007 "Recoverypotential of understorybird communities inAmazonian rainforestfragments." RevistaBrasileira De Ornitologia15(2): 219-229.

Tieleman, B. Irene,Dijkstra, Thomas H.,Klasing, Kirk C., Visser,G. Henk, and Williams,Joseph B. 2008 "Effectsof experimentallyincreased costs of activityduring reproduction onparental investment andself-maintenance intropical house wrens."Behavioral Ecology 19(5):949-959.

Vogler, Catherine,Benzier, John, Lessios,Harilaos A., Barber, Paul,and Worheide, Gert.

2008 "A threat to coralreefs multiplied? Fourspecies of crown-of-thorns starfish." BiologicalLetters Online.

Wethington, Amy R., andLydeard, Charles. 2007"A molecular phylogenyof Physidae (Gastropoda:Basommatophora) basedon mitochondrial DNAsequences." Journal ofMolluscan Studies doi:10.1093: 1-17.

Woodhams, Douglas,Kilburn, Vanessa,Reinert, Laura, Voyles,Jamie, Medina, Daniel,Ibáñez, Roberto, Hyatt,Alex, Boyle, Donna,Pask, James, Green,David, and Rollins-Smith, Louise. 2008"Chytridiomycosis andamphibian populationdeclines continue tospread eastward inPanama." EcoHealthOnline.

Zigler, Kirk S., Lessios,Harilaos A., and Raff,Rudolf A. 2008 "Eggenergetics, fertilizationkinetics, and populationstructure in echinoidswith facultatively feedinglarvae." Biological Bulletin215(2): 191-199.

Zuquim, Gabriela, Costa,Flavia R.C., Prado,JeVerson, and Braga-Neto, Ricardo. 2008"Distribution ofpteridophytecommunities alongenvironmental gradientsin Central Amazonia,Brazil." Biodiversity andConservation Online.