Article
Ecology
Audrey Massmann, Molly A. Cavaleri, Steven F. Oberbauer, Paulo C. Olivas, Stephen Porder
Summary: The study focused on nutrient distribution in a lowland tropical rainforest in Costa Rica, finding that foliar N:P and P variation were mainly influenced by soil P, while foliar N variation was primarily influenced by soil pH. Vertical trends analysis showed that foliar N:P was unrelated to canopy height, while area-basis foliar N and P increased with canopy height.
Article
Ecology
Weichen Hou, Mengfei He, Yanwen Qi, Tiedong Liu, Jinhuan Luo
Summary: More than half of the world's tropical lowland rainforests have been lost due to conversion to agricultural land. Restoring soil functioning in degraded tropical lowland rainforests is crucial for ecological restoration. This study in a primary tropical lowland rainforest in China identified deterministic process (habitat filtering) as the key factor influencing nematode community assembly.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Victor H. Montalvo, Isabel Hagnauer, Juan C. Cruz-Diaz, Brayan Morera, Kevin Lloyd, Carolina Saenz-Bolanos, Todd K. Fuller, Eduardo Carrillo
Summary: The study observed the effectiveness of releasing captive and rehabilitated wildlife. It found that avoiding human contact, ensuring hunting abilities, and selecting release sites is not enough, and more innovative and detailed protocols and monitoring are needed.
VETERINARY SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Zoology
Brian W. Bahder, Marco A. Zumbado Echavarria, Edwin A. Barrantes Barrantes, Ericka E. Helmick, Charles R. Bartlett
Summary: Recent survey efforts in the Neotropics have revealed various new species of planthoppers associated with palms, with a focus on the new species Herpis soros sp. n. from Costa Rica. The study also evaluates and provides an updated diagnosis of other species in the genus Herpis, and examines the New World Phaciocephalus, leading to the classification of two species into new genera. Molecular analysis supports H. soros sp. n. as a distinct clade in relation to other cenchreines.
Article
Forestry
Edith Rivas-Alonso, Cristina Martinez-Garza, Marines de la Pena-Domene, Moises Mendez-Toribio
Summary: Restoration interventions aim to accelerate forest recovery by skipping early succession stages and promoting the growth of late-successional tree species with large seeds. Different restoration treatments were evaluated in terms of forest structure, with planted areas showing higher richness and abundance of late-successional trees compared to natural succession.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Chen Chen, Yabo Wen, Tengyue Ji, Hongxia Zhao, Runguo Zang, Xinghui Lu
Summary: Plant ecological strategies are shaped by long-term adaptation to the environment and play a crucial role in plant survival and reproduction. Research has shown that ecological strategies may shift in plant communities over the course of succession, leading to variations in the ecological strategy spectra of different successional stages.
Article
Forestry
Florian Oberleitner, Carola Egger, Sarah Oberdorfer, Stefan Dullinger, Wolfgang Wanek, Peter Hietz
Summary: Tropical secondary forests play a crucial role in carbon sequestration and biodiversity conservation, but their recovery rates vary widely and are influenced by various environmental factors. Aboveground biomass recovers quickly in the early stages of succession, while tree species richness increases at a slower pace. Recovery rates differ significantly among forests.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Zoology
Brian W. Bahder, Marco A. Zumbado Echavarria, Edwin A. Barrantes Barrantes, Ericka E. Helmick, Charles R. Bartlett
Summary: Recently, a new species of the Tico genus was discovered in Costa Rica, parasitizing on palms and Heliconia spp. This finding expands our understanding of planthopper diversity and is supported by molecular analysis of genetic markers.
Article
Ecology
Huai Yang, Siwei Mai, Wenjie Liu, Jialin Fu, Qiu Yang, Bin Zhang, Biao Huang
Summary: The grasslands in Ganshenling Nature Reserve in Hainan Island were unable to naturally restore to secondary forests, and it was unknown if the microorganisms in the 40-year and 60-year secondary forests recovered to the same level. This study explored the community changes in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in different successional stages and their correlation with soil physicochemical properties.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Helena Vallicrosa, Laynara. F. Lugli, Lucia Fuchslueger, Jordi Sardans, Irene Ramirez-Rojas, Erik Verbruggen, Oriol Grau, Laetitia Brechet, Guille Peguero, Leandro Van Langenhove, Lore. T. T. Verryckt, Cesar Terrer, Joan Llusia, Roma Ogaya, Laura Marquez, Pere Roc-Fernandez, Ivan Janssens, Josep Penuelas
Summary: There is increasing evidence that soil nutrient availability can limit forest carbon sink capacity, especially in the tropics where a large proportion of Earth's plant biomass is stored. This study analyzed stem growth and foliar elemental composition to assess the limitations of soil nutrients on tropical forest growth, with a focus on nitrogen and phosphorus limitations. Results showed a positive effect of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization on stem growth and foliar nutrient concentrations, with potential nitrogen-fixing species exhibiting greater growth and nutrient concentrations compared to non-nitrogen-fixers.
Article
Zoology
Brian W. Bahder, Marco A. Zumbado Echavarria, Edwin A. Barrantes, Ericka E. Helmick, Charles R. Bartlett
Summary: Recent survey work at La Selva Biological Station in Costa Rica identified two new planthopper species allied with Cenchrea Westwood. Through sequencing of COI and 18S, the new taxa were determined to not cluster with Cenchrea dorsalis, leading to the establishment of a new genus Tico gen. n. to accommodate these new species. Further comparisons with allied genera and review of diagnostic features at the genus level revealed the need for additional data to evaluate the genus-level placement of most species within Cenchrea.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yang Zhao, Yike Zou, Lu Wang, Rui Su, Qifang He, Kai Jiang, Bin Chen, Yuting Xing, Tiedong Liu, Hui Zhang, Jie Cui, Chen Wang
Summary: Reforestation is an effective way to alleviate deforestation and its negative impacts on ecosystem services. In extremely degraded tropical rainforest ecosystems, a reforestation protocol based on tropical rainforest successional processes can prevent landslides, tree damages, and accelerate forest succession.
FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Christian Birkel, Clement Duvert, Katherine Vargas Arias, Desmond E. Walling, Mario Cubero Campos
Summary: This study uses radioisotopes and fallout radionuclides to investigate sediment sources and erosion rates in a tropical rainforest catchment. The results suggest that channel erosion processes play a significant role in sediment yield in steep rainforest catchments.
JOURNAL OF SOILS AND SEDIMENTS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Alan M. Friedlander, Enric Ballesteros, Odalisca Breedy, Beatriz Naranjo-Elizondo, Noelia Hernandez, Pelayo Salinas-de-Leon, Enric Sala, Jorge Cortes
Summary: The Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica boasts a significant terrestrial biodiversity, but little is known about its marine ecosystems. Coral reefs, coastal rocky reefs, and submerged pinnacles are key habitats in the region, each with distinct characteristics in terms of coral cover and fish assemblages. The submerged pinnacles stand out as important habitats for fish species, including large predators.
Article
Agronomy
Isaac Ahanamungu Makelele, Marijn Bauters, Kris Verheyen, Matti Barthel, Johan Six, Tobias Rutting, Samuel Bode, Landry Cizungu Ntaboba, Basile Mujinya Bazirake, Faustin Boyemba Bosela, Fabrice Kimbesa, Corneille Ewango, Pascal Boeckx
Summary: Secondary forests in the Congo basin receive high amounts of atmospheric nitrogen deposition but still exhibit nitrogen limitation in early succession, which gradually becomes more open as succession advances.