A preliminary study of freshwater protozoa in tank bromeliads

2001 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 611-617 ◽  
Author(s):  
JEAN-FRANÇOIS CARRIAS ◽  
MARIE-EVE CUSSAC ◽  
BRUNO CORBARA
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Animal Waste ◽  
Neotropical Forests ◽  
Aquatic Life ◽  
Freshwater Organisms ◽  
Animal Populations ◽  
Preliminary Study ◽  
Wet Forests ◽  
Tank Bromeliads

Bromeliads are common as epiphytes in warm neotropical forests (Benzing 1990). Species native to relatively wet forests impound water in a central cup and/or in seperate leaf axils. These tanks receive enough leaf litter and rainwater to support aquatic life (Maguire 1971). In these complex microcosms many groups of freshwater organisms ranging from algae, fungi, bacteria and protozoa through insects to frogs are represented and constitute considerable animal populations (Frank 1983, Laessle 1961, Maguire 1971, Picado 1913, Richardson 1999). Nutrients originating from the decomposition of litter and animal waste are absorbed by specialized trichomes on the bases of the leaves which form the tanks (Benzing 1980, 1990).

Thismia thaithongiana (Dioscoreaceae: Thismieae), a new species of mycoheterotroph from an unusual habitat

Phytotaxa ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 333 (2) ◽  
pp. 287 ◽  
Author(s):  
SAHUT CHANTANAORRAPINT ◽  
SOMRAN SUDDEE
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Southeast Asia ◽  
Leaf Litter ◽  
New Taxa ◽  
Malay Peninsula ◽  
Wet Forests ◽  
A New Species

With more than 60 currently accepted species, Thismia Griffith (1844: 221) is the largest genus of the tribe Thismieae of Dioscoreaceae (sensu APG 2016, or Thismiaceae of other authors). The genus is widely distributed mainly in the tropical and subtropical regions with a concentration of species in Southeast Asia (ca. 30 species) including the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Thailand and Vietnam. In last decade, many new taxa have been described from Southeast Asia (e.g. Larsen & Averyanov 2007, Chantanaorrapint 2008 2012, Tsukaya & Okada 2012, Dančák et al. 2013, Nuraliev et al. 2014 2015, Truong et al. 2014, Tsukaya et al. 2014, Chantanaorrapint & Sridith 2015, Hroneš et al. 2015, Chantanaorrapint et al. 2016, Sochor et al. 2017). Members of the genus are small mycoheterotrophic herbs with a highly reduced habit and usually grow among leaf litter in shady wet forests.

scholarly journals Leaf litter decomposition rates increase with rising mean annual temperature in Hawaiian tropical montane wet forests

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lori D Bothwell ◽  
Paul C Selmants ◽  
Christian P Giardina ◽  
Creighton M. Litton
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Forest Ecosystems ◽  
Net Primary Productivity ◽  
Nutrient Release ◽  
Leaf Litter Decomposition ◽  
Mean Annual Temperature ◽  
Decomposition Rates ◽  
Litter Decay ◽  
Wet Forests

Decomposing litter in forest ecosystems supplies nutrients to plants, carbon to heterotrophic soil microorganisms and is a large source of CO2 to the atmosphere. Despite its essential role in carbon and nutrient cycling, the temperature sensitivity of leaf litter decay in tropical forest ecosystems remains poorly resolved, especially in tropical montane wet forests where the warming trend may be amplified compared to tropical wet forests at lower elevations. We quantified leaf litter decomposition rates along a highly constrained 5.2 °C mean annual temperature (MAT) gradient in tropical montane wet forests on the Island of Hawaii. Dominant vegetation, substrate type and age, soil moisture, and disturbance history are all nearly constant across this gradient, allowing us to isolate the effect of rising MAT on leaf litter decomposition and nutrient release. Leaf litter decomposition rates were a positive linear function of MAT, causing the residence time of leaf litter on the forest floor to decline by ~31 days for each 1 °C increase in MAT. Our estimate of the Q10 temperature coefficient for leaf litter decomposition was 2.17, within the commonly reported range for heterotrophic organic matter decomposition (1.5 – 2.5) across a broad range of ecosystems. The percentage of leaf litter nitrogen (N) remaining after six months declined linearly with increasing MAT from ~ 88% of initial N at the coolest site to ~74% at the warmest site. The lack of net N immobilization during all three litter collection periods at all MAT plots indicates that N was not limiting to leaf litter decomposition, regardless of temperature. These results suggest that leaf litter decay in tropical montane wet forests may be more sensitive to rising MAT than in tropical lowland wet forests, and that increased rates of N release from decomposing litter could delay or prevent progressive N limitation to net primary productivity with climate warming.

Methane emissions from tank bromeliads in neotropical forests

2010 ◽  
Vol 3 (11) ◽  
pp. 766-769 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guntars O. Martinson ◽  
Florian A. Werner ◽  
Christoph Scherber ◽  
Ralf Conrad ◽  
Marife D. Corre ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Methane Emissions ◽  
Neotropical Forests ◽  
Tank Bromeliads

Controls on long-term root and leaf litter decomposition in neotropical forests

2009 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 1339-1355 ◽  
Author(s):  
DANIELA F. CUSACK ◽  
WENDY W. CHOU ◽  
WENDY H. YANG ◽  
MARK E. HARMON ◽  
WHENDEE L. SILVER ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Leaf Litter Decomposition ◽  
Neotropical Forests

Controls on long-term root and leaf litter decomposition in neotropical forests

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
DANIELA F. CUSACK ◽  
WENDY W. CHOU ◽  
WENDY H. YANG ◽  
MARK E. HARMON ◽  
WHENDEE L. SILVER ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Leaf Litter Decomposition ◽  
Neotropical Forests

scholarly journals Tank bromeliads sustain high secondary production in neotropical forests

2018 ◽  
Vol 80 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivier Dézerald ◽  
Céline Leroy ◽  
Bruno Corbara ◽  
Alain Dejean ◽  
Stanislas Talaga ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Production ◽  
Neotropical Forests ◽  
Tank Bromeliads

A taxonomic revision of the Neotropical myrmicine ant genus Lachnomyrmex Wheeler (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Zootaxa ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 1890 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
RODRIGO M. FEITOSA ◽  
CARLOS ROBERTO F. BRANDÃO
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
South America ◽  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Taxonomic Revision ◽  
Geographical Data ◽  
Distribution Maps ◽  
Generic Description ◽  
Wet Forests ◽  
First Time ◽  
Morphological Patterns

The Neotropical ant genus Lachnomyrmex Wheeler, 1910 is revised for the first time. A revised generic description is provided for workers and gynes; males remain unknown. Morphological patterns combined with geographical data led to the recognition of 16 species, of which 10 are here described as new: L. amazonicus sp. n., L. fernandezi sp. n., L. grandis Fernández & Baena, L. haskinsi Smith, L. lattkei sp. n., L. longinodus Fernández & Baena, L. longinoi sp. n., L. mackayi sp. n., L. nordestinus sp. n., L. pilosus Weber, L. laticeps sp. n., L. platynodus sp. n., L. plaumanni Borgmeier, L. regularis sp. n., L. scrobiculatus Wheeler, and L. victori sp. n. The gynes of L. grandis, L. haskinsi, and L. pilosus are described for the first time. Illustrated identification keys for workers, distribution maps, and high resolution illustrations are supplied for all species. Some Lachnomyrmex species are relatively common in the leaf-litter of submontane wet forests in Central and South America; others remain known by very few individuals. The relatively small and apparently monogynic Lachnomyrmex colonies inhabit small nests in the ground, among rotten leaves and inside fallen logs. Workers generally forage alone on the ground or within the leaf litter, but have been recorded also on tree trunks, and apparently do not recruit nestmates.

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