scholarly journals First survey of the amphibians and reptiles of the Nectandra Cloud Forest Reserve, Alajuela, Costa Rica

Check List ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 1570 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean Michael Rovito ◽  
Thomas James Devitt ◽  
Susan Cameron Devitt
Keyword(s):  
Costa Rica ◽  
Rainy Season ◽  
Cloud Forest ◽  
Previous Survey ◽  
Forest Reserve

We conducted a first survey of the amphibians and reptiles of the Nectandra Cloud Forest Reserve in June 2010, during the rainy season in Costa Rica. We found a total of 30 species of amphibians and reptiles in 15 families during our weeklong survey, including 15 frogs, 2 salamanders, 7 lizards, and 6 snakes. We compare our results to those of a previous survey of the nearby San Ramón Reserve.

scholarly journals Estado poblacional de mamíferos terrestres en dos áreas protegidas de la región central occidental de Costa Rica

2017 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Melvin Cartín Nuñez ◽  
Eduardo Carrillo Jiménez
Keyword(s):  
Costa Rica ◽  
Cloud Forest ◽  
Medium Size ◽  
Forest Reserve ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Terrestrial Mammals ◽  
Private Protection ◽  
Pecari Tajacu ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Ecological Importance

In the West Central Region of Costa Rica, there are plenty of forests under public and private protection; however, they are increasingly exposed to fragmentation. This is the first report about species richness and the relative abundance of large and medium size terrestrial mammals, in Alberto Manuel Brenes Biological Reserve (ReBAMB) and Nectandra Cloud Forest Reserve (RPN). Our camera trap study was undertaken between April and August, 2008. After 1 620 trap-days, 11 species were identified, nine in ReBAMB and six in RPN. The recorded species in both sites were: Cuniculus paca, Dasyprocta punctata, Nasua narica and Pecari tajacu. Felids were only captured in ReBAMB. The peccary (P. tajacu) was the most abundant mammal within the studied area, in contrast with the apparent absence of species such as white-lipped peccary (Tayassu pecari) and jaguar (Panthera onca). The difference in species composition between both sites was probably consequence of habitat fragmentation, which especially affects RPN. Species as white-lipped peccary and jaguar could be affected, directly or indirectly, by poaching. We propose that a good conservation goal for ReBAMB and due to their ecological importance is to have at least a white-lipped peccary’s population for the next ten years.

scholarly journals A taxonomic and molecular survey of the pteridophytes of the Nectandra Cloud Forest Reserve, Costa Rica

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (11) ◽  
pp. e0241231
Author(s):  
Joel H. Nitta ◽  
Atsushi Ebihara ◽  
Alan R. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Costa Rica ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Cloud Forest ◽  
Dna Barcode ◽  
Hybrid Origin ◽  
Forest Reserve ◽  
Biogeographic History ◽  
Molecular Phylogenetic ◽  
History Of ◽  
Ferns And Lycophytes

Floristic surveys are crucial to the conservation of biodiversity, but the vast majority of such surveys are limited to listing species names, and few take into account the evolutionary history of species. Here, we combine classical taxonomic and molecular phylogenetic (DNA barcoding) approaches to catalog the biodiversity of pteridophytes (ferns and lycophytes) of the Nectandra Cloud Forest Reserve, Costa Rica. Surveys were carried out over three field seasons (2008, 2011, and 2013), resulting in 176 species representing 69 genera and 22 families of pteridophytes. Our literature survey of protected areas in Costa Rica shows that Nectandra has an exceptionally diverse pteridophyte flora for its size. Plastid rbcL was selected as a DNA barcode marker and obtained for >95% of pteridophyte taxa at this site. Combined molecular and morphological analyses revealed two previously undescribed taxa that appear to be of hybrid origin. The utility of rbcL for species identification was assessed by calculating minimum interspecific distances and found to have a failure rate of 18%. Finally we compared the distribution of minimum interspecific rbcL distances with two other areas that have been the focus of pteridophyte molecular surveys: Japan and Tahiti. The comparison shows that Nectandra is more similar to Japan than Tahiti, which may reflect the biogeographic history of these floras.

scholarly journals On the diversity and richness of understory bryophytes at Nectandra Cloud Forest Reserve, Costa Rica

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. e11778 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Norris ◽  
Ekaphan Kraichak ◽  
Allen Risk ◽  
Diane Lucas ◽  
Dorothy Allard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Costa Rica ◽  
Cloud Forest ◽  
Forest Reserve

scholarly journals Biogeography of Tropical Montane Cloud Forests. Part II: Mapping of Orographic Cloud Immersion

2008 ◽  
Vol 47 (8) ◽  
pp. 2183-2197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Udaysankar S. Nair ◽  
Salvi Asefi ◽  
Ronald M. Welch ◽  
D. K. Ray ◽  
Robert O. Lawton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Costa Rica ◽  
Cloud Forest ◽  
United Nations Environment Programme ◽  
Cloud Base ◽  
Trade Wind ◽  
Cloud Forests ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Modis Data ◽  
Monitoring Centre ◽  
Tropical Montane Cloud Forests

Abstract This study details two unique methods to quantify cloud-immersion statistics for tropical montane cloud forests (TMCFs). The first technique uses a new algorithm for determining cloud-base height using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) cloud products, and the second method uses numerical atmospheric simulation along with geostationary satellite data. Cloud-immersion statistics are determined using MODIS data for March 2003 over the study region consisting of Costa Rica, southern Nicaragua, and northern Panama. Comparison with known locations of cloud forests in northern Costa Rica shows that the MODIS-derived cloud-immersion maps successfully identify known cloud-forest locations in the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC) database. Large connected regions of cloud immersion are observed in regions in which the trade wind flow is directly impinging upon the mountain slopes; in areas in which the flow is parallel to the slopes, a fractured spatial distribution of TMCFs is observed. Comparisons of the MODIS-derived cloud-immersion map with the model output show that the MODIS product successfully captures the important cloud-immersion patterns in the Monteverde region of Costa Rica. The areal extent of cloud immersion is at a maximum during morning hours and at a minimum during the afternoon, before increasing again in the evening. Cloud-immersion frequencies generally increase with increasing elevation and tend to be higher on the Caribbean Sea side of the mountains. This study shows that the MODIS data may be used successfully to map the biogeography of cloud forests and to quantify cloud immersion over cloud-forest locations.

scholarly journals Reproductive biology of Macleania rupestris (Ericaceae), a pollen-limited Neotropical cloud-forest species in Costa Rica

2010 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 351-354 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric J. Fuchs ◽  
Jeffrey Ross-Ibarra ◽  
Gilbert Barrantes
Keyword(s):  
Costa Rica ◽  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Cloud Forest ◽  
Fruit Production ◽  
Foraging Activity ◽  
High Altitudes ◽  
Forest Species ◽  
Effective Time ◽  
Complex Interactions

The reproductive success of hummingbird-pollinated plants often depends on complex interactions between environmental conditions and pollinator biology (Navarro 1999, Stiles 1985, Wolf et al. 1976). The effect of environment on reproductive success of hummingbird-pollinated plants is particularly pronounced at high altitudes, where large daily fluctuations in temperature, relative humidity and solar radiation limit the effective time for photosynthesis (Cavieres et al. 2000) and affect foraging activity (Navarro 1999) and abundance of pollinators (Rahbek 1997). At high altitudes in the tropical cloud forests of Costa Rica these factors may have serious impacts on fruit production.

scholarly journals Biomass and Soil Carbon Stocks in Wet Montane Forest, Monteverde Region, Costa Rica: Assessments and Challenges for Quantifying Accumulation Rates

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence H. Tanner ◽  
Megan T. Wilckens ◽  
Morgan A. Nivison ◽  
Katherine M. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Costa Rica ◽  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Secondary Forest ◽  
Cloud Forest ◽  
Montane Forest ◽  
Carbon Stocks ◽  
Age Difference ◽  
Biomass Carbon ◽  
Mature Forest ◽  
Large Trees

We measured carbon stocks at two forest reserves in the cloud forest region of Monteverde, comparing cleared land, experimental secondary forest plots, and mature forest at each location to assess the effectiveness of reforestation in sequestering biomass and soil carbon. The biomass carbon stock measured in the mature forest at the Monteverde Institute is similar to other measurements of mature tropical montane forest biomass carbon in Costa Rica. Local historical records and the distribution of large trees suggest a mature forest age of greater than 80 years. The forest at La Calandria lacks historical documentation, and dendrochronological dating is not applicable. However, based on the differences in tree size, above-ground biomass carbon, and soil carbon between the Monteverde Institute and La Calandria sites, we estimate an age difference of at least 30 years of the mature forests. Experimental secondary forest plots at both sites have accumulated biomass at lower than expected rates, suggesting local limiting factors, such as nutrient limitation. We find that soil carbon content is primarily a function of time and that altitudinal differences between the study sites do not play a role.

A review of the "browni group" of Penaincisalia with notes on their distribution and variability (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae: Eumaeini)

Zootaxa ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 1941 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
CARLOS PRIETO ◽  
ZSOLT BÁLINT ◽  
PIERRE BOYER ◽  
ESTEFANÍA MICÓ
Keyword(s):  
Costa Rica ◽  
Cloud Forest ◽  
Wing Shape ◽  
Species Status ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Taxonomic Review ◽  
Taxonomic History ◽  
History Of ◽  
Group A ◽  
Lycaenid Butterfly

We provide a taxonomic review of the “browni group”, a cloud forest lineage of the diverse lycaenid butterfly genus Penaincisalia, distributed from Costa Rica to northern Argentina. The group is characterized on the basis of five characters provided by wing shape, forewing androconia and genital structures. We distinguish eight species in the group: P. browni (Johnson, 1992), P. caeruleonota Hall & Willmott, 2005; P. cuiva Prieto & Rodriguez, 2007; P. magnifica (Johnson, 1992), P. purpurea (Johnson, 1992), P. saraha (Johnson, 1992), P. vittata (Johnson, 1992) and P. regala (Le Crom & Johnson, 1997). We confirm their status as presented in the recent Checklist of Neotropical Butterflies (Robbins, 2004), except for P. regala which is reinstated to species status from synonymy. The taxonomic history of each species with references to type material is provided. Every species is diagnosed, male and female phenotypes are associated, described and data on their distribution and biology are given. If relevant the variability of the species is discussed.

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