S'I'RI newsletter
June 17, 1994SMITHSONIAN TROPICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE - Apmado 20'77. Balboa, Panama No. 23
TUI'PER CENTER SEMINARS
No noon seminar scheduled for Tuesday, June 21.
I'!!OPL!!
Arrivals
• Pamela Hall, Harvard University, Jun 19-30, to work with Richard Condit at the
eTFs.
• Carlos Machado, Latin American fel- low from the University of California at Irvine, Jun 20-25, to start his project on the molecular evolution of Ficus pOllinator wasps and its parasite nem- atodes. at Naos.
• Eric Linquist, Short-tenn fellow from the Southern Illinois Unh·crsity. Jun 22-26 Jut to study the acoustic and visual communication in the genus AleJop, and make observations on the behavior and population slatus of the endangered Panamanian golden frog.
Atefopus utki, at Tupper.
• Jovanka Kink and Thomas Hetherin- gton, Ohio Slale University, Jun 23-14 Jul, to work with Eric Linquist, at Tupper.
• Julie Denslow new
ors
president and Nina Skinner, University of Ronda, Jun 23-15 JuI, to study the forest structure a long a tropical chronosequence, on Bel.Departures
• Ira Rubinoff, Jun 17-3 Jul, to England and France, on official business.
• Francisco Rivera, JUIl 17-26, to Orlan- do, FL, to attend a telecommunica- tions conference.
• Leonor Motta, Jun 18-2 Jul, to Wash- ington D.C., on official business at 51 and then to Stanford, CA, to attend a course at the Stanford lilw School.
• Nancy Knowlton, Jun 18-3 Aug.. to Eu- rope, on offlcial business and vacation.
Please send your news, publications, paper presentations personal achieve- ments research updates, etc. to Maria Luz Calderon, STRI Newsletter Editor, Office of Education, Tupper Center.
HAPPY FA TIlER'S DAY TO ALL!
111 preparation for tire move of 62,000 volumes
of
books and bound periodicals to tile new STRI Library four story annex, Vielka Cllang-¥alf makes listings for tire slrelf signage system ••• Para prt:parar fa mudanZil de 62,000 volumencs de libros y revis/as empasladas al nuevo tlnexo de la biblioteca de STRl, Vie/ka Clrang-Yau lrace las lis/as parQ e/ sis/emil de seiiali"lilcidn de cadatabIi//o. (Foto: £JiuI~lh S4ncM=
• Mireya Correa, JUIl 20-26, to Mexico City, to attend meetings of the SoCiety for Economic Botany.
• John Christy, Jun 23-5 Aug. to Bern, Switzerland, to attend the meetings of the Association for Ule Study of Animal Behavior. and thf'n 10 Srottle.
WA, to attend the meetings of the Animal Behavior Society.
Special Visitor
Robert Corell, Chairman of the Implementation Conunittee for the Inter- American Institute for Global Change Research (lAO will be visiting Panama City on Friday, June
r.
The lAl is a regional network of research centers dedicated to the study of global change and its impact on human society, established in 1992 by a multinational agreement. Its initial research priorities were drawn to be the tropical ecosystems and biogeochemical cycles; the impacts of climate change on biodiversity; EI Niilo-Southern oscillation and international climate variability; the ocean/atmosphere/land interactions in lhe inter-tropical Americas;comparative studies of oceanic, coastal and estuarine processes in the temperate zones; comparative studies of temperate terrestrial ecosystems;
and high latitude processes. At STRI, Dr. Corell will give a brief presenta- tion of the lAl fonowed by a short question and answer period for scientists and all interested in learning more about the lAl. The briefing will take place at the Tupper Center Large Meeting Room, at 11 am.
1 jFELlZ DIA DEL PADRE A roDOSI
June 17, 1994 SMITHSONIAN TROPICAL RESEARCH INSTITIJTE, Apartado 2077, Balboa, Panama No. 23
...,,.,.-. .... ~~~~-, 30 Years of Service Senior Scientist A.
Stanley Rand received a three-diamond pin for 30 years of service on Tuesday, June 14.
Rand started working as an herpetologist on Barro Colorado Island in 1964. He received his Ph.D. at Harvard University in 1961, and betorz accepting his position at the (at the time) Canal Zone Biological Area, he was working with Dr. Paolo Vanzolini at the Departa- mento de Zoologia; in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Since then he has served as Assistant Director for STR.I from 1974-1 W9 with special responsibilities for the operation of Barro Colorado Island and for budget and planning for the Institute. For one year, acted as Administrative Officer, and was coordinator of the Tropical Program of SI Environmental Science Program from 1973-1979. Rand was named senior scientist in 1979 and has been the principal investigator in a large number of research projects.
Ira Rubinoff Receives Medal Award
S1RI director Ira Rubinoff received the Panama Canal College Annual Mroal Award for contributions to higher education and mutual understanding between the U.S.
and Panama, on Wednesday, June 15, at the Amador Theater, during the 60th commencement celebration.
T1JINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW Behavior Discussion Group
The Behavior Discussion Group will meet on Tuesday, June 21, Spm at the Tupper Center Large Meeting Room for a practice talk by John Christy (20 min. aprox):
Mimicry, Mate Choice and tltc SCIISOry Trap Hypotlresis.
No previous reading necessary.
At the Tupper Center
Tue, Jun 21 • Behavior Discussion Group, LMR Spm.
Wed, Jun 22 • STRI Short-tenn Fellowships Review
. Meeting, SMR, 1:30pm.
Fri, Jun 24 • Inter·American Institute for Global Change Research (IAt) briefing by Robert Corell, LMR, 11am.
• CPR Course, Conference Hall, Sam.
2
To All Scientific Staff
Please make note that the Scientific Retreat has been moved to October. Exact dates wiII be given soon.
At the Culebra Marine Reserve Tue, Jun 21
Wed, Jun 22 Thu, Jun 23 Fri, Jun 24 Sat, Jun 25
Colegio Euro-Americano Colegio Euro-Ameri.cano Instituto Celestin Freinet
Universidad Santa Maria La Antigua Universidad de Panama
Mellon Fellowships Nomination Reminder Nominations for fellowships for ''Study of the Structure and Evolution of Terrestrial Ecosystems" are due at the Office of Fellowships and Grants by July 1. This pro- gram, run by this office, has provided funding for senior scientists and associated post-docs to work with Smith·
sonian colleagues on botanical projects. Please contact Lisa Barnett or Roberta Rubinoff for additional infonna- tion and the guidelines.
From the Human Resources Office
Juanita TuU, the Director of Health Services, and Karen Vesterby, a nurse in the Health Services Department from the Smithsonian Institution, will be visiting STRI from June 27-30, giving workshOps related to first aid.
The Safety and Dive Officers will be contacting everyone concerned about the attendance to these workshops.
ANNOUNCEMENTS . Safety News ••• Sobre Seguridad
"Gloria" (SCI's guest crocodile) had babies and is showing signs of aggresSion to anyone or anything near her territory. We recommend all swimmers at SCI to stay out of the water as a precaution. In the past, "Gloria" has been reported. to have followed. swimmers during their outings to the floating platfonn. Let's avoid unfortunate incidents··· "Gloria" (cocodrilo invitada de Bel) tuvo crias y esld mostrando daras sefiales de agresividad Q !odos aquel/os que se acercan a HSU territorio". Sc recomienda a todos los
nadadores de Bel que se abstengan de esta prtidica como medida de precauci6n. Se ha reporlado que "Gloria" ha sido vis/a siguiendo Q los nadadores Iwsla fa plataforma [folante ...
Euitemos sustos 0 incidentes innecesarios.
STRI Blood Bank ••• Banco de Sangre para STRJ In 1992, STRl established a Blood Bank for all the Institu- te's employees and their families. If you want to become a blood donor at STru, please contact Nereida Hernandez
June 17, 1994 SMITHSONiAN TROPICAL RESEARCH INSTITI.TI'E, Apartado 2072, Balboa.. Panam.i No. 23
at TIvoli, extension 210 ••• En 1992 fue establecido en STRI un Banco de Sangre para los cmplcados del Instituto y sus familiares. Si Ud. desen ser dommle de sangre en STRl, favor de comunicarse con Nereida Herndndez, en Tivoli, ext. 210.
RESEARCH UPDATE
Results hom a Monitoring Program of Amphibian Population in Centr.al Panama
by Roberto l/xi;iez y A. Stanley Rand
Re~rts of worldwide amphibian population declines motivated the initiation of a long·tenn monitoring program in the central region of Panama. This study is being performed in four sites of the lowlands along a transect across the isthmus, where a steep grJdient in rainfall exists. An altitudinal dimension to this transect is given by two sites located nearby at moderate elevations.
At each of these sites, by-week1y counts of amphibians are carried out along established census routes. The study's objectives that will be addressed here are (1): to determine whether declines of amphibian populations have occurred at those sites for which data on their abundances had been collected previously; (2) to docu- ment the occurrence of seasonal and annual fluctuations on the amphibian populations; and (3) to establish the generality of such Changes. In the Lutz watershed (Barra Colorado Island), where censuses of frogs and toads were made from 1976-1978, a reduction in the numbers of the toad Bufo typJlOnius was noticed; however, no decline was observed for the frog Colostelhus flolalor. Annual change;
in the abundan~e of these 'lnd other species have been observed, but infonnation from more years are reqUired to establish trends. Seasonaiiuctuations in the abundance of anurans have been recorded at all sites, mainly due to the concentration of frogs in moist areas along the margins of forest streams during the dry season. These seasonal changes in frog abundance are generalized, regardless of differences in precipitation or elevation, being strongly coupled to the seasonal rainfall pattern in the region.
MISCEtLANEOUS
In the Search of Bones··· En Busquet/Il de Huesos Katherine Milton, a well known primatologisl among the STRI community, asks all visitors and residents of BCI to please collect the skull and any long bone of a dead howler monkey that may be found on the Island.
Long bones are the femur or the humerus. She will pay
$5 for the skull and an extra $1 for long bones. Total 2
possible per dead monkey is $6 (or $11 if the monkey is marked). If you find such bones, please contact Daniel Millan or Oris Acevedo. Please fax or caU if there are any questions (tel. (510)642-3391 • Fax (510)643-8557.
Your cooperation will be greatly appreciated •••
Kalherine Milton, conocida primat610ga entre Ia comunidad de STRI ruega a lodos los visitantes y residenles de Barro Colorado que colecten el creineo y cualquier hueso largo de monos aulladores que se encucntren muertos tn 1D. lsw. Los huesos largos son ef femur y ef humero (brazo y pierna).
Kathy pagarla $5 por el crtineo y $1 por los huesos wrgos. £1 total por aula mono muerto sen'a $6, 0, en e1 caso de monos marcados, $11. Si Ud. se encuentran con dichos huesos, comun{quese con Daniel Millan 0 con Oris Acevedo. l1ame 0
mallde un fax en caso de dudas (Tel. (510)642·3391 • Fax (510)643-8557). Su cooperacion sera de gran ayuda.
Salon de las Oropendolas, Parque Metropolitano EI Parque Natural Metropolitano ofrece su Sal6n de las Oropendolas para seminarios, conferenclas, talleres, eventos de capacitad6n de empresas u organizaciones, exhibiciones, almucrzos, etc., por tarifas moderadas, durante 8 horas diu mas. con una capacidad para 150 personas. Para empresas privadas $150 el dia y para organizaciones sin fines de lucro $75 al dia. EI Parque Metropolitano se encuentra a escasos 10 minutos del centro de la ciudad y cuenta con amplios estaciona- mientos '! seguridad.
Needed ••• Se Necesitll
BCI residents will borrow or rent a TV set to watch the Football games from Jun 17-30. Please contact Oris Acevedo if you have one available ••• Los residentes de Barro Colorado desean pedir prestado 0 rentar un televisor durante los juegos de fUlbol dell7 al 30 de junio. Favor de lIamar a Oris Acevedo si tiene uno a disposici6n.
FOT S.ale ••• Se Vende
1992 Toyota Tercel, duty exonerated, less than 20,000 miles. S7500. Call Jose Rodriguez at 27-1m, extension 2249 ••• Toyota Tercel del '92, exonerado, con menos de 20,iXX) miflas Q $7500. Llamar a
lost
Rodrfgue2 al 27-1717.extension 2249.
Wanted ••• Se Desea ComprQr
Baby items: stroller, high chair, car sit. If you have any of these and are interested in selling them, please call Gloria Maggiori ••• Artfculos ~ra bebe: silw alta, cache, silfa para el carro. Si desea venderlos. favor de comunicarse con Gloria Maggiori.
June 17, 1994 SMrIHSONIAN TROPICAL RESEARCH INSTITIJTE.. Apartado 20'72, Balboa, Panama No. 23
NEW STRI I'UBLICATIONS
Jackson, Jeremy B.C. and Cheetham, Alan. 1994. "On the ImJXlrtance of Nothing Doing." Natural History 103(6): 56-59.
Knowlton, Nancy. 1994. "A Tale of Two Seas." Natural History 103(6): 66-68.
NEW STRI BOOKLIST
Annual Review of Information Science and Technology,
v.28, 1993. Z699.A1A6155TRI.
Biodiversidad y ecologia de la cuenca de la Barra de Santiago/El Imposible, v.1-3.
fQH108.s3B6151993 STR!.
Biologie und okologieder bromelienfauna von C'lunania weberbaueri im amazonischen Peru I Peter Krugel.
QK495.B76K94 STR!.
Birding Brazil: a checklist and site guide / Be Forrester.
QL689.B7F73 STR!.
Frugivory and seed dispersal: ecological and evolutio- nary aspects / TA Fleming & A. Estrada, eds.
QK929.F79 1993X STRl.
Impacts of the 1982-83 and earlier El Nino events on the coast of northern Peru I edited by J.Machare et al.
CC296.8.1J4134 1992 STRI.
Microscopic anatomy of invertebrates: yol. 7 Annelidil, vol. 9 Crustacea, yol. 10 Decapod Crustacea, vol. 12
4
Onychophora, Chilopoda, and Lesser Protostomata / edited by FYv' Harrison & SL Gardiner.
QL363.M53 1991X 5TR!.
Morphological change in Quaternary mammals of North America I edited by RA Martin & AD Bamosky.
QE881.M769 1993X STRl.
Morphometric tools for landmark data: geometry and biology I FL Bookstein. QH351.B67 1992X STRI.
Multipurpose trees for agroforeslry and wasteland utilisation I RK Gupta. SBl72.5.I4G871993X STRI.
Neotropical plant families: a concise guide to families of vascular plants in the Neotropics / PJM Maas &
LITh Westra. Ref QK474.5.Mll1 1993 STR!.
Oilbirds of Venezuela: ecology and conservation I RL
Roca. QL696.C28R66 1994 STR!.
Oiseaux de Guyane I Olivier Tostain el al.
QL689.A3G95 1992 STRI.
Resumenes y contribudones de la 3ra Reunion Anual del Proyeclo PICG 281 Climas cualernarios de America del Sur / editado por J.Machare & L.Ortlieb.
QE701.P96 1991 STR!.
Species evolulion : the role of chromosome change I
Max K;ng. QH380.K56 1993X STRl.
Progress in Botany, v.55, 1993.
