STRI News, May 29. 2015

stri.si.edu/sites/strinews

MAY 29, 2015

SEMINARS BEHAVIOR DISCUSSION GROUP MEETING Tue, June 2, 2pm Nicolas Chatel-Launay McGill University Tupper Large Meeting Room Visual displays as honest indicators of toxicity in the Aposematic butterfly Eumaeus godartii (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) TUPPER SEMINAR Tue, June 2, 4pm Kanehiro Kitayama University of Kyoto Tupper Auditorium The dynamics and biophysical conditions of the montane tropical rain forests on Mount Kinabalu, Borneo - An altitudinal transect approach PALEOTALK Wed, June 3, 4pm Carlos Avendaño Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala CTPA Exploring a sustainably managed Mayan landscape: Salinas Nueve Cerros, Las Verapaces, Guatemala TUPPER PUBLIC TALK Wed, June 3, 6pm Ricardo Moreno Yaguará Panamá-Sociedad Panameña de Biología Tupper Auditorium El Plan de Conservación del Jaguar y la Cuenca del Canal BAMBI SEMINAR Thu, June 4, 7:15pm TBA Barro Colorado Island TBA

WHAT IS IN A GLOBAL MARINE SCIENTIST’S TOOLBOX? Full story: www.stri.si.edu issuu.com/strinewspanama

WHAT’S HAPPENING AT STRI? FIELD COURSES and SPECIAL EVENTS Field Course - Colorado State University - CloudNet: NSF Research Coordination Network Meeting on Tropical Montane Cloud Forests Contact person: James Dalling June 1 - 10 Field Course - University of Vermont Contact person: Laura May-Collado June 1 - 15 Bayano Film Festival Contact person: Jorge Ventocilla June 2– 6 Field Course - Arizona State University Contact person: Nico Franz June 6 – 26 Field Course - East Carolina University / Marina Contact person: Sue McRae June 8 - 26

ARRIVALS Sofía Rodríguez University of Texas at Austin An investigation of chytrid in tungara frogs Gamboa Corey Tarwater University of Wyoming Breeding Behavior, Dispersal, and Demography in Thamnophilus atrinucha Gamboa Peter Tellez Tulane University Conflicts among members of interacting symbioses: How do symbiotic fungi influence plant defense against leaf-cutting ants?

Gamboa Karen Warkentin Boston University Development, behavior, and adaptive plasticity at life history switch points Gamboa Juliana Perello University of Scranton Experimentally determining the community and ecosystem effects of lianas Barro Colorado Island

Jessie Dyer University of Georgia Integrating anthropology, ecoepidemiology, and veterinary science to define drivers of vector-borne zoonotic disease transmission in changing landscapes Panama

Damon Plant University of California – Berkeley What are the consequences of shared enemies for the community structure of a tropical forest?

Naos Marine Lab and Barro Colorado Island

Kim Hunter Salisbury University Multi-modal communication Gamboa

Ivonne Meuche and Lara Vogel Purdue University Investigación de las vibraciones del sustrato causado por el movimiento de los dedos de la rana túngara Gamboa

Isaac Magallanes University of Florida PCP PIRE: Paleontology of the Canal of Panama Center for Tropical Paleoecology Jon Harrison Arizona State University Physiological & Behavioral Effects of Miniaturization in Stingless Bees Panama Selina Ruzi University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Seed chemistry as a factor influencing ant-mediated seed dispersal Part II Gamboa, Tupper and Barro Colorado Island

PUBLICATIONS Heineman, K. D., Russo, S. E., Baillie, I. C., Mamit, J. D., Chai, P. P. K., Chai, L., Hindley, E. W., Lau, B. T., Tan, S. and Ashton, P. S. 2015. Influence of tree size, taxonomy, and edaphic conditions on heart rot in mixed-dipterocarp Bornean rainforests: implications for aboveground biomass estimates. Biogeosciences Discussions, 12(9): 6821-6861.doi:10.5194/ bgd-12-6821-2015 Dos Santos, S. P., Ibáñez, R. and Ron, S. R. 2015. Systematics of the Rhinella margaritifera complex (Anura, Bufonidae) from western Ecuador and Panama with insights in the biogeography of Rhinellaalata. Zookeys, 501: 109-145. doi:10.3897/zookeys.501.8604 Silva, P. d., Miranda, R. and Bernal, X. E. 2015. First report of mite parasitization in frog-biting midges (Corethrella species).

International Journal of Acarology, doi:10.1 080/01647954.2015.1046922

Hannah Wilson and Gina Zwicky Tulane University Behavioral Ecology of Northern and Wattled Jacana Hybridization Continuation Gamboa Betzi Pérez-Ortega Universidad Argentina de la Empresa Laura May-Collado, Julia Kuppermann, Alexandra Wilcon, Sarah Weiss, Christian DeRoy, Zachary Craig, Marlena Tremback, Marisa Beanland, Heather Daszkiewicz, Angel Roe, Ophelia Macdonald and Breanna DeVito University of Vermont

Field Course - University of Vermont Marine Mammal Biology Bocas Del Toro Gephen Sadove, Michael Kedenburg, Gina Roberti, Magallanes, Michael Ziegler and Paris Morgan University of Florida Maria Urdaneta, Sergio Díaz, Rocio Jaimes, Juan Meza, Alejandro Fernandez, Felipe Lamus, Carolina Ortiz and Ferri Fabio Universidad de los Andes Field Course - Field camp Universidad de los Andes Panama Sophie Picq GEOMAR Kiel Justin Lesser Northeastern University Pairing Dynamics and the Origin of Species Bocas Del Toro

DEPARTURES Matthew Larsen To Puerto Rico To attend the annuaal board meeting of the Luquillo Critical Zone Observatory (LCZO) Kristin Saltonstall To Providence, Rhode Island To attend the annual Society for Wetland Scientists meeting to co-chair a symposium and give a talk Jacob Slusser To Chitré, Herrera and to Pedasi, Los Santos To present at the 1st National Central Province Milk Producers Congress and conduct ELTI Leadership Program visits

Rachel Collin To Miami, FL For the CARICOMP II, planning meeting Ira Rubinoff To Nairobi, Kenya To attend Mpala Meetings Felix Rodríguez To Bocas Del Toro, Isla Colón For a safety Inspection of Bocas Del Toro Research Station Laboratory Facilities Rodolfo Flores To Sarasota, FL To the Selby Botanical Garden to study Myrtaceae plant family Héctor Guzmán To Changuinola, Bocas Del Toro To tag Leatherback Turtles

Luis Turner To Bocas Del Toro, Isla Colón To review mail services at the Bocas Del Toro Research Station Raúl De León To Bocas Del Toro, Isla Colón For equipment maintenance

BIODIVERSITY DAY / DÍA DE LA BIODIVERSIDAD

On May 22, 50 students and 3 teachers from the Faculty of Biology of the University of Panama in Changuinola visited STRI’s station in Bocas Del Toro to celebrate Biodiversity Day with the scientific staff. Students had the opportunity to meet two of the scientists and also to learn a little more about the marine diversity around them.

Flor Santiago gave a presentation on the diversity of echinoderms, focusing on the sea cucumbers and their ecological, economic importance and current situation in Latin America.

Jan Vicente spoke about the ecological value of marine sponges, their biodiversity and the impact climate change could have on their survival.

El 22 de mayo, 50 estudiantes y 3 docentes de la facultad de Biología de la Universidad de Panamá en Changuinola visitaron la Estación del Smithsonian en Bocas del Toro para celebrar el día de la Biodiversidad junto al personal científico. Los estudiantes tuvieron la oportunidad de conocer a dos de los científicos, además de conocer un poco más de la diversidad marina que les rodea.

Flor Santiago dio una presentación sobre la diversidad de equinodermos, enfocándose principalmente en los pepinos de mar y su importancia ecológica, económica y su situación actual en latino américa.

Jan Vicente habló sobre el valor ecológico de las esponjas marinas, su biodiversidad y como el cambio climático podría afectar su supervivencia.