Tupper 4pm seminar
Tue, May 29, 4pm seminar
speaker will be Christopher
Dick, University of Michigan
Extreme long distance
dispersal of tropical
rainforest trees
Paleo-Talk
Wed, May 30, 4pm Paleo-Talk
speaker will be Vandana
Prasad, Birbal Sahni Institute
of Paleobotany Lucknow,
India, at the CTPA
Biostratigraphy and sea
level changes across
Paleocene-Eocene
boundary at paleoequatorial
zone: A case study from
Meghalaya, north eastern
Himalayas
Bambi seminar
Thu, May 31, Bambi seminar
speaker will be Dina
Dechmann, Leibniz Institute
for Zoo and Wildlife Research
Mating system and dis-
persal patterns in a bat with
an unusual roost choice
Arriving next week
Stephen Yanoviak, University
of Florida, to study the
behavior and ecology of
tropical canopy ants, on BCI.
Andrew Kah, to photograph
ants, on BCI. 
Myra Hughey, Boston
University, to study the
predator disruption of natural
hatching: consequences of
plasticity in hatching time, in
Gamboa.
Jon Seal, Universt?t
Regensburg, to study the
phylogeography of the
facultative clonal ant,
Platythyrea punctata, in Gamboa.
Sebastian Wolf, to study the
sustainable agroforestry for
carbon sequestration to
improve livelihood in the
tropics, at Tupper.
 STRI news
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panam?        www.stri.org        May 25, 2007
?The world is moving
towards us?: Bermingham
?No big surprises...but better
times for STRI? forecasted
acting director Eldredge ?Biff?
Bermingham when he
addressed the community on
Wed, May 23 in his first town
meeting.
During the past seven years the
Smithsonian focused on its
facilities, with no big budget
increases to science. With acting
secretary Cristi?n Samper and
undersecretary for Science Ira
Rubinoff the future for science
looks promising at SI.
?Our relationship with our host
country is better than ever...?
highlighting the government
support through SENACYT
that has injected funds to
conduct research at STRI, and
our partnership with many
institutions in Panama, like
ANAM.
Bermingham also highlighted
two new major projects. From a
worldwide point of view, the
new SI Global Earth
Observatories (see proposed
map in page 4). ?The world is
moving towards us? stated
Bermingham indicating the
need countries and decision
makers have for scientific
information, in order to predict
the effects of climate change.
He also mentioned the
opportunities the expansion of
the Panama Canal will offer
scientists interested in the
geology of Central Panama.
Bermingham also welcomed
new members of the
community, acknowledged the
support of the scientific and
administrative staff and
encouraged them to pursue
?our much celebrated
intellectual curiosity.?
?No hay grandes sorpresas...
pero tiempos mejores para
STRI? vaticin? el director
interino de STRI, Eldredge
?Biff? Bermigham cuando se
dirigi? a la comunidad de STRI
el mi?rcoles, 23 de mayo en su
primera asamblea general.
Durante los ?ltimos siete a?os
el Smithsonian se enfoc? en sus
instalaciones, sin grandes
aumentos en el rengl?n de la
ciencia. Con el secretario
interino Cristi?n Samper y el
sub-secretario para Ciencias, Ira
Rubinoff, el futuro de las
ciencias en SI se ve prometedor.
?Nuestra relaci?n con nuestro
pa?s anfitri?n est? mejor que
nunca...? destacando el apoyo
del gobierno a trav?s de
SENACYT, que ha inyectado
fondos para llevar a cabo
investigaciones en STRI, y
nuestra asociaci?n con muchas
instituciones paname?as como
la ANAM.
Bermingham tambi?n destac?
dos nuevos proyectos de gran
envergadura. Desde el punto de
vista mundial, los nuevos
Observatorios Globales de la
Tierra (ver mapa propuesto en
p?gina 4) ?El mundo se mueve
hacia nosotros? sentenci?
Bermingham indicando la
necesidad que los pa?ses y
tomadores de decisiones tienen
de informaci?n cient?fica, para
preveer los efectos del cambio
clim?tico. Tambi?n mencion?
las oportunidades que la
expansi?n del Canal de Panam?
ofrecer? a los cient?ficos
interesados en la geolog?a de
Panam? central
Bermingham le di? la
bienvenida a nuevos miembros
de la comunidad, agradeci? el
apoyo del personal cient?fico y
administrativo y los anim? a
mantener ?nuestra muy
celebrada curiosidad
intelectual.?
Departures
Fernando Pascal spent this
week in Washington DC, on
official business at SI.
Edmundo Rodriguez attended
a COTR refreshment course
in Washington DC this week.
New publications
Berghoff, Stefanie M., and
Franks, Nigel R. 2007. "First
record of the army ant
Cheliomyrmex morosusin Panama
and its high associate
diversity." Biotropica Online.
D'Croz, Luis, and O'Dea,
Aaron. 2007. "Variability in
upwelling along the Pacific
shelf of Panama and
implications for the
distribution of nutrients and
chlorophyll." Estuarine, Coastal
and Shelf Science 73(1-2):
325-340
Forschler, Marc I, and Kalko,
Elisabeth K. V. 2007. "Geo-
graphical differentiation,
acoustic adaptation and spe-
cies boundaries in mainland
citril finches and insular
Corsican finches, superspecies
Carduelis [citrinella]" Journal of
Biogeography Online.
Medianero, Enrique, Castano
M., Gabriela, Tishechkin, A.,
Basset, Yves, Barrios, Hector,
Odegaard, Frode, Cline, A.R.,
and Bail, J. 2007. "Influence of
local illumination and plant
composition on the spatial
and seasonal distribution of
litter-dwelling arthropods in a
tropical rainforest." Pedobiologia
51(2): 131-145.
Wells, K., Kalko, Elisabeth K.
V., Lakim, M.B., and Pfeiffer,
Martin. 2007. "Effects of rain
forest logging on species
richness and assemblage
composition of small
mammals in Southeast Asia."
Journal of Biogeography 34(6):
1087-1099.
Workshop to write
scientific proposals for
Panamanian students
The Office of Academic
Programs is organizing a third
workshop on how to write
successful scientific proposals,
for Panamanian university
students, from May 31 to Jun 1.
STRI postdoctoral fellows and
Library personnel will serve as
instructors with the support of
the University of Panama.
Interested please write to
N?lida Gomez at
gomezn@si.edu
La Oficina de
Programas Acad?micos de
STRI llevar? a cabo el tercer
taller sobre redacci?n de
propuestas cient?ficas exitosas
para estudiantes paname?os, del
31 de mayo al 1ro de junio.
Becarios posdoctorales  y
personal de la Biblioteca de
STRI participar?n como
instructores del taller, con el
apoyo de la Universidad de
Panam?. Los interesados 
pueden escribir a N?lida 
G?mez: gomez@si.edu
HSBC Panama
maintains
support to
educational
program at
Culebra
HSBC Panama, member of
Fundaci?n Smithsonian de
Panam?, presented a check with
the necessary funds to maintain
the educational program ?T? y
el Mar con el Smithsonian?
[You and the Sea with the
Smithsonian] at STRI's Nature
Center at Punta Culebra. HSBC
Panam? started funding this
program in 2003. In 2006 ?T? y
el Mar with the Smithsonian?
received more than 23,000
students from pre-school to
middle school.
The photo shows Joseph
Salterio (right) presenting the
donation to STRI director
Eldredge Bermingham, on
Monday, May 21, at STRI?s
Nature Center in Punta Culebra
at the Amador Causeway.
El Banco HSBC Panam?,
miembro de la Fundaci?n
Smithsonian de Panama, hizo
entrega de cheque para 
mantener el patrocinio del
programa educativo ?T? y el
Mar con el Smithsonian?? en el
Centro Natural de Punta
Culebra de STRI. HSBC
Panam? empez? a financiar este
programa en 2003. En 2006, T?
y el Mar con el Smithsonian?
recibi? m?s de 23,000
estudiantes desde pre-escolar
hasta educaci?n media.
La foto muestra a Joseph
Salterio (a la derecha) haciendo
entrega de la donaci?n al
director de STRI, Eldredge
Bermingham, el lunes, 21 de
mayo, en el Centro Natural de
Punta Culebra de STRI en la
Calzada de Amador.
 May 28 - June 3          Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama              Special Calendar
Monday 28 Tuesday 29 Wed 30 Thursday, 31 Friday 1st Sat  2  Sun 3
Holiday in
Washington DC
Workshop on how to write
scientific proposals e
C T P A :  P a l y n o l o g i c a l   W o r k s h o p   (P o l l e n  g r a i n s ) e 
e By registration      * By invitation                    U Open                    K Everybody is encouraged to attend
Global Marine Species Assessment Workshop:
Eastern Tropical Pacific Fishes 
A group of 25 marine biologists
met in Panama from May 21-25
to hold the Global Marine
Species Assessment Workshop:
Eastern Tropical Pacific Shore
Fishes. The specialists, from
Peru, Ecuador, Colombia,
Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua,
El Salvador, US, Australia,
Brazil and France aim to
evaluate if more than 1200
species of regional shore fishes
are vulnerable or threatened.
Panama was selected for the
workshop for having the richest
biodiversity in coastal fishes in
the region of the Tropical
Eastern Pacific, and home to
many endemic species in the
Gulf of Panama and the Gulf of
Chiriqui. According to the
scientists, Panama is privileged
for its rich diversity. Three
representatives from ARAP
were invited to participate at the
event.
This assessment was the first
global review of the
conservation status of every
marine vertebrate species, and
of selected invertebrates and
plants, to analyze its populations
and design strategies for long
term conservation.
The project involves a range of
partners in compiling and
analyzing all existing data on
approximately 20,000 marine
species, and will determine the
risk of extinction according to
the IUCN Red List Categories
and Criteria. 
The International Union for the
Conservation of Nature and
Natural Resources (IUCN) Red
List of Threatened Species,
created in 1963, is the world's
most comprehensive inventory
of the global conservation status
of plant and animal species.
The Red List is set upon precise
criteria to evaluate the extinction
risk of thousands of species and
subspecies. These criteria are
relevant to all species and all
regions of the world. The aim is
to convey the urgency of
conservation issues to the public
and policy makers, as well as
help the international
community to try to reduce
species extinction.
In Panama, the event was
co-organized by STRI?s Hector
Guzm?n and scientists from the
Global Marine Species
Assessment Project, the Species
Survival Commission of the
IUCN and Conservation
International. STRI?s Ross
Robertson and Gerald Allen,
West Australian Museum, are
co-authors of the interactive
DVD Fishes of the Tropical
Eastern Pacific, published in
2006, which served as the
primary data base for the
Workshop. 
Un grupo de 25 bi?logos
marinos se reuni? en Panam?
del 21 al 25 de mayo en el Taller
de Evaluaci?n Global de
Especies Marinas: Peces
Costeros del Pac?fico Oriental
Tropical. Los especialistas
provenientes de  Per?, Ecuador,
Colombia, Panam?, Costa Rica,
Nicaragua, El Salvador, Estados
Unidos, Australia, Brasil y
Francia buscan revisar y
determinar si m?s de 1,200
especies de peces costeros de
esta zona son vulnerables y se
encuentran en peligro de
extinci?n. 
Panam? fue seleccionado como
sede del por tener la mayor
diversidad de peces costeros de
toda la regi?n del Pac?fico
Oriental Tropical y cuna de
numerosas especies end?micas
que habitan los grandes Golfos
de Panam? y Chiriqu?. Los
especialistas consideran esta
abundancia de diversidad como
un privilegio.  Tres
representantes de la Autoridad
de los Recursos Acu?ticos de
Panam? participaron como
invitados al evento. 
La revisi?n fue la primera a nivel
global sobre el estado de
conservaci?n de todas las
especies de vertebrados marinos
y de algunos invertebrados y
plantas en el mundo, para
analizar el estado actual de sus
poblaciones y planificar su
conservaci?n y protecci?n a
largo plazo.
Este proyecto se ejecuta con la
participaci?n de colaboradores
que recogen y analizan todos los
datos existentes para cerca de
20,000 especies marinas. El
mismo busca determinar el
riesgo de extinci?n de acuerdo a
las categor?as y criterios mundia-
les de la Lista Roja de la Uni?n
Internacional para la Conserva-
ci?n de la Naturaleza, IUCN.
Creada en 1963, la Lista Roja de
la IUCN es el inventario m?s
extenso que existe sobre el
estado de conservaci?n de
especies de plantas y animales
alrededor del mundo.
La Lista Roja se basa en criterios
precisos para evaluar el riego de
extinci?n de miles de especies y
subespecies. Estos criterios se
usan para todas las regiones del
mundo. El objetivo de la Lista
Roja es divulgar la urgencia de la
conservaci?n al p?blico y a los
tomadores de decisiones, y a la
vez ayudar a la comunidad
internacional a reducir las
extinciones de especies. 
En Panama,el evento fue co-
organizado por H?ctor
Guzm?n, de STRI, y cient?ficos
de Global Marine Species
Assessment Project, Species
Survival Commission of the
IUCN y Conservation
International.  Ross Robertson,
de STRI y Gerald Allen, West
Australian Museum, son co-
autores del DVD interactivo
Fishes of the Tropical Eastern
Pacific, published in 2006, which
served as the primary data base
for the Workshop. 
  S M I T H S O N I A N   T R O P I C A L   R E S E A R C H   I N S T I T U TE ,    M A Y    25 ,   2 0 0 7
Smithsonian Institution
Global Earth Observatories
(SIGEO)