STRI news Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panam? www.stri.org July 18, 2003 Panamanian president inaugurates Culebra's turtle pond and marine exhibits Panama's president Mireya Moscoso, in company of STRI director Ira Rubinoff and Liriola Pitti, director of IPAT, Panama's National Institute for Tourism, inaugurated STRI's sea turtle glass- pond and exhibit Marine turtles: mysterious navigators at Culebra's Marine Exhibition Center, on Wednesday, July 16. The pond-sponsored by IPAT has a capacity of 8,500gal of water. It houses five juvenile turtles: three Ertemochelys imbicata, a Lepidochelys olivacea and a Chelonia mydas or green trutle on loan from Galeta Marine Lab. They are fed fish, crabs and squid. Sharing the tank and the public limelight are a small shark and other marine organisms. Two adittional exhibits were inaugurated that day at Culebra Panama: abundance of fish based on the book by Allen and Robertson Fishes of the tropical eastern Pacific, and a lovely collection of oil paintings by architect Julio Chu, From the reef. Visit the new exhibits Tuesday to Friday 1-5pm and Saturday and Sunday 10am-6pm. La presidenta de Panam? Mireya Moscoso, en compa??a del director de STRI Ira Rubinoff y Liriola Pitt?, directora del Instituto Paname?o de Turismo (IPAT), inaugur? un estanque de vidrio para tortugas y la exhibici?n Tortugas marinas: navegantes misteriosas en el Centro de Exhibiciones Marinas de STRI en Punta Culebra, el mi?rcoles 16 de julio. El estanque?financiado por el IPAT? tiene capacidad para 8,500gal de agua. Actualmente alberga cinco tortugas juveniles, tres Ertemochelys imbicata, una Lepidochelys olivacea y una Chelonia mydas prestada de Galeta. Se les alimenta con peces, caracoles y calamares. Actualmente comparten el estanque y el ojo de p?blico con un peque?o tibur?n y otros organismos marinos. Tambi?n se inauguraron dos nuevas exhibiciones marinas: Panam?: abundancia de peces, basada en el libro de Allen y Robertson Peces del Pac?fico oriental tropical, y una hermosa colecci?n de pinturas del arquitecto Julio Ch?, Desde el arrecife. Visite las nuevas exhibiciones de martes a viernes de 1 a 5pm y los s?bados y domingos de 10am-6pm. Special seminar Tuesday, July 22, STRI?s Center for Tropical Forest Science will hold the Neotropical Tree Species Distribution Symposium from 8:30am-4:30pm, at the Tupper Center Auditorium. See the program on p.4. Bambi seminar Thursday, July 24, Bambi seminar speaker will be Luitgard Schwendenmann, University of Wyoming Soil organic carbon dynamics in a tropical wet forest Arrivals Beatriz Baker, University of Missouri at St. Louis, Jul 19 - Aug 24, to work with Michael Kaspari, on BCI. Jenitta Kwong and Katherine Beebe, Princeton University, Jul 20 - Aug 3, to work with Michaela Hau, in Gamboa. Laura Graham and Laura Sperce, Cambridge University, UK, Jul 22 - Sep 16, to work with Edmund Tanner, on BCI. Jos? Dorias and Maria Jos? Darias C?ceres, Instituto de Ciencias Marinas, Spain, Jul 22 - 28, to study new biomolecules from selected marine species, on the Urrac?. Sarah Benfield, Heriot-Watt University, July 22 - Aug 19, to participate in a Urrac?- Darwin inititive Perlas Expedition. She will be posted at Naos. Rebecca Jordan, Princeton University, Jul 23 - 30, to study sensory bias for dorsal fin morphology in Poecilia Sewall Wright Award to West- Eberhard Dan Simberloff, president of he American Society of Naturalists (ASN) presented STRI staff scientist Mary Jane West Eberhard with the 2003 Sewall Wright Award at the awards banquet of ASN, the Society for the Study of Evolution, and the Society for Systematic Biology, on June 24. The Sewall Wright Awards is given by the American Society of Naturalists to a senior (but still active) investigator of any nationality who has made major contributions to further the conceptual unification of the biological sciences. The award, sometimes called ?the ultimate in peer review for an established evolutionary biologist?, was created in 1991 in honor of evolutionary biologist Sewall Wright. The Sewall Wright Award joins a number of other honors that West-Eberhard has received, including membership in both the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. As a member of the former, West-Eberhard serves on the Committee on Human Rights for her third term, and she is active in promoting the careers of young scientists, particularly those doing work in Latin America. (Photo: courtesy of Neal G. Smith) Dan Simberloff, presidente de la Sociedad de Naturalistas de los Estados Unidos (ASN) hizo entrega del premio Sewall Wright 2003 a Mary Jane West-Eberhard , cient?fica de STRI, durante la gala de premios de ASN, la Sociedad para el Estudio de la Evoluci?n, y la Sociedad de Biolog?a Sistem?tica, el 24 de junio. El premio Sewall Wright se otorga a investigadores ?senior? (que est?n activos) de cualquier nacionalidad que hayan hecho grandes contribuciones para avanzar la unificaci?n conceptual de las ciencias biol?gicas. El premio, que con frecuencia es llamado ?lo ?ltimo en aceptaci?n acad?mica para un biol?gico evolucionista establecido? fue creado en 1991 para honrar al bi?logo evolucionista Sewall Wright. Este premio se suma a otros honores que West- Eberhard ha recibido, incluyendo la membres?a en la Academia Nacional de Ciencias de los Estados Unidos y la Academia de Artes y Ciencias de los Estados Unidos. Como miembro de esta ?ltima, West-Eberhard sirve en el Comit? de Derechos Humanos por tercera vez, y es activa en la promoci?n de cient?ficos j?venes, particularmente aquellos que hacen trabajos en Am?rica Latina. New appointment at OCAPP Public information officer M?nica Alvarado was appointed deputy director of the Office for Communications and Public Programs (OCAPP), last week. Alvarado started working for STRI in 1988, and since then, she has served as administrator assistant to director Ira Rubinoff, protocol officer, transition coordinator when STRI adopted the Panamanian labor code in 2000, and public information officer. Alvarado has a B.S. and master?s degrees in business administration from the University of New Orleans. In this new position, she will continue to direct STRI's Public Information Office and will also provide managerial assistance to OCAPP director Stanley Heckadon Moreno. We wish her success with her new role. More arrivals Leonel Sternberg, University of Miami, Jul 25 - Aug 1, to study the uptake of nutrients from leaf-cutter ant nets, on BCI. Jeffrey Sossa, SI?s National Museum of Natural History, Jul 25 - Aug 21, to work with Ted Schultz, in Gamboa. John Clark, George Washington University, Jul 25 - Aug 16, to study the systematics of the neotropical plant genus Alloplecties (Gesneriaceae), at Fortuna. Departures Aaron O'Dea, CTPA, Jul 18 - Aug 1, to the UK, to assist in conservation field work and vacation. William Wcislo, Jul 20 - Aug 1, to Chanela, Mexico, to discuss collaboration reserch and to visit the Chamela Biological Station. New publications Christy, John H. 2003. "Reproductive timing and larval dispersal of intertidal crabs: the predator avoidance hypothesis." Revista Chilena de Historia Natural 76: 177-185. Christy, John H., Baum, Julia K., and Backwell, Patricia R. Y. 2003. "Attractiveness of sand hoods built by courting male fiddler crabs, Uca musica: test of a sensory trap hypothesis." Animal Behaviour 65(Online). Harrison, Rhett D. 2003. "Fig wasp dispersal and the stability of a keystone plant resource in Borneo." Proceedings of the Royal Society (London) B Online. American Ambassador Linda E. Watt, Elena Lombardo and Anthony G. Coates. M?nica Alvarado, directora de la Oficina de Divulgaci?n de STRI, fue nombrada subdirectora de la Oficina de Comunicaciones y Programas P?blicos (OCAPP), la semana pasada. Alvarado empez? a trabajar en STRI en 1988, y desde entonces ha servido como asistente administrativa del director Ira Rubinoff, directora de Protocolo, y cordinadora de la transici?n en 2000 cuando STRI asumi? el c?digo laboral paname?o. Alvarado tiene una licenciatura y una maestr?a en administraci?n de negocios ambas de la Universidad de Nueva Orleans. En esta nueva posici?n seguir? dirigiendo la Oficina de Divulgaci?n, y tambi?n prestar? apoyo gerencial al director de OCAPP Stanley Heckadon Moreno. Le deseamos ?xito en sus nuevas funciones. Coates presents Paseo Pantera Anthony G. Coates presented the book Paseo Pantera: Una historia de la naturaleza y cultura de Centroam?rica at the American Embassy in Panama, on Tuesday, July 15. Paseo Pantera, the version in Spanish of Central America: A natural and cultural history, edited by STRI scientist emeritus and former deputy director Anthony G. Coates is the first Spanish book published by the Smithsonian Institution Press. This publication has been dedicated by its authors to the Republic of Panama in the year of its centennial celebrations, as a contribution to understanding the rich biodiversity of the Isthmus. The book was previously published in English by Yale University Press. The book is selling at the STRI bookstore for $24.95. Anthony G. Coates present? el libro Paseo Pantera: Una historia de la naturaleza y cultura de Centroam?rica en la Embajada de Estados Unidos en Panam?, el martes 15 de julio. Paseo Pantera, la versi?n en espa?ol de Central America: A natural and cultural history, editada por el cient?fico em?rito y antiguo subdirector de STRI Anthony G. Coates, es el primer libro en espa?ol publicado por Smithsonian Institution Press. Esta publicaci?n ha sido dedicada por sus autores a la Rep?blica de Panam?, en el a?o de la celebraci?n de su centenario. El libro fue publicado previamente en ingl?s por Yale University Press. Est? a la venta en la Librer?a de STRI por $24.95. Neotropical Tree Species Distribution Symposium 8:45am Ira Rubinoff - Welcome to STRI 9am Richad Condit 9:15am Jerome Chave: Maps of tree diversity 9:45am Tom Hollowell: Sampling biodiversity. Perspective from Guyana 10:15am Break 10:30am C?sar Mar?n: Knowledge status of the flora of Colombian Amazonia 11am To be announced 11:30am Recess 12m Nigel Pitman: Macroecology of western Amazonian trees 1pm Lunch 2pm Mireya Correa: The status of knowledge of the flora of Panama 2:30pm K. Ruokolainen: Bringing together Neotropical tree inventory data sets: suggestions to do it in a quick and not so dirty way 3pm Break 3:15pm Alvaro Duque: Towards a single data base of trees in Colombian Amazonia: some preliminary results 4pm Richard Condit Upcoming...Soils symposium We tread on it, trees grow in it, water flows through it, it is fundamental it is basic (often acidic), but what do we really know about it? We announce a symposium dedicated to soil related research at STRI Friday, August 1 starting 10am Barbeque and drinks to follow at 5 p.m. More publications Hubbell, Stephen P. 2003. "Foundations of Tropical Forest Biology edited by Robin L. Chazdon and Tim C. Whitmore" [Book review]. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 18(7): 321-322. Jennions, Michael D., Backwell, Patricia R. Y., Murai, Minoru, and Christy, John H. 2003. "Hiding behaviour in fiddler crabs: how long should prey hide in response to a potential predator?" Animal Behaviour 65(Online). Tyree, Melvin T., Engelbrecht, Bettina M.J., Vargas, Gustavo, and Kursar, Thomas A. 2003. "Desiccation tolerance of five tropical seedlings in Panama. Relationship to a field assessment of drought performance." Plant Physiology 132(3): 1439?1447. Vincent, A., and Davies, Stuart J. 2003. "Effects of nutrient addition, mulching and planting-hole size on early performance of Dryobalanops aromatica and Shorea parvifolia in enrichment plantings in Sarawak, Malaysia." Forest Ecology and Management 180(1-3): 261-271. Correction To STRI news, July 11, 2003 STRI and the Organization of Tropical Studies (OTS) completed their five-week graduate course on Tropical Marine Ecology on July 18, on Bocas del Toro. Instructors at Achiotines included Ilka Feller and Rachel Borgatti from SI?s Environmental Research Center, John Pearse from the University of California at Santa Cruz and Ricardo Thompson, Tim Carruthers and Juan L. Mat?, from STRI.