The Structure of Tropical Forests in Panama and Colombia

Abstract

In 1966, the University of Georgia Institute of Ecology contracted with Battelle Memorial Institute, Columbus, Ohio, to carry out studies in terrestrial ecology in Panama and Colombia. These studies were part of the Interoceanic Sea-Level Canal Feasibility Study authorized under Public Law 88-609, 88th Congress. One object of the feasibility study was to determine the best route and the feasibility of constructing a sea-level canal between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans by nuclear excavation. The objective of the University of Georgia Terrestrial Ecology program was to determine the routes to man and the uptake of radionuclides by man in terrestrial ecosystems. Analysis of the movement of radioisotopes through terrestrial ecosystems required information on the concentration and cycling of stable elements. Since radioactive tracers could not be used and present fallout levels in the ecosystems of interest were very low, it was necessary to follow the cycle of the stable elements. For the study of cycling in the terrestrial ecosystems, information on the kinds of ecosystems, on their biomass, and on mineral standing crops was