Ecuadorian Rainforest Research Articles

Zur Kenntnis der Eugamasides Karg mit neuen Arten aus den Regenwäldern von Ecuador (Acarina, Parasitiformes)

To the knowledge of the Eugamasides Karg with new species from the rain-forests of Ecuador (Acarina, Parasitiformes) From Ecuador 25 new species are described and documented by differential diagnoses and keys for identification and by figures. One new genus and one new subgenus are established. The zoogeography and the origin of the Eugamasides in the Cretaceous period is discussed. A cladogram is provided. The Parasitoidea are a specialized branch arised from the Rhodacaroidea forming together the subcohors Eugamasides.

Tropical Andean forest derives calcium and magnesium from Saharan dust

We quantified base metal deposition to Amazonian montane rain forest in Ecuador between May 1998 and April 2003 and assessed the response of the base metal budget of three forested microcatchments (8–13 ha). There was a strong interannual variation in deposition of Ca [4.4–29 kg ha−1 a−1], Mg [1.6–12], and K [9.8–30]). High deposition changed the Ca and Mg budgets of the catchments from loss to retention, suggesting that the additionally available Ca and Mg was used by the ecosystem. Increased base metal deposition was related to dust outbursts of the Sahara and an Amazonian precipitation pattern with trans‐regional dry spells allowing for dust transport to the Andes. The increased base metal deposition coincided with a strong La Niña event in 1999/2000.

Implementation and evaluation of a low-cost telemedicine station in the remote Ecuadorian rainforest

A clinical workstation was developed to provide basic telemedicine services in a medical clinic in rural Ecuador. The unit cost was less than $1000. The system provided videoconferencing and a Spanish language electronic medical record (EMR) for clinic consultations. All partners participated in the development of the EMR. Over a six-month period, almost all new patient encounters and ultrasound studies were entered into the EMR. Of 2387 patient encounters, 572 were recorded in electronic format and 80% were transmitted over the Internet for consultation. Four hundred and eight ultrasound studies were filed with the EMR and 90% were transmitted over the Internet for shared evaluation. During the six months of the study, there were no serious software or hardware problems. The doctor in Ecuador was initially trained at the laboratory in the USA. The two sites were in contact by email almost daily. Without such interaction, the performance of the software and hardware would probably have been worse. When a structured programme of instruction, protocols, EMR and technology support is in place, telemedicine can support remote rural practice.

WOUND BOTULISM ACQUIRED IN THE AMAZONIAN RAIN FOREST OF ECUADOR

Wound botulism results from colonization of a contaminated wound by Clostridium botulinum and the anaerobic in situ production of a potent neurotoxin. Between 1943, when wound botulism was first recognized, and 1990, 47 laboratory-confirmed cases, mostly trauma-associated, were reported in the United States. Since 1990, wound botulism associated with injection drug use emerged as the leading cause of wound botulism in the United States; 210 of 217 cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention between 1990 and 2002 were associated with drug injection. Despite the worldwide distribution of Clostridium botulinum spores, wound botulism has been reported only twice outside the United States, Europe, and Australia. However, wound botulism may go undiagnosed and untreated in many countries. We report two cases, both with type A toxin, from the Ecuadorian rain forest. Prompt clinical recognition, supportive care, and administration of trivalent equine botulinum antitoxin were life-saving.

Transnational Operations, Bi-National Injustice: Chevrontexaco and Indigenous Huaorani and Kichwa in the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador

Transnational Operations, Bi-National Injustice: Chevrontexaco and Indigenous Huaorani and Kichwa in the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador

Biomass Burning in the Amazon-Fertilizer for the Mountaineous Rain Forest in Ecuador (7 pp)

Biomass burning is a source of carbon, sulfur and nitrogen compounds which, along with their photochemically generated reaction products, can be transported over very long distances, even traversing oceans. Chemical analyses of rain and fogwater samples collected in the mountaineous rain forest of south Ecuador show frequent episodes of high sulfate and nitrate concentration, from which annual deposition rates are derived comparable to those found in polluted central Europe. As significant anthropogenic sources are lacking at the research site it is suspected that biomass burning upwind in the Amazon basin is the major source of the enhanced sulfate and nitrate imput. Regular rain and fogwater sampling along an altitude profile between 1800 and 3185 m has been carried out in the Podocarpus National Park close to the Rio SanFrancisco (3 degrees 58'S, 79 degrees 5'W) in southern Ecuador. pH values, electrical conductivity and chemical ion composition were measured at the TUM-WZW using standard methods. Results reported cover over one year from March 2002 until May 2003. Annual deposition rates of sulfate were calculated ranging between 4 and 13 kg S/ha year, almost as high as in polluted central Europe. Nitrogen deposition via ammonia (1.5-4.4 kg N/ha year) and nitrate (0.5-0.8 kg N/ha year) was found to be lower but still much higher than to be expected in such pristine natural forest environment. By means of back trajectory analyses it can be shown that most of the enhanced sulfur and nitrogen deposition is most likely due to forest fires far upwind of the ecuadorian sampling site, showing a seasonal variation, with sources predominantly found in the East/North East during January-March (Colombia, Venezuala, Northern Brazil) and East/SouthEast during July-September (Peru, Brazil). Our results show that biomass burning in the Amazon basin is the predominant source of sulfur and nitrogen compounds that fertilize the mountaineous rain forest in south Ecuador. The mountaineous rain forest in south Ecuador has developed on poor and acid soils, with low nutrient availability. The additional ferilization resulting from anthropogenic biomass burning constitutes a significant disturbance of this ecosystem, its functioning and biodiversity. Thus it is planned to employ isotope analyses for quantifying the pathways. of nitrate and sulfate deposition in these natural forests.

Acquisition and Evaluation of Radiography Images by Digital Camera

To determine applicability of low-cost digital imaging for different radiographic modalities used in consultations from remote areas of the Ecuadorian rainforest with limited resources, both medical and financial. Low-cost digital imaging, consisting of hand-held digital cameras, was used for image capture at a remote location. Diagnostic radiographic images were captured in Ecuador by digital camera and transmitted to a password-protected File Transfer Protocol (FTP) server at VCU Medical Center in Richmond, Virginia, using standard Internet connectivity with standard security. After capture and subsequent transfer of images via low-bandwidth Internet connections, attending radiologists in the United States compared diagnoses to those from Ecuador to evaluate quality of image transfer. Corroborative diagnoses were obtained with the digital camera images for greater than 90% of the plain film and computed tomography studies. Ultrasound (U/S) studies demonstrated only 56% corroboration. Images of radiographs captured utilizing commercially available digital cameras can provide quality sufficient for expert consultation for many plain film studies for remote, underserved areas without access to advanced modalities.

Who Steals the Eggs? Coprophanaeus Telamon (Erichson) Buries Decomposing Eggs in Western Amazonian Rain Forest (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

The necrophagous dung beetle Coprophanaeus telamon (Erichson 1847) buried decomposing hen eggs in the rain forest of Ecuador. We suppose that the volatiles 2-butanone, cresol, indole, skatole, and butyric acid are responsible for attracting Coprophanaeus because these components of dung odour attract dung beetles and are also present in rotten eggs. A number of them are also produced by bacterial spoilage of raw meat. Abandoned clutches, infertile eggs or eggs with dead embryos of ground-nesting birds may be used as a resource by dung beetles.

Sapling Diversity in Canopy Gaps in an Ecuadorian Rain Forest

Abstract In a “terra firme” rain forest (Amazonian Ecuador) we quantified the species abundance distribution, gap size, gap isolation, sapling diversity, and gap community similarity for 24 initial gap communities. The pooled community distributions showed a log-series distribution, mainly because 2-D space was partitioned during the forest cycle's first stages, and randomness is accepted as influencing both species arrival and gap formation. Gap size interacted with species richness and evenness due to the low species abundances. The species composition in each gap was an almost unique set: on average, a gap shared <20% of its species with any other gap. A cluster analysis confirmed this observation: the first fusion occurred at a similarity level of 0.42, which related to <27% of common species. Despite this high intergap dissimilarity, association analysis showed that 33.7% of all pairwise gap comparisons represented a significant association, indicating that more species were in common than expected with random assumptions. A principal components analysis revealed three dimensions in the data; sapling diversity, community similarity, and gap size were found to be independent of gap isolation. The uniqueness of the communities in terms of sapling composition highlights the value of gaps for conservation.

Snakebites in the rainforests of Ecuador.

Epidemiologic information about snakebites in Ecuador is scarce. Snakebites are more common in the lowlands east of the Andes, in the Amazon basin. In the present study, a retrospective review of all ( n = 142) snakebite admissions to Hospital Pio XII, a regional health center/hospital in the canton of Sucúa, Morona Santiago, Ecuador was carried out between the years of 1996 and 2000. Bites occurred more frequently during the months of March to May. The largest group of patients were in the 15- to 49-year-old range (52.5%), and agricultural workers were the most affected of all patients by occupation (> 40%). In most cases of snakebite, patients could not identify the type of snake that had bitten them. A small number of patients ( n = 60, 42.3%) received some type of treatment prior to arrival at the hospital. Bites occurred most frequently on the left lower extremity (31.7%). Typical symptoms included pain and local edema at the snakebite site; generalized symptoms such as fever, nausea, and vomiting were less frequent. Most patients (almost 90%) received antivenin during hospitalization in addition to supportive care. The mean hospital stay was 4.3 days. More than 90% of all 142 patients recovered, about 8% with local abscesses. Mortality was 2.9% and occurred as a result of complications, including renal failure, respiratory failure, and disseminated intravascular coagulation.

Nutrient storage and turnover in organic layers under tropical montane rain forest in Ecuador

SummaryIn tropical montane forests nutrients released from the organic layers of the soil can supply a large part of the vegetation's requirements. We have examined concentrations, storage, and turnover times of nutrients in the organic layer and the fluxes of nutrients by the fall of small litter (leaves, seeds, flowers, small twigs, and plant debris that passed an opening of 0.3 m × 0.3 m) in such a forest in Ecuador. The times taken for litter to turn over were estimated by relating nutrient storage in the organic layer to rate of litterfall and by incubating samples in the laboratory. The organic layer had a thickness of 2–43 cm, a mass of 30–713 t ha−1, and a nutrient storage of 0.87–21 t N, 0.03–0.70 t P, 0.12–2.5 t K, 0.09–3.2 t Ca, and 0.07–1.0 t Mg ha−1. The pH (in H2O) ranged between 3.1 and 7.4 and was correlated with the concentrations of Ca and Mg (r= 0.83 and 0.84, respectively). The quantity of small litter (8.5–9.7 t year−1) and mean concentrations of nutrients in litter (19–22 g N, 0.9–1.6 g P, 6.1–9.1 g K, 12–18 g Ca, and 3.5–5.8 g Mg kg−1) were larger than in many other tropical montane forests. The mean turnover times of elements in the organic layer increased in the order, Mg (7.0 years) < Ca (7.9) < K (8.5) < P (11) < N (14) < S (15) when calculated as the quotient of storage in the organic layer to flux by litterfall; they were < 12 years for N, P, and S in the incubation experiment. Under optimum conditions in the laboratory, the mineralization of S was just as large as the S deposition by litterfall. In weakly acid soils Mn and Zn and in strongly acid soils Ca added in a nutrient solution were immobilized during incubation. Thus, lack of S, Mn, Zn, and Ca might limit plant growth on some soils.

New pipeline threatens Ecuadorian rainforest

New pipeline threatens Ecuadorian rainforest

Change in water quality during the passage through a tropical montane rain forest in Ecuador

We studied five 20-m transects onthe lower slope under tropical lower montanerain forest at 1900–2200 m above sea level. We collectedsamples of soil and of weekly rainfall,throughfall, litter leachate, and stream waterbetween 14 March 1998 and 30 April 1999 anddetermined the concentrations of Al, totalorganic C (TOC), Ca, Cl−, Cu, K, Mg, Mn,NH4 +-N, NO3 −-N, total N (TN), Na, P, S, and Zn. The soils were shallowInceptisols; pH ranged 4.4–6.3 in the Ohorizons and 3.9–5.3 in the A horizons, totalCa (6.3–19.3 mg kg−1) and Mgconcentrations (1.4–5.4) in the O horizon weresignificantly different between the transects.Annual rainfall was 2193 mm; throughfall variedbetween 43 and 91% of rainfall, cloud waterinputs were ≤ 3.3 mm a−1 except forone transect (203). The volume-weighted mean pHwas 5.3 in rainfall and 6.1–6.7 in throughfall.The median of the pH of litter leachate andstream water was 4.8–6.8 and 6.8, respectively.The concentrations of Ca and Mg in litterleachate and throughfall correlatedsignificantly with those in the soil (r =0.76–0.95). Element concentrations inthroughfall were larger than in rainfallbecause of leaching from the leaves (Al, TOC,Ca, K, Mg), particulate dry deposition (TOC,Cu, Cl−, NH4 +-N), and gaseousdry deposition (NO3 −-N, total N, S).Net throughfall (= throughfall-rainfalldeposition) was positive for most elementsexcept for Mn, Na, and Zn. High-flow eventswere associated with elevated Al, TOC, Cu, Mn,and Zn concentrations.

Report: Waste management as a challenge for a laboratory in the rain forest of Ecuador

Many developing countries suffer from a lack of collection, treatment and disposal systems for waste. A laboratory in the Amazon basin of Ecuador took the initiative and tried to handle a rising waste problem itself. Solutions for the recycling, treatment and harmless deposition of chemical wastes were developed and applied. Acidic and basic solutions, representing the majority of chemical residues, were disposed of or added to the waste water system after neutralization. The organic solvents could partly be recovered by rectification; others could be re-used. Dissolved heavy metals were precipitated and immobilized in concrete. Cyanides were destroyed and residues of microbiological analysis were thermally detoxified, as were oil-polluted soil samples and irrecoverable organic solvents. Although a description of a particular case, many of these easily applicable solutions could be appropriate for small enterprises or laboratories in a similar situation.

Report: Waste management as a challenge for a laboratory in the rain forest of Ecuador

Many developing countries suffer from a lack of collection, treatment and disposal systems for waste. A laboratory in the Amazon basin of Ecuador took the initiative and tried to handle a rising waste problem itself. Solutions for the recycling, treatment and harmless deposition of chemical wastes were developed and applied. Acidic and basic solutions, representing the majority of chemical residues, were disposed of or added to the waste water system after neutralization. The organic solvents could partly be recovered by rectification; others could be re-used. Dissolved heavy metals were precipitated and immobilized in concrete. Cyanides were destroyed and residues of microbiological analysis were thermally detoxified, as were oil-polluted soil samples and irrecoverable organic solvents. Although a description of a particular case, many of these easily applicable solutions could be appropriate for small enterprises or laboratories in a similar situation.

Species diversity in spatial and temporal dimensions of fruit-feeding butterflies from two Ecuadorian rainforests

To test the hypotheses that butterflies in an intact lowland rainforest are randomly distributed in space and time, a guild of nymphalid butterflies was sampled at monthly intervals for one year by trapping 883 individuals of 91 species in the canopy and understory of four contiguous, intact forest plots and one naturally occurring lake edge. The overall species abundance distribution was well described by a log-normal distribution. Total species diversity (γ-diversity) was partitioned into additive components within and among community subdivisions (α-diversity and β-diversity) in vertical, horizontal and temporal dimensions. Although community subdivisions showed high similarity (1-β-diversity/γ-diversity), significant β-diversity existed in each dimension. Individual abundance and observed species richness were lower in the canopy than in the understory, but rarefaction analysis suggested that the underlying species richness was similar in both canopy and understory. Observed species richness varied among four contiguous forest plots, and was lowest in the lake edge plot. Rarefaction and species accumulation curves showed that one forest plot and the lake edge had significantly lower species richness than other forest plots. Within any given month, only a small fraction of total sample species richness was represented by a single plot and height (canopy or understory). Comparison of this study to a similar one done in disturbed forest showed that butterfly diversity at a naturally occurring lake edge differed strongly from a pasture-forest edge. Further comparison showed that species abundance distributions from intact and disturbed forest areas had variances that differed significantly, suggesting that in addition to extrapolation, rarefaction and species accumulation techniques, the shapes of species abundance distributions are fundamental to assessing diversity among sites. This study shows the necessity for long-term sampling of diverse communities in space and time to assess tropical insect diversity among different areas, and the need of such studies is discussed in relation to tropical ecology and quick surveys in conservation biology.

Species diversity in spatial and temporal dimensions of fruit-feeding butterflies from two Ecuadorian rainforests

Abstract To test the hypotheses that butterflies in an intact lowland rainforest are randomly distributed in space and time, a guild of nymphalid butterflies was sampled at monthly intervals for one year by trapping 883 individuals of 91 species in the canopy and understory of four contiguous, intact forest plots and one naturally occurring lake edge. The overall species abundance distribution was well described by a log-normal distribution. Total species diversity (γ-diversity) was partitioned into additive components within and among community subdivisions (α-diversity and β-diversity) in vertical, horizontal and temporal dimensions. Although community subdivisions showed high similarity (1-β-diversity/γ-diversity), significant β-diversity existed in each dimension. Individual abundance and observed species richness were lower in the canopy than in the understory, but rarefaction analysis suggested that the underlying species richness was similar in both canopy and understory. Observed species richness varied among four contiguous forest plots, and was lowest in the lake edge plot. Rarefaction and species accumulation curves showed that one forest plot and the lake edge had significantly lower species richness than other forest plots. Within any given month, only a small fraction of total sample species richness was represented by a single plot and height (canopy or understory). Comparison of this study to a similar one done in disturbed forest showed that butterfly diversity at a naturally occurring lake edge differed strongly from a pasture-forest edge. Further comparison showed that species abundance distributions from intact and disturbed forest areas had variances that differed significantly, suggesting that in addition to extrapolation, rarefaction and species accumulation techniques, the shapes of species abundance distributions are fundamental to assessing diversity among sites. This study shows the necessity for long-term sampling of diverse communities in space and time to assess tropical insect diversity among different areas, and the need of such studies is discussed in relation to tropical ecology and quick surveys in conservation biology.

Tactical Tourism

This article examines the strategic development of nature-based tourism as a means by which to generate sustainable economies in the rainforests of Ecuador and Belize as an alternative to more socially and ecologically destructive extractive industry and export agri-culture. These efforts to generate economic exchange value from relatively intact ecosystems are the primary strategies of rainforest communities threatened by other schemes for converting “jungle wasteland” into a source of national capital accumulation. The success of rainforest communities’ efforts at preserving their ecosystems while establishing a viable local and regional economy is largely dependent on the relative short-run economic potential of less sustainable alternatives, the relative position of nature tourism in specific national economies, and the capacity of these communities to mobilize the support of politically powerful private capital investors and the state. In delineating the relationship between the transnational economy, the orientation of national states, and the aspirations of local communities, the strategic use of nature tourism development as a bulwark against unsustainable economic alternatives is far more likely to meet with success in Belize than in Ecuador.

Canopy tree mode of death in a western Ecuadorian rain forest

All dead trees ≥ 20 cm DBH were counted in the first 6 mo of 1994 in 10 ha of wet lowland rain forest, in the Hoja Blanca Hills, western Ecuador. The trees were classified by their mode of death. Thirty-four per cent of the trees were uprooted, 35% had snapped, 15% had died standing and 16% were unclassified. Regression analyses found that slope position and whether an individual was a dicotyledonous tree or a palm (Iriartea deltoidea) to be both strongly related to the mode of death. Slope, altitude and the presence of buttresses also influenced the mode of tree death. Tree diameter, however, was not found to have any effect. Dicotyledonous trees predominantly uprooted and snapped while Iriartea mostly died standing and snapped. Uprooted and snapped trees were significantly spatially clumped while trees which died standing were distributed at random. It was concluded that the predominance of uprooting and snapping in Hoja Blanca mostly resulted from the steep terrain and high precipitation (c. 5000 mm y−1) as well as El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) downpours. The implications of mode of death are discussed. The different modes created different types of gaps and could thereby potentially influence forest regeneration.

Influence of tree-fall orientation on canopy gap shape in an Ecuadorian rain forest

Canopy gaps in tropical rainforests are important drivers of the forest cycle and tree diversity (e.g. Brokaw 1985, Denslow 1987). Increased light and spatial and temporal heterogeneity in gaps are thought to play an important role in the succession, and determination, of species composition in the gap-patch (Poulson & Platt 1989, Raich 1989). Among the variables that presumably contribute to heterogeneity of gaps are: size, orientation, shape, underlying topography and height of the surrounding canopy. Of these variables, gap shape and its ecological consequences have not yet been assessed objectively. In this study we analysed the shape of 14 canopy gaps found during June 1997 in a 13.5-ha permanent plot of a virgin terra firme forest (Jacobs 198 1), at the Tiputini Biodiversity Station (TBS), Napo province, Ecuador (0?40'S, 76'20'W). We focused on a possible relationship between the fall direction of the gap-making elements and the shape pattern of the gaps. Within the plot, canopy gaps (sensu Brokaw 1982, but to a minimal size of 4 m2) formed between October 1996 and June 1997 were permanently marked at their centre with metallic poles, and, among other variables, the fall direction (0) of the gap-makers (trees, branches or vines) was recorded. If multiple elements were involved in a gap event, the mean fall direction (?) (Batschelet 1981) was used as reference. Hemispherical pictures (hemiphots) were taken using a CID-100 Digital Plant Canopy Imager (CID 1997). Hemiphots were taken at 2 m above the