Browsing Center for Applied Tropical Ecology and Conservation by Issue Date
Now showing items 21-40 of 65
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Aspergillus flavus: genetic variation, patterns of distribution and substrate specificity
(External Scientific Advisory Committe (ESAC), 2009-11)Aspergillus flavusis an opportunistic pathogen of humans, animals and plants, characterized by aflatoxin production and tolerance to salinity and high temperature. Recently we have found that A. flavusis common in sea fans ... -
Contributions of Sewage effluents to Nutrients, Discharge, and DOC in Streams in Puerto Rico
(External Scientific Advisory Committe, 2009-11)Some waste water treatment plants(WWTP) in Puerto Rico continuously discharge their effluents directly to streams. With urbanization, generation of sewage effluents increases and fluvial export of nutrients are expected ... -
Ground Water Dynamics of the Littoral Coastal Zone of the Guanica Dry Forest, Puerto Rico
(External Scientific Advisory Committe (ESAC), 2009-11)Climatic change may have detrimental effects on the coastal habitats of Puerto Rico due to reductions in rainfall, increase in sea levels, and changes in the hydrology of coastal wetlands. Due to these concerns, a ground ... -
Biodegradability of dissolved organic carbon in three tropical watersheds
(External Scientific Advisory Committe (ESAC), 2009-11)In rivers, the microbial loop explains how microbes oxidize DOC to obtain energy making carbon available to higher trophic levels in the river foodweb. DOC biodegradability, however, is variable depending on its source. ... -
Water Use Efficiency by Mangroves in The Guánica Dry Forest Reserve
(External Scientific Advisory Committe (ESAC), 2009-11)It is important to understand and study the different adaptations and responses of plants changes in climate, especially, those living in arid environments where high temperatures, low precipitation, soil depth, ... -
Combined impacts of sea surface warming, local runoff pulses, and meso-scale Caribbean gyres on coral reef rehabilitation success: Lessons learned to cope with climate change
(External Scientific Advisory Committe (ESAC), 2009-11)Low-tech coral aquaculture methods have been successfully used in Culebra Island, PR, since year 2003 to propagate threatened staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis). Harvested corals are being used through the Culebra Island ... -
Ecophysiological evaluation of the invasive capacity of an exotic plant (Spathodea campanulata-tulipánafricano) in a secondary forest of Puerto Rico
(External Scientific Advisory Committe (ESAC), 2009-11)The purpose of this research is to evaluate the potential invasibility of Spathodeacampanulata (Africantulip) in a secondary forest at the University of Puerto Rico at Humacao. We intended to assess ecophysiological ... -
Preliminary Study of the Soil Microbiology Associated to Isolated Dwarf Tree Species in the Coastal Plateu of Guánica Dry Forest
(External Scientific Advisory Committe (ESAC), 2009-11)Soil function and productivity depends on microbial communities for nutrient cycling, antagonistic effects and decomposition of organic matter among others. Mass and diversity of soil microbial communities depend on substrate ... -
The Laboratory of Terrestrial Ecology and Ecophysiology at the University of Puerto Rico at Humacao
(External Scientific Advisory Committe (ESAC), 2009-11)To serve our community of undergraduate students, providing opportunities to participate in high quality research projects in the field of ecology. To develop interdisciplinary research and educational projects with members ... -
Modeling Species Dynamics to Predict Population Dynamics Examples from Recent Publications
(External Scientific Advisory Committe, 2009-11)Dormancy is common in many terrestrial orchids in southern Australia and other temperate environments. The difficulty for conservation and management when considering dormancy is ascertaining whether non-emergent plants ... -
Effect of exotic grass, Megathyrsus maximus, on native biodiversity in Mona Island Reserve
(External Scientific Advisory Committe (ESAC), 2009-11)Species invasions are considered one of the leading causes of global biodiversity loss (Wonham,2005)and are the second cause of species endangerment in the United States(Brooksand Pyke, 2002. The African grass, Megathyrsus ... -
Development of Microsatellite Markers for Population Genetic Studies of Harrisia portoricensisand Related Species
(External Scientific Advisory Committe (ESAC), 2009-11)Harrisia portoricensis is a columnar cactus endemic to Puerto Rico. It was first collected and described from southern Puerto Rico, but urban and agricultural development extirpated these populations. At present, the species ... -
Rapid assessment of Mona Island’s coral reefs following the 2005-2006 post-bleaching mass mortality event: Evidence of climate change impacts
(External Scientific Advisory Committe (ESAC), 2009-11)Mona Island, located nearly halfway between La Hispaniola and PR, is considered a unique and pristine natural wonder in the Caribbean. Its coral reef ecosystems are paramount for maintaining the meta-population connectivity ... -
Crime scene investigation of recreational marine fisheries: The impact of shore-based recreational fishing of Queen Conch (Strombus gigas) in Culebra Island, PR
(External Scientific Advisory Committe (ESAC), 2009-11)Queen conch (Strombus gigas) is one of the most significant edible benthic invertebrate species through the Caribbean, but its populations have largely declined through time. Its recreational fishery impact still remains ... -
Leaf Fall in a New Forest: ecosystem functioning of stands dominated by an introduced species
(External Scientific Advisory Committe, 2009-11)Today about half of the island has been naturally reforested with native and introduced species (Lugo and Helmer 2004). These new forests have been criticized around the world, but studies showing the real influence of ... -
Seed rain in a removal experiment in a cactus-shrub area invaded by an exotic grass in Mona Island
(External Scientific Advisory Committe, 2009-11)As part of an experiment to test the effects of removal of an invasive species (Megathyrsus maximus) in cactus populations in the Eastern coastal area of Mona Island, we collected seed sand plant parts in tray traps, located ... -
Variation in Cactaceae Seeds in the Soil as a Function of an Invasive Exotic Grass in Mona Island Reserve
(External Scientific Advisory Committe (ESAC), 2009-11)Seed rain and seed bank dynamics area critical component for the establishment, development and regeneration of native plant communities. On Mona Island, Puerto Rico, the invasive African grass, Megathyrsus maximus (Figure ... -
Genetic Characterization of Mona Island Feral Goats and Pigs using Microsatellite Markers
(External Scientific Advisory Committe (ESAC), 2009-11)Feral goats (Caprahircus) and pigs (Susscrofa) were introduced more than four centuries ago by Spanish settlers to Mona Island. They were set loose to reproduce and provide a source of fresh meat for travelers to Mona and ... -
A comparison of fine root density of plants in the Coastal Plateau of the Guánica Dry Forest Reserve
(External Scientific Advisory Committe (ESAC), 2009-11)Root production is an important process in the dynamic carbon and nutrient cycle of terrestrial ecosystems. Root productivity of plant community can be affected by temperature, rainfall and availability of nutrients. In ... -
Detecting Vertical Transfer of Antibiotic Resistance Genes in the Absence of Antibiotics
(External Scientific Advisory Committe (ESAC), 2009-11)Our hypothesis is that antibiotic resistance can be vertically transmitted between generations, in the absence of antibiotics. Mothers readily colonize their offspring with bacteria that have antibiotic resistance genes. To ...