Volume 16, No. 2 June 2005 Supplement to BIOTROPICA Vol 37 No. 2

TropinetOrganization for

Tropical Studieswhere science and nature converge

IN THIS ISSUEten Kate and Kresssummarize the Conven-tion on Biological Diver-sity p. 1

BOOK REVIEWSAndrew Henderson,Evolution and Ecology ofPalms, reviewed bySusan Mazer p. 4

Bongers et al, Nourages:Dynamics and Plant-Animal Interactions in aNeotropical Rainforest,reviewed by Mario Cohn-Haft p. 6

Field station review:Los Amigos Field Stationin Peru p. 5

Meetings, courses,fellowships

Editor: Lyn Loveless, Department ofBiology, The College of Wooster,Wooster, OH 44691. Phone: (330)263-2022. Fax: (330) 263-2378.Email: mloveless@wooster.edu

Tropinet is accessible on the ATBwebsite at http://www.atbio.org

Production Editor:Carol Mozell OTSDesign by Katherine Hartman

The Convention on Biological Diversityby Kerry ten Kate1 and W. John Kress2

1 Director , Investor Responsibility, Insight Investment, London, UK.2 Research Scientist and Curator, Chairman, Department of Botany, United States National HerbariumNational Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution Washington, DC 20013-7012 U.S.A

This article is abridged from: ten Kate, K. and W.J. Kress. 2005. Chapter 13. Laws andtreaties: Is the Convention on Biological Diversity protecting plant diversity? Pp. 286-293. In:Krupnick, G.A. and W.J. Kress (eds.). Plant Conservation: A Natural History Approach. TheUniversity of Chicago Press, Chicago and London.

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was opened for signature at the 1992 EarthSummit in Rio de Janeiro. As of 2004, 188 countries and the European Union have ratified theConvention. The Convention, which is administered by the United Nations Environmental Program(UNEP), is perhaps the most far-reaching international agreement on biodiversity ever authored.Its provisions and its effective implementation directly concern virtually every scientist working intropical habitats. In this article, we attempt to summarize the Convention and to provide aperspective on how this regulatory tool is undergoing change as it is implemented in varioussettings across the globe.

The Convention is constantly evolving. Since 1992, the signers of the Convention (the“Parties”) have made important commitments to implementation of its articles through theSubsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical, and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) and the primarypolitical decision-making body, the biennial Conference of the Parties (COP). The full text of theConvention is available at http://www.biodiv.org. The Parties have adopted a Global TaxonomyInitiative, Guiding Principles on Invasive Alien Species, a Global Strategy for Plant Conservationand Guidelines for the Sustainable Use of Biodiversity, among many other science-based tools.National biodiversity strategies required by the CBD have been undertaken in 150 countries andthe CBD’s financial mechanism, the Global Environment Facility, has allocated billions of dollars todeveloping countries to implement the CBD (ten Kate 2002).

Despite these achievements, the CBD, unlike its climate change cousin, generally doesnot contain timetables and targets. Recently, however, the Parties agreed on an ambitious butachievable Strategic Plan for the Convention, with the purpose of effectively reducing the loss ofglobal biodiversity by 2010. In addition, the adoption of the Global Strategy for PlantConservation, with its 16 targets, established a helpful precedent for quantified targets at theinternational and national levels.

If it is to be successful, the CBD’s fundamental contribution to science must be toconserve the resource-base for life sciences (and life itself): namely biological diversity. Treatiesare agreements between states, but by and large it is organizations, and not governments, that areequipped to do the actual work of conservation. The CBD offers a bargaining chip to universities,research institutes, commercial enterprises, and communities. In return for helping governmentsachieve their commitments, scientific organizations can participate in national policy-making, raisetheir own political profiles, derive a fresh mandate and renewed legitimacy for their work, and

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perhaps use the CBD as a lever to helpfund their work. As individual countriesimplement CBD work programs, apply COPguidelines, and execute national strategies,the influence of the CBD on science is likelyto grow. One mechanism will be theallocation of public funding; another, theadvent of laws and policies that control thedirection and methodologies of scientificresearch.

A significant example of policy thatis already influencing science is theregulation of access to genetic resources andbenefit-sharing. It is a fact that the world’sbiodiversity is found in roughly inverseproportion to its scientific and technologicalcapacity (Macilwain 1998). Behind themeasured text of the CBD lies the hope of a“grand bargain” (Gollin 1993), in whichbiotechnology-rich countries compensatebiodiversity-rich countries for access to theirgenetic resources leading to valuable newproducts, creating sustainable livelihoods forpeople living near centers of biodiversity,boosting the provider-country’s gross nationalproduct, and paying for conservation along the way. The CBDsets out provisions according to those states that regulateaccess to genetic resources. In response to the CBD, some 100countries, largely those that are home to the bulk of the world’sbiodiversity, have introduced, or are now considering, laws thatregulate access by scientists to genetic resources,biochemicals, and associated traditional knowledge. These lawstypically require national and foreign scientists alike to obtainpermission for access to biodiversity and to work with partnersfrom the countries providing the genetic resources, and in theprocess sharing benefits such as royalties, technology, jointresearch, and information.

As defined in the CBD, “genetic resources” are anymaterial of plant, animal, microbial, or other origin containingfunctional units of heredity of actual or potential value. Access tothis significant chunk of life (humans are excluded) is vital foreducation and research in the life sciences, as well as for researchon the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. Accessalso underpins commercial discovery and development. Globalsales of products derived from genetic resources(pharmaceuticals, botanical medicines, major crops, horticulture,crop protection products, cosmetics and personal care products,and a broad range of biotechnologies) in 1999 ranged fromUS$500 billion to $800 billion (ten Kate and Laird 1999).

The CBD seeks to balance the sovereignty and theauthority of national governments with the obligation for states tofacilitate access to genetic resources for environmentally soundpurposes. Access is to be subject to governments’ priorinformed consent on terms, mutually agreed by the provider andrecipient, that promote the fair and equitable sharing of benefits.Similarly, subject to national law, access to the knowledge,innovations, and practices of indigenous and local communitiesrequires the prior approval of the holders of that knowledge.

Scientists, communities, governments and businesshave watched the development of international policy andnational laws in this field with interest to see whether the goalsof facilitating science, respecting rights, and ensuring fairnesshave been achieved. Overall, partnerships are indeed becomingfairer. Biological samples and the rights to use genes and

compounds have been exchanged,sometimes under agreements, fordecades. In the wake of the CBD,benefit-sharing agreements areincreasingly common. Most benefitshave flowed to local scientificinstitutions in the form of training andtechnology.

The story is not one ofunalloyed success, however. First,commercial demand for access isunreliable. Over the past 30 years,interest in accessing biodiversity forpharmaceutical development has beencyclical. In many sectors, researchdollars are flowing out of naturalproducts and into synthetic chemistry forrational drug design, combinatorialapproaches, and genetics that focuslargely on human material. A goal inmany national biodiversity strategies isto help alleviate poverty, to supportsustainable livelihoods, and to raiseliving standards. Countries might do wellto use the untapped potential for

research on genetic resources to meet domestic needs, forexample, through low-cost botanical medicines, rather thanseeking only to supply fickle international markets. They couldalso ensure that regulations distinguish betweencommercialization and the more steady demand for access forvital conservation research in fields such as ecology andsystematics.

Second, benefits are not always forthcoming tocountries facilitating access to genetic resources. Much geneticmaterial used for research and development is obtained fromcollections made before the CBD entered into force for whichthere are generally no benefit-sharing arrangements. Anybenefits that are negotiated rarely “trickle down” to localcommunities or to conservation. Scientific organizations tend tobenefit most, although in a knowledge-based sense rather thanan economic one. Countries could require a certain proportion ofbenefits to be dedicated to conservation, as Costa Rica andWestern Australia have done. Countries could also adaptgrowing experience with trust funds and other mechanisms toensure that local people benefit and have an incentive tosupport conservation measures.

Third, evidence is growing that the anticipatedbureaucracy, delay, and expense of compliance with the firstwave of access laws have deterred foreign and domesticscientists and thus have unwittingly stifled not only commercialresearch, but also essential conservation work. Confusion overwhich government bodies are authorized to grant access togenetic resources has not helped.

Encouraging on-going developments, however, providea growing acknowledgement of the need for a more strategicand flexible approach. In 2002, the Parties to the CBD adoptedthe Bonn Guidelines on Access and Benefit-Sharing. Theserecommendations provide guidance to countries in thedevelopment of law and policy on access to genetic resources,associated traditional knowledge and benefit-sharing, and tostakeholders such as university researchers, companies andcommunities in the negotiation of access and benefit-sharingagreements. The Guidelines encourage countries to take astrategic and flexible approach. They set out provisions on prior

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informed consent and mutually agreed terms and list keyelements of the roles and responsibilities of countries andorganizations as they provide and use genetic resources andassociated traditional knowledge. They also contain suggestions onadministrative aspects such as a national focal point for eachcountry and potential functions of any competent nationalauthorities established by governments to regulate access.

In addition, a range of individual companies, professionalassociations, gene banks such as botanic gardens, and indigenouscommunities’ groups have developed institutional policies in linewith the CBD that provide principles and practical guidance for theiremployees and associates (Laird 2002). An example is the set ofPrinciples on Access and Benefit-Sharing for ParticipatingInstitutions, in which 28 botanic gardens and herbaria from 21countries, led by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, developedcommon standards on access to genetic resources and benefit-sharing (Latorre et al. 2001)

Thus, provisions of the CBD are finding their way intonational laws and policies and into the working practices ofscientists. Scientists can and do participate in guiding anddeveloping international and national law. However, scientistscan have more input to the treaty by lobbying or joining nationalgovernment delegates, by participating as nongovernmentalorganizations at meetings, and by serving on expert panels.Scientific organizations can become accredited and attendmeetings of the CBD’s COP and SBSTTA. Such participation isvital to ensure that the treaty is based on sound science andpromotes, rather than hinders, conservation. Scientificorganizations can also participate in the implementation andevolution of the Bonn Guidelines on Access and Benefit Sharing(for example, by endorsing the Principles for ParticipatingInstitutions), so that regulations on access to genetic resourcesworld-wide facilitate science and support fair partnerships. Theknowledgeable and rational voices of biologists need to beheard on the broad range of scientific and technical issuescovered by the CBD. Finally, scientific organizations should alsowork with federal, state, and local governments to ensure acoordinated approach for consistent decisions in the broadrange of environmental agreements under the auspices of theUnited Nations, as well as with commercial issues in the WorldTrade Organization.

The Convention on Biological Diversity marked aturning point in the understanding, conservation, utilization, andsharing of the planet’s biological riches. Its entry into force in1993 was a pivotal event in ensuring that governments andmembers of civil society take responsibility for the quality of theair we breath, the water we drink, and the conservation of theplants and animals of the Earth. The concerted effort ofscientists, communities, and corporations, as well asgovernments, will be needed to achieve the vital goal of theConvention’s strategic plan: namely, to halt the global loss ofbiodiversity.

Literature CitedGollin, M.A. 1993. An intellectual property rights framework for

biodiversity prospecting. In Reid, W.V., Laird, S.A.,Meyer, C.A., Games, R., Sittenfeld, A., Janzen, D.H.,Gollin, M.A., and Juma, C. (eds.). BiodiversityProspecting: Using Genetic Resources for SustainableDevelopment. World Resources Institute. Washington,DC.

ten Kate, K. 2002. Science and the Convention on BiologicalDiversity. Science 295: 2371.

ten Kate, K., and Laird, S. 1999. The Commercial Use of

Biodiversity: Access to Genetic Resources and Benefit-Sharing.Commission of the European Communities andEarthscan Publications Ltd. London, 398 pp.

Laird, S.A. (ed.). 2002. Biodiversity and Traditional Knowledge:Equitable Partnerships in Practice. People and PlantsConservation Series, Earthscan Publications Ltd.London.

Laird, S.A and Mahop, T. 2001. The Limbe Botanic andZoological Gardens Policy on Access to GeneticResources and Benefit-Sharing, Limbe, South WestProvince, Cameroon.

Latorre García, F., Williams, C., ten Kate, K. and Cheyne, P.2001 (based on contributions from 36 individuals from28 botanic gardens and herbaria from 21 countries).Results of the Pilot Project for Botanic Gardens:Principles on Access to Genetic Resources andBenefit- Sharing, Common Policy Guidelines to assistwith their implementation and Explanatory Text. RoyalBotanic Gardens, Kew. 78pp.

Macilwain, C. 1998. When rhetoric hits reality in debate onbioprospecting. Nature 392: 535-541.

AMAZON CONSERVATIONASSOCIATION FIELDRESEARCH GRANTSThe Amazon Conservation Association offers grants at three levels: 1)for Peruvian undergraduates working towards licenciatura theses; 2) forgraduate students of any nationality working towards master’s, doctoral,or diplom arbeit degrees; and 3) for established researchers of anynationality seeking to start a long-term research program. ACAwelcomes proposals in biology, hydrology, geology, resource use, andrelated fields. Fieldwork must be carried out in the vicinity of the LosAmigos biological stations (see station profile in this issue of Tropinet).Awards cover travel, field station costs, and equipment, but not tuition.The annual deadline for undergraduate and graduate grants is September15; seed grant proposals are accepted year-round. Application detailsand a list of past awards are available at www.amazonconservation.org/home/grants.htm

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Palm ReadingSusan J. Mazer

Department of Ecology, Evolution and MarineBiology

University of CaliforniaSanta Barbara, California 93106e-mail: mazer@lifesci.ucsb.edu

A review of Henderson, A. 2002. Evolution andEcology of Palms. The New York Botanical GardenPress, New York. 259 pp with black and whitephotographs and line drawings. ISBN 0-89327-444-5.$35.00 (pbk) + ~600 references.

Photo by Jimmy Grogan

You needn’t be a palm reader to predict that a book ormonograph written by Andrew Henderson will offer both detailand synthesis reflecting his comprehensive knowledge of palms.What will undoubtedly please and possibly surprise readers ofthis small volume, however, is its success on four counts.

First, it provides an overview of variation within and among 16major groups (admittedly not all monophyletic) of palms, basedon Moore’s (1973) classification (with the addition of thecocosoids being split into nonspiny and spiny taxa). Each groupis evaluated with respect to an array of attributes of interest toboth systematists and ecologists, including stem growth anddevelopment rates; stem size and shape; leaf morphology,number, and longevity; inflorescence structure; phenology andfrequency of reproduction; pollination biology; breeding system;interactions with animals; germination behavior; and habitatpreferences. This overview offers broad generalizations wherepossible, highlighted by detailed examples that either confirmthem or provide notable exceptions. As both a cosmopolitanfield biologist and a monographer, Henderson recognizes that it isnot only the most common, or the mean, phenotype of a taxonthat gives one a feel for the organism, but also the range ofphenotypes exhibited for any given trait. Consequently, he iscareful to pay as much attention to the curious morphological,developmental, or behavioral phenotypes exhibited by unusualmembers of each group of palms as to the more typical ones.

A second achievement of this volume derives from the fact thatdue to their dominance in many rainforests, their diversity, theireconomic importance, and – let’s face it – their charisma,enough palm species have now been both described insufficient detail and observed in the field to provide a wealth ofecological, developmental, life history, and morphological datawith which to address both ecological and evolutionaryquestions. To date, tackling questions concerning, forexample, the sequence of trait evolution, the coevolution ofmultiple traits, or the identification of traits that promote

diversification has been hindered by the absence of well-resolved phylogenies throughout the Arecaceae.

Henderson acknowledges this constraint but does not let itprevent him from making the best of a disappointing situation.He uses one of the many comparative methods available todetect significant correlations and associations among traitsand attributes while controlling statistically for similaritiesamong closely related species. This approach enables him toidentify combinations of traits that may represent the outcomeof adaptive evolution; the effects of pleiotropy or stronggenetic linkage; or developmental processes that affect multipletraits. For example, among 56 species distributed across 14major groups, the number of leaves in the crown is positivelycorrelated with leaf production per year, which would seemobvious and inevitable until Henderson points out theexceptions. Among the qualitative associations described,pollination systems tend to cluster at the ends of a continuumcharacterized at one extreme by beetle-pollinated,synchronously flowering, protogynous, nectarless species withcondensed inflorescences and closely spaced, large, and oftenunisexual flowers, and at the other extreme by bee/fly/wasp-pollinated, asynchronously flowering, nectar-producing specieswith elongate inflorescences and loosely spaced, small,protandrous, and often bisexual flowers. Interestingly, withinbeetle-pollinated genera, stem diameter tends to be significantlypositively correlated with the size of leaf and inflorescenceparts, while among bee/fly/wasp-pollinated congeners, these

correlations are much weaker. While some might consider thequantitative analyses to be premature due to the manyphylogenetic uncertainties, they reveal tantalizing patterns thatcry out for causal evolutionary explanations. My hope is thatthese analyses will motivate future work to resolvephylogenetic relationships that will then allow a more refinedanalysis.

Two additional high points of this book are that, wherephylogenetic information permits, Henderson identifiesplesiomorphic vs. apomorphic trait states; and, throughout thetext, Henderson interprets variation among palms in the contextof current ecological concepts and recent field studies. As an

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added bonus, an Appendix includes raw data (and cites thepublications from which they are drawn) on 13 morphological,reproductive, and habitat attributes of 1245 species (organized bymajor group), although of course information on some traits isunavailable for some species.

The text is sprinkled with numbered references to notes thatappear at the end of each chapter. Many of these notes are greatfun, solving mysteries large and small (What is the origin ofreports that “walking palms” walk? What are the costs andbenefits of open leaf sheaths? What is the cause and significanceof swollen stems? Who are those 5-cm long stem-boring beetlesthat are such serious pests of cultivated palms? Why are specieswith elongate inflorescences more likely to be self-pollinated thanthose with condensed inflorescences?) Indeed, I often wishedthat their contents were incorporated into the text rather thanrelegated to a list on the final page or two of each chapter. Here,they may be easily ignored by an impatient reader unwilling totrace each numbered reference back to its corresponding note.

There are a few minor oversights and weaknesses to whichreaders should be alerted. For example, the interpretation ofbivariate associations or correlations between traits is well-known to be difficult (or even misleading) if either trait isconfounded with a third trait. Some of the interspecificcorrelations reported, while statistically significant, are associatedwith small sample sizes or represent congeners in a single genus;their generality remains to be confirmed. Henderson isappropriately cautious when describing such patterns;consequently, if these results are used as intended – to motivatethe development of novel evolutionary hypotheses – the value ofreporting them far exceeds the risk of overinterpretation. Giventhat Henderson’s data are amenable to multivariate analyses,these should be pursued as they are more likely than bivariateanalyses to shed light on the causal or mechanistic basis ofcorrelations between traits. One minor mystery is that the line-drawings do not include scale bars. Finally, readers may wonderwhether the data in the Appendix are available in electronic formfor continued analysis; a note from the author concerning on-lineavailability of these data would have been most welcome.

In sum, this is the kind of book that should be written for everyplant family (listening, New York Botanical Garden Press?) andthen snapped up by any graduate student or seasoned researcherin search of either a comprehensive introduction or a review ofthe ecological and evolutionary diversity exhibited by his or herfavorite or focal family.

References:Moore, H. 1973. The major groups of palm and their distribution.Gentes Herb. 11: 27 -141.

FIELD STATION PROFILELos Amigos Biological Stations, SE PeruThe Los Amigos field station is a five year-old facility in lowlandAmazonian forest at the base of the Andes, contiguous to thelargest block of tropical wilderness on Earth. With a campus of 13permanent buildings, a capacity of up to 50 researchers, and aresident staff of 13, the station is a perfect base camp for researchon undisturbed Amazonian landscape at large scales. In addition to150 m2 of laboratory space and a 100-km trail system, researchfacilities at Los Amigos include wireless satellite internet access,high-resolution digital aerial photos of >200,000 ha of surroundingforests, a digital bibliography of the >1,800 publications that haveresulted from biological research in southeastern Peru, a fieldherbarium, library, public-use computers, color field guides to fish,amphibians and reptiles, plants, and dung beetles, and a smaller

satellite station 25 km away. The station is managed by the AmazonianConservation Association, a US-based NGO, and its Peruvian partner,the Asociación para la Conservación para la Cuenca Amazónica,which holds 40-year management rights to a 135,000-ha privateconservation concession contiguous to the Los Amigos station.

Forests in this part of Amazonia hold world diversity records forbirds, arboreal ants, terrestrial mammals, dung beetles, anddragonflies. They also support healthy populations of large terrestrialpredators like jaguars, great herds of white-lipped peccaries, a varietyof aquatic habitat with giant river otters, caimans, and several hundredfish species, and vegetation types ranging from wetland bogs to highsandy terraces. Special landscape features in this portion of Amazoniainclude clay licks visited by birds and mammals, actively meanderingrivers and the associated mosaics of riparian-influenced wetlandforest, huge patches of Guadua bamboo, dense stands of Brazilnut, natural rubber, and mahogany trees, and seasonal cold snapsthat can drive the temperature below 5°C.

Lodging at the station ranges from do-it-yourself camping to privatecabins; daily room and board is between $15 and $40. ACA’s grantsprogram subsidizes visits to Los Amigos by biologists at all levels(see grants announcement on page 3 in this issue of Tropinet).Each year the station hosts several large field biology courses withan emphasis on hands-on training opportunities for Latin Americanstudents. For additional details and contact info please visit http://www.amazonconservation.org/home/LosAmigos/cicra.htm

Researchers at the Los Amigos field station, southeastern

Peru, with a short-eared dog (Atelocynus microtis) radio-

collared and ready for release.

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Getting to Knowthe French

AmazonMario Cohn-Haft

Coordenação de Pesquisas em Ecologia andColeções Zoológicas

Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia –INPA

Manaus, AM 69083 Brasil

Review of Frans Bongers, Pierre Charles-Dominique, Pierre-Michel Forget, and Marc Théry, eds. 2001. Nouragues:Dynamics and Plant-Animal Interactions in a NeotropicalRainforest. Monographiae Biologicae, vol. 80. KluwerAcademic, Dordrecht, The Netherlands. ISBN 1-4020-0123-1. Hardcover, 421 pp. + xvi.

Although the study of tropical rainforests has matured enormouslyover the last decades, we continue to struggle to understand to whatextent our observations apply beyond specific field sites or sets ofenvironmental conditions to larger spatial scales or can be explainedby generalizable factors. Inter-site comparisons suffer mostly from ashortage of well studied localities. Despite Amazonia’s huge size,it’s still tempting or necessary to generalize about particular aspectsfrom a single study at a single site or even to assume that data from anon-Amazonian tropical site represent theAmazonian reality—as if only one suchexisted. Nouragues represents a welcomecontribution from a corner of the regionthat has received relatively limited priorpublicity.

Nouragues is a scientific field stationlocated in the interior of French Guianain undisturbed primary lowland forest.Most biologists would consider the areato pertain to the Amazonian biome,although strictly speaking it is outsidethe Amazon River basin. The stationcontains two distinct terrestrial habitats,true lowland forest mostly under 100melevation and a granitic outcrop(inselberg) over 400m, each of whichhas its own base camp. Like many suchresearch stations, Nouragues startedwith a fairly specific focus to meet theneeds of a small group of researchersand has grown since its establishment in1986 into a sophisticated site capable of

supporting a large number of researchers (and even ecotourists)and providing infrastructure for a wide range of research foci on alongterm time scale. The original emphasis on the role ofvertebrates in natural forest regeneration is reflected strongly inthe contents of this volume, which stands in part as a synthesis ofthe first 10 or so years of research at this site.

Nouragues is divided in five major parts and a series of appendices.The Introduction contains three chapters, including a description andhistory of the field station as well as the geography and climate of thesite, and a chapter on ambient light variation. This last is a welcomeaddition to the basic information normally provided and helpsestablish the necessary background for later chapters relating lekkingbird and tree vegetative traits to available light. The remaining fourparts deal with plant communities (Part II: 4 chapters), vertebratecommunities and evolutionary ecology (Part III: 9 chapters),frugivory and seed dispersal (Part IV: 6 chapters), and forestdynamics and recruitment (Part V: 5 chapters). The section ofappendices includes annotated species lists of plants, mammals,birds, herpetofauna, and fishes, as well as an identification guide tothe palms present at the site. There are no chapters on invertebrates.

Several chapters are papers presenting original research onspecific topics, such as different aspects of primate behavior, diet,and seed dispersal, marsupial habitat partitioning, kinkajous asseed dispersers, and understory vine seed dispersal by bats. Mostchapters, however, are overviews compiled from the body of workpreviously published by their authors. As well as citing andsynthesizing this literature and making substantive comparisonswith other tropical sites, these chapters allow the authors thefreedom to “go out on a limb” in a way that is rarely possible injournal articles. Reading what experienced scientists really thinkabout the systems they’ve studied for years or decades, in textrich in stimulating insights, hypotheses, and well-informedopinions, is one of the real treats of this volume. Graduate

students searching for research topics willeagerly snap up ideas, and experiencedresearchers from other regions will want tomake contact and initiate collaborativestudies based on the challenges to standardideas presented in these chapters. Topicscover a generous range, includingoverviews of community structure in mostplant and vertebrate groups, as well as therole of these taxa in seed dispersal andforest structure and disturbance dynamics.

The species lists will be of great interest tomany researchers working at sites in otherparts of Amazonia. Because in many casesthey represent close to a decade or more ofresearch, they are relatively complete. Thismakes their absences of expected taxa asinteresting as what is listed, stimulatingcomparison among sites, questions to theauthors, and hypotheses for future research.Readers inexperienced in the nomenclatureof the species in their group of interest mayhave some difficulty with taxonomic

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inconsistencies that reflect variability among available classifi-cations and the current dynamism in systematics of the Neotrop-ical biota, sometimes under active study by the authors themselves.

Although English is surely not the first language of most of thebook’s 43 contributing authors, the entire volume is published inEnglish of an overall high quality, and the imperfections do notseriously compromise clarity. The book is published on good glossypaper and firmly bound in a compact format that encourages taking itwith you, despite its hardcover. Unfortunately, it is slightly too largeto photocopy two facing pages on a single sheet of paper withoutreduction, which of course is what many of its student readers willwant to do. All literature cited throughout the chapters is compiledin a single references section at the end. Although this is an incon-venience for most readers and professors, who will be interested infiling or assigning specific chapters, the 32-page long referencesection contains roughly 900 references, including, presumably, mostof what’s been published previously from the Nouragues site, makingit a valuable “chapter” in its own right. All illustrations are in blackand white, which is understandable but a bit of a disappointment,mostly because they include some high-quality photographs, whichwould probably be quite beautiful reproduced in color. Many of thechapters are preceded by a photo, apparently chosen at random. It isa little disconcerting to start reading a chapter on kinkajous whilelooking at a picture of tent bats, or one on primates faced by a photoof a boa, or on plant communities with a picture of a four-eyedopossum, but once you accept the capriciousness of it, the quality ofthe photographs themselves wins you over and leaves you wishingthere were more of them.

Most tropical biologists will want to have Nouragues on theirshelves next to comparable volumes from other Neotropical stationslike La Selva, Barro Colorado Island, Cocha Cashu, and theBiological Dynamics of Forest Fragments reserves. The book givesthe reader a solid feel for the site while at the same time treating avariety of topics in considerable detail, challenging ideas, andstimulating inter-site comparison. It will be a big success in graduateprograms, where students will find considerable inspiration andprofessors will have a ready source of material for seminardiscussions. Furthermore, the original research papers it containsmake it a must for any library proposing to cover tropical ecologicalthemes. I just took it with me on a multi-disciplinary fieldexpedition in the Brazilian Amazon and could barely keep my handson it, while it circulated among enthusiastic colleagues!

III CURSO EN MÉTIII CURSO EN MÉTIII CURSO EN MÉTIII CURSO EN MÉTIII CURSO EN MÉTODOS DE CODOS DE CODOS DE CODOS DE CODOS DE CAMPOAMPOAMPOAMPOAMPOEN ECEN ECEN ECEN ECEN ECOLOLOLOLOLOGÍA OGÍA OGÍA OGÍA OGÍA TRTRTRTRTROPICOPICOPICOPICOPICAL AL AL AL AL Y LY LY LY LY LAAAAACCCCCONSERONSERONSERONSERONSERVVVVVAAAAACIÓNCIÓNCIÓNCIÓNCIÓNofrecido por El Centro Internacional para EcologíaTropicalUniversidad de Missouri-St. Louis y elZoológico de Saint Louis

DONDE? Centro Ecologico/Refugio de Vida Silvestre LosGuatuzos, dentro un mosaico de Bosque Seca, BosqueHumedo, Sabanas, Humedales, Rios, y Lagos, en el Surde Nicaragua cerca la frontera de Costa Rica

CUANDO? 28 de Julio hasta 17 Agosto 2005

QUIEN? Acepteremos 15 participantes, escogido deCentroamerica y México principalmente. Este programaintensivo de tres semanas de campo, está diseñado paraprofesionales, al igual que estudiantes avanzados debiología, zoología, ecología, conservación, manejoderecursos naturales y disciplinas afines.

COMO? El curso de tres semanas sera ofrecido gratis(curso incluye hospedaje, comidas, instruccíon, transportelocal y equipo de instruccíon). No obstante los costosasociados con el viaje serán asumidos por cada uno de losparticipantes, igual dinero adicional como desean.

CON APOYO DE? fondos del Servicio de Pesca y VidaSilvestre de Los Estados Unidos, logisticas de Zoologicode Saint Louis, y Centro Ecologico Los Guatuzos

QUIERE MAS INFORMACION?

www.stlzoo.org/fieldcoursetropecologyhttp://icte.umsl.edu/courses.html Anota que no hay“www” al frenteDr. John Polisar, Project CoordinatorBiodiversity of BOSAWAS Biosphere Reserve, NicaraguaEmail: polisar@stlzoo.org & cc: JJPolisar@aol.comTelephone: 505-252-5993Managua, Nicaragua

SPANISH-LANGUAGECONSERVATION GIS COURSEEn el 2004, El Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park’sConservation and Research Center en Front Royal, VAofreció una beca para un curso de entrenamiento, en elidioma Español, sobre uso de SIG para Conservación.Como solo una cantidad limitada de becas estabandisponibles para satisfacer el gran número de solicitudes,varios de los solicitantes nos propusieron crear un nuevocurso de bajo costo en el idioma español. Basados en estaidea, estamos ofreciendo el nuevo curso introductorio de

SIG para conservación:USO DE SIG Y SENSORES REMOTOS EN BIOLOGÍA DELA CONSERVACIÓN:Introducción al uso de SIG y Sensores Remotos en laConservación y Manejo de Vida Silvestre22 de agosto-26 de agosto 2005Para más detalles y registrarse visite la siguiente páginaelectrónica:http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ConservationAndScience/ConservationGIS/GIS%5Ftraining/intro%5Fspanish/Contacto:Vilmaliz Rodríguez Guzmán igespanol@si.edu1500 Remount Road Front Royal, VA 22630540-635-6535 (Lab SIG) 540-635-6506 (FAX)**Nota: El CRC también está ofreciendo un Curso Avanzado en Uso deSIG y Sensores Remotos en Biología de la Conservación (en español), 29de agosto-2 de septiembre, 2005. Los cursos enseñados en inglés a nivelintroductorio y avanzado se ofrecen varias veces en el año en el CRC.

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Volume 16 No. 2 T R O P I N E T June 2005

MEETINGS CALENDAR - 2005

SOCIETY FOR ECONOMIC BOTANY ANNUALMEETING, 4 – 9 June, 2005, Fort Worth, Texas.The theme is “The Economics of Ethnobotany.”For information, www.econbot.org.V CONVENCION INTERNACIONAL SOBREMEDIO AMBIENTE Y DESARROLLO4 – 8 July 2005, Habana, Cuba, Palacio deConvfenciones de La Habana. Mas informacion:rearcem@prodigy.net.mx;gracia945@hotmail.comSOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 19TH

ANNUAL MEETING, 15-19 July, 2005. Hosted bythe Universidade de Brasilia, in Distrito Federal,Brazil. The theme is “Conservation BiologyCapacity Building and Practice in a GlobalizedWorld”. See www.scb2005.unb.brASSOCIATION FOR TROPICAL BIOLOGY,ANNUAL MEETING, 24 – 28 July, 2005.Uberlandia, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The theme is“Frontiers in Tropical Biology and Conservation”.See details at the web page at http://www.atbc2005.ufu.br/atbcmain.htmXVII INTERNATIONAL BOTANICAL CONGRESS,Vienna, Austria Center, 17-23 July 2005. http://www.ibc2005.ac.atXXIInd IUFRO WORLD CONGRESS, 8 – 13August, 2005. The International Union of ForestResearch Organizations will meet in Brisbane,Australia, under the theme “Forests in theBalance: Linking Tradition and Technology”More information is available at the congresswebsite: http://www.iufro2005.comTALLER DE CONSERVACIÓN DEL TAPIRCENTROAMERICANO: Evaluación de ViabilidadPoblacional y de Hábitat (PHVA) 1 Agosto 2005.The Belize Zoo y The Tropical Education Center,Belice. Contact: Patricia Medici,epmedici@uol.com.br or medici@ipe.org.brSOCIETY FOR ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION,2005 International Conference, 12-18 August,2005, in Zaragoza, Spain. Information isavailable at http://www.ser.org/content/2005Conference.aspBOTANY 2005, BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICAANNUAL MEETING, 13-17 August, 2005. The themeis “Learning from Plants.” The meeting will be atthe Austin Hilton Hotel, in Austin, Texas. For

information, see: http:/www.2005.botanyconference.org/ScientificMeeting/index.phpVII CONGRESO LATINOAMERICANO DEHERPETOLOGIA, 15 – 19 Agosto, 2005,Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico. Inf:faustor@ibiologia.unam.mx or atcastro@cib.uaem.mxIV INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OFETHNOBOTANY (ICEB 2005), 21-26 August,Yeditepe, Istanbul, Turkey. The theme is“Ethnobotany: at the junction of the continentsand the disciplines. For registration information,go to: http://www.iceb2005.com/index.html8TH WORLD WILDERNESS CONGRESS, 30September - 6 October 2005, in Anchorage,Alaska. The theme of the meeting will be“Wilderness, Wildlands and People - APartnership for the Planet. Registration at :http://www.8wwc.org/PRIMER CONGRESO COLOMBIANO DEPRIMATOLOGÍA, 2 al 4 de noviembre de 2005,Bogotá, Colombia. Mayor informacion: http://www.geocities.com/primatescolombia/Congreso.htm1ST DIVERSITAS INTERNATIONALCONFERENCE ON BIODIVERSITY, 9-12November, Oaxaca, Mexico. The meeting, at theHotel de Mision de Los Angeles, will take thetheme “Integrating Biodiversity Science forHuman Well-Being.” The web site is at: http://www.diversitas-osc1.org/II INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF DRYFORESTS AND V ECUADORIAN BOTANICALCONGRESS, 14-17 November, 2005, in Lojas,Ecuador. See: http://www.funbotanica.org/