Fish and Wildlife
Organisms perform critical ecological roles that can influence aspects of ecosystem integrity and function in tropical forests. Scientists at the International Institute of Tropical Forestry collect and analyze a broad array of datasets to better understand how different biological factors and/or environmental variables affect many of these species in these ecosystems. Endangered, threatened and near-threatened species have been at the center stage of these efforts, as has been evidenced by the collaborative programs established by the Institute and its partners to study and conserve the Nearctic-Neotropical migrant Kirtland’s Warbler and past work on the endemic Puerto Rican Parrot (Amazona vittata). Modeling bird community richness, composition, structure and diversity in Neotropical urban settings has also been useful to understand human impacts on many species. Other research has addressed how life history strategies, migratory ecology, and population dynamics in these communities could be affected by multiple factors, such as parasites, or disturbances, such as hurricanes and climate change. Additional ongoing studies of the IITF Wildlife program, in partnership with collaborators from the Northern Research Station-Amherst, demonstrate that the richness, structure and diversity of bird communities in Neotropical forests and urban settings are instrumental in understanding the role of wildlife in providing ecosystem services across diverse natural and human-impacted habitats. Other studies have explored the impact of various factors on life history strategies, migratory ecology, and population dynamics within these communities, including parasites, diseases and disturbances such as hurricanes and climate change.