Treesearch

Given the important role of climate on species distributions, climate change is expected to have effects on biodiversity conservation. Biodiversity on the Caribbean Islands is characterized by a broad range of distributions, from cosmopolitan species to many rare and endemic species that occupy limited geographic areas. Species most vulnerable to climate change include rare and endemic species in wet upper mountain cloud forests and species in restricted coastal habitats vulnerable to warming oceans and sea level rise. Tropical montane cloud forests harbor endemic and endangered species...

The weather research and forecasting (WRF) model and a combination of the regional spectral model (RSM) and the Japanese Meteorological Agency Non‐Hydrostatic Model (NHM) were used to dynamically downscale selected CMIP5 global climate models to provide 2‐km projections with hourly model output for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Two 20‐year time slices were downscaled for historical (1986–2005) and future (2041–2060) periods following RCP8.5. Projected changes to mean and extreme temperature and precipitation were quantified for Holdridge life zones within Puerto Rico and for the...

The popularity of the Common Green Iguana (Iguana iguana) as a pet has contributed to its global occurrence as an invasive alien species. Early detection and control of alien I. iguana populations is necessary to prevent the need for large and financially demanding eradication actions. Here, we first collated information from digital footage and interviews regarding sightings of free roaming I. iguana specimens in Singapore and Thailand. We use this information to report and discuss an ongoing invasion with early stage establishment being facilitated by release of pets and escape from...

We here describe a new Collembola species, Hylaeanura emiliae sp. nov., from the Luquillo Experimental Forest in Puerto Rico. We describe H. emiliae sp. nov. as a distinct species based on the enlarged sensilla s3 in antennal segment IV, the absence of modified sensorial setae in abdominal segment IV and the presence of four setae on each dens. An updated key with illustrations for the identification of worldwide species of the genus is included.

Springtails (Arthropoda, Hexapoda, Collembola) are small arthropods commonly found in soil, litter and other habitats all around the Globe. More than 9,000 species have been described worldwide, but knowledge about their diversity and distribution remains far from complete. Reports of springtail diversity in the Antilles are uneven, some islands are relatively well known, whereas others have not been explored at all. The fauna of Puerto Rico is reasonably well known, but many recent reports are scattered in published literature and unpublished theses.

Green roofs (GR) have been proposed as a possible solution for urban stressors that, integrated with other remediation and mitigation actions, can lead the way to a more sustainable society. Even when some aspects of green roof design are well established and known (i.e. depth arrangements, materials, structural components, etc.) there is a need for further development on ecological attributes. This study is a descriptive analysis of suitable plant species for their possible incorporation in green roof designs with tropical climate conditions. Green roof research has been mostly led by...

With projected increasing intensity of hurricanes and large uncertainty in the path of forest recovery from hurricanes, studies are needed to understand the fundamental response of forests to canopy opening and debris deposition: the response of the abiotic factors underneath the canopy. Through two manipulative experiments and instrumenting prior to Hurricane Maria (2017) in the Luquillo Experimental Forest (LEF) of Puerto Rico, this study found a long recovery time of primary abiotic factors (beneath canopy light, throughfall, and temperature) influenced by the disturbance of canopy...

Tropical secondary forests (SF) play an important role in the global carbon cycle as a major terrestrial carbon sink. Here, we use high‐resolution TerraClass data set for tracking land use activities in the Brazilian Amazon from 2004–2014 to detect spatial patterns and carbon sequestration dynamics of secondary forests (SF). By integrating satellite lidar and radar observations, we found the SF area in the Brazilian Amazon increased from approximately 22 Mha (106 ha) in 2004 to 28 Mha in 2014. However, the expansion in area was also accompanied by a dynamic land use activity that resulted...

We review literature relevant to assessing the future of tropical forests and supplement the review with new data from the lowlands of Venezuela. Compared to today, future tropical forests will have a higher level of novelty, defined as the degree of dissimilarity of a system relative to a historical baseline. Processes of succession and evolution generate novelty in forests and have done so for millennia. Under increasing human activity and climate change, the rate of generation of novelty has increased and the resulting forests are termed novel forests to distinguish them from historical...

Tropical forests represent < 15% of Earth's terrestrial surface yet support > 50% of the planet's species and play a disproportionately large role in determining climate due to the vast amounts of carbon they store and exchange with the atmosphere. Currently, disturbance patterns in tropical ecosystems are changing due to factors such as increased land use pressure and altered patterns in hurricanes. At the same time, these regions are expected to experience unprecedented warming before 2100. Despite the importance of these ecosystems for forecasting the global consequences of multiple...