Treesearch

A comprehensive biodiversity study of the Scolytidae (Coleoptera) of Puerto Rico, USA has been underway for several years. Seventy-one species are now recorded from the island. One new genus, Allothenemus, is described with Allothenemus minutus new species, as the type species. An additional 13 new species are described: Chramesus atlanticus, Scolytodes puertoricensis, S. atlanticus, Pseudothysanoes magnispinatus, Hypothenemus amplissimus, H. concavifrons, Trischidias puertoricensis, Xyleborus atlanticus, Theoborus puertoricensis, Coptoborus bellus, Xyleborinus insulosus, Pityophthorus...

Dry forest environments limit the number of species that can survive there. Antillean dry forests have low floristic diversity and stature, high density of small and medium-sized trees, and are among the least conserved of the tropical forests. Their canopies are smooth with no emergent trees and have high species dominance. Antillean dry forests occur mostly on limestone substrate, exposing them to more water stress and nutrient limitations than other dry forests. They also experience periodic hurricanes and anthropogenic disturbances. Many of the attributes that allow plants to survive...

The people of Puerto Rico have relied heavily on reservation to conserve natural resources needing protection. Protection was favored by natural reforestation of most of these reserves. These recovered forests, mostly of a few rustic tree species able to dominate exposed exhausted soils are less valuable as sources of conservation that those of the past. Since these reserves became forested at no human cost it is commonly assumed that without further cost they provide fully their potential conservation. It will take more than a generation for this to take place naturally. In the meantime...

Describimos la cantidad de lluvia y transcolación durante veinte años (1988-2008), incluyendo varios periodos de sequías, huracanes y lluvias intensas. La composición de nutrientes en la lluvia y transcolación fueron medidos semanalmente durante quince años (1988-2002), incluyendo los periodos de huracanes y sequías. Las entradas anuales de K, Ca, Mg, Cl, Na y SO4- S fueron similares a las presentadas para otros bosques tropicales influenciados por la brisa marina. La cantidad de nitrógeno que llega con la lluvia es comparativamente baja y refleja el aislamiento relativo de zonas urbanas...