I have been invited to China for 2.5 months to work as a visiting scholar with Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Gardens (XTBG). In 2003 a Chinese scholar, Xiaodong Yang, visited El Verde Field Station. During his visit and work with Xiaoming Zou (UPR), we began studies on a chronosequence of landslides in the Luquillo Mountains that I have been studying since 2002 (in my free time from the CTE). The XTBG (SW China) will support my visit to write manuscripts with Yang about our Luquillo landslide studies. Additionally, I have been invited to Nanjing University (SE China) to meet with another scholar that lived in El Verde from 1999-2002, Dr. Honghua Ruan. In addition to visiting study sites spanning an elevation gradient (Wuyi Mountains) in SE China, I will give talks on Puerto Rican disturbances (landslides and hurricanes) for Ruan's institution.
Because of this opportunity in China, and beginning my PhD studies in August, I will be leaving Puerto Rico in early April. The Canopy Trimming Experiment is going well and the treatments are nearing the end (see below). Nick and John are working on hiring a replacement for me for the CTE-we already have someone in mind. I am confident that the CTE will continue to progress smoothly and become one of the most significant contributions to the Luquillo LTER. My experience with the Luquillo LTER and ITES (UPR) has been very positive. I have enjoyed my interactions with all of you in the past 2.5 years, and I hope to continue working with the Luquillo LTER in the future.
The CTE is going very well. Since the annual meeting in January, I hired 9 full-time volunteers (thanks to subcontract funds from Willig, Waide, and additional LTER money that Nick made available). This group of volunteers, along with many rain-free days, has enabled the completion of block C. Now two of the three blocks of the CTE are completed. We will start block A (the final block) the week of March 21. Block A includes us crossing the Prieta stream with detritus. We are currently building a bridge and zip lines in order to make this safe and efficient. As long as the weather continues to cooperate and the volunteers continue to do the same great work, we expect to finish block A (and thus all the CTE treatments) by late April or early May.
There is substantial sprouting on the trimmed trees in block B, which was completed in January. We have been taking various post-treatment measurements on block B on a monthly basis. Lastly, I have been working with Eda to make all the methods, significant dates, and all other related information for the CTE available on the LUQ LTER web page. We will notify you when it has been posted.
Dissertation defended on March 8: "Physical habitat, disturbances and the population ecology of the migratory snail Neritina virginea (Gastropoda: Neritidae) in Puerto Rico streams", University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus.
Blanco, JF, and FN Scatena. 2005. Floods, Habitat Hydraulics and Upstream Migration of Neritina virginea (Gastropoda: Neritidae) in Northeastern Puerto Rico. Caribbean Journal of Science 41 (1) April.
JF Blanco will be giving an overview talk on LUQ grad's research at the "LTER Graduate Student Collaborative Symposium" to be held in AJ Andrews station (Oregon) next April 13-17. Thanks to all LUQ students that already contributed to this effort. Students that have not yet submitted your contribution, please send a power point slide with your name and contact info, summarizing your research question and major result, along with a nice picture.
This will be an opportunity to "advertise" grad student research at LUQ and to encourage future collaborative/comparative studies among sites.
email: blanco@coomevamail.com, jfblanco73@yahoo.com
Note: Daniel Cusack of Whendee Silver's Lab will also be attending the LTER Graduate Student Collaborative Symposium.
Ostertag, R., W. L. Silver, and A. E. Lugo. 2005. Factors affecting mortality and resistance to damage following hurricanes in a subtropical moist forest. Biotropica 37: 16-24.
Silver, W. L., A. W. Thompson, M. K. Firestone, A. Reich, and J. J. Ewel. Nitrogen retention and loss in tropical plantations and old growth forests. In press. Ecological Applications.
Trumbore, S. E, E. Salazar da Costa, P. Barbosa de Camargo, L. A. Martinelli, D. Nepstad, D. Ray, and W. L. Silver. In press. Dynamics of fine root carbon in Amazonian tropical ecosystems. Global Change Biology.
Teh, Y. A., W. L. Silver, and M. E. Conrad. In press. Oxygen effects on methane production and oxidation in humid tropical forest soils. Global Change Biology.
The Luquillo LTER Annual Meeting for 2006 will be held in June, precise date to be announced.
We remind you that the draft synthesis book is on line. Follow these steps to visit its page (for members only):