Panama Canal Amplification: Making the best of a clearcut situation

In Neotropical moist forests the transformation of wood biomass into animal biomass is initially mediated by wood-boring beetles. When trees are first cut, beetles are among the earliest visitors. Adults typically meet and mate on a selected host plant; the females then lay eggs that hatch into larvae. The larvae create feeding galleries in the wood, and deposit microbe-laden frass. Because the beetles create openings in the bark and jump-start the decomposition of wood, they facilitate colonization by other insects (including predators and parasites) and fungi. The host plant associations of wood-boring beetles, which reveal information about both insect microhabitat and diet, are poorly known. Data are especially difficult to acquire for wood-boring insects associated with tropical trees. The amplification of the Panama Canal will lead to partial inundation of several forested islands within, and banks along, the manmade Lago Gatún. Prior to inundation the forests are being clear-cut, and this provides an unparalleled opportunity to investigate the wood-boring beetles associated with a diverse group of trees, along with their predators and parasites.

En los bosques húmedos Neotropicales la transformación de la biomasa de madera en biomasa animal es mediada principalmente por escarabajos xilófagos. En areas de árboles que han sido taladas recientemente, los escarabajos adultos son los primeros en llegar. Despues de seleccionar una planta para hospedarse, los escarabajos se aparean y las hembras depositan huevos que generan larvas. Debido a que estos escarabajos crear aperturas a través de la corteza e inician el desglose de la madera, ellos facilitan la colonización por otros insectos (incluendo depredadores y parásitos) y hongos que descomponen la madera. Las plantas hospederas, que revelan información sobre los micro-hábitats de los insectos y su alimentación, han sido muy poco estudiadas. Los datos son especialmente difíciles de obtener para los insectos barrenadores de madera asociados a los árboles tropicales. La tala de árboles previa a la ampliación del Canal de Panamá ofrece una oportunidad sin igual para estudiar una diversa poblacion de árboles incluyendo las faunas de escarabajos xilófagos, y de otros organismos asociados.

21 April 2010

Preparing to Rear Beetles!

Before leaving Panama, we searched for a good spot to keep the rearing cages. We found a nice shady spot in Gamboa, right next to the STRI frog facility. According to Raineldo Urriola, the Scientific Coordinator, this area is protected from contemporary insect spraying. 



I believe it, because I looked underneath the bark of a nearby fallen tree, and found cerambycid larvae!




Joyce Fassbender, a CUNY Ph.D. student who will be collaborating with Hector on the weevils, is cutting out no-seeum netting that will be used to construct hundreds and hundreds of rearing cages! The linoleum floor at AMNH makes a great grid for measuring the netting...
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2 comments:

  1. M.June 2, 2010 at 10:29 AM

    Hi
    I just saw you are looking for an intern to help on your research.
    Could I get more information? I'm interested!
    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Amy BerkovJune 2, 2010 at 2:05 PM

    Dear M.,

    Thanks for your response. Yes, I am looking for one or two interns to help with the project. I am hoping to find a student already here in Panama, because I want to train someone before I leave. Prior experience with insects is helpful, but not crucial. The rearing cages should be checked every day, because the beetles can chew through the No-seeum netting. This takes about two hours. We anticipate that the project will run through December 2010.

    Where are you located, and what is your background?

    Best,
    Amy Berkov

    ReplyDelete

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