The First 100 Years of Research on Barro Colorado
An open monographs series
A tremendous amount of research has been done in the Barro Colorado Nature Monument and surrounding areas over the last 100 years, a wealth of research for tropical forest scientists more broadly. At the same time, students and researchers new to the site face the challenge of sorting through all that literature to find the most relevant studies for their interests. Researchers and resident STRI staff scientists who have worked at BCI for decades have been essential at pointing new people to key papers and connecting them with others with similar interests. But the community as well as the literature has grown so large, that this is an increasingly difficult task. It was time for a new synthesis.
The Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press is publishing an open access series of edited volumes, freely available. The Plant volumes are the first of the series. The Animal volumes and Physical volume will soon follow.
Published Volumes
Abstract
The Barro Colorado Nature Monument in Panama, which includes Barro Colorado Island and nearby mainland peninsulas, supports the best studied tropical forest in the world. This 98-chapter edited volume reviews the history and contributions of research undertaken at this moist tropical forest to advance our understanding of tropical plants and ecosystems. The first section describes the setting, including soils, land use history, forest structure, and plant species composition. Nine additional sections concern plant reproduction and seedling regeneration, plant physiology, plant community ecology, population genetics, interactions with microbes and herbivores, remote sensing, observational ecosystem studies, experimental ecosystem studies, and focal taxa and functional group accounts. The authoritative reviews in this volume provide a foundation for future research in this and other tropical forest sites.
Upcoming Volumes
‘The First 100 Years of Research on Barro Colorado: Animal Behavior, Evolution and Ecology’ and ‘The First 100 Years of Research on Barro Colorado: the Physical Basis’ are currently in the works. The completed volumes will be found here once published.
