Science is a team effort: 40 years of forest dynamics research on Barro Colorado Island
(Part 2 of 3)

Visiting scientist Camille Delavaux and intern, Omayra Meléndez, celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the ForestGEO 50-hectare plot, a unique forest ecology research tool, and the people who make it possible.

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Text by Omayra Meléndez and Camille Delavaux

Microbial Ecology Disease Ecology Biodiversity Forest Ecology Chemical Ecology Connections in nature: Plants, Animals, Microbes and Environments Barro Colorado Barro Colorado Island smithsonian-yellow Erin Spear

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An expedition to
the depths of the ocean

Two weeks exploring the Cordillera de Coiba revealed clues about this unknown region.

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Text by Leila Nilipour

Exploration Marine Biology Fisheries and Marine Conservation Biodiversity Ecology Animal Behavior Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet smithsonian-yellow Hector M. Guzman

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Exploring the Lives of Ancient Panamanians. Seminar by Ashley Sharpe and Nicole Smith-Guzman

How did people survive in the tropics, hundreds and even thousands of years ago? Where did they live, and what did they eat? What diseases did they encounter? New methods allow archaeologists to reconstruct the individual lives of people in more detail than ever before. Listen to Smithsonian archaeologists Ashley Sharpe and Nicole Smith-Guzmán examine the lives and histories of three very different villages in ancient Panama.

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Panama

Archaeology Life in Deep Time Naos CTPA smithsonian-yellow Ashley Sharpe

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Panama and the United States collaborate for education and science development

This webinar talk highlighted the joint projects that promote the development of cutting-edge research and served as a platform to communicate scholarship opportunities available for Panamanians at STRI and at the Embassy

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Punishment enforces cooperation in
the fig-wasp mutualism: The exception proves the rule

Mutually beneficial relationships are common, but what happens when one partner stops enforcing the other’s good behavior?  

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An untraditional
path for science

For Panamanian marine biologist Yehudi Rodríguez, her curiosity about sharks began early in life, watching the National Geographic programs and listening to her father’s stories as an underwater fisherman. This persistent interest led her to pave a path where there were not many opportunities, and to learn as much as possible from the people she encountered during her research projects in the field, especially from artisanal fishermen. Now she has more than 15 years studying sharks, she is a professor at the International Maritime University of Panama and director of Shark Defenders. Listen to her story here.

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Native trees thrive in teak plantations and may protect the Panama Canal

Teak often underperforms on poor soils. By planting valuable native trees in existing teak plantations, researchers will evaluate the potential increase in timber value, biodiversity value and ecosystem services provided.

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Panama

Forest Ecology Conservation Biology Global Change Ecology Connections in nature: Plants, Animals, Microbes and Environments Agua Salud smithsonian-yellow Jefferson Hall

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New fossil catfish species identified through 3D visualization technology

Through the use of new tools and techniques, paleontologists can better advance our understanding of the paleodiversity of different geological periods

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Underwater Manatee chatter
may aid in their conservation

Scientists propose a new method, based on underwater recordings, for estimating the population size of the Antillean manatee, an endangered marine mammal

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Bocas del Toro
Text by Leila Nilipour

Marine Biology Fisheries and Marine Conservation Bioinformatics Animal Behavior Conservation Biology Ecology Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet smithsonian-yellow Hector M. Guzman

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Thank you Valerie and Bill Anders, new staff scientist, Ocean’s Month, Agua Salud case study, NASA visits Barro Colorado, and more

Thank you Valerie and Bill Anders, new staff scientist, Ocean’s Month, Agua Salud case study, NASA visits Barro Colorado, and more

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Panamá

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