News
Archive

You are here

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

How and when to reintroduce frogs into their natural habitat?

August 19, 2020

Returning endangered frogs back to nature is not an easy task, particularly when their main threats are not under control. In this talk (Spanish), former STRI fellow and current director of the Summit Municipal Park, Dr. Angie Estrada, explains what is causing so many amphibian species around the world to be at risk for extinction and discusses the different approaches that scientists are...

Gina Della Togna STRI Panama

Science through passion and perseverance

August 17, 2020

Dr. Gina Della Togna has gone a long way in pursuing her love for animals, including amphibians, insects, and reptiles. Last year she received the L'Oreal-Unesco Prize for Women in Science, for her research in assisted reproductive techniques for endangered species, such as the golden frog. This year she was named by Forbes magazine as one of the 100 most powerful women in Central America and...

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

Strianassa lerayi Anker, new shrimp species from Panama’s Coiba National Park

August 13, 2020

Last year’s expedition, part of the project to compare microbiomes of animals in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, resulted in the discovery of several new animal genera and a species of mud shrimp named for STRI and post-doctoral fellow, Matt Leray.

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

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

August 12, 2020

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.

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

Biodiversity may limit invasions: Lessons from lizards on Panama Canal Islands

August 10, 2020

Lizards transplanted from the mainland to small islands in Lake Gatun, Panama, took their parasitic mites with them. What happened next provides great experimental evidence for the enemy release hypothesis.

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

New fossil catfish species identified through 3D visualization technology

August 07, 2020

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

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

Two decades among the birds of Panama

August 05, 2020

Between 1944 and 1966, Dr. Alexander Wetmore, a legendary ornithologist and Sixth Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, investigated the avifauna of the Isthmus of Panama. This became the basis of his four-volume ‘The Birds of the Republic of Panama’. In this webinar, STRI anthropologist Dr. Stanley Heckadon-Moreno takes us for a historical and photographic journey across Dr. Wetmore’s...

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

Invasive lionfish may be a selective predator

July 30, 2020

By evaluating the diet choices of this species in a semi-natural environment, scientists could improve predictions of how it might affect newly invaded communities

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

Have vessels cooperated with whale conservation efforts in the Gulf of Panama?

July 24, 2020

Several years after the International Maritime Organization adopted Traffic Separation Schemes to reduce the risk of collision between vessels and migratory whales in the Gulf of Panama, scientists assessed whether these conservation management actions are being effective

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

Lightning strikes more than 100 million times per year in the tropics

July 23, 2020

Tropical storms often begin with an impressive display of pyrotechnics, but researchers have largely overlooked the role of lightning strikes in tropical ecosystems.

Back to Top