From tiny banana seeds to giant coconuts, it’s tough for seeds to survive in tropical soils where they are under attack by fungi, bacteria, insects and animals. By understanding how seeds defend themselves, tropical biologists contribute to reforestation, crop management and sustainable agriculture in the tropics.
When he’s not racing his bike cross-country, Milton Garcia is in demand for his expertise flying drones. In the last month, he monitored mangrove deforestation on Panama’s Pacific coast, mapped a new research station in Coiba National Park and tracked blooming trees on Barro Colorado Island, the first plot in an international network of forest monitoring sites.
After more than 50 years at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, director emeritus Ira Rubinoff has announced his retirement. He will travel to Vienna with his wife, Anabella, who was recently designated Panama’s ambassador to Austria.
A novel research project takes aim at the ageless question of what influences tropical seedling survival.
Deployed from Greenland to Australia, caterpillar decoys were attacked the closer they were to sea level and the nearer they were to the tropics.
A tree-climbing research fellow created 3-D maps of monkey movements on Barro Colorado Island to better understand how forest disruptions by human activity can affect monkey mobility.
