http://hdl.handle.net/11606/1 Publicaciones científicas sobre investigaciones hechas en el Área de Conservación Guanacaste 2026-05-23T01:07:42Z http://hdl.handle.net/11606/1560 Respuestas del mesozooplancton a condiciones oceanográficas en diferentes escalas en Bahía Salinas, Pacífico Norte de Costa Rica, durante 2011-2013 Morales-Ramírez, Álvaro; Till Pons, Ivana; Alfaro, Eric; Corrales-Ugalde, Marco; Sheridan-Rodríguez, Carolina Introduction: The North Pacific of Costa Rica is characterized by presenting a variation of the subsurface tem- perature of the sea (SSST) modulated by surface winds with east component, with seasonal and intra-seasonal variations. The SSST is fundamental for the interactions of the ocean-atmosphere interface and influence marine biological processes. Zooplankton studies in the North Pacific are scarce and have been focused on the composi- tion, abundance and biomass of macro and mesozooplankton in Culebra Bay. No works on zooplankton has been carried out northward of Papagayo Gulf. Objective: To analyze the variation of the zooplankton in Bahía Salinas at different scales in response to oceanographic-atmospheric conditions. Methods: during 2011, 2012 and 2013, mesozooplankton was collected in seven stations following a coastal- ocean gradient to determine abundance, biomass, and community composition. CTD casts were also carried out in each station. Hourly data of the Sea Subsurface Temperature (SSST) were obtained from June 2003 to December 2017. Results: The annual surface temperature in Bahía Salinas was lower in December-April with a secondary mini- mum in July and higher in May-June and August-November. The cold, neutral and warm events determined by anomalies in the SSST, presented a distribution of the temperature in the water column with horizontal stratification, vertical mixture and homogeneous, respectively. The spatial distribution of zooplankton did not show significant differences and the variation of the total average abundance and biomass showed a similar behavior during the study period, with less variation in the first year compared to the second one, being the copepods the predominant category for all the dates. On a seasonal scale, a general pattern of variation between dry and rainy seasons was not observed, and copepods and others zooplankton groups were the categories that presented differences. On an intra-seasonal scale, abundance and biomass showed an inverse relationship with SST. Copepods and gelatinous zooplankton (GZ) were differentiated in all events. Conclusions: The zooplankton of Bahía Salinas respond differentially at different scales to the climatic condi- tions that affect the SSST of the region. The classification of the sampling dates into events allows character- izing different profiles in the water column it also allows to define the variation patterns for mesozooplankton that reflects short-term adaptation as a function of variation in environmental conditions. These findings help to understand how oceanographic processes determine plankton community composition and biota in general. This is relevant in times of climate change and the manifestation of its impact through processes such as ocean acidification and loss of marine biodiversity. 2021-10-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/11606/1559 Plant galls recorded from Guanacaste Conservation Area-Costa Rica as an integrated concept of a biological database Gätjens-Boniche, Omar; Sánchez-Valverde, Marylin; Trejos-Araya, Carla; Espinoza-Obando, Roberto; Pinto-Tomás, Adrián A.; Hanson, Paul E. Abstract: Galling insects are specialist herbivorous that have the ability of manipulating plant tissue to form complex biological structures called galls. Even though different organisms have the ability to induce galls in plants, insect galls have the highest degree of structural complexity. The main goal of this study was to obtain a preliminary systematic record of plant gall morphotypes from the Guanacaste Conservation Area in Costa Rica and integrate the information into a biological database. Plant gall morphotypes were recorded, characterized and deposited into a specialized herbarium established as a reference for the inventory. Moreover, organisms associated with gall morphotypes were included in the inventory when it was possible to obtain and identify them. Galls were collected in the rainy season over a period of three years. In total, we recorded forty-four families, seventy genera, and eighty-seven host plant species. One hundred thirty-one morphotypes of plant galls were identified in the Guanacaste Conservation Area. The family with the highest number of gall morphotypes was Fabaceae (8.4%). Leaves were the organ with the largest number of galls (71%), followed by stems (17.6%), and apical buds (6.9%). The predominant gall shape was globular (25.2%), followed by discoid (18.3%). Fifty-nine percent of the galls had a glabrous texture, which was most common on leaves, with 77%. One hundred twenty of our field records (91.6%) of plant galls were new morphotypes not only for Costa Rica but also the world. As a consequence of this research and considering the prospect of future increases in new gall records (and associated organisms), we proposed having the biological entities resulting from the inventory placed in a cecidiarium. This repository represents a standardized and comprehensive way to manage the data and biological materials associated with the plant galls. We also suggest a nomenclature for standardizing gall morphotype registries and identifications. This work is the first and most detailed inventory of plant galls carried out thus far in the Guanacaste Conservation Area. 2021-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/11606/1556 Guía de Campo de los Reptiles y Anfíbios del Área de Conservación Guanacaste Norman, David El objetivo de esta guía de campo es ayudar a las personas que visiten el ACG a identificar las especies de anfibios y reptiles que encuentran allí. Saber identificar a las especies, o sea, poniéndole el nombre al animal que encontramos, tiene multiples beneficios. Para entender como funciona un ecosistema, hay que distinguir una especie de la otra. Si no, seria intentar entender como funciona una escuela sin poder distinguir entre las cocineras, las consierges, las secretarias, las guardas en las puertas, la directora, la enfermera, la profesora de matemáticas, la profesora de música, etc. Saber quien es quien nos permite llegar a ser observadores más atentos en nuestro afán de fijarnos en pequeñas diferencias de forma, color, o comportamiento. También facilita nuestro aprendizaje acerca del uso de hábitat, cadenas alimentárias, patrones de movimiento y más. En otras palabras, tener experiencias mas enriquecedoras 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/11606/1553 Seasonal High Road Mortality of Incilius luetkenii (Anura: Bufonidae) Along the Pan-American Highway Crossing the Guanacaste Conservation Area, Costa Rica Monge Velázquez, Michelle; Langen, Tom; Sáenz, Joel The Pan-American Highway in Costa Rica is currently undergoing expansion in capacity as a response to growth in vehicle traffic associated with growing international trade. This highway bisects the Pacific lowlands Tropical Dry Forest of the Guanacaste Conservation Area, a World Heritage site of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, with notably high biodiversity, including herpetofauna. As wildlifevehicle collisions are one of the main direct causes of animal mortality, we quantified the species composition, seasonality, and location of amphibians and reptiles killed along a 30 km segment of the highway running through the conservation area. From August 2016 to February 2017, we mapped roadkill hotspots using Kernel Density Estimation (KDE) with KDE+ software. We detected 1,298 carcasses of 28 species, including seven anuran, one caecilian, three lizard, 15 snake, and two turtle species; the Neotropical Yellow Toad (Incilius luetkenii) comprised over half the total roadkill. The two most severe roadkill hotspots were short road segments near seasonally flooded depressional wetlands where I. luetkenii and other anurans breed. We urge construction of mitigation measures including barriers and subterranean passages to conserve amphibian populations, especially if the Pan-American Highway will be widened at these sites. 2022-04-30T00:00:00Z