Funding Smithsonian Scientific Research (2003)
Chapter: Appendix D: Examples of Long-Term Projects and Data Sets at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Appendix D
Examples of Long-Term Projects and Datasets at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
RESEARCH AND MONITORING
Marine Biology
-
Monitoring population of sea urchins – 15 years
-
Quantifying larval settlement by coral-reef fishes at monthly intervals – 20 years
Terrestrial Plant Biology
-
Quantifying flower and seed production of 625 species of trees, shrubs, and lianas at weekly intervals – 16 years
-
Monitoring 62,000 trees near Manaus, Brazil, to study the dynamics of forest fragments – 23 years
-
Conducting fully factorial, experimental augmentation of soil fertility (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) - since 1997
-
Conducting integrated series of experimental manipulations of atmospheric CO2 concentration - since 1990
Terrestrial Invertebrate Biology
-
Monitoring population fluctuations of euglossine bee population – 23 years
-
Monitoring population fluctuations of over 700 species of true bugs, native bees, and the invasive African bee – 18 years
-
Studying life-histories of over 1170 insect species – 26 years
Terrestrial Vertebrate Biology
-
Monitoring population dynamics of 133 avian species – 23 years
-
Monitoring lizard population dynamics – 31 years
-
Monitoring population fluctuations of mammal species with transect counts – 21 years
-
Monitoring 3000 rice-paddy fields in Senegal – 38 years
COLLECTIONS AND RECORDS
-
Over 50,000 marine fossils
-
Over 300,000 recent mollusks from both coasts of Central America, with precise geographic, sediment, taxonomic, and biologic information
-
Extensive data on carbon isotope ratios in tropical forest plants, particularly bromeliads and other epiphytes
-
Record of rainfall and temperature on Barro Colorado Island – 80 years
-
Record from a class A weather station, soil moisture content, and stream flow from Barro Colorado Island – 31 years
-
Record from a class A weather station, salinity, and sea level from Galeta Point
-
Record of water quality in Bay of Panama – 20 years
