The Status of the Panama Canal Watershed and Its Biodiversity at the Beginning of the 21st Century

Condit, Richard; Robinson, W. Douglas; Ibáñez, Roberto; Aguilar, Salomón; Sanjur, Amelia; Martínez, Raúl E.; Stallard, Robert F.; García, Tomás Gallardo; Angehr, George R.; Petit, Lisa J.; Wright, S. Joseph; Robinson, Tara Rodden; Heckadon, Stanley

doi:10.1641/0006-3568(2001)051[0389:tsotpc]2.0.co;2

Cited by 95 publications

(93 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Some easily accessible sites were surveyed first, using point counts, spot mapping and ad libitum observations. Preliminary data from these surveys in a subset of the subregions studied here were recently published (Robinson et al, 2000(Robinson et al, , 2004Condit et al, 2001). In 2004 and 2005, further intensive effort was focused on most subregions where we accessed remote areas to add to existing lists.…”

Section: Methods Of Surveyingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Condit (1998), Pyke et al (2001) and Schnitzer (2005) showed how plant species richness varies from the drier Pacific coast to the wetter, evergreen forests on the Caribbean coast. Condit et al (2001) and Robinson et al (2004) documented broadscale distribution patterns of forest bird richness, revealing the lowest species richness (12 species) near the Pacific coast and more than 170 species in Caribbean coastal forests. In the latter studies, only forest area and rainfall were evaluated as possible drivers of bird species richness patterns, although other factors could also be involved.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Environmental correlates of avian diversity in lowland Panama rain forests

Rompré

Robinson

Desrochers

et al. 2007

Journal of Biogeography

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Aim The composition of communities is known to be influenced by biogeographical history, but also by local environmental conditions. Yet few studies have evaluated the relative importance of the direct and indirect effects of multiple factors on species diversity in rich Neotropical forests. Our study aims to assess drivers of change in local bird species richness in lowland tropical rain forests.Location Thirty-two physiographic subregions along the corridor of the Panama Canal, Panama.Methods We mapped the distributions of all forest-dwelling bird species and quantified the environmental characteristics of all subregions, including mean annual rainfall, topographic complexity, elevational variability, forest age and forest area. Plant species richness, believed to be correlated with structural complexity, was estimated by interpolation through kriging for subregions where data were unavailable.Results The study region has a strong rainfall gradient across a short distance (65 km), which is also accompanied by steep gradients in plant and bird species diversity. Path analysis showed that precipitation strongly affected plant species diversity, which in turn affected avian diversity. Forest age and topography affected bird diversity independently of plant diversity. Forest area and its proportion occurring in the largest two fragments of each subregion (habitat configuration) were also positive correlates of bird species richness.Main conclusions Our results suggest that plant species richness, known to be influenced in part by biogeographical history and geology, also affects bird species assemblages locally. We provide support for the hypothesis that bird species richness increases with structural complexity of the habitat. Our analysis of the distributions of the region's most disturbance-sensitive bird species showed that subregions with more rainfall, more complex topography and older forests harboured not only richer communities but also more sensitive species; while subregions with the opposite characteristics usually lacked large fractions of the regional forest bird community and hosted only common, widely distributed species. Results also emphasize the importance of preserving forest diversity from habitat loss and fragmentation, and confirm that larger, continuous forest tracts are necessary to maintain the rich avian diversity in the region.

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Section: Methods Of Surveyingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental correlates of avian diversity in lowland Panama rain forests

Rompré

Robinson

Desrochers

et al. 2007

Journal of Biogeography

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“…Presently, more than 1.3 million people currently live in the study area. Biodiversity increases from the Pacific to the Caribbean along a steep rainfall gradient (Condit, 1998;Condit et al, 2001;Pyke et al, 2001). For example, forest bird species richness increases from 4 dry-forest specialists to more than 170 wet-forest specialists along this gradient (Ridgely and Gwynne, 1989;Angehr, 2006;Robinson et al, 2004;Rompre et al, 2007).…”

Section: General Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This part of Central America harbours forests rich in biodiversity neighbouring two growing cities (including the country's capital) within a relatively small area . After nearly a century of U.S. military presence, which limited economic and development opportunities in the canal region, departure of the U.S. in December 1999 released lands for possible conversion by Panamanians (Cho, 2001;Condit et al, 2001;Dale et al, 2003;Robinson et al, 2004). New roads, railroads, and bridges quickly followed as urban sprawl around Panama City increased (Cho, 2001).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Historically, biophysical factors such as mountains with steep slopes, dense vegetation, and high annual rainfall influenced which habitats were occupied by humans (Suarez, 1981). Yet, today, despite a human population of more than 1.3 million and intense economic pressures, 50% of the region still has forest (HeckadonMoreno et al, 1999;Condit et al, 2001;Ibanez et al, 2002;Robinson et al, 2004). These forests are still considered vital to protect the Canal watershed and to preserve the regional hydrologic system for Canal operations (Heckadon-Moreno et al, 1999).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Causes of habitat loss in a Neotropical landscape: The Panama Canal corridor

Rompré

Robinson

Desrochers

2008

Landscape and Urban Planning

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Effect of land cover and use on dry season river runoff, runoff efficiency, and peak storm runoff in the seasonal tropics of Central Panama

et al. 2013

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[1] A paired catchment methodology was used with more than 3 years of data to test whether forests increase base flow in the dry season, despite reduced annual runoff caused by evapotranspiration (the ''sponge-effect hypothesis''), and whether forests reduce maximum runoff rates and totals during storms. The three study catchments were : a 142.3 ha old secondary forest, a 175.6 ha mosaic of mixed age forest, pasture, and subsistence agriculture, and a 35.9 ha actively grazed pasture subcatchment of the mosaic catchment. The two larger catchments are adjacent, with similar morphology, soils, underlying geology, and rainfall. Annual water balances, peak runoff rates, runoff efficiencies, and dry season recessions show significant differences. Dry season runoff from the forested catchment receded more slowly than from the mosaic and pasture catchments. The runoff rate from the forest catchment was 1-50% greater than that from the similarly sized mosaic catchment at the end of the dry season. This observation supports the sponge-effect hypothesis. The pasture and mosaic catchment median runoff efficiencies were 2.7 and 1.8 times that of the forest catchment, respectively, and increased with total storm rainfall. Peak runoff rates from the pasture and mosaic catchments were 1.7 and 1.4 times those of the forest catchment, respectively. The forest catchment produced 35% less total runoff and smaller peak runoff rates during the flood of record in the Panama Canal Watershed. Flood peak reduction and increased streamflows through dry periods are important benefits relevant to watershed management, payment for ecosystem services, water-quality management, reservoir sedimentation, and fresh water security in the Panama Canal watershed and similar tropical landscapes.

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The Status of the Panama Canal Watershed and Its Biodiversity at the Beginning of the 21st Century

Cited by 95 publications

References 21 publications

Environmental correlates of avian diversity in lowland Panama rain forests

Environmental correlates of avian diversity in lowland Panama rain forests

Causes of habitat loss in a Neotropical landscape: The Panama Canal corridor

Effect of land cover and use on dry season river runoff, runoff efficiency, and peak storm runoff in the seasonal tropics of Central Panama

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