DFG Research Unit 816: Biodiversity and Sustainable Management of a Megadiverse Mountain Ecosystem in Southern Ecuador

NewsletterIssue 8

March 2010

Speakers' Corner

DFG Offi cials’ Visit

The past half year was eventful for the Research Unit (RU). After the compilation of the application booklets for the second phase (2010-2013) in summer 2009, the speakers prepared the visit of a high-level delega-tion of the German Research Foundation (Deutsche

For schungs gemeinschaft, DFG) in Ecuador. Their visit to Loja and the Estación Científi ca San Francisco (ECSF) mid of October 2009 was part of the offi cial South America tour of the DFG delegation, which trav-elled to Ecuador, Colombia and Brazil. In Colombia, the DFG President and the President of the Colombian research foundation “COLCIENCIAS” signed a “Letter of Intent” at a reception by the President of Colombia, suggesting mutual support of joint research projects. This is of particular interest to members of our unit, since one of the preferred topics is biodiversity with a

Speakers' Corner ........................................................1DFG Offi cials’ Visit .................................................1Review of the Second Phase ..................................3RU’s Annual Status Symposium .............................5Movie about the RU in Television ...........................5Exchanging Ideas about Research .........................5The RU at the UNESCO .........................................6

News from the ECSF ..................................................6News from NCI ...........................................................7NCI Proposes a Program of Bioknowledge ................7Science News .............................................................8

Rust Related Fungi as New Mycobionts of Orchids 8The diffi cult task to burn down a meadow ...............8The Double Paradox in Rivers ................................9

Cooperations .............................................................9New Partner EDIT ...................................................9Ant Communities: Structure, Diversity and Distribu-tion .......................................................................10Beetles on Tree Barks ..........................................10Long-leggedFlies: Biodiversity and Ecology ........ 11

Data and Publications...............................................12Data Warehouse ..................................................12Publications ...........................................................12Spanish and English Flyer ....................................12

People and Staff .......................................................13Imprint.......................................................................13

Contents

In summer a delegation of the DFG, the German research fund-ing agency, visited the RU. Some of them gathered in front of the project car of the ECSF: Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Erwin Beck (Chairman of the DFG Senate Commission of Biodiversity Research), Dr. Dietri-ch Halm (DFG Director International Collaboration Latin America), Prof. Dr. Jürgen Heinze (Member of the DFG senate), Prof. Dr.-Ing. Matthias Kleiner (President of the DFG), Dr. Ros witha Schönwitz (DFG Program Director Life Science 2), and Prof. Dr. Jörg Bendix (Speaker of the RU; from left to right). Photo: Boris Hillmann.

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special emphasis on Paramos and their paleoecology. The DFG-Senate Commission for Biodiversity Re-search has adopted this as an incentive to encourage German researchers to consider respective projects.

In the scope of this journey the President of the DFG, Professor Dr.-Ing. Matthias Kleiner, and his delegation stayed two days at the ECSF. Introductory presenta-tions in the lecture hall building, a round tour through the station and a joint fi eld trip, informed the delegation about the ongoing research activities, major achieve-ments and last not least the research conditions at site.

Meeting Counterparts and Chancellors

During his stay, the DFG-President and his delegation met leading counterparts: among others, the Prefect

of the Province Zamora-Chinchipe, the former Presi-dent of NCI, Ivan Gayler, and the Rector and Chancel-lor of the Technical University of Loja (UTPL), Dr. Luis Miguel Romero, of the RU (see images next page) with whom he discussed the administrative, scientifi c and social framework under which ecosystem and biodiver-sity research can be conducted in Ecuador. This once more shows the excellent integration of our research in the scientifi c and social life of southern Ecuador.

On the last evening at the station, the President dis-cussed the appreciation of science and research in Germany, principles of funding research, the situation of scientifi c junior staff in Germany and Ecuador, and the research conditions in Germany and abroad with our Ecuadorian and German postdocs as well as doc-torate and PhD students.

PD Dr. Sven Günter (right) and Dr. Felix Matt (left) explain the af-forestation experiment and introduce the DFG-President and his delegation to the megadiverse ecosystem on the forested slopes of the San Francisco valley. Photo: Boris Hillmann.

The DFG-President and his delegation were informed about the technical installations at the ECSF by Dr. Rütger Rollenbeck (left). Photo: Boris Hillmann.

The speakers of the RU, Prof. Dr. Jörg Bendix, and Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Erwin Beck introduce the ECSF meteorological station and methodology of vegetation analysis to the DFG-delegation. Photo: Boris Hillmann.

Professor Dr.-Ing. Kleiner, the DFG President, exchanges views with (from left) Ivan Gayler, founder and the former president of NCI, and the Prefect of the province Zamora-Chinchipe, Dr. Salvador Quishpe, and his group in the patio of the ECSF. Photo: Boris Hillmann

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Flowers in the Sala

We would like to stress that board and lodging of the DFG delegation and their guests was a logistic chal-lenge for the local housekeeping and catering staff and for the drivers as well, which was mastered in an impressive way and it was presumably the fi rst time, that the tables in the sala were covered with tablecloth and decorated with fl owers. Thanks to the farseeing

organization by the scientists in residence in coopera-tion with the speaker’s offi ce. The visit by the delega-tion went smoothly and was appreciated by all mem-bers. We would like to express our gratitude to all who have contributed to the successful event at the station.

Symposium: Future of Biodiversity Research

One purpose of the visit by the DFG delegation was to sound out future perspectives of jointly funded biodi-

DFG President Professor Kleiner (right) receives local organic products from Prefect Dr. Quishpe at the ECSF. The Rector and Chancellor of the Technical University of Loja (UTPL), Dr. Luis Miguel Romero (left), informed the President about the situation of Latin American and especially Ecuadorian universities during his stay. Photo: Boris Hillmann.

The kitchen staff prepared several wonderful meals for the DFG delegations and guests. Photo: Boris Hillmann.

versity and ecosystem research in southern Ecuador. In the symposium Future perspectives of Biodiversity and Environmental Research in South Ecuador that was organized by the RU together with the local coun-terparts at the Technical University, the subject was addressed from different points of view in eight oral presentations. The symposium brought all relevant ac-tors together: The representatives of the Ministry of Environment (MAE), NCI, national funding and plan-ning agencies (SENPLADES and AGECI), of the local universities and the German researchers. Presenta-tions were given about regional planning and environ-mental research (SENPLADES), perspectives of en-vironmental research from the administrative (MAE) and research (National University, UNL) perspective, capacity building (Technical University, UTPL, and our RU), biodiversity protection and knowledge transfer projects (NCI and RU), and mechanisms and instru-ments for funding (DFG).

The symposium was a follow-up of a foregoing meet-ing of the DFG delegation with members of the nation-al planning authority SENPLADES, the Ecuadorian funding agencies (SENACYT, AGECI), members of NCI, Ecuadorian scientists from the Pontifi cia Univer-sidad Católica de Ecuador (PUCE) by invitation of the German ambassador Christian Berger in Quito.

Mutual Support Emphasized

The highlight of the visit was the dinner reception in the Casa Lojana where the DFG delegation exchanged and discussed ideas on biodiversity and ecosystem research with South Ecuadorian authorities in an in-formal atmosphere. In addition to representatives of the local universities UNL and UTPL, the RU and NCI, several high offi cials were invited, for example the pre-fect of the Province of Loja, Ing. Ruben Bustamante, the prefect of the province Zamora-Chinchipe Dr. Sal-vador Quishpe etc.. In several toasts e.g. of the Pre-fects of the Provinces of Loja and Zamora Chinchipe and the DFG President, the mutual endeavors in sup-porting the joint research activities were emphasized.

Review of the Second Phase

The fi rst week of November 2009 was dedicated to the reviewing process, starting with fi eld inspections followed by the application symposium, a visit of the counterparts, the fi nal reviewers’ decision making meeting, and an organized fi eld trip to the “Oriente”. Thanks to the excellent cooperation of all applying PIs, the local staff and our counterparts, the review process ended very successfully. The recommendation of the reviewers was approved by the DFG-Senate on the 4th of February 2010. We are very grateful to the DFG , Dr. Roswitha Schönwitz and the reviewers (Prof. Dr.

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Antoine Cleef, Prof. Dr. Elisabeth K. V. Kalko, Prof. Carmen Ulloa Ulloa, PhD, Prof. Dr. Matthias Winiger, Prof. Dr. rer. nat. habil. Dr. François Buscot, Univ. Prof. Dipl. Ing. Dr. Martin H. Gerzabek, Prof. Dr. Klaus J. Puettmann, Prof. Dr. Marcus Nüsser, Prof. Dr. Heikki Martti Setälä) who invested a lot of time to evaluate our projects and scientifi c performance and who gave us many valuable suggestions for our future research.

The New Structure

The reviewers recommended granting 21 out of 24 proposed scientifi c projects, as well as of the 2 cen-

tral projects (Z1, Z2, see Table) for the second phase which will last from 2010 to 2013. Research is con-ducted on three platforms: The forest platform, P1, which encompasses ecological fi eld experiments in the natural forest along an altitudinal gradient (1000 – 3000 m a.s.l.). The pasture platform, P2, hosts eco-logical fi eld experiments on ecosystem rehabilitation. In ecosystem platform P3 landscape dynamics by nu-merical model experiments will be investigated. We are regretting that not all projects were successful. We are looking forward to three new years of excit-ing research in the “Reserva Biologíca San Francisco” (RBSF) area.

Table: Projects and principal investigators of the second phase of the RU (2010-2013)

Platforms P1 P2 P1 < P2 > P3 P3

Subprograms

A: Forest Ecosystems

B:Pastoral Ecosystems

C:Rehabilitation & Sustainable Development

D:Landscape Dynamics

Speaker Wilcke/Scheu Beck Mosandl Bräuning

Projects &principal investigators

A1 Homeier B1 Beck et al. C1 Weber et al. D1 Behling

A2 Rillig B2 Richter/Peters C2 Haug D2 Bräuning

A3 Scheu/Maraun B3 Hamer/Makeschin C3 Knoke/Aguirre D3 Bendix/Nauß

A4 Fiedler B4 Schüssler C4 Pohle D4 Breuer et al.

A5 Werner D5 Huwe/Glaser

A6 Wilcke D7 Schröder/Huth

A7 Veldkamp/Flessa

Central Z1: Data Warehouse, Z2: Central Services – Administration and Coordination

The participants of the review meeting in November gathered in front of the research station. Photo: Felix Matt.

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The excursion group is taking a break in the lowland karst area along the Nangaritza river. Photo: Jörg Bendix.

The huge stem and the roots of a Terminalia amazonia tree are in the rear of the group who hiked through the Laberinto of Nan-garitza. Photo: RU816.

Excursion to the Oriente

A post-review fi eld trip for PIs and reviewers to the Oriente of Ecuador was guided by Prof. Dr. Micheal Richter und Prof. Dr. Perdita Pohle, both from the Uni-versity of Erlangen, Germany.

RU’s Annual Status Symposium

After the review process, our annual status sympo-sium was held in the new auditorium of the Technical University of Loja (UTPL, Photo 7). With 13 keynote lectures in Spanish and a comprehensive poster ses-sion, this symposium was the status symposium at-tended most from all 14 symposiums by the RU con-duced so far. In a guest contribution, Professor Dr.

Johann Wolfgang Wägele from the University of Bonn, Germany, introduced the planned DFG research con-sortium Acceleration of Biodiversity Assessment in a Mountain Ecosystem in South Ecuador (ABA Ecua-dor) which shall support the taxonomic work of the RU in the RBSF area.

Altogether, our very special thanks go to our scientists in residence and station managers Dr. Felix Matt and Jörg Zeilinger who accomplished the mammoth task to orga-nize these fi ve laborious events directly behind one an-other, what they did with great profession and success.

Movie about the RU in Television

Based on the movie clips of DFG science TV, the RU was presented in the TV serial „Inside Science” of the Second German Broadcaster ZDF (http://www.zdf.de/ZDFmediathek/beitrag/video/913276/inside-science---Teil-1#/beitrag/video/913276/inside-science). The TV spot was produced without any further contribution of the RU and, unfortunately, is not at all free of formal errors.

Exchanging Ideas about Research in the Tropics

In February 2010, the speaker was invited to intro-duce the RU to an audience at the University of Vi-enna, encompassing scientists of the Research Sta-tion “La Gamba” in Costa Rica (www.lagamba.at). A new Austrian research program shall be developed for the La Gamba area and one goal was to exchange ideas regarding monitoring concepts and cooperation between the various research platforms in the tropics.

Baltazar Calvas presents his research in the new auditorio of the Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (UTPL) during the Annual Status Symposium. Photo: Jörg Bendix.

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Climatology Course for the Ministry of Environment

In cooperation with NCI the RU offered a one day course about climatology for the Ministry of Environ-ment (MAE). The course took place the 18th of Feb-ruary 2010 in the lecture hall of the ECSF. Andreas Fries, PhD student of project B3.1 “Climate dynamics: past and present” explained basics about climatology, the climate in the different regions and especially in the South of Ecuador, and the instrumentation of the RU for climatological observations and investigations. After lunch the instrumentation of the ECSF reference climate station was demonstrated in detail to the audi-ence of 13 people from the MAE and NCI. In the fi eld the participants learned about the infl uence of rain on human bodies fi ercely.

Protection

The security situation at the ECSF has improved since a new police station was established in Sabanilla. Now there are two policemen working 24 h a day and they can be called by phone.

Status of the Road between Loja and Zamora

In October the road reconstruction between Loja and the ECSF was completed. Nevertheless journeys to Zamora and by bus also from the ECSF to Loja are often disturbed, since the work on the part between ECSF and Zamora still goes on until the end of this year.

Jörg Zeilinger & Felix Matt

News from the ECSF

The RU at the UNESCO

In January the DFG and our RU organized a joint side event at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris during the UNESCO-CBD (Convention on Biological Diver-sity) meeting on the occasion of the start of the year of Biodiversity 2010. The aim was to present the success story of our research activities in southern Ecuador. Our joint group consisting of Dr. Luis Miguel Romero from the UTPL, Calos Valarezo from the Na-tional University of Loja (UNL), Renzo Paladines from NCI, M. Monica Ribadeneira Sarmiento from the DFG, and Jörg Bendix Speaker of the RU presented our col-laboration.

Under the title “Benefi t sharing by research, educa-tion and knowledge transfer – a success story of biodi-versity research in southern Ecuador” we highlighted particularly aspects which demonstrate our efforts in “Benefi t Sharing” with our Ecuadorian counterparts. “Access (to genetic resources) and benefi t sharing” are major concerns in the negotiations of the “Confer-ence of the Parties” to the CBD. Additionally, a brief in-troduction into our scientifi c program was supported by representatives of our Research Unit: Prof. Dr. Stefan Scheu, Dr. Jürgen Homeier, Andreas Gerique, Prof. Dr. S. Robbert Gradstein, and PD Dr. Sven Günter.

Jörg Bendix & Erwin Beck, Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the RU

Joint presentation at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris. From left to right: Mrs. Monika Ribadeneira Sarmiento (DFG), Jörg Ben-dix (RU), Luis Miguel Romero (UTPL), Renzo Paladines (NCI), and Carlos Valarezo (UNL). Photo: Jürgen Homeier.

Andreas Fries presents basic concepts of global and re-gional climate. Photo: Jörg Zeilinger.

A new 4-wheel double cab pickup camioneta of the RU was purchased in February to replace the old red one. Photo: Jörg Zei linger.

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Protecting Watersheds

The board of directors of the Regional Water Fund (FORAGUA, see: Newsletter No 3, 2008: www.tinyurl.com/TMFnews03) has been formed. Its fi rst president is Dr. Edwin Ayora, the Attorney of the Municipality of Loja. Two additional members have joined the program as

News from NCI

Ecuador’s economy traditionally has been based on the extraction and export of commodities like gold, quinine and oil, in addition to cocoa and banana pro-duction, with all the associated problems of this type of economic base. Consequently, the new national de-velopment strategy, put forth by the National Planning Secretariat of the Government of Ecuador (SENP-LADES), wants to change the primary export model to an economy based on “bioknowledge and tourism ser-vices”. The national strategy will give priority to invest-ments in the biochemical, biomedical, bioenergetics, hardware and software industry, and to environmental services and nature tourism.

In this scenario, we believe that the southern region of Ecuador, including the provinces of Loja, El Oro and Zamora Chinchipe, provides excellent conditions to run such a program: It encompasses coastal, Andean as well as Amazonian regions and harbors different ecosystems, a national park and a biosphere reserve, and has a network of public and private natural areas.

Additionally, science and academia have leapt and ecological research is conduced successfully since many years in this region:

● The precursor of the German Research Unit (RU) started to do research on tropical mountain ecol-ogy in 1997 when the fi rst six projects in the RBSF area were carried out.

● Local technical and National universities devel-oped from mere teaching into research institutions.

● Educational infrastructure grew along with these developments.

Thus, NCI has proposed to the regional academic community and the government of Ecuador represent-ed by SENPLADES, the development of a “National Program of Bioknowledge” driven by Ecuador’s south-ern region. The program includes:

● The establishment of a regional system of conser-vation of natural areas.

● The development of a public National Institute of Bioknowledge.

● The installation of an innovation park, which would support small- and medium-sized businesses related to bioindustry.

The Bioknowledge Program has been described as a “national priority” on the agenda of the Ecuadorian government and currently has a committee that devel-ops technical, academic, and fi nancial proposals.

The scientifi c input and expertise of the German RU on these issues could be very valuable for the devel-opment of the National Bioknowledge Program. We look forward to the participation of scientists from Ger-man universities in this process.

Felipe SerranoE-mail: fserrano@naturalezaycultura.org

In this section Nature and Culture International (NCI, www.natureandculture.org) introduces its activities. NCI is a non-governmental organization whose mission is to assist in the conservation of biological and cultural diversity.

well: the municipalities of Zamora and Chinchipe. The program now includes a total of seven municipalities in the region. For more information see: www.foragua.org.

Bioknowledge in Ecuador

The NCI article in this issue introduces an interesting initiative to create a bioknowledge program. Professor Dr.-Ing. Matthias Kleiner, the DFG-President, and the Ecuadorian government were introduced to this proj-ect during the President’s visit. Helmut Sonnert

NCI Proposes a National Program of Bioknowledge

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Science News

Rust Related Fungi as New Myco-bionts of Orchids

Worldwide, only a few groups of fungi were shown to operate as orchid mycobionts of which Tulasnel-lales and Sebacinales (Agaricomycotina, Basidiomy-cota – mushrooms) are the most common and were also encountered in the RBSF by us previously. After more comprehensive sampling and investigating or-chid mycorrhizas in the RBSF we observed, by use of transmission electron microscopy, a “simple-pored basidiomycete” with “symplechosomes” forming typi-cal orchid mycorrhiza structures. The characters un-ambiguously indicate Atractiellomycetes, a group of rust-related fungi (Pucciniomycotina, Basidiomycota). Molecular data confi rmed the systematic position and found the fungi in every third out of 103 investigated orchid individuals.

Andean orchids life with parasitic fungi

Molecular analysis indicated three genotypes (spe-cies) of Atractiellomycetes occurring with epiphytic and terrestrial orchids in the mature and regenerating forest and the land slide. Atractiellomycetes form tiny, hyaline, jelly-like fruiting bodies on rotten organic mat-ter with world-wide distribution. Never before they were observed in root tissue or leaves and it still remains to be shown that these fungi support orchid seed germi-nation and growth. Our fi nding is puzzling: indicating for the fi rst time mycorrhizal fungi among the parasitic rust fungi, and revealing the most basal mycorrhiza forming basidiomycete as associated to the most de-

rived subfamily in Orchidaceae (Epidendroideae). The fi nding may indicate a unique, recent switch of orchids to Atractiellomycetes indicating special importance in the Andean habitats and for the Andean orchids.

Ingrid Kottke

References Kottke I, Suárez JP, Herrera P, Cruz D, Bauer R, Haug I, Garnica S 2009. Atractiellomycetes belonging to the ‘rust’ lineage (Puc-ciniomycotina) form mycorrhizae with terrestrial and epiphytic neotropical orchids. Proc. R. Soc. B doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2009.1884

The diffi cult task to burn down a meadow

Our second ecological fi re experiment (project B1) was conducted at the bracken experimental site of 50 x 20 meters during a very dry period in early Novem-ber of 2009. Dry plant material from the fi re protection strip was used to set up fi re, after saturating it with ethanol. Unfortunately, the initial fi res went out with-in a short time and thus, only small parts of the site could be burnt down. To accomplish the planned heat shock treatment of bracken and grass, gas burners were used subsequently to burn the remaining parts of the area down piece by piece. Two days of hard work were necessary until a reasonably uniform burn-ing result was reached. Regrowth of the vegetation on the burnt sides is now regularly monitored by manual measurements and also by aerial photos made with our balloon (see introduction in Newsletter no 5 page 7: http://tinyurl.com/TMFnews05). Soil and ash sam-

Bracken site before the fi re experiment in October 2009 (left), same as left taken Near-Infrared (middle), and after the fi re taken in early N o v e m b e r 2010 (right). Images Group B1: Brenner Silva, Kris-tin Roos, Jörg Bendix and Er-win Beck.

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ples were taken by the group of Hamer/Makeschin (project B3) to gather further information about nutri-ent availability and to investigate the impact of fi res on the microbial community structure. They also measure soil respiration regularly.

Puzzling out Suitable Methods

A standard fl ight strategy was created by using land-marks and a nominal fl ight level of 35 meters above ground. In result, high resolution images have been acquired in a very good quality. The way from the single aerial photos to an image mosaic of the whole site (as shown in the Figures) encompasses geomet-ric correction and stitching techniques. The geometric rectifi cation is based on the selection of ground control points and the calculation of the fi eld of view over a new planar projection.

A second camera has been deployed to provide infor-mation in the near-infrared (NIR). It contains the same sensor, but with a visible cut-off fi lter instead of the NIR one. This technique is commonly used to inves-tigate vegetation activity based on the ratio of NIR to visible refl ectance (high vs. low refl ection in the NIR of vital vs. stressed green plants). Our purpose, how-ever, is to discriminate the bracken fern and Setaria individuals by means of two spectral channels in order to monitor the development of the fractional projective cover. Brightness normalization is still necessary be-fore we start with the image classifi cation. Simultane-ously, the ground based survey of bracken and Setaria leaf area will be continued.

Brenner Silva, Kristin Roos,Jörg Bendix & Erwin Beck

The Double Paradox in Rivers

In September 2009 we (former subgroup B3.2, now D4) installed a new erosion monitoring station in the Rio San Francisco just upstream of Sabanilla. The sensor measures turbidity every 15 min and converts these measurements to grams of suspended sediment per liter. First data show, that the export of suspended sediment in the period September to December 2009 was between 0.02-0.3 t ha-1 day-1, depending on pre-cipitation patterns and river discharge. Apart from ero-sion measurements we are also working on the Catch-ment Modelling Framework with the aid of Ina Plesca, a student of Applied Mathematics from Moldavia, to solve the Double Paradox we have been observing in the San Francisco hydrology. The Double Paradox describes the mismatch of two different observations in fl ow path studies. On the one hand, there is a very quick discharge occurring after rainfall, indicating that a lot of the rainfall becomes runoff. And on the other hand the event-analysis of water chemistry and wa-

ter isotopes shows signatures of old water, which has been stored for many months in the hydrological sys-tem. We will keep you informed about our solutions in one of the upcoming issues of this newsletter.

Amelie Bücker

The Sonsor (ViSolid 700 IQ, right image) measures the to-tal suspended solids in slurries and waters. The measure-ments are recorded continuously (left). Photos: Christina Deubler.

New Partner EDIT

The RU has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the European Dis-tributed Institute of Taxonomy (EDIT) to further it’s endeavors to analyze the di-versity of the tropical mountain rainforest in Ecuador. The memorandum was signed in June 2009. At the mo-ment, three researchers are working in the RBSF area on beetles, ants and fl ies. They introduce their work and present some of their results in the section below.

EDIT is a collective of 29 European, North American and Russian institutions to a call of the European Commission, issued in 2004, for a network in Taxono-my for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research. It works to provide better, faster and more accountable tools to taxonomists, to signifi cantly accelerate the global production of taxonomic knowledge. It organizes bio-diversity inventory and monitoring programmes, de-velops an Internet Platform for cybertaxonomy with software for the management of taxonomy and bio-diversity data, creates collaborative scratch pad web sites to empower research communities across the globe and improves the training of next generation’s taxonomists.

Cooperations

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Dr. Christoph Häuser, who has worked in the Research Unit preceding this RU has signed the memorandum together with Jörg Bendix. Häuser is leading one of the eight working packages of EDIT called applying taxonomy to conservation. More information can be retrieved at the EDIT site: www.e-taxonomy.eu. esw

Ant Communities: Structure, Di-versity and Distribution

In the framework of EDIT and the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventories and Monitoring (ATBI+M) activities a re-search program focusing on ants has been initiated in 2007. The main goals are: 1 to understand which factors promote a high ant

diversity at different spatial scales (from regional to local and micro-scale);

2 to study the effects of nutrient fertilization on ants as top predators of the leaf-litter decomposition food web;

3 to study the effects of modifi ed climatic conditions on ants.

To characterize the ant diversity in the Podocarpus National Park, a standardized sampling protocol was used in 16 sites corresponding to various altitudes (from 1000 to 3000 m a.s.l.) and rainfall regimes. Ants are identifi ed according to morphological and mo-lecular criteria (DNA barcoding). A digital collection of specimens with high resolution images (as in the image above) will be available on the internet. Nutri-ent addition follows the NUMEX protocol. Preliminary results indicate that ants are found up to 3000 m a.s.l. (n=8 species in Cajanuma). Diversity is inversely cor-

related to altitude: 41 species at 2000 m (ECSF) and 90 at 1000 m (Bombuscaro); 128 spp. in total at the three sites. Species density can be very high: up to 26 species per square meter. Species composition seems to vary considerably among sites.

Dr. Maurice Leponce (RBINS), T. Delsinne, T. Arias Penna & J. Jacquemin

More InformationRoyal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS):http://www.naturalsciences.be/cb/ants/projects/andes-mountain-forests.htm

Beetles on Tree Barks

The MACAG-Project (“Monitoring of Arthropods along Climate and Altitude Gradients”) aims at monitoring and evaluating climate change and altitudinal gradi-ent driven impacts on the arthropod faunas on undam-aged tree barks in primeval and near-to-nature forests. In Ecuador it is done within the EDIT-network and in cooperation with the RU. This spatial (altitudinal) and temporal (time-scale) quick assessment is so far carried out in several global diversity hotspots like Panama (San Lorenzo National Park), Australia (Queensland), Vanuatu, Ecuador, but also in Euro-pean mountain forests. Our standardized barkspray protocol has been shown to be a solid sampling tool (Schmidl et al. 2009) and especially beetles proofed to be suitable indicators of ecological shifts and gradi-ents (Schmidl 2009, Lauke & Schmidl 2009), since this mega-diverse insect group is a dominant component of the bark fauna, integrated in complex food-webs and synecological relations.

We sampled from 2007 until 2009 at Podocarpus Na-tional Park. Our analyses focus on the patterns of bark arthropod diversity between trees, plots, altitudinal levels (Bombuscaro 1000 m, ECSF 2000 m, and Cajanuma 3000 m) and environmental gradients, evaluating diversity and monitoring performance (ap-plication suitability) especially of the beetle fauna.

Endless beetle diversity?

The samples of 2007 and 2008 (116 trees) contained a total of 1514 beetle specimen, 503 morphospecies and 45 families. On average, every third individual is a new morphospecies. High species diversity also is indicated by a strict, highly signifi cant positive corre-lation of individual and species numbers per family. Highest densities of species and individuals (per cm dbh) are found on an altitudinal level of 2000 m, fol-lowed by 3000 m and 1000 m. A rarefaction analysis (25 samples each) reveals that the species accumula-tion curve of beetles on barks is highest on 2000 m

Thaumatomyrmex sp.01(EC), is a specialist predator on milli-pedes. Image Courtesy of Y. Laurent & I. Bachy from RBINS.

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(160 sp.) and lower at 1000 m and 3000 m (110 sp. each), with no saturation at any level. Another 180 samples from 2009 will provide more details.

Detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) reveals a strict ordination of the trees (samples), plots and spe-cies along the altitudinal gradient, with congruence of the 2007 and 2008 samples. In Canonical Corre-spondence Analysis, height and altitude level depen-dent factors signifi cantly explain the variation of beetle abundance and diversity patterns (see fi gure). Spe-cies are almost confi ned to one altitudinal level, only 21 out of 503 species showed intermittent distribution. Results from Schmidl & Homeier, in prep.

Dr. Jürgen Schmidl (RBINS)

ReferencesSchmidl J. & Homeier J (in prep.): Corticolous beetles communi-ties refl ecting altitudinal and structural gradients in a tropical moun-tain forest. Cited references can be requested from the author: jschmidl@bioform.de.

More InformationRoyal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS):http://www.naturalsciences.be/cb/ants/projects/andes-mountain-forests.htm and University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany: http://www.biologie.uni-erlangen.de/entwbio

Long-legged Flies: Biodiversity and Ecology

Our primary aim is a fi rst estimate of the total species diversity of long-legged fl ies (Dolichopodidae, Diptera) in this part of the southern Ecuadorian Andes. We also study the impact of altitude and habitat type on the species diversity and community structure. The compari-son of dolichopodid species yields in pan traps of different colors provides in-formation on the ecology of the different species whereas information on their vagility can be retrieved from the com-parison of yields from Malaise traps, pan traps and sweep net samples. Fi-nally, the observed biodiversity patterns will be compared with those of similar altitudinal gradient studies in Colombia and Costa Rica.

An intensive sampling campaign was conducted in February and March 2009 at three locations within or adjacent to the Podocarpus National Park: Bom-

buscaro (1000 m a.s.l.), San Francisco (ECSF, 2000 m), and Cajanuma (3000 m). At each location, a pri-mary and at least two supplementary sites were se-lected. One Malaise trap and sets of 10 white, yellow, blue and red pan traps were employed in each pri-mary site, and one set of 10 yellow pan traps in each supplementary site. In addition, in each of these sites and beyond, dolichopodid fl ies and other invertebrates were collected with sweepnets on several occasions. Also environmental variables (light intensity, aerial hu-midity, and temperature) were recorded.

The total sampling yield encompassed 3 Malaise trap samples, 118 pooled pan trap samples, 200 sweep net samples, and 80 mounted insects. Currently, the pan trap samples are being processed and several inverte-brate taxa separated for further dissemination among colleagues working on Neotropical faunas.

Dr. Marc Pollet (RBINS)

More InformationRoyal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS):http://www.naturalsciences.be/cb/ants/projects/andes-mountain-forests.htm; Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO): http://www.inbo.be; Ghent University (UGent): http://www.ecology.ugent.be/terec/personal.php?pers=mp&page=mpi

Canonical Correspondence Analysis axis 1 vs. 2 of 503 beetle species from 116 trees barks sampled at 1000m, 2000m and 3000m and fi ve environ-mental parameters (dbh: trunk diameter at breast height; climbers: c. cover of bark; epiphyte: e. cover of bark; bark: bark roughness in intervals 1-5; height: altitudinal level). 482 species were found only at a single altitude (in ordination often with congruent positions): green 1000m, red 2000m, blue 3000m. From Schmidl & Homeier, in prep.).

Newsletter No 7 - October 2009 DFG Research Unit 816 Page 12/13

Data and Publications

Data Warehouse

The data warehouse will be adapted to the new project structure in March 2010. The project structure of the fi rst phase will be still available in the menu of the web site www.tropicalmountainforest.org.

A fi rst prototype of a spatial data retrieval and aggre-gation tool is implemented which will be continuously extended. In the beginning, regionalized climate data will be uploaded which are mainly generated in the scope of the PhD thesis of Andy Fries (project B3.1). The spatial data query can be accessed under the menu point “Geographic Search” where the user-se-lected coordinates will be displayed as a point in the station map for a visual proof (see screenshot). The query returns a fi le with average monthly values (at the moment: minimum, mean and maximum air tem-peratures 2 m above ground) for the selected point which are aggregated towards annual means and standard deviation (see fi gure).

To complete the data warehouse with all data of the fi rst phase Dr. Kerstin Bach will organize a one-day data upload workshop in the mid of the summer term where at last one person of each subproject will up-

load the entire data of the project. The attendance of this event is mandatory. The station managers appeal to the PIs to always keeping the personal data of all collaborators up to date.

Jörg Bendix, Maik Dobbermann & Andy Fries

Publications

The special issue in the journal Erdkunde on spatial aspects of our research (overarching theme “Models” of the fi rst phase) was published in December 2009 (Volume 63, Number 4). The issue encompasses six research papers on modelling and regionalization top-ics. The PDFs of the articles have open access status and can be downloaded under http://www.giub.uni-bonn.de/erdkunde/Content/2009/content_2009_04.htm#4. It encompasses the following articles:

● Jörg Bendix and Erwin Beck: Spatial aspects of ecosystem research in a biodiversity hot spot of southern Ecuador – an introduction. DOI 10.3112/erdkunde.2009.04.01

● Mareike Liess, Bruno Glaser and Bernd Huwe: Digital soil mapping in southern Ecuador. DOI 10.3112/erdkunde.2009.04.02

● Andreas Fries, Rütger Rollenbeck, Dietrich Göt-tlicher, Thomas Nauß, Jürgen Homeier, Thorsten Peters and Jörg Bendix: Thermal structure of a megadiverse Andean mountain ecosystem in southern Ecuador and its regionalization. DOI 10.3112/erdkunde.2009.04.03

● Achim Bräuning, Franziska Volland-Voigt, Iris Burchardt, Oswaldo Ganzhi, Thomas Nauß and Thorsten Peters: Climatic control of radial growth of Cedrela montana in a humid mountain rain-forest in southern Ecuador. DOI 10.3112/erd-kunde.2009.04.04

● Claudia Dislich, Sven Günter, Jürgen Homeier, Boris Schröder and Andreas Huth: Simulating for-est dynamics of a tropical montane forest in South Ecuador. DOI 10.3112/erdkunde.2009.04.05

● Thomas Knoke, Michael Weber, Jan Barkmann, Perdita Pohle, Baltazar Calvas, Carolina Medina, Nikolay Aguirre, Sven Günter, Bernd Stimm, Rein-hard Mosandl, Frank von Walter, Byron Maza and Andres Gerique: Effectiveness and distributional impacts of payments for reduced carbon emissions from. DOI 10.3112/erdkunde.2009.04.05

Spanish and English Flyer

The RU created a Flyer in an English and a Spanish version to summarize its aims, approaches, and accomplish-ments. The fl yer can be downloaded soon from the web site.

Screenshot of a spatial data query in the data warehouse of the RU (above) and result of the query (below).

Newsletter No 7 - October 2009 DFG Research Unit 816 Page 13/13

Imprint

DFG Research Unit 816 (RU)

More information about research, the scientifi c and the local advisory board, and all principal investi-gators is available at: www.tropicalmountainforest.org

Speaker of the RU

Prof. Dr. Jörg Bendix, Fachbereich Geographie der Philipps-Universität Marburg, Deutschhausstraße 10, D-35032 Marburg, Germany, Tel. ++49 (0)6421-2824266. E-mail: bendix@staff.uni-marburg.de

Speaker's Offi ce

Mrs. Birgit Kühne-Bialozyt, Fachbereich Ge-ographie der Philipps-Universität Marburg, Deutschhausstraße 10, D-35032 Marburg, Germany, Tel. ++49 (0)6421- 2826543, E-mail: kuehnebi@staff.uni-marburg.de.

Copyright

© DFG Research Unit 816. All rights reserved.

Editorial Offi ce and Design

Dr. Esther Schwarz-Weig (esw), www.Sci-Stories.com, E-mail: esw@sci-stories.com

People and Staff

Dietrich Göttlicher, the administrator of the metada-ta base of the previous RU402 and the current data warehouse has left the RU in November 2009 to ac-cede a life-time administrative position in the Faculty of Geography at the University of Marburg. We would like to thank him for his continuous and reliable work in building up and running our central data facility and wish him all the best for his further career.

Transitionally Dr. Kerstin Bach from the Faculty of Geography, University of Marburg will join the data warehouse project Z1.1 on a half-time position un-til June 2010, particularly to work with the RU members to complete all data of the fi rst phase of RU816. She is a biologist with experiences in herbari-um data base management. Contact: kerstin.bach@staff.uni-marburg.de. More information: http://www.uni-marburg.de/fb19/personal/wiss_ma/bach/index_html#806

At the same time, we are very glad that we were able to recruit a well-qualifi ed candidate for the advancement and ad-ministration of the data warehouse for the second phase of recent RU. The new data warehouse manager, Thom-as Lotz, has studied Geography in Marburg and has prepared his Diploma

Thesis entitled Digitale Reliefanalyse zur statistischen Modellierung der Bodentextur in einem tropischen Ho-chgebirge (Süd-Ecuador) – GIS-gestützte Ableitung von Initialisierungsdaten für ein SVAT Modell in the scope of the RU. At the same time, he worked as a stu-dent assistant in the database projects of the RU. After his diploma, he got a position as database manager of the Hessian Center for data processing (=IT-service provider for the Ministries of the state of Hesse, Ger-many). He has also recently fi nished his postgraduate studies in Geoinformatics at the University of Mainz, Germany. Lotz will join the data warehouse project (Z1) in April 2010 where he will mainly work on the de-velopment of service tools for data aggregation, data retrieval and map server applications.

Alexander Tischer is going to start his work as PhD student in the work-ing group of Ute Hamer (subproject B3 in the new RU) in April 2010. At Dresden University of Technology Al-exander earned his M.Sc. in forestry. His PhD research will focus on con-necting nutrient availability, microbial

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activity (SOC, gross and net N-mineralization) and community structure (PLFA analysis) in topsoils with vegetation characteristics depending on pasture age, fertilization, management and fi re regime. Further-more Alexander will be responsible for the manage-ment of the FERPAST-experiment.

The appointment of Dipl. Fowi. Helmut Sonnert ends in March 2010. He had worked to connect different people and organizations in the area and to bring research results close to applications. He enjoyed to work together with Fe-lix Matt and Jörg Zei linger. One out-come was the convenio signed from the Organization NCI, the Ecuadorian Ministry of Environment (MAE) and the RU which for example brought about the climatology course (see rubric “News from the ECSF”).

Photo: Sonnert.