Carnegie Airborne Observatory visits our area

Carnegie Airborne Observatory image of rainforest trees; different colors represent different spectral fingerprints. Click picture to enlarge. Image: Carnegie Institution for Science.

The Carnegie Institution for Science is a unique private organization devoted to advanced study of the earth, life, and the universe. The pioneer cosmologist Edwin Hubble (“Hubble constant”), geologist Charles Richter (“Richter scale”), geneticist Barbara McClintock, and many Nobel laureates from several different disciplines are or were Carnegie investigators. The institution has instruments orbiting Mercury, is a lead partner in constructing the world’s biggest telescope in Chile, and has one of the world’s most sophisticated ecological monitoring devices, the Carnegie Aerial Observatory (CAO). This is a two-engine 20-passenger plane that Greg Asner and colleagues has fitted with millions of dollars worth of specially-designed lasers and spectrometers. It can sample hundreds of thousands of hectares of forest per day, using LIDAR to build a 3-dimensional model of the forest’s trees with 8 cm resolution. At the same time as it acquires LIDAR data, it also samples the spectral properties of light reflected from the vegetation, gathering reflectance information at hundreds of different wavelengths (colors). This spectral data gives information about the chemical and physical properties of the leaves, and also provides a spectral fingerprint that can later be matched to field-collected spectral fingerprints from known species of trees. Some  trees have such distinctive fingerprints that they can be identified to species with this data; more commonly, they can be identified to genus, though sometimes only to family. The detailed structural, chemical and taxonomic data acquired by the CAO would be impossible to gather at the landscape level by any other method, and Greg’s work is dramatically expanding the range of questions that ecologists can ask about forest ecosystems.

Carnegie aerial observatory rainforest image: 3-D Lidar combined with spectral signal. Image: Carnegie Institution for Science.

Last year Greg had planned to use our mosaic of forests as reference sites for a study of Andean forests on different geological substrates and elevations.  Greg and his partner Robin Martin visited our Rio Zunac Reserve, his flight plans got approved by the Ecuadorian authorities, and everything seemed ready to go, but in the end he was not allowed to bring the plane into the country. This year, however, Greg was able to bring the plane in for a more modest ten-day study of Amazonia. The plane’s home for those ten days was the military base in Shell, a town in the upper Rio Pastaza watershed near our Rio Anzu Reserve. One of the CAO’s flight transects covered a two-kilometer wide strip from west to east (high to low) through our area, perhaps including parts of up to four of our reserves. This will be a very valuable data set that will teach us a great deal about the structure and diversity of these forests. However, it will take about a year to fully process the data, so we’ll have to be patient.

The Carnegie Airborne Observatory parked at the Shell military base. Our reserves are in the mountains in the background. Click picture to enlarge. Photo: Matt Scott.

The president of the Carnegie Institution for Science, Matt Scott, is a well-known geneticist and serious photographer. He came t0 Ecuador last month to fly with Greg, but first he wanted to visit some of our reserves. Our endangered Black-and-chestnut Eagles (Spizaetus isidori) were nesting again in our Rio Zunac Reserve after last year’s tragic nest failure, so this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to observe the species as it went about its business.

I picked him up in the Quito airport. The trip from Quito to Banos was picturesque as always. The glacier of Cotopaxi was covered in a layer of fresh volcanic ash, and small puffs of ash and vapor were still rising up from the crater as we drove past it.

Cotopaxi’s glaciers covered in fresh ash. Click picture to enlarge. Photo: Matt Scott.

 

Close to sunset as we neared Banos after passing through a rainstorm. Click picture to enlarge. Photo: Matt Scott.

The next day we had an appointment with the Black-and-chestnut Eagles at 10am-11am. Our guards told us the parents  usually brought prey to the baby at that time, but were otherwise rarely seen around the nest. The nest is about 3-4 hours away from the road, after a forty minute drive from Banos, so we had to get up early and rush out there. It was hard to keep up  a good pace, since beautiful things kept distracting us. Still, we managed to get to the nest observation spot at almost exactly 11:00, and sure enough, there was the adult in the nest, along with the chick and something dead. The adult flew off almost immediately but shortly returned to feed on the prey item while the sated chick slept. The other adult was also nearby and both called frequently. We spent an hour watching them. It was a wonderful thing to see.

This was the view when Matt got to my house to start our trip to the Rio Zunac. Volcan Tungurahua with a lenticular cloud against a crystal sky, a great way to start the day. Click picture to enlarge. Photo: Matt Scott.

Morning fog over the Rio Pastaza. Click picture to enlarge. Photo: Matt Scott.

Black-and-chestnut Eagle (Spizaetus isidori) at its nest in our Rio Zunac Reserve. Photo: Matt Scott.

We saw several Highland Motmots. Photo: Lou Jost/EcoMinga.

Torrent Ducks on the Rio Zunac distracted us throughout the day. Click picture to enlarge. Photo: Matt Scott.

We found this crazy katydid at the end of our walk. Click picture to enlarge. Photo: Lou Jost/EcoMinga.

Butterflies and hesperids taking salts from the sand along the Rio Zunac. Photo: Lou Jost/EcoMinga.

Matt chills out in the Rio Zunac after our hike. Click picture to enlarge. Photo: Lou Jost.

 

The next day we went to our Rio Anzu Reserve near the Shell airport and the CAO. That reserve is not very rich in big stuff, but there are so many interesting small things that it is hard to take ten steps without stopping for photos. We eventually got to the Rio Anzu river and the magnificent fossil-bearing limestone formations capped with ladyslipper orchids (Phragmipedium pearcei). Though it was getting late, Matt asked to stay longer. I always like to hear that from a visitor!!

Matt photographing the limestone. Click picture to enlarge. Photo: Lou Jost/EcoMinga.

The limestone formations along the Rio Anzu, covered with orchids. Click picture to enlarge. Photo: Matt Scott.

Phragmipedium pearcei, a ladyslipper orchid, on the limestone. Click picture to enlarge. Photo: Matt Scott.

Riodinid butterfly in the Rio Anzu Reserve. Click picture to enlarge. Photo: Matt Scott.

Large hairy caterpillar. Click picture to enlarge. Photo: Matt Scott.

Me in bamboo forest along the Rio Anzu. Click picture to enlarge. Photo: Matt Scott.

Then we went to the military base to see the CAO. Security was tight and the military were not eager to let a pair of muddy rubber-booted gringos walk through their installations. Nevertheless we were able to talk our way through the multiple layers of officials who scrutinized us. But we didn’t want to ruffle any feathers so when we finally got to the plane, we just took a quick look at it and went back (still under military escort, but actually a very friendly one).

CAO at the military base. Click picture to enlarge. Photo: Matt Scott.

By the time we got to Greg and Robin’s hotel in nearby Puyo it was already dark. Greg was sitting at a table outside working on maps in his laptop, and he showed me the transects he had flown so far. I went back to Banos that night but Matt stayed and got to fly in the CAO over the following days. Lucky man!

Matt (left) and Greg happy to be in the air. Click picture to enlarge. Photo: Matt Scott.

The Rio Pastaza broadens and meanders as it leaves our mountains and enters Amazonia. Click picture to enlarge. Photo: Matt Scott.

 

The Amazon basin from the CAO. Click picture to enlarge. Photo: Matt Scott.

 

More of the Amazon basin from the CAO. Click picture to enlarge. Photo: Matt Scott.

Matt, thanks very much for your visit! It was an honor for us to show you our forests.

Lou Jost

Fundacion EcoMinga

 

 

El Observatorio Aerotransportado Carnegie visita nuestra área

 

IMG 01 – Imágenes del Observatorio Aerotransportado Carnegie de árboles de bosque lluvioso; diferentes colores representan diferentes firmas espectrales. Haga click en la imagen para agrandar.

 

El Instituto para la Ciencia Carnegie es una organización privada única dedicada al estudio avanzado de la tierra, la vida y el universo. El cosmólogo pionero Edwin Hubble (“constante de Hubble”), el geólogo Charles Ritcher (“Escala de Ritcher”), la genetista Bárbara McClintock y muchos otros premios Nobel de diversas disciplinas son o fueron investigadores de Carnegie. La institución tiene instrumentos orbitando Mercurio, es un patrocinador líder en la construcción del telescopio más grande del mundo  en Chile, y tiene uno de los más sofisticados dispositivos de monitoreo ecológico, el Observatorio Aéreo Carnegie (CAO). Este es un avión bimotor de veinte pasajeros que Greg Asner y sus colegas han adaptado con millones de dólares en láseres y espectrómetros especialmente diseñados. Puede muestrear cientos de miles de hectáreas de bosque por día, usando LIDAR para construir un modelo tridimensional de los árboles del bosque con 8 cm de resolución. Al mismo tiempo que adquiere datos LIDAR, también toma muestras de las propiedades espectrales de la luz reflejada por la vegetación, recolectando información de reflectancia en cientos de diferentes longitudes de onda (colores). Estos datos espectrales brindan información acerca de las propiedades físicas y químicas de las hojas, y también provee una firma espectral que puede ser después emparejada para las firmas espectrales colectadas en campo de especies de árboles conocidas. Algunos árboles tienen firmas distintivas que pueden ser identificadas a nivel de especies con estos datos; más comúnmente, ellos pueden identificar el género, aunque a veces solo a familia. Los datos estructurales, químicos y taxonómicos detallados obtenidos por la CAO serían imposibles de recopilar a nivel de paisaje por cualquier otro método, y el trabajo de Greg está ampliando drásticamente la gama de preguntas que los ecologistas pueden hacer acerca de los ecosistemas forestales. 

 

IMG 02 – Imagen del bosque lluvioso del Observatorio Aéreo Carnegie: Lidar 3-D combinado con la firma espectral. Imagen: Instituto para la ciencia Carnegie

 

El año anterior, Greg había planeado usar nuestro mosaico de bosques como sitios de referencia para un estudio de los bosques Andinos en diferentes sustratos geológicos y elevaciones. Greg y su compañero Robin Martin visitaron nuestra Reserva Río Zuñac, su vuelo planeaba ser aprobado por las autoridades ecuatorianas, y todo parecía estar listo para arrancar, pero al final no fue permitido traer el avión al país. Este año, de todos modos, Greg pudo traer el avión en un estudio más modesto de diez días de la Amazonía. El hogar del avión durante esos diez días fue la base militar en Shell, una ciudad en la cuenca alta del río Pastaza, cerca de nuestra Reserva Río Anzu. Uno de los transectos de vuelo de CAO cubrió una banda de dos kilómetros de ancho de este a oeste (alto a bajo) a través de nuestra área, quizás incluyendo partes de más de cuatro de nuestras reservas. Este será un conjunto de datos muy valioso que nos enseñará mucho acerca de la estructura y diversidad de estos bosques. De todos modos, tomará casi un año para procesar los datos completamente, así que tendremos que ser pacientes. 

 

IMG 03 – El Observatorio Aerotransportado Carnegie estacionado en la base militar de Shell. Nuestras reservas están en las montañas del fondo *del último plano*. Haga click en la imagen para agrandar. Fotografía: Matt Scott.

 

El presidente del Instituto para la Ciencia Carnegie, Matt Scott, es un genetista bien conocido y un fotógrafo serio. Él vino a Ecuador el mes anterior para volar con Greg, pero primero quiso visitar algunas de nuestras reservas. Nuestra Águila Andina (Black-and-chestnut Eagles / Spizaetus isidori) estaba anidando de nuevo en nuestra Reserva Río Zuñac después del trágico fracaso del nido del año pasado, así que esta fue una oportunidad única en la vida para observar la especie mientras realizaba sus actividades *mientras estaba en lo suyo*. 

 

Lo recogí del aeropuerto de Quito. El viaje de Quito a Baños fue pintoresco como siempre. El glaciar de Cotopaxi fue cubierto en una capa de fresca ceniza volcánica, y pequeñas bocanadas de ceniza y vapor todavía se elevaban desde el cráter cuando lo pasamos

 

IMG 04 – Glaciares del Cotopaxi cubiertos con ceniza reciente. Haga click en la imagen para agrandar. Fotografía: Matt Scott.

 

IMG 05 – Cerca de la puesta de sol a medida que nos acercábamos a Baños, después de pasar a través de una tormenta lluviosa. Haga click en la imagen para agrandar. Fotografía: Matt Scott.

 

Al siguiente día tuvimos una cita con el Águila Andina entre las 10 am y 11 am. Nuestros guardabosques nos dijeron que los padres usualmente traían presas al pichón a esa hora, pero de otra forma rara vez se veían alrededor del nido. El nido está a unas tres o cuatro horas de la carretera, después de un viaje de cuarenta minutos en coche desde Baños, así que tuvimos que levantarnos temprano y salir corriendo. Era difícil mantener un buen ritmo, ya que las cosas bonitas nos distraían. Aún así, logramos llegar al lugar de observación del nido casi exactamente a las 11:00 y, efectivamente, estaba el adulto en el nido, junto con el polluelo y con algo muerto. El adulto voló casi de inmediato, pero regreso prontamente para alimentarse de la presa mientras el polluelo dormía. El otro adulto también estaba cerca y ambos llamaban con frecuencia. Pasamos una hora mirándolos. Fue maravilloso de ver.

 

IMG 06 – Esta era la vista cuando Matt llegó a mi casa para comenzar nuestro viaje al Río Zuñac. El volcán Tungurahua con una nube lenticular contra un cielo cristalino, una excelente manera de comenzar el día. Haga click en la imagen para agrandar. Fotografía: Matt Scott.

 

IMG 07 – La niebla matutina sobre el Río Pastaza. Haga click en la imagen para agrandar. Fotografía: Matt Scott.

 

IMG 08 – Águila andina (Black-and-chestnut Eagles / Spizaetus isidori) en su nido en nuestra Reserva Río Zuñac. Fotografía: Matt Scott.

IMG 09 – Vimos bastantes Momotos montañeros (Highland Motmots / Momotus aequatorialis). Fotografía: Lou Jost / EcoMinga

 

IMG 10 – Patos torrenteros (Torrent Ducks / Merganetta armata) en Río Zuñac nos distrajeron a lo largo del día. Haga click en la imagen para agrandar. Fotografía: Matt Scott.

 

IMG 11 – Encontramos este loco saltamontes longicorno (katydid) al final de nuestra caminata. Haga click en la imagen para agrandar. Fotografía: Lou Jost / EcoMinga

 

IMG 12 – Mariposas y hespéridos tomando sales de la arena a lo largo del Río Zuñac. Fotografía: Lou Jost / EcoMinga

 

IMG 13 – Matt se relaja en el Río Zuñac después de nuestra caminata. Haga click en la imagen para agrandar. Fotografía: Lou Jost

 

Al día siguiente fuimos a nuestra Reserva Río Anzu cerca del aeropuerto de Shell y el CAO. Esa reserva no es muy rica en cosas grandes, pero hay tantas cosas pequeñas interesantes que es difícil dar diez pasos sin detenerse a tomar fotos. Finalmente llegamos al Río Anzu y las magníficas formaciones de piedra caliza con fósiles coronadas con orquídeas zapatito (Phragmipedium pearcei). Aunque se estaba haciendo tarde, Matt pidió quedarse más tiempo. ¡Siempre me gusta escuchar eso de un visitante!

 

IMG 14 – Matt fotografiando la piedra caliza. Haga click en la imagen para agrandar. Fotografía: Lou Jost / EcoMinga

 

IMG 15 – Las formaciones de piedra caliza a lo largo de Río Anzu, cubierto con orquídeas. Haga click en la imagen para agrandar. Fotografía: Matt Scott.

 

IMG 16 – Phragmipedium pearcei, una orquídea zapatito, en la piedra caliza. Haga click en la imagen para agrandar. Fotografía: Matt Scott.

 

IMG 17 – Mariposa Riodinida en la Reserva Río Anzu. Haga click en la imagen para agrandar. Fotografía: Matt Scott.

 

IMG 18 – Oruga de pelos largos.  Haga click en la imagen para agrandar. Fotografía: Matt Scott.

 

IMG 19 – Yo en el bosque de bambú a lo largo del Río Anzu.  Haga click en la imagen para agrandar. Fotografía: Matt Scott.

 

Entonces fuimos a la base militar para ver el CAO. La seguridad era estricta y los militares no estaban ansiosos por dejar que un par de gringos embarrados con botas de goma caminaran por sus instalaciones. Sin embargo, pudimos seguir nuestro camino a través de las múltiples capas de funcionarios que nos escudriñaron. Pero no queríamos agitaragitar el gallinero, así que cuando finalmente llegamos al avión, le echamos un rápido vistazo y regresamos (todavía bajo la escolta militar, pero muy amistosa en realidad)

 

IMG 20 – CAO en la base militar.  Haga click en la imagen para agrandar. Fotografía: Matt Scott.

 

Cuando llegamos al hotel de Greg y Robin en el cercano Puyo, ya estaba oscuro. Greg estaba sentado en una mesa fuera trabajando en mapas en su computadora portátil, y me mostró los transectos que había volado hasta ese momento. Volví a Baños esa noche, pero Matt se quedó y pudo volar en el CAO durante los días siguientes. ¡Hombre con suerte!

 

IMG 21 – Matt (izquierda) y Greg felices de estar en el aire. Haga click en la imagen para agrandar. Fotografía: Matt Scott.

 

IMG 22 – El Río Pastaza se ensancha y serpentea al dejar nuestras montañas y entrar en la Amazonía. Haga click en la imagen para agrandar. Fotografía: Matt Scott.

 

IMG 23 – La cuenca amazónica desde el CAO. Haga click en la imagen para agrandar. Fotografía: Matt Scott.

 

IMG 24 – Más de la cuenca amazónica desde el CAO. Haga click en la imagen para agrandar. Fotografía: Matt Scott.

 

Matt, ¡muchas gracias por tu visita! Fue un honor para nosotros mostrarles nuestros bosques

 

Lou Jost, Fundación EcoMinga

Traducción: Salomé Solórzano Flores

Rio Zunac update: predator and prey

Click to enlarge! Black-and-chestnut Eagle (Spizaetus isidori) and chick at their Rio Zunac nest this week. Photo: Luis Recalde/EcoMinga.

Our Black-and-chestnut Eagle (Spizaetus isidori) family is doing very well indeed. Today Ruth Muñiz López, Ecuador’s leading expert on large eagles, will visit the nest along with another ornithologist and a photographer, to observe the eagles and teach our guards to make key observations about the behavior of this little-known bird. Maybe Monday or Tuesday I hope to post the photos they will take with their professional equipment.

Blck-and-chestnut Eagle (Spizaetus isidori) and chick in their nest this week. Luis Recalde/EcoMinga.

Meanwhile our guard Fausto Recalde has photographed the eagle at its nest from a new observation point, and Luis Recalde has had a close encounter with its prey, our Woolly Monkeys. Luis told me he found a troop of 18, including many young ones and babies, an excellent sign that our protection is working. He said the Woolly Monkeys now are completely unafraid of him, and he was able to get the great photos below. These monkeys, however, are one of the things our eagle eats. We expect at least a few of these will end up on the dinner table of the eagle chick!

Woolly monkey mother and baby this week in the Rio Zunac Reserve. Photo: Luis Recalde/EcoMinga.

Woolly monkey this week in the Rio Zunac Reserve. Photo: Luis Recalde/EcoMinga.

Lou Jost

Actualización Río Zuñac: Predador y presa

 

IMG – Click para agrandar! Águila andina (Black-and-chestnut Eagle / Spizaetus isidori) y el polluelo en su nido de la reserva Río Zuñac esta semana. Fotografía: Luis Recalde/EcoMinga

 

La familia de nuestra águila andina (Spizaetus isidori) lo está haciendo muy bien. Hoy Ruth Muñiz López, experta en Ecuador de águilas grandes, visitará el nido junto con otro ornitólogo y fotógrafo, para observar a las águilas y enseñar a nuestros guardias a hacer observaciones clave sobre el comportamiento de esta ave poco conocida. Quizás el lunes o martes espero poder publicar las fotos que se tomarán con su equipo profesional.

 

IMG – Águila andina (Spizaetus isidori) y polluelo en su nido esta semana. Luis Recalde /EcoMinga

 

Mientras nuestro guardia Fausto Recalde ha fotografiado el águila en su nido desde un nuevo punto de observación, y Luis Recalde ha tenido un encuentro cercano con su presa, nuestros monos lanudos, Luis me dijo que encontró una tropa de 18, incluyendo muchos jóvenes nuevos y bebés, un signo excelente de que nuestra protección está funcionando. Él dijo que los monos lanudos ahora no le tienen ningún miedo, y fue capaz de conseguir buenas fotos mostradas a continuación. Estos monos, sin embargo, son una de las cosas que comen nuestras águilas. ¡Esperamos que al menos unas pocas de estos terminen en la mesa del polluelo águila! 

 

IMG – Madre de monos lanudos y su bebé esta semana en la Reserva Río Zuñac. Fotografía: Luis Recalde/EcoMinga

 

IMG – Mono lanudo esta semana en la Reserva Río Zuñac. Fotografía: Luis Recalde/EcoMinga

 

Lou Jost, Fundación EcoMinga

Traducción: Salomé Solórzano-Flores

Black jaguar filmed at Merazonia, near our Rio Anzu and Rio Zunac reserves!!!

Wild black jaguar filmed at Merazonia, an animal rescue center near our Rio Anzu and Rio Zunac reserves. This screen shot is from their Facebook page; please see that page to watch the video and to leave any comments for them.

Merazonia is a well-known wildlife rescue center located more or less between our Rio Anzu and Rio Zunac reserves, about 8 or 9 km away from each of them. Along with their animal rescue projects, they actively protect a 250 acre (100 ha) reserve on the lower flanks of the Cordillera Abitagua near Mera. A few weeks ago their camera trap captured these incredible videos of the most impressive mammal on this continent, the very rare melanistic (black) form of the jaguar (Panthera onca). This animal is also known as the black panther, though it is not really a separate species from the jaguar. Jaguars are extremely rare to begin with, and only about 1 in 20 of them are blackish like this one, so it is a minor miracle to get multiple good videos of it like this. Congratulations to Frank and the Merazonia team for managing to film it.

We have heard stories of a black jaguar shot twenty years ago near what is now our Rio Zunac Reserve, and even today we still hear rumors of black jaguar sightings around our Rio Anzu Reserve. But this is the first proof that black jaguars still survive in this heavily fragmented area, in spite of the roads and deforestation and hunters. This is very exciting and encouraging news. This particular animal could easily be visiting both our nearby reserves. Some very large cat tracks were seen by our guards in the Rio Zunac Reserve two years ago, and we thought they might be a jaguar’s.

Jaguars’ favorite food seems to be peccaries (wild pigs). Our guards recently told me that when they were young, Collared Peccaries (Pecari tajacu) lived in the Rio Zunac basin, though there are none today. We talked about re-introducing them. Now that we know we might have top predators looking for peccaries here, it makes even more sense to re-introduce them and restore this interaction.

The jaguar in the video has spots much deeper black than the rest of the body, which looks dark but not pure black. This is probably the offspring of one black parent and one normal parent. The black gene is partially dominant in jaguars, so it is expressed even if there is only one copy of it in an individual’s genome, but it is expressed more intensely when there are two copies (one from each parent).

Black jaguar, probably with one copy of the melanistic allele and one copy of the normal allele. Photo” Wikipedia.

Here is a link to another photo of a jaguar similar to the one in the video, with a dark but not black ground color, with markings that are true black. The picture was taken by my friend Peter Oxford. Note: Clicking on this image link will open the image in this browser window, replacing the blog post. To return to this post, use the “back” arrow:

Here is a much darker individual, probably with two copies of the melanistic allele.

Deep black jaguar, probably with a double dose of the gene for melanism. Photo: Wikipedia.

In case the Merazonia Facebook page does not work for you, you can see their black jaguar video below:

Lou Jost, EcoMinga

TWO new Magnolia species discovered in our Rio Zunac Reserve!

I’m excited to announce two of the most spectacular plant discoveries made so far in our reserves: two magnificent new species of Magnolia trees!

New species, Magnolia vargasiana ined. The stamens fell off onto the petals as the flower opened. A pollinating beetle is visible near the tip of the lower-right petal. Photo: Lou Jost/EcoMinga.

New species, Magnolia llangantensis ined. Photo: Lou Jost/EcoMinga.

Everyone who knows about trees has heard of magnolias, and most people have seen the stately white-flowered Magnolia grandiflora tree, iconic symbol of the southeastern US, and widely grown around the world as an ornamental. It is hard to imagine that trees in this dramatic genus remain undiscovered. The discovery of two new magnolia species in one small area in the Rio Zunac Reserve is a testament to the very special character of the very wet Cordillera Abitagua, semi-isolated granite mountains separating the main body of the Andes from the immense flat Amazon basin. These two new magnolia species are on the same trail as the spectacular new tree Meriania aurata which was discovered here a few years ago.

The magnolia discoveries were first made by botanists John Clark (University of Alabama), David Neill (Universidad Estatal Amazonica), and their students, who came to our Rio Zunac field station in May 2014 to set up two research plots in the forest:

University of Alabama students, Universidad Estatal Amazonica students, Drs John Clark and David Neill, and our guards at our Rio Zunac field station. John is center bottom in white shirt, David is directly behind him. Photo: John Clark.

Their goal was to identify and tag every tree over 10 cm in diameter in each of these two quarter-hectare plots, one plot at 1850 m elevation and the other 2 km away at about 2000m elevation. In the process of identifying each tree in the two plots, they found a few individuals of trees that were vegetatively identifiable as magnolias. Some of them were among the biggest trees in the forest, but they were completely unknown to the local people, who did not have a name for them. Surprisingly, the magnolias in the first plot had quite different leaves from the ones in the second plot. Since there were no known magnolia species in the area at those elevations, David and John suspected these both might be new species. But flowers or fruits were needed in order to be sure.

Some of John Clark’s and David Neill’s students setting up the boundaries of their study plots in our Rio Zunac Reserve, assisted by EcoMinga’s Luis Recalde (light blue-gray shirt). Photo: John Clark.

John Clark is an expert on gesneriads (the African Violet family). While he was in our reserve with his students he discovered this new species of gesneriad, a Columnea, on the same trail as the magnolias and the Meriania aurata. Photo: John Clark.

Enter Antonio Vazquez, a Mexican scientist who is the world expert on Neotropical (New World tropical) magnolias. It just so happened that the Ecuadorian government had hired him as a visiting professor for a year at David Neill’s university, the Universidad Estatal Amazonica, just a few dozen kilometers from our reserve! So of course in September when he arrived in Ecuador Dr Vazquez went to the reserve to visit these magnolias, staying in our Rio Zunac field station. The plots with the magnolias are another day’s hike up from the station. Our guards Luis, Jesus, Santiago, and Fausto Recalde went with him and climbed the magnolia trees to search for flowers, fruits, and buds. They found a partially open flower on one tree, and a seed pod on another tree.

Flower pictures of the Neotropical magnolia species are always elusive, because the flowers open at night and close by morning. A given flower does this for two nights in a row, and on the third morning it remains open and the petals fall. Dr Vazquez and our crew had a stroke of luck with the flower of Magnolia vargasiana ined. They found a three-day-old flower that had been held together by insect webs, so that the petals didn’t fall off as they normally would. Here are some of their first photos of Magnolia vargasiana ined., before and after freeing the petals from the webs.

Left: The first flower ever seen of Magnolia vargasiana ined. was falling apart and held together by insect or spider webs. Right: The flower opened partially after loosening the webs. Photo: Luis Recalde/EcoMinga.

Dr Antonio Vazquez in the magnolia forest of our Rio Zunac Reserve. Photo: Luis Recalde/EcoMinga.

I was excited by these discoveries and made my own trip to the site to see them, with two students of Dr Vazquez and our forest caretakers/parabiologists Luis and Fausto Recalde. After much effort we found advanced buds of both species, which Luis and Fausto managed to collect by free-climbing these very tall trees.

To get the flower buds of these magnolias, Luis Recalde and Fausto Recalde climbed into the canopy. Here Luis climbs the hemiepiphyte root hanging from the right-hand side of the magnolia trunk; click to enlarge since he is so high he is almost invisible. Photo: Lou Jost/EcoMinga.

As evening approached we watched the buds open. The bud from Magnolia llanganatensis ined. was damaged by insects and failed to open normally, but the bud from Magnolia vargasiana ined. opened beautifully by 5:00 pm, filling the area with a wonderful fruity smell.

Opening flower of Magnolia vargasiana ined . Photo: Lou Jost/EcoMinga.

We noticed that there were already four little beetles inside it, probably trapped there from the night before. We had discovered the pollinator of this magnolia! The beetles were coated with pollen and were rather tipsy. One fell off the flower, and when I tried to pick it up it jumped away as if spring-loaded. Later, as we looked at the photos, we saw that the hind legs of these tiny beetled were modified for powerful jumping. These observations suggested that these little guys belonged to the group of chrysomelid beetles known as the”flea beetles”.

This is the chrysomelid “flea beetle” (so named because of its powerful rear jumping legs) we found inside the magnolia flower as it opened. Photo: Lou Jost/EcoMinga.

Dr. Vazquez’s papers describing these new species were recently submitted to the appropriate journals. These exciting magnolia discoveries are part of a continent-wide trend. In the 1990s there were only four species of the genus Magnolia known from all of South America. As biological exploration in the neotropics has intensified in the last few decades, small numbers of new locally endemic Magnolia species have been turning up in remote locations all over the continent, as well as in Central America (see here and here for an exciting example in Mexico, in a reserve run by my friend Roberto Pedrazo; Dr Vazquez was also the expert who described those new species). Neighboring Colombia now has about 33 described species of Magnolia, almost all very localized and rare, many in danger of imminent extinction. For example M. espinallii is known from fewer than 50 individuals, and Magnolia wolfii is known from only five trees in one remnant patch of surviving forest surrounded by coffee plantations. Our own new species might very well be endemic to the Cordillera Abitagua. The two species seem to be very fussy about where they will grow, since they did not grow together in the same plots, even though the two plots were separated by only 2 km and about 200m of elevation.

Apart from their conservation importance, these recent magnolia discoveries highlight some interesting biogeographic issues. Magnolia trees are an ancient lineage; their family goes back 100 million years, and trees that we might recognize as magnolia relatives lived alongside the dinosaurs. The South American lineage that our trees belong to Magnolia section Talauma, is the oldest lineage of the genus, diverging from the rest of the magnolias around 40 million years ago (Azuma et al 2001). The current theory is that these species got to South America via North America, which had close connections to Eurasia in the past. At that time North America would have had a tropical climate.

Phylogenetic tree of selected Magnolia species. M dodecapetala, M. ovata, M. mexicana, and M. minor represent the Neotropical species. Figure 1 from Azuma et al (2001), The molecular phylogeny of the Magnoliaceae: The biogeography of tropical and temperate disjunctions. American Journal of Botany 88(12): 2275–2285.

So when did our species, and the many other South American magnolias, diverge from each other? Are they all old species that began to diverge already in North America, or are they recent species that diverged close to their current locations? Figure 1 in Azuma et al (2001) seems to show that the South American and Lesser Antillean species of magnolia in the Talauma group diverged at least 9 million years ago. The Central American + Cuban species and South American + Lesser Antillean species they analyzed appear to have diverged about 20 million years ago. These divergences are earlier than the currently-accepted (but still somewhat uncertain) date when North America became connected to South America. So it might be that our species are very old, and last shared a common ancestor somewhere in North America, not in South America. This is a very different situation from most other within-genus evolutionary radiations here in the Andes, which are often only 2-3 million years old.

These kinds of questions will be discussed in detail at the upcoming First International Conference on Neotropical Magnoliaceae, which will be held right here in the shadow of the Cordillera Abitagua at the Universidad Estatal Amazonica from May 27 to June 2, 2015. Please write to Antonio Vazquez, jvazquez@cucba.udg.mx, for more information.

Many thanks to John Clark, David Neill, Antonio Vazquez, and their students for choosing to work in our reserve! And thanks to Luis, Fausto, Santiago, and Jesus Recalde for their enthusiasm in the field.

Lou Jost
www.loujost.com
www.ecominga.com

Please consider donating to keep these reserves protected.

EcoMinga’s primates 1: Woolly Monkeys

Woolly Monkey in our Rio Zunac Reserve at about 2000m elevation. Photo: Luis Recalde/EcoMinga.

The Woolly Monkey (Lagothrix sp.) is one of the largest South American primates, and rarely seen in the Ecuadorian Andes, so our reserve caretaker and photographer Luis Recalde is always excited about his encounters with them. Two months ago he had a close encounter near our Rio Zunac research station, and was able to get some good pictures.

Woolly Monkey in our Rio Zunac Reserve. Photo: Luis Recalde/EcoMinga.

This same troop was also seen and filmed in 2013 by Bethan John, WLT’s Roving Reporter. Here a mother monkey with baby is filmed in slow motion moving across a gap between trees:

This is probably Lagothrix poeppigii, which occurs in Amazonian Ecuador south of the Rio Napo. However, the IUCN Red Data Book lists this species as occurring below 1600-1800m, while our form can reach elevations of at least 2400m and possibly 3000m. There is some informal discussion among Ecuadorian primatologists about the identity of this highland form, which in Ecuador is only found in a few places in the east-central Andes. There is a slight chance that it may be a geographical variation of the critically endangered Lagothrix lugens, currently known only from eastern Colombia, which does regularly reach 3000m. We’ll be collected feces for DNA analysis when the opportunity arises.

Mother and baby Woolly Monkeys in our Rio Zunac Reserve. Photo: Bethan John.

Mother and baby Woolly Monkeys in our Rio Zunac Reserve. Photo: Bethan John.

Because of their size, Woolly Monkeys are eagerly hunted for food wherever they live. They played in important role on the diets of most indigenous Amazonian tribes, and were especially sought for meat during fiestas. With advances in hunting technologies, increased human population density, and changes in indigenous lifestyle from nomadic to sedentary, Woolly Monkeys have been largely eliminated from areas near human settlements. They have likewise been eliminated wherever there are colonists invading forest areas. Their meat is so desirable that they are even hunted commercially by some indigenous tribes. In the Ecuadorian Amazon this happens even inside national parks. Woolly Monkeys are extracted by some indigenous families to supply the “bush meat” market in nearby towns. Needless to say, the Ecuadorian populations of Woolly Monkeys are crashing.

The Woolly Monkeys of the Ecuadorian Amazon have therefore learned “avoidance behavior” to protect themselves. In areas where there is hunting, they become quiet and slip away when they detect a human. A recent study has shown that Woolly Monkeys distinguish between humans carrying blowpipes (indigenous hunters), humans collecting plant material, and humans that are simply observing; the monkeys adjust their behavior accordingly:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/22128404
http://surroundscience.wordpress.com/2013/05/11/how-not-to-be-eaten/
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0062000

However, the Rio Zunac area has not been inhabited by indigenous tribes for the last couple of centuries, so the Woolly Monkeys here behave differently when they encounter a human. They may not react at all, but sometimes the males actually approach an observer, and may try to scare the observer away with threat displays. This of course would be suicidal for them in regions where there is even light hunting.

Unfortunately, now that many of the neighboring Amazonian indigenous groups have almost eliminated Woolly Monkeys in their own territory, they sometimes make hunting expeditions into the Rio Zunac area and the adjoining Llanganates National Park, specifically targeting Woolly Monkeys, Mountain Tapir, and Spectacled Bear. These expeditions often occur just before fiestas, and usually involve many hunters, who stay in the field for many days. They smoke the meat they obtain in the field, to preserve it until the fiesta. Recently a guard for the national park caught one such expedition and confiscated many smoked Woolly Monkey carcasses. EcoMinga’s guards and the national park guards have recently begun to work together, and we hope that we can protect this trusting local population of the Woolly Monkeys from human threats.

Like nearly everyone else here, even our own guards used to hunt monkeys. In this video, one of our guards, Jesus Recalde (who named his son “Darwin”, by the way), tells Bethan John about the experience that changed him permanently into a non-hunter. That linked video also contains normal-speed video of the same mother and baby Woolly Monkey that Bethan filmed in slow motion in the clip embedded earlier.

Human hunters are not the only thing these monkeys have to worry about. The Andean (Black-and-chestnut) Eagle, Spizaetus (formerly Oroaetus) isidori, also eat these monkeys, and have been seen elsewhere flying through the air with one of these monkeys hanging from their claws! These two species have evolved together for millions of years, so it is not something we need to worry about.

The white juvenile of the Black and Chestnut Eagle (Andean Eagle), Spizaetus isidori, a predator of the Woolly Monkey. Photo: Luis Recalde/EcoMinga

A more insidious potential threat is climate change. There are signs that unusual climate variations are desynchronizing the flowering and fruiting cycles of east Andean trees in Ecuador. Fruits are the main food of Woolly Monkeys, and the monkeys move around to take advantage of mass fruitings of specific species at specific elevations. Desynchronization of these fruiting events may stress our monkey populations, though no one really knows what will happen. Here all we can do is protect the monkeys from the threats that we can control, and hope for the best as climate changes.

We are desperate for operating funds to keep the EcoMinga Foundation afloat. Tax-deductible donations in the US can be made via a dedicated PayPal button on the website of our partner, the Orchid Conservation Alliance:
http://www.orchidconservationalliance.org/OCA/OCA_Ecominga.html
Donors will need to write the Orchid Conservation Alliance for the tax reciept. Write to Peter Tobias (tobias at scripps’edu); he can also arrange to accept tax-deductible donations by means other than PayPal.
In the UK, donations can be sent to our partner the World Land Trust.
These partners support other worthy organizations besides us; if you want to make sure your donation goes to us, please make sure you earmark it for EcoMinga and let us know. Thanks!

Lou Jost
http://www.ecominga.com
http://www.loujost.com