In the tropics, forests are home to more than just trees – a large fraction of the total biomass comes from lianas and hemiepiphytes. Lianas are woody vines that originate from the ground, while hemiepiphytes are plants that begin growing on another plant but eventually grow roots that reach the ground. Both types of plants…

Ecologists often think of organisms in terms of their niche – the environment and resources used by an organism, or alternatively, the functional role an organism plays. A fish’s niche, for example, could be “underwater habitat”, or “algae consumer”. We generally think that all available niches are filled, so that all available resources and habitat…

There are not many dangerous organisms on Puerto Rico – very different from the continental tropics, where it can feel like everything has it in for you. Here is an exhaustive sample of all the unpleasant plants and and animals I’ve been hurt by on this trip – it is fortunately not a very long…

The weekend is coming, so let’s have another post about nightlife in the forest. Last time I focused on vertebrates – this time, arthropods. These organisms have evolved to have hard exoskeletons. There are many fireflies which light up the night – they seem to prefer the edges of open areas, where they position themselves…