Parque Natural Metropolitano Tel: (507) 232-5516/5552 Fax: (507) 232-5615 www.parquemetropolitano.org Ave. Juan Pablo II final P.O. Box 0843-03129 Balboa, Ancón, Panamá República de Panamá 2 Taylor, L. 2006. Raintree Nutrition, Tropical Plant Database. http://www.rain- Welcome to the Metropolitan Natural Park, the lungs of Panama tree.com/plist.htm. Date accessed; February 2007 City! The park was established in 1985 and contains 232 hectares. It is one of the few protected areas located within the city border. Thomson, L., & Evans, B. 2006. Terminalia catappa (tropical almond), Species Profiles for Pacific Island Agroforestry. Permanent Agriculture Resources You are about to enter an ecosystem that is nearly extinct in Latin (PAR), Elevitch, C.R. (ed.). http://www.traditionaltreeorg . Date accessed March America: the Pacific dry forests. Whether your goals for this walk 2007-04-23 are a simple walk to keep you in shape or a careful look at the forest and its inhabitants, this guide will give you information about Young, A., Myers, P., Byrne, A. 1999, 2001, 2004. Bradypus variegatus, what can be commonly seen. We want to draw your attention Megalonychidae, Atta sexdens, Animal Diversity Web. http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Bradypus_var toward little things that may at first glance seem hidden away. Our iegatus.html. Date accessed March 2007 hope is that it will raise your curiosity and that you’ll want to learn more about the mysteries that lie within the tropical forest. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The contents of this book include tree identifications, introductions Text and design: Elisabeth Naud and Rudi Markgraf, McGill University, to basic ecological concepts and special facts about animals you Montreal, Canada. may encounter. This information is organized around three central Field Guide; Sixto Mequizama, Rafael Gómez, Amelia Muñoz themes, one for each trail. The Roble trail explores the relations Traduction and text review (Spanish); Ricardo Coccio, Yarabi Vegas, Yovana that humans have with nature, the Cienaguita looks at the Nüñez, DionoraViquez, Rafael Gómez interconnection among living organisms in the forest and the Text review (English); Sarah Davidson, Marie-Audrey Ouellet, Andrew McKinley, Sky Oestreicher, Rafael Gómez , Rafael Samudio, Jarissa Reina MonoTiti is focused on ideas of space and time applied to nature. Bird identification ; Dian Luo and Siobhan McPherson We have also included extra information on animals at the end in Drawings ; Dian Luo case there is a surprise encounter. Formating ; Elva Denvers, Elisabeth Naud Illustrations ; Steve Paton (web site), Mike Danzenbaker How to use this book ( www.avesphotos.com ), Centre for tropical Forest Science of the Smithsonian Tropical Institute (CTFS, STRI) , JD Wilson and Cristian Ziegler (STRI), Parque Natural Metropolitano (PNM), Siobhan McPherson, and Elisabeth Naud. • The figure refers to a station number on the trail; it is numbered from 1 to 21. • The figure corresponds to a tree identification in the forest, with its common name and scientific name. • The slope of the Cienaguita is a lot smoother than the slope of the MonoTiti. To save your energy, we suggest that you begin your excursion with the Roble or the Cienaguita and then go down to the office using the interpretation of the MonoTiti trail. 34 3 Bibliography Abiodun, A. 2006. Sedative, antiepileptic and antipsychotic effects of Spondias mombin L. (Anacardiaceae) in mice and rats. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, Recommendations to the visitor 103:2, 166-175 Brokaw, N. & Bursing, R. 2000. Niche versus chance and tree diversity in • Bring a lot of water or a camel. forests gaps. Tree, 15;5 • Binoculars are a great tool for bird watching. Carrasquilla R., Luis G. 2005. Arboles y arbustos de Panama , Panama: Editora Novo Art • Close all possible access for bugs by wearing long sleeves, long pants and a Condit, R. 2006. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Center for Tropical good pair of hiking boots. Forest Science, http://ctfs.si.edu/webatlas/mainframesp.html. Date accessed; • Open you ears and close your mouth. February 2006 • Leave early or stay late. The best time to see mammals and Dugand, J. 2005. Trees of Costa Rica's Pacific Slope. birds is from 6h00 to 8h00 am and 16h00 to 18h00 pm. http://www.cds.ed.cr/teachers/harmon/page1.html. Date accessed; March 2007 • Be careful of spines or defences, animals and plants are often well protected against unguided hands. Foundation Nature (1999) Plan de manejo del parque natural metropolitano, • Leave the smallest footprints possible of your presence on PNM, Panama the trails. Janzen, D. 1966. Coevolution of Mutualism Between Ants and Acacias in • Enjoy! Central America. Evolution, 20: 3, 249-275 Janzen, D. 1972. Escape in Space by Sterculia Apetala Seeds from the Bug Dysdercus Fasciatus in a Costa Rican Deciduous Forest. Ecology, 53:2, 350-362 Morton, J. 1987. Papaya. Fruits of warm climates. 336–346 http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/papaya_ars.html , Date accessed March 2007 National Geographic Society. Text by WWF. 2001. Ecoregion Profile; Neotropical, Tropical and Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests, Panamanian Dry Forests. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/nt/nt0224.htm l. Date accessed March 2007 Paz, H., & Martinez, M. 2003. Seed mass and seedling performance within eight species of Psychotria. Ecology, 84:2, 439-450 Robinson, T., et al. 2000. Breeding ecology and nest-site selection of Son Wrens in Central Panama. The Auk, 117:2, 345-354 Sork, V. 1987. Effects of Predation and Light on Seedling Establishment in Gustavia Superba. Ecology, 68:5, 1341-1350 4 33 appreciate water. By hanging from trees or at the entrances of El Roble caves, boas are able to knock their favourite prey, bats, out of the air. But they do not use venom to kill their prey, they suffocate, “Human and Nature” hence their name. The longest recorded snake was 5.5m long. Welcome to El Roble. This trail joined to the MonoTiti and Common green iguana the Cienagüita, it was constructed to avoid the stressful walk along Iguana iguana the road Juan Pablo II. The walk will take you approximately 30 minutes. Green iguanas are mostly found high in the tree As humans, we are constantly surrounded by elements of canopy. They change color the forest and we often use its resources without noticing it. based on mood, Likewise the forest is impregnated with signs of human presence. temperature, health, or For this trail we focused on information that involved the social status. During interaction between humans and nature. mating season males may become bright orange. El Roble; hardwood for you house Females however mostly remain green. On the head behind the The abundance of this tree on the trail has inspired the eyes iguanas have a visible third eye! This sense organ is different trails name. Its wood is similar to that of the Oak found from a regular eye and is thought to be used as a meter for solar in the temperate forests; it is thus called Savanna Oak or energy. Perhaps it could detect predators from above. Like many Roble ( Tabebuia rosea ). It is easily recognizable by its other lizards iguanas can drop of part of their tail when frightened. leaves, which fall during the dry season to make way for its A smaller tail will regrow in a year. magnificent pink flowers. Its wood is highly valuable commercially and it is used for flooring and fine furniture. Can you see the differences? Blue morpho butterfly Roble White Oak Morpho peleides ( Tabebuia rosea) (Quercus bicolor) ©www.missouriplants.com ©www.missouriplants.com The blue morpho is one of the largest butterflies in the world. It has wings from 5 to 8 inches in length. It’s lifespan on average may last just over 100 days. As a caterpillar it is able to chew on leaves. When it becomes a butterfly it is no longer able to chew © CTFS and so must drink. Rolando Pérez Naud © Eli Challenge: Try to count how many Robles there are on the trail! 32 5 © Mike Danzenbaker polygamous as a males habitat often overlaps several female Malagueto’s seeds are habitats. They are primarily nocturnal and solitary except when a poisonous. They are female is with her cubs. used by humans to kill Malagueto rats. The fruit are Red-eyed treefrog (Xilopia aromatica) appreciated by some Agalychnis callidryas migratory birds like the Tennessee warbler (Vermivora peregrina) . Red-eyed tree frogs have suction-cup Traditionally it was thought that Xilopia toes with which they attach themselves aromatica and Xilopia frutensis were to the underside of leaves, where they male and female of the same type of tree, © Steve Paton can be found during the day. During currently we know that they are different species. mating season the females slowly come down from the treetops. Once noticed, a Pests to get rid of or key wood recyclers? number of different males jump on her What are those big brown masses hanging from the tree? back! Often several males may stay on Well the one above you is an Aztec ant nest. These ants her back while she is looking for a good feed on the insects eating the leaves of these trees. The spot to lay her eggs. Once she lays her eggs the male(s) is (are) nest is made from pieces of decaying wood and ant able to fertilize them. saliva. If you look a little farther on the branch, you’ll see another brown mass; a termite nest. You Green vine snake can also see their tunnels on the tree trunk. Oxybelis fulgidus 2007 Termites are often viewed as If you see this snake flatten its head, undesirable pests that destroy to make it seem larger, then it means wood foundations.