Sampling and identification of the flora of a cloud forest reserve in Costa Rica JACQUELINE Z. MEDRANO Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85281, USA, email [email protected] Abstract The Cloudbridge Nature Reserve lies in a Costa Rican cloud forest where conservation initiatives are underway to preserve the remaining forest fragments and to reforest previously cleared logging and pasture lands. 112 unknown plant species were collected in the reserve to identify to scientific family, genus, and species. The work was done to acquire new herbarium specimens as well as to contribute to two ongoing bio-monitoring studies at the reserve, where floristic inventory data is certainly necessary and largely incomplete. Plant samples were extracted, pressed, and sent for drying to the National Museum of Costa Rica, while digital photos and scans, along with plant descriptions, were sent electronically to professional sources for identification. 48 identifications have been acquired so far, and more are in progress. General trends show high genetic diversity and richness, confirming the forest area as a high priority conservation spot. Further investigation is necessary to come to more definite conclusions on the structure and composition of the forest area. Introduction rise to landscape mosaics composed of patches of primary and secondary forests, It is no news that the world’s cloud pastures, tree plantations, croplands, and forests are threatened by increasingly shrublands, evident on the Costa Rican alarming deforestation rates caused by Cordillera de Talamanca mountain range man’s destructive influence over the past (Oosterhoorn & Kappelle, 2000). Moreover, few decades (Denslow, 1987; Oosterhoorn numerous studies have emphasized the & Kappelle, 2000). Logging, cattle grazing, strong negative impact that forest and urbanization in general have wiped out fragmentation has on the biodiversity of much of the Earth’s forest cover. The species, particularly tree species (Alvarez- problem is severe especially in a country Buylla et al., 1996; Cayuela et al., 2006). such as Costa Rica, which has had one of the The degradation of forest land is highest tropical deforestation rates in the presumed to be the primary driving force of world (Sánchez-Azofeifa et al., 2003). biodiversity loss worldwide, an issue that is From the Spanish conquest and into the particularly relevant in tropical forests, 1960s, thousands of hectares of Costa Rican famous for holding the highest and richest forest were converted into cropland and levels of diversity than any other ecosystems pasture, and in the 1970s, the deforestation on Earth (Sánchez-Azofeifa et al., 2003; rate averaged about 3.7% before dropping to Cardelús et al., 2006; Gordon & Newton, less than 1.5% at the end of the twentieth 2006). Diversity of plants in particular is of century (Sánchez-Azofeifa et al., 2001 and special note, as studies suggest that some 2003). The deforestation trends have given tropical rainforests have more plant species Medrano, 2 in small areas of a few hectares than any values, and properties. It is applicable to the other kind of vegetation in the world, with ranching industry, horticultural industry, up to 473 tree and liana species in a single herbal industry, and in fields of ecological hectare (Givnish, 1999; Whitmore et al., consulting or environmental law. One 1985; Wills et al., 1997). Cloud forests are primary purpose in this case, however, is to quickly drawing the attention of scientists advance future botanical research. With an and conservationists worldwide as they rush inventory of plants in a given area, to discover the mysteries of the forests’ ecosystem productivity can be assessed, overwhelming diversity, at least 80% of comparative biogeographic or regional which has not yet been catalogued, before studies can be conducted, patterns of they disappear (Roach, 2001). It has ecosystem response to variation in plant become clear that in-situ biodiversity diversity over time can be observed, and conservation initiatives are now more urgent conservation priorities can be more than ever, especially with the realization that accurately identified. Furthermore, floristic a very long recovery time is needed to re- data can be used as a foundation for studies establish deforested microhabitats and of biodiversity, distribution, endemism, community structures (Holz & Gradstein, exotic species, immigrant species, and 2005; Langholz et al., 1999). This is all the restoration (Makings, 2003). more pertinent considering the many Identifying unknown plant species in pre- endemic species found in their unique cloud determined study sites of the Cloudbridge forest niches- and no where else. reserve is the primary objective for this Fortunately, Costa Rica has taken project. Other objectives include: 1) significant conservation initiatives, and collecting samples of all plant specimens although about 75% of its forest lands have with several duplicates to preserve in the already been cleared, the remaining 25% is herbariums of the National Museum of currently protected, in part by private Costa Rica, Arizona State University, and refuges or reserves such as the Cloudbridge other herbariums of specialists around the Nature Reserve. It is in this reserve that the United States who may have helped in their investigation at hand takes place, inspired by identification; 2) compiling an archive of the need to identify the plant species of a plant photos and descriptions to add to forest area where very few prior studies botanical databases such as the BIOMON have been conducted. database (a bio-monitoring software Cataloguing the species that compose the developed by the Smithsonian Institution); rapidly fading cloud forests seems to be the and 3) constructing plant species reference logical first step in understanding and pages for ongoing and future Bio- conserving them (Gentry, 1991), but plant monitoring studies at the Cloudbridge identification is important for many other reserve. reasons. It is essential in the area of resource management, as man’s most basic Materials and Methods and frequent needs are fulfilled by the utilization of plants (as a food source, as Study Site useable for product materials, clothing materials such as silk or cotton, wood, The project was conducted over a four paper, rubber, drugs, medicines, etc.). month period from June – October 2007 in Identifying plants is the first step in knowing the Cloudbridge Nature Reserve in South- more about them and about their uses, Central Costa Rica. The private reserve is Medrano, 3 situated within the remote cloud forests of recovering forest fragments. Each site is the Cordillera de Talamanca, the country’s characterized by a central marker, and highest mountain chain. Cloudbridge within a 20 meter radius from this point lie currently covers about 700 acres and lies at smaller 2x2 meter bio-monitoring quadrants. an altitude between 1,500 and 2,600 meters. The plants in these quadrants are Its primary goal is “to preserve and reforest documented with notes and photographs in an important gap in the cloud forest the Cloudbridge Bio-monitoring field book, adjoining the Chirripó Pacifico river on the but their names and values are unknown. slopes of Mt. Chirripó, the highest mountain Using the field book images and in Costa Rica” (Giddy, 2007). In addition, descriptions as reference, I collected the reserve is active in ongoing scientific unidentified samples within the 20 meter investigations with experts and volunteers, radius plots. Because the bio-monitoring and is open for public recreation without study is concerned with regeneration in charge. secondary or recovering forests, the plants I collected plant samples throughout the collected from these areas were mainly reserve, particularly within several pre- ferns, grasses, shrubs, vines, and low trees. determined sites where research investigations were already taking place. Smithsonian Institution Hectare The investigations are the Cloudbridge Bio- Monitoring Study and the Smithsonian In contrast, the SI/MAB program Institution Monitoring and Assessment of involves a one-hectare primary forest plot Biodiversity Program (here on after referred where mainly tree samples were collected. to as SI/MAB). Both projects require All trees in the plot with a breast height extensive botanical inventory data as the diameter of 10 centimeters or more were great majority of plants within these sites tagged and numbered. There are 712 total remained unidentified. My aim was to marked trees, all of which must be identified identify as many unknown plants as I could to family, genus and species. I worked to in order to contribute to the understanding of collect samples from the unknown trees in the species composition of the area and to order to identify them and to contribute to a further the current biodiversity research growing compilation of data, hoping to initiatives that only partially complete. This further the progress of the Smithsonian plant identification project is valuable to the Institution project and mission. progress of these investigations as botanical The SI/MAB mission to promote inventory is a crucial preliminary step in any biodiversity conservation has been at work bio-monitoring, plant community, or since 1986, cooperating with governments, diversity investigation (Chazdon et al., academia, local communities, non- 1998; Nadkarni et al., 1995). governmental organizations and others to assess and monitor the diversity within Cloudbridge