Coral reefs throughout the Caribbean have suffered the effects of human activities, including overfishing, nutrient pollution, and global climate change. Yet despite systematic deterioration of reef health, there still exists appreciable variability of reef conditions across Caribbean sites. The mid-depth (20 m) fringing reefs of Bonaire and Curaçao, in the leeward Netherlands Antilles, remain healthier than reefs on many other Caribbean islands, supporting relatively high fish biomass and high coral cover. Approximately one half of the fish biomass is composed of planktivorous species, with the balance comprised of herbivorous and carnivorous species. Only a small fraction (<7%) of the fish biomass is composed of apex predators, predominantly due to the essential absence of sharks from these reefs. Coral cover across these islands averages 26.6%, with fleshy macroalgae and turf algae covering most of the remaining benthos. Coral cover was not correlated with the biomass of any fish groups, failing to provide a clear link between fish activities (e.g., herbivory) and the health and persistence of corals. However, there was a strong, positive correlation between macroalgal cover and herbivorous fish biomass. This result is in contrast to previously published reports and may identify a disparity between correlational studies conducted within islands (or nearby islands) versus studies comparing results from across islands. These data provide insights into the structure of reef communities in the southern Caribbean Sea.

Potential for physiological self-incompatibility in Heliconia bihai as a mechanism to promote outcrossing was studied in St. Lucia. Our results do suggest that H. bihai is self-compatible. However, plants vary in their degree of compatibility from full to partial self-compatibility. We found only traces of physiological incompatibility but conclusive determination of its mechanism would require further testing. In contrast to Central American Heliconia species, we found that more pollen tubes are able to grow inside H. bihai styles following artificial pollinations. Additional studies would be needed to test if other populations of H. bihai share this phenomenon.

Dwarf forest in Puerto Rico's Luquillo Mountains varies according to substrate and topography with very short, dense forest growing on exposed, rocky sites. High elevation level sites suffered considerable damage during past hurricanes whereas the trees on certain lower slopes were protected by ridges or spurs. Post-disturbance recovery of dwarf forest on two types of sample plots near East Peak was slow. Nearly 37 years after a 1968 airplane crash, Cyathea bryophila (R. Tryon) Proctor and Eugenia borinquensis Britton accounted for 71% of the 25.3 t ha^-1 total aboveground dry weight biomass (hereafter biomass) on 780 m2 of the crash site. This is only 30% of the 80 t ha^-1 average biomass of the surrounding dwarf forest prior to Hurricane Hugo of 1989. Also, six 250 m² permanent plots (stratified by topography with sites on ridges, slopes, and ravines) showed delayed post-hurricane mortality, declining in mean stem numbers from 2,956 stems ha^-1 in 1990 to 2,268 stems ha^-1 in 2005. Average plot biomass decreased from 72.8 t ha^-1 in 1990 to 61.6 t ha^-1 in 2000, increasing slightly to 62.9 t ha^-1 in 2005. Recovery on all sites was characterized by an immediate invasion of grass cover along with an influx of ferns, followed by dicotyledonous seedlings and saplings, and finally small trees. More than one-half of the arborescent species growing in dwarf forest are endemic to Puerto Rico where they play a prominent role in post disturbance recovery; moreover, 85% of the trees do not exceed 15 m in height anywhere in the Luquillo Mountains.

Two populations of Roupala montana Aubl. growing in a shrubland and in a forest were studied to assess the relative contribution of abortion and predispersal seed predation to the final seed set. Predispersal reproductive losses were similar to those observed in Australian and African Proteaceae. In both populations a final seed set of less than 2% was determined. Although R. montana produced conflorescences with numerous flowers (≥100), a high proportion of confructescences had few fruits (≤10) or were even barren due to flower-fruit abortion (97% in the shrubland and 96% in the forest), which represents the main constraint to seed production. Seed abortion and seed predation were of a lower magnitude than flower-fruit abortion. In the shrubland the only seed predator was a weevil, while in the forest at least two seed predators and hymenopterous parasitoids were found. Fruits with a single formed seed (the other one aborted) suffered less predation than fruits with two formed seeds.

Satellite image-based mapping of tropical forests is vital to conservation planning. Standard methods for automated image classification, however, limit classification detail in complex tropical landscapes. In this study, we test an approach to Landsat image interpretation on four islands of the Lesser Antilles, including Grenada and St. Kitts, Nevis and St. Eustatius, testing a more detailed classification than earlier work in the latter three islands. Secondly, we estimate the extents of land cover and protected forest by formation for five islands and ask how land cover has changed over the second half of the 20^th century. The image interpretation approach combines image mosaics and ancillary geographic data, classifying the resulting set of raster data with decision tree software. Cloud-free image mosaics for one or two seasons were created by applying regression tree normalization to scene dates that could fill cloudy areas in a base scene. Such mosaics are also known as cloud-filled, cloud-minimized or cloud-cleared imagery, mosaics, or composites. The approach accurately distinguished several classes that more standard methods would confuse; the seamless mosaics aided reference data collection; and the multiseason imagery allowed us to separate drought deciduous forests and woodlands from semi-deciduous ones. Cultivated land areas declined 60 to 100 percent from about 1945 to 2000 on several islands. Meanwhile, forest cover has increased 50 to 950%. This trend will likely continue where sugar cane cultivation has dominated. Like the island of Puerto Rico, most higher-elevation forest formations are protected in formal or informal reserves. Also similarly, lowland forests, which are drier forest types on these islands, are not well represented in reserves. Former cultivated lands in lowland areas could provide lands for new reserves of drier forest types. The land-use history of these islands may provide insight for planners in countries currently considering lowland forest clearing for agriculture.

The presence of feral goats can have detrimental effects to insular ecosystems where native plants have evolved in the absence of these animals. Goat diet information is valuable in determining which species may be most susceptible to the action of these herbivores. This information can then be used in the development of management plans for local species or justify the eradication or more intensive control of the goats. We present data on the diet of feral goats from Mona Island, a dry forest reserve located between the islands of Hispaniola and Puerto Rico. Diet information was collected from 87 goat rumens collected by local hunters during January–April, 2003. The goats ate at least 86 plant species, 12 of which are currently under some protection status either by the Puerto Rico or the US Federal Governments. Harrisia portoriscensis (Cactaceae), P caulerpoides (Portulaccaceae), P monensis (Orchidaceae) and Z. taylori (Rhamnaceae), are critical species that were very frequent in goat diets and thus may need special conservation attention.

Records of 54 species of coprophilous fungi obtained by incubating, in damp chambers, 21 samples of dung from mammalian herbivores from Puerto Rico, St John (USVI), Guadeloupe (France), Dominica and St Lucia are presented. Many are apparently new records for the region, and the distribution and occurrence of unusual or interesting species is discussed.

The exinct macaw Ara autochthones, previously known only from a single bone from an archaeological site on St. Croix, Virgin Islands, is here identified from several associated bones from an archaeological site in south-central Puerto Rico. The species belongs to a distinctive intermediate size-class and was larger than the Cuban Macaw Ara tricolor. It is assumed to have been endemic to the West Indies, but prehistoric interisland transport of parrots by humans makes interpreting the natural distribution of the species impossible in the absence of fossils. Historical reports of macaws elsewhere in the West Indies are rendered dubious for the same reason.

In Florida, the reef-building polychaete Phragmatopoma lapidosa is important in enhancing local biodiversity via the shelter it provides for various fish and invertebrate species. While the range of P. lapidosa extends south to Brazil, it is rare to find well-established populations in the Caribbean islands. In this study, we examined an intertidal worm reef recently discovered in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. The worm species was positively identified as P. lapidosa (also known as P. caudata). Analyses of measured worm lengths and mound photographs revealed multiple size cohorts that likely included recent recruits, and mature adults. An examination of the organisms living within small worm clumps collected from the reef, revealed a number of invertebrates including various mollusks, crabs, shrimp and echinoids. Combined, these data suggest that continuous recruitment is likely to maintain this worm reef which is similar to Florida worm reefs, and likely to enhance local biodiversity in St. Croix.

Six samples were collected at 1m intervals from the Middle Miocene age (Globorotalia fohsi fohsi Zone) Brasso Formation at St. Fabien Quarry, west central Trinidad. They yielded 123 species of benthonic foraminifera, of which only 18 comprised >5% of the recovery from any one sample. The fauna comprised a mixture of (1) common outer-neritic to upper-bathyal species that confirm the paleoenvironment indicated by abundant planktonic foraminifera, and (2) rarer foraminifera indicative of shallow-water, reefal, oligotrophic conditions. There exists a strong correlation between the percentage of the fauna as planktonics and the diversity of the deeper-water benthonic association, both of which increase upwards through the section, indicating that the sequence comprises part of a transgressive systems tract. The top of the sequence, with common Bolivina jiattongi and Globocassidulina subglobosa, culminates within the upper part of an oxygen minimum zone. The relatively high abundance (19.8%) in the middle of the section of the reefal assemblage, which includes the epiphytal species Amphistegina gibbosa, Planorbulinella trinitatensis, and Quinqueloculina lamarckiana, is postulated to derive from seaward transport of epiphytal specimens on seagrass debris during a one or more storms. The sequence stratigraphic and directional drilling possibilities of these findings are emphasised.

Analysis of 19-year-old planted Pinus caribaea var. hondurensis on clay and sandy soils in the mountains of Puerto Rico showed the suitability of both sites for tree growth to commercial size. Growth rates were compared with tree densities ranging from 278 to 2,500 trees per hectare and tree dbh's (trunk diameters outside bark at breast height, 1.4 meters above ground on the upper side) from 10 to 40 cm. With angular spacing tree growth was found related to that of six equidistant adjacent trees. Frequent past remeasurements exposed tree growth trends with changes in the density of surrounding trees. Regressions of tree diameter growth based on relative basal area tree density had coefficients of determination (R2) of 0.76 and 0.77 for clay and sand, respectively. As a guide to tree planting spacing and thinning for any plantation productivity goal a table is presented showing predicted time requirements to grow each 10 cm in dbh, mean annual dbh growth rates, and approximate periodic productivity of usable wood in m3/ha/yr. On comparable sites this table permits managers of plantations with any spacing and mean tree dbh to predict current growth, number of years to any mature tree size, the approximate yield at that time, and tree growth stimulation after thinning of different intensities at different times.

A structure in Berrydale Quarry, parish of St. Ann, north central Jamaica, described as a submarine paleo-channel incised into the Upper Pliocene Hope Gate Formation, a raised reef, and infilled with scleractinian coral debris, is reassessed. The structure cross-cuts a thick sequence of talus including limestone cobbles and boulders in a red matrix (terra rosa), and is most probably no older than Pleistocene. The infill is of cobbles and boulders of reworked limestone, coated with dripstone and stained red. Both the substrate into which the structure is cut and the infill are terrestrial in origin. Rather than a palaeo-channel, we identify the structure as a sectioned sinkhole, a modern feature of this area. The fault said to control the direction of the paleo-channel is considered unproven.

Navassa Island and waters surrounding it were designated a National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in 1999, becoming the eighth unit of the Caribbean Islands NWR Complex. Five expeditions to the island between July 1998 and October 2006 yielded 18 new records of birds, bringing the species list to 58. Winter mist netting allowed for the banding of several new species. Five seabird species roost and nest on Navassa Island including hundreds and thousands of magnificent frigate birds, Fregata magnificens, and red-footed boobies, Sula sula, respectively. Several grassland-associated bird species are now common, suggesting that this habitat has become more dominant during the last century. Habitat disturbance appears to primarily be the result of human caused fires. Future management efforts will focus on regulation of unauthorized hunting, fishing, and other public use, as well as control of nonnative invasive species and restoration of subtropical dry forest.

The lizard genus Anolis (Polychrotidae) is essentially ubiquitous in the West Indies, with most species confined to one island bank. However, human-mediated transport of materials, plants, and animals has introduced species across natural boundaries, sometimes with deleterious effects on native anoles. Among the most recent introductions is Anolis sagrei on St. Vincent. We investigated the distribution of introduced populations and evaluated possible effects on perch heights of native anoles (A. griseus and A. trinitatis) at a site where all three species occur. We found little evidence that A. sagrei has affected either native species. Perch heights of A. trinitatis in the presence of A. sagrei were comparable to those found in habitats where A. sagrei did not occur. However, we suggest continued monitoring of this exotic on St. Vincent to evaluate potential long-term impact on native species and to determine whether any effects will extend beyond heavily altered low-elevation sites.

The majority of phyllostomine bats (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) are considered to be primarily insectivorous and carnivorous. However, the Phyllostomus—Phylloderma clade is an exception; Phyllostomus discolor and P. hastatus are known to feed in large part on fruit and nectar. Observations of the consumption of fruits of Gurania spp. (Cucurbitaceae) by Phylloderma stenops in Costa Rican lowland wet forest suggest a similar diet for this poorly known, closely related species. Furthermore, the survival and germination of ingested seeds indicate that this bat may be an efficacious seed disperser for its food plants.

During recent fieldwork on the island of Tobago, West Indies, we found the tadpole of the critically endangered Bloody Bay poison frog (Mannophryne olmonae) and describe it here for the first time. Tadpoles were collected in small rock pools or other depressions adjacent to streams. The tadpole is similar to other dendrobatid larvae in many features including a labial tooth row formula of either 2(1)/3 or 2(1–2)/3 and the presence of a dextral vent tube. Our observations suggest no obvious morphological features that unambiguously distinguish the tadpole of M. olmonae from M. trinitatis found on the neighboring island of Trinidad. These results underscore morphological conservatism in the larvae of many dendrobatid frogs.

The first evaluation of the feral population of honey bees on the island of St. Croix, US Virgin Islands is performed. Since Africanized bees had been reported in 1994, we expected that, as in the neighboring island of Puerto Rico, the feral population of St. Croix would be strongly Africanized. We sampled worker bees of 13 colonies. Using a molecular technique that distinguishes European from Africanized bees we found that nine sampled colonies were Africanized and four were European by maternal descent. The lack of a complete genetic sweep by Africanized bees contrasts greatly with the population in Puerto Rico and populations studied in the mainland. Even though the presence of European bees on the island may be due to input from the apicultural sector, it is highly likely that other factors, such as island climate, the lack of a continuous influx of Africanized bees, and the absence of Varroa mites, a common pest of European bees has allowed their survival.

We examined the control of salt excretion by leaves of the mangrove Avicennia germinans. Endogenously secreted salt on intact leaves was compared to exogenously deposited salt spray on excised leaves. Lower salt excretion was observed on seaward leaves with high salt deposition, and higher salt excretion was found on landward leaves with low salt deposition. Similar total salt loads accumulated on leaves located throughout the tree crown, suggesting that Avicennia germinans controls salt excretion at the foliar level by responding to variation in salt deposition. We propose that the salt excretion rate in leaves is a response to the gradient of salt between the xylem and leaf surface.

Lane, A.C., S.P. Horn and K.H. Orvis. 2008. The Earliest Evidence of Ostionoid Maize Agriculture from the Interior of Hispaniola. Caribbean Journal of Science 44(1): 43–52.

A fourth author's name was inadvertently omitted from the list of authors of the article. The article should correctly be cited as:

Lane, A.C., S.P. Horn, K.H. Orvis and C.I. Mora 2008. The Earliest Evidence of Ostionoid Maize Agriculture from the Interior of Hispaniola. Caribbean Journal of Science 44(1): 43–52.