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VIRTUAL TRAIL
3
– The tropical rain forest is constantly changing.
An example of this can bee seen here, with the occurrence
of a treefall gap. This gap in the forest was opened
when a tree fell over, pulling with it other trees
which were linked to it by the many vines hanging
across their branches; the trees died but the lianas
survived,
a testimony of their flexibility and resistance. The
gap has created a microclimatic change. More light
hits the ground, causing a very slight increase in
temperature. This change in temperature will, in turn,
allow seeds of different species of trees and other
plants to germinate and grow very fast due to the
high light intensity in the clearing. These are known
as pioneer species, and many of their seeds have been
dormant for several years, even decades, ‘waiting’
for just such an opportunity. It’s very possible that
the composition of plant species in this new patch
of forest will be totally different than the surrounding
forest! Thus a fallen tree and its subsequent light
gap create a contest to see which species of trees
will eventually take over a site.
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VIRTUAL TRAIL
4 – In
Achuar mythology, heaven and earth were connected
by the Monkey Ladder Vine, and all animals and the
moon and the sun were once people. There was a man
named Nantu who was married to a woman named Auju,
but their marriage did not last very long due to their
constant fights. So, one day Nantu decided to leave
Auju. He climbed up this vine and told his friend
the squirrel to cut it before Auju could follow him.
That is the reason why this vine no longer leads to
the heavens and gets lost in the canopy. Nantu became
the moon that we see today, and his distraught and
lonely wife became the Common Potoo (see Birds of
Ecuador by Ridgely and Greenfield), which has a very
melancholy call heard especially on moonlit nights,
when she mourns for her estranged husband.
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VIRTUAL TRAIL
6
– Look through the tube to see a big termite nest
attached to the left side of the tree. Termites, although
a danger to many wooden buildings, are a very important
part of the rain forest ecology since they induce
a complicated recycling system of dead plant material.
They do not only attack dead wood, but they also cause
damage to living trees. They are able to digest wood
due to presence of a protozoan to their guts.
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VIRTUAL TRAIL
7
– The tree with the stout spines and the somewhat
segmented trunk is a member of the Papaya Family (Caricaceae:
Jacaratia digitata). As in other members of the family,
its unripe fruits are protected by chemical called
papain, which is the main ingredient in commercial
meat tenderizer. Again you can see the development
of the spines as a defense mechanism to deter climbing
animals from reaching the leaves and possibly damaging
them. How useful are the spines now?
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VIRTUAL TRAIL
8
– Take your time on this site. Walk around this giant,
investigate the trunk or do whatever else that comes
to your mind, there is a lot to discover. This enormous
tree is a Strangler Fig (Ficus spp.). Unlike most
trees, this one was born in the tree canopy rather
than in the soil, from a seed dropped by a bird, bat
or monkey. The fig leaves as an epiphyte until it
managed to grow roots down to the ground, from which
it will start to draw nutrients. It develops more
branches and roots until it entirely wraps itself
around the host tree, which eventually dies “strangled”.
This tree dose not fight for a spot, as seen in a
light gap, but it takes over a spot already being
used by another tree. It is, however, a very important
tree in a tropical rain forest. As it can be seen,
it has many crevices formed by its roots and branches.
Within these, it shelters many species of ants, termites,
and many thousands of other insects, bats, lizards,
and snakes. Due to its enormous canopy, many vines
also depended on it to absorb sunlight, as well as
all the epiphytes, lichens, ferns and cacti growing
on the branches at canopy level. Being a member of
the fig family, it produce a fruit which attracts
birds, monkeys and bats as well as ground animals.
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VIRTUAL TRAIL
11
– There are two types of plants here which have leaves
that resemble those of banana plants. The banana relatives
Heliconiaceas have big, extravagant orange or red
flowers. Marantaceaes, on the other hand, have clumps
of small, white, orchid-like flowers. They also have
dark, cylindrical sections on their petioles just
below the leaf blades. Plants that develop red or
other brightly colored flowers usually rely on birds
or butterflies as their main pollinators, white flowers,
on the other hand, attract bats, because they are
more obvious during the night. In the case of Heliconians,
hummingbirds are the main pollinators. The marsh you
are crossing is the same one you crossed before. Here
is the third and last bird feeder on the left hand
side.
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VIRTUAL TRAIL
13
– These Cecropia saplings are the forest’s first line
of attack for taking back our clearing. You can recognize
them by their big, many-lobed leaves (of which you
will see many on the ground along the rest of the
trail).
Cecropias have long, droopy, cream-colored fruits
that are eaten by many species of birds, which help
disperse the seeds throughout the forest. The seeds
are small, black, and remain viable in the soil for
years, waiting for a clearing or a tree-fall gap to
open up above them, at which time they sprout and
grow. Look for the ants that live inside the branches
of the saplings, Azteca spp., which help to protect
the plants against herbivorous insects. If you are
doing this trail in May through July, during Cecropia
tree’s fruiting season, you should expect great animal
activity happening around them, since different species
of birds and even some mammals gather together here
to feed on the fruits.
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