www.stri.org . This videoclip shows the entrance and the laboratory facilities of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) at Bocas del Toro, Caribbean Panama. Filming took place during the Tropical Field Phycology Workshop held at the Station 9-23 July 2008. striweb.si.edu . Caymans (Caiman crocodylus Linnaeus 1758) were filmed in the freshwater pond in front of STRI’s Research Laboratory.

In Central and South America, the alligator family is represented by five species of the genus Caiman, which differs from the alligator by the absence of a bony septum between the nostrils, and the ventral armour is composed of overlapping bony scutes, each of which is formed of two parts united by a suture. C. crocodilus, the Spectacled Caiman, has the widest distribution, from southern Mexico to the northern half of Argentina, and grows to a modest size of about 2.2 meters. en.wikipedia.org .

The aim of this course was designed to orient participants to the biodiversity of tropical marine floras through field and laboratory work. Specifically, it emphasized the development or enhancement of practical skills essential for identification, characterization and preservation of tropical marine macroalgae (seaweeds). Sampling forays in diverse environments (eg, mangrove habitats, seagrass beds, coral reefs, sponge communities) on protected and exposed shorelines throughout the Bocas del Toro Archipelago complemented morphological and molecular investigations in the laboratory …

Video Rating: 5 / 5

www.stri.org This videoclip shows leaf-cutting ants that were filmed during the Tropical Field Phycology Workshop held at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) at Bocas del Toro, Caribbean Panama, 9-23 July 2008. striweb.si.edu These unique ants are social insects found in warmer regions of the Americas and have evolved an advanced agricultural system based on ant-fungus mutualism. They feed on special structures called gongylidia produced by a specialized fungus that grows only in the underground chambers of the ants’ nest. Different species of leaf-cutting ants use different species of fungus, but all of the fungi the ants use are members of the Lepiotaceae family. The ants actively cultivate their fungus, feeding it with freshly-cut plant material and maintaining it free from pests and molds. This mutualist relationship is further augmented by another symbiotic partner, a bacterium that grows on the ants and secretes chemicals- essentially the ants use portable anti-microbials. Leaf-cutting ants are sensitive enough to adapt to the fungi’s reaction to different plant material, apparently detecting chemical signals from the fungus. If a particular type of leaf is toxic to the fungus the colony will no longer collect it. In addition to feeding the fungus, the ants also produce a natural antibiotic to protect the fungus from a mold. This mold is present in nearly all colonies of leaf-cutting ants. The antibiotic consists of a white coating on the bodies of …