Where the tropics speak and stories grow – from canopy to community.
Welcome to the Tropical Studies Blog that takes you behind the scenes of OTS fieldwork, told by students, researchers, staff, and communities on the front lines of discovery.
In News
OTS community news – September 2024
Photo credit: BioQUEST OTS is represented in the OCELOTS network. New online modules for teaching tropical biology are based on research by the OTS community. La Selva researchers G. Small and C. Ganong created a module to allow students to...
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Publications – September 2024
La Selva mammals are in the spotlight. Using exclusion plots, Osorto Nuñez et al. 2024[1] showed that the presence of collared peccaries increased seedling diversity, seedling height, and evidence of herbivory at La Selva, whereas at a nearby comparison site...
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Nora Bynum
Dr. Nora Bynum, a long-term staff member who made significant contributions to the development and implementation of OTS’ education program, retired in July 2024. Dr. Bynum was integral to the OTS education program in a variety of roles for almost...
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On the 60th anniversary of the Organization for Tropical Studies – Luko Hilje
On the 60th anniversary of the Organization for Tropical Studies From Costa Rica, an original way to understand neotropical nature in depth (an English translation of the original article, appearing on Meer.com) June 13, 2024 Luko Hilje Students and professors...
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News from Admissions – September 2024
We are very excited to welcome undergraduate students to both South Africa and Costa Rica for the Fall 2024 semester. This marks the official relaunch of the Tropical Biology on a Changing Planet undergraduate semester program. Applications are now open...
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An excerpt: “Driven by Nature: A Personal Journey from Shanghai to Botany and Global Sustainability”
Driven by Nature: A Personal Journey from Shanghai to Botany and Global Sustainability Peter H. Raven Photo credit: Missouri Botanical Garden Press The following is an excerpt from Peter H. Raven's autobiographical memoir, Driven by Nature: A Personal Journey from...
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RECORE Board Elections 2024
Recent elections to the Costa Rican Network for Ecological Restoration (RECORE) Board of Directors included current and former OTSers. The following OTSers were elected: Roberto Cordero Solórzano, former OTS Assistant Director of the La Selva Research Station, delegate, and board...
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News from the board – March 2024
The OTS Board of Directors met in Costa Rica on March 12-16, 2024. On March 13, we visited urban ecology research and conservation projects in San José, and then met at the Costa Rican Office, leading with remarks by outgoing...
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Science Happenings at OTS – September 2024
Sofía Rodríguez presenting at the Barro Colorado Island 100th Anniversary Symposium OTS represented at Barro Colorado Island 100th Anniversary Symposium. Dr. Sofia Rodriguez, OTS Costa Rica Director of Academic Programs, attended the 100th anniversary symposium of the Smithsonian Tropical Research...
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Diversos sectores se unen en jornada de recolección de envases y empaques de agroquímicos en Talamanca
Instituciones, gobiernos locales, organizaciones comunitarias, empresas privadas y más se unirán este próximo viernes 10 de mayo en una jornada de recolección de envases y empaques de agroquímicos en Talamanca. Con el liderazgo del Ministerio de Salud en su Área...