{"id":1130,"date":"2014-12-17T19:16:14","date_gmt":"2014-12-17T19:16:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mbgecologicalrestoration.wordpress.com\/?p=46"},"modified":"2014-12-17T19:16:14","modified_gmt":"2014-12-17T19:16:14","slug":"planning-fig-tree-planting-in-costa-rica","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nher.blog\/index.php\/planning-fig-tree-planting-in-costa-rica\/","title":{"rendered":"Planning Fig Tree Planting in Costa Rica"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In early December I spent 10 days in southern Costa Rica preparing sites for a tropical forest restoration experiment using fig trees. Figs are classic <a title=\"Lambert &amp; Marshall 1991\" href=\"http:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/2260668?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents\" target=\"_blank\">keystone species<\/a>; that is, they\u00a0have a large influence on their ecosystem relative to their abundance. Figs produce fruits that are eaten by many animals throughout the year.\u00a0These animals\u00a0disperse other plant species&#8217; seeds below the figs&#8217; crowns, and\u00a0as\u00a0a result, forests around\u00a0fig trees\u00a0often have\u00a0diverse types of seedlings.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-1130 gallery-columns-2 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/nher.blog\/landslide-closed-road\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nher.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/1-img_1282.jpg?fit=800%2C534&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-47\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nher.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/1-img_1282.jpg?w=800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nher.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/1-img_1282.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nher.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/1-img_1282.jpg?resize=768%2C513&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-47'>\n\t\t\t\tThe end of the road.\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/nher.blog\/ouachitatopography\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"604\" height=\"638\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nher.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/ouachitatopography.jpg?fit=604%2C638&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-48\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nher.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/ouachitatopography.jpg?w=604&amp;ssl=1 604w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nher.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/ouachitatopography.jpg?resize=284%2C300&amp;ssl=1 284w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 604px) 100vw, 604px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-48'>\n\t\t\t\tThe fold belt topography of the Ouachita Mountains\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Some figs are also capable of resprouting from <a title=\"Instant Trees\" href=\"http:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0378112708001850\" target=\"_blank\">vegetative cuttings<\/a>, meaning that one can cut branches from adult trees and plant them as though they were seedlings. If cuttings are taken from fruiting adult trees, the cuttings can even produce fruits in the first year after they are planted, potentially attracting seed-carrying animals.<\/p>\n<p>On one humid night last week, I woke up at 2AM, my bed shaking from a nearby <a title=\"Magnitude 6.6 Earthquake\" href=\"http:\/\/earthquake.usgs.gov\/earthquakes\/eventpage\/usc000t4iq#summary\" target=\"_blank\">magnitude 6.6 earthquake<\/a>. The next day a co-worker cut through his shin to the bone with a machete. It rained every day, but flowering corteza amarilla (<em>Tabebuia ochracea<\/em>) trees signified that the dry season is nearly here.<\/p>\n<p>You can read more about tropical forest restoration research in Costa Rica in our <a title=\"Seed Rain Limitations Shift over Time\" href=\"http:\/\/www.esajournals.org\/doi\/abs\/10.1890\/14-1399.1\" target=\"_blank\">latest paper<\/a> on seed dispersal, or you can listen to a <a title=\"Keeping the Rica in Costa\" href=\"http:\/\/www.sciencesortof.com\/2014\/09\/episode-206-keeping-the-rica-in-costa\/\" target=\"_blank\">podcast<\/a> from earlier this fall on <a title=\"Science Sort-Of\" href=\"http:\/\/www.sciencesortof.com\/2014\/09\/episode-206-keeping-the-rica-in-costa\/\" target=\"_blank\">Science Sort-Of<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>-Leighton Reid<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-2' class='gallery galleryid-1130 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/nher.blog\/img_1688\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"534\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nher.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/img_1688.jpg?fit=534%2C800&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-2-53\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nher.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/img_1688.jpg?w=534&amp;ssl=1 534w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nher.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/img_1688.jpg?resize=200%2C300&amp;ssl=1 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 534px) 100vw, 534px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-2-53'>\n\t\t\t\tAn 8.5-yr old fig (Ficus americana) planted as a giant, 4-m long, vegetative cutting.\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/nher.blog\/solidagoouachitensis_seedcollection_november2014-_ql-19\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nher.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/solidagoouachitensis_seedcollection_november2014-_ql-19-scaled.jpg?fit=1920%2C2560&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-2-51\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nher.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/solidagoouachitensis_seedcollection_november2014-_ql-19-scaled.jpg?w=1920&amp;ssl=1 1920w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nher.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/solidagoouachitensis_seedcollection_november2014-_ql-19-scaled.jpg?resize=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1 225w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nher.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/solidagoouachitensis_seedcollection_november2014-_ql-19-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nher.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/solidagoouachitensis_seedcollection_november2014-_ql-19-scaled.jpg?resize=1152%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1152w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nher.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/solidagoouachitensis_seedcollection_november2014-_ql-19-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C2048&amp;ssl=1 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-2-51'>\n\t\t\t\tSolidago ouachitensis with mature seed. A charred log in the background provides evidence of recent fire. \n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/nher.blog\/solidagoouachitensis_seedcollection_november2014-2\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nher.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/solidagoouachitensis_seedcollection_november2014-2-scaled.jpg?fit=1920%2C2560&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-2-49\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nher.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/solidagoouachitensis_seedcollection_november2014-2-scaled.jpg?w=1920&amp;ssl=1 1920w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nher.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/solidagoouachitensis_seedcollection_november2014-2-scaled.jpg?resize=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1 225w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nher.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/solidagoouachitensis_seedcollection_november2014-2-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nher.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/solidagoouachitensis_seedcollection_november2014-2-scaled.jpg?resize=1152%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1152w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nher.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/solidagoouachitensis_seedcollection_november2014-2-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C2048&amp;ssl=1 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-2-49'>\n\t\t\t\tCollecting seed of Solidago ouachitensis with a light dusting of snow\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/nher.blog\/allisonforest_zak_ficus_tonduzii2\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"534\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nher.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/allisonforest_zak_ficus_tonduzii2.jpg?fit=534%2C800&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-2-52\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nher.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/allisonforest_zak_ficus_tonduzii2.jpg?w=534&amp;ssl=1 534w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nher.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/allisonforest_zak_ficus_tonduzii2.jpg?resize=200%2C300&amp;ssl=1 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 534px) 100vw, 534px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-2-52'>\n\t\t\t\tFicus tonduzii &#8211; a fig species that we are using for an enrichment experiment.\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/nher.blog\/an-epiphytic-bromeliad-colonizing-an-8-yr-old-tree-trunk-in-a-restoration-site\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"535\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nher.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/img_1696.jpg?fit=800%2C535&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-2-54\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nher.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/img_1696.jpg?w=800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nher.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/img_1696.jpg?resize=300%2C201&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nher.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/img_1696.jpg?resize=768%2C514&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-2-54'>\n\t\t\t\tAn epiphytic bromeliad growing on an 8.5-yr old tree trunk in a restoration site.\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/nher.blog\/solidagoouachitensis_seedcollection_november2014-_ql-4\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nher.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/solidagoouachitensis_seedcollection_november2014-_ql-4-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1920&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-2-50\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nher.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/solidagoouachitensis_seedcollection_november2014-_ql-4-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nher.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/solidagoouachitensis_seedcollection_november2014-_ql-4-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nher.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/solidagoouachitensis_seedcollection_november2014-_ql-4-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nher.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/solidagoouachitensis_seedcollection_november2014-_ql-4-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nher.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/solidagoouachitensis_seedcollection_november2014-_ql-4-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nher.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/solidagoouachitensis_seedcollection_november2014-_ql-4-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-2-50'>\n\t\t\t\tScenic vista in the southern Ouachita Mountains\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A recent trip to Costa Rica: figs, flowers, and active tectonics.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":58,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[37],"tags":[53,160,242,251,294,360,502,516,539,859,865],"class_list":["post-1130","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tropical-forest-restoration","tag-agouti","tag-bromeliad","tag-costa-rica","tag-crested-guan","tag-earthquake","tag-fig","tag-keystone-species","tag-las-cruces-biological-station","tag-machete","tag-tabebuia","tag-tanager"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nher.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/img_1997.jpg?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1130","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1130"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1130\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1130"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1130"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1130"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}