Home Institution
Whitman College
Publication Date
Spring 2024
Abstract
Forest fragmentation and increasing agricultural land use are posing threats to the diversity of vertebrates in Panama and across the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor. Protected areas are crucial for providing connectivity and maintaining vertebrate populations. For endemic species with small native ranges, these protected areas are critical for their survival due to sensitivity of habitat change. Higher species diversity and occupancy has been reported for both birds and mammals in protected and forested areas. This pilot survey of vertebrate species was conducted to determine which species live in a primary forest within the buffer zone of La Amistad International Park near Guadalupe, Chiriqui, Panamá. Camera traps, visual censuses and point-count monitoring were conducted to determine species diversity and abundance. It was predicted that the area of study will have high diversity values (Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index > 3.0, Simpson Diversity Index > 0.80), and recorded avian species diversity will be greater than the species diversity of mammals, amphibians and reptiles. The results found high overall diversity of the four vertebrate groups combined, as well as high species and family diversity for birds. Diversity and abundance were low for reptiles, amphibians and mammals, which was attributed to the study being conducted on the edge and just within the primary forest near agricultural land, as well as due to human error. Large protected areas such as La Amistad International Park are necessary for the survival of many vertebrate species in Panama, and so are long-term monitoring studies for all vertebrate species. Further research is needed to get a better understanding of the biodiversity within and around La Amistad International Park, and to further conservation efforts to protect vertebrate diversity.
Disciplines
Biodiversity | Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment | Forest Management | Natural Resources and Conservation | Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology | Zoology
Recommended Citation
Olson, Mina, "Vertebrate diversity in the La Amistad International Park buffer zone, Guadalupe, Chiriqui, Panamá" (2024). Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 3842.
https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/3842
Included in
Biodiversity Commons, Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment Commons, Forest Management Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons, Zoology Commons
Program Name
Panama: Tropical Ecology, Marine Ecosystems, and Biodiversity Conservation