Indicators of Disturbance and Adaptive Responses Observed (July, 1996)

During our fieldwork in July, charred remains of trees were noted in our savannah plot. Additionally, numerous mature standing trees were observed to have fire scars on their lower trunks. Some areas were burned as recently as August, 1995, and were well on their way to recovering. Bracken fern species dominated areas upland from the Karstic depressions and various hydric Gramineae and Cyperaceae species were noted in the wetland depressions.

The dominant savannah grass, "saw grass" (Cladium jamaaisense), has modified leaves so that if it is blown down the original stem acts as a rhizoid and allows the leaf to develop into a standing plant. Within the forest, several large trees also displayed a similar response to being blown down. It was not uncommon to see large trees that have been blown down vegetatively transform the function of a former branch into a developing sapling. Both of these examples call for further study of a unique "recruitment" method employed by plants in areas that are prone to wind disturbance.

During our October, 1995 fieldwork, the forest was completely inundated. The water began flooding the forest in late August as the hurricane season progressed. The flooding persisted through February, 1996. Although the forest was inundated for six months, the trees showed no ill-effects from the long term saturation.

Detritivores, normally found in leaf litter, were located on tree bark just above the water line during October in response to the rising water. Additionally, Marco Lazcano-Barrero captured and tagged a young male crocodile that was using the flooded forest as a means of dispersal from one cenote to another. Tom Will's mistnetting yielded a 70% capture of neotropical migratory birds using the reserve at this time of year, clearly indicating the ecological importance of this site for bird conservation efforts.