Dive into research that has been authored and co-authored by the Osa Conservation team.
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Egg-clutch Biomechanics Affect Escape-Hatching Behavior and Performance
Authors: B A Güell, J G McDaniel, K M Warkentin
Description: Arboreal embryos of phyllomedusine treefrogs hatch prematurely to escape snake predation, cued by vibrations in their egg clutches during attacks. However, escape success varies between species, from ∼77% in Agalychnis callidryas to just ∼9% in A. spurrelli at 1 day premature. Both species begin responding to snake attacks at similar developmental stages, when vestibular mechanosensory function begins, suggesting that sensory ability does not limit the hatching response in A. spurrelli.
Future Sea-Level Rise Impacts to Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) and Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas) Nesting Habitat on the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica
Authors: Isaac Beber, Bárbara Sellés-Ríos, Andrew Whitworth
Description: Global sea turtle populations are in decline and so a global network of sea turtle nesting conservation programs have been established worldwide with the goal to protect vulnerable nesting mothers, and their clutches of eggs. Yet researchers have recently estimated that sea turtle nesting habitat is likely to suffer as a result of climate change and associated sea level rise. This study examines nest monitoring data from Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula with the aim to identify clutches located in suitable nesting habitat most susceptible to sea level rise and subsequent inundation.
Increasing forest cover and connectivity both inside and outside protected areas in southwestern Costa Rica
Authors: Hilary Brumberg, Samuel Furey, Marie G. Bouffard, Maria José Mata Quiros, Hikari Murayama, Soroush Neyestani, Emily Pauline, Andrew Whitworth, Marguerite Madden
Description: This study explores the relationship between forest management initiatives—specifically [Protected Areas] PAs, the 1996 Forest Law, and [Payment for Ecosystem Services] PES—and forest cover and landscape metrics in the Osa Conservation Area (ACOSA).
Osa Biological Station: Protecting Central America’s Greatest Pacific Lowland Rainforest
Authors: Andrew Whitworth, Arianna Basto, Gabriela Vinueza-Hidalgo, Carolina Pinto, Lucy Kleiner, Carolina Soto-Navarro
Description: Osa Biological Station has acted as a scientific hub for numerous research groups and students from around the world. Most recently Osa Biological Station has operated as a technological hub with an on-site field and programs team who deploy and test cutting-edge applications of technology and approaches to wildlife monitoring.
Leaf-litter frog abundance increase during succession of regenerating pastures.
Authors: Michelle E. Thompson, Maureen Donnelly
Description: The extensive clearing and modification of forests by anthropogenic activities is a major driver of biodiversity loss. This study compares the abundance of a direct-developing terrestrial frog, Craugastor stejnegerianus, in riparian and upland habitats of pasture compared to mature forest sites. This research shows that conversion of forest habitat to pasture represents a conservation threat to this species.
Cave-dwelling fauna of Costa Rica: current state of knowledge and future research perspectives
Authors: Stanimira Deleva, Andres Ulloa, Hernani F. M. Oliveira, Nikolay Simov, Ferdinando Didonna, Glrianna Chaverri
Description: This study focused on the cave fauna of Costa Rica, which has remained relatively understudied despite the abundant presence of recorded natural caves and subterranean sites. This research collected and reviewed all available literature data on cave fauna in Costa Rica and created the first comprehensive review of existing information.
Phenology and environmental determinants of explosive breeding in gliding treefrogs: diel timing of rainfall matters
Authors: Brandon A. Güell, Karen M. Warkentin
Description: The study reveals that rainfall, day-of-year, days since breeding, and lunar phase significantly impact A. spurelli reproductive activity, shedding light on the dynamics of explosive breeding in this species and highlighting the benefits of automated data analysis in ecological research.
Greater Grison (Galictis vittata) predation events upon Paca (Cuniculus paca) suggest a cavity targeted hunting strategy by Greater Grison
Authors: Andrew Whitworth
Description: This study reports two rare predation events by the Greater Grison (Galictis vittata) on the Paca (Cuniculus paca), the largest known prey for the Grison. The observations, collected through cell phones and social media, indicate a unique hunting strategy by the Grison, targeting the burrows of nocturnal cavity-dwelling rodents.
Automated acoustic detection of Geoffroy’s spider monkey highlights tipping points of human disturbance
Authors: Jenna Lawson, George Rizos, Dui Jasinghe, Andrew Whitworth, Björn Schuller, and Cristina Banks-Leite
Description: This study demonstrates the effectiveness of passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) and a newly developed automated detector in detecting the endangered Geoffroy’s spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi) across a large region. The findings highlight the importance of forest cover and proximity to roads in the monkey’s presence, providing valuable tools for conservation strategies.
More than one way to count a cat: estimation of ocelot population density using frameworks for marked and unmarked species
Authors: Juan S. Vargas Soto, Eleanor J. Flatt, Andrew Whitworth, Roberto Salom‐Pérez, Deiver Espinoza‐Muñoz, Péter K. Molnár
Description: “Here, we estimate the population density of ocelots (Leopardus pardalis) in the Osa peninsula, Costa Rica, comparing methods for marked and unmarked species.”
Remote sensing and citizen science to characterize the ecological niche of an endemic and endangered Costa Rican poison frog
Authors: , and Ivan Gomez-Mestre
Description: Through remote sensing and ecological niche modeling, this study examines the habitat requirements of the endemic Phyllobates vittatus frog in Costa Rica, highlighting the importance of factors such as elevation, forest cover, and proximity to water bodies. The findings inform conservation efforts by identifying potential areas for reintroductions and recommending an adjusted status of “Endangered” for P. vittatus.
Riparian buffer length is more influential than width on river water quality: A case study in southern Costa Rica
Authors: Hilary Brumberg, Chris Beirne, Eben North Broadbent, Angelica Maria Almeyda Zambrano, Sandra Lucia Almeyda Zambrano, Carlos Alberto Quispe Gil, Beatriz Lopez Gutierrez, Rachael Eplee, Andrew Whitworth
Description: “Riparian agriculture and forest affect water quality at least 1 km downstream … Long, narrow buffers could efficiently conserve water quality in agricultural landscapes.”
Nearshore marine biodiversity of Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica: Where the ocean meets the rainforest
Authors: Alan M. Friedlander, Enric Ballesteros, Odalisca Breedy, Beatriz Naranjo-Elizondo, Noelia Hernández, Pelayo Salinas-de-León, Enric Sala, Jorge Cortés
Description: “The creation of a large MPA in the Osa region … would benefit the rich biodiversity of this part of the country as well as replenishing nearby overexploited important fisheries resources”
Climate-resilient conservation strategies for an endemic forest bird, the Black-cheeked Ant-Tanager
Authors: Patrick B. Newcombe, Adrian Forsyth, Hilary Brumberg, and Andrew Whitworth.
Description: “As biodiversity declines and climate change causes shifts in species distribution, the knowledge of species’ ecological needs is vital to conserve biodiversity. On Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula and its adjacent forests, a rich mosaic of ecosystems hosting numerous threatened and endemic species, conservationists lack clarity on the basic habitat requirements of the endemic Black-cheeked Ant-Tanager (Habia atrimaxillaris).”
Unexpected diversity in regenerating sites stresses the importance of baselines: A case study with bats (Order Chiroptera) on the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica
Authors: Elène Haave-Audet, Doris Audet, Michelle Monge-Velazquez, Eleanor Flatt, Andrew Whitworth
Description: “Using an indicator of biodiversity in the neotropics— bats— we demonstrate how assessing community diversity and composition in an area targeted for restoration prior to implementation, and when compared to surrounding intact forest, provides the groundwork to track changes in the community post-restoration.”
Human disturbance and shifts in vertebrate community composition in a biodiversity hotspot
Authors: Juan S. Vargas Soto, Christopher Beirne, Andrew Whitworth, Juan Carlos Cruz Diaz, Eleanor Flatt, Ruthmery Pillco-Huarcaya, Erik R. Olson, Alejandro Azofeifa, Guido Saborío-R, Roberto Salom-Pérez, Deiver Espinoza-Muñoz, Leslie Hay, Lawrence Whittaker, Carmen Roldán, Ricardo Bedoya-Arrieta, Eben North Broadbent, Péter K. Molnár
Description: “Human activities reduce the presence of large herbivores and predators, affecting ecosystem function, even in well-conserved forests.”
The potential and practice of arboreal camera trapping
Authors: Jennifer F. Moore, Kylie Soanes, Diego Balbuena, Christopher Beirne, Mark Bowler, Farah Carrasco-Rueda, Susan M. Cheyne, Opale Coutant, Pierre-Michel Forget, Jessica K. Haysom, Peter R. Houlihan, Erik R. Olson, Stacy Lindshield, Jonathan Martin, Mathias Tobler, Andrew Whitworth, Tremaine Gregory
Description: Arboreal camera trapping is a burgeoning method providing a novel and effective technique to answer research questions across a variety of ecosystems, and it has the capacity to improve our understanding of a wide range of taxa.
The first ex-situ germination and dispersal mechanisms of the rare, critically endangered tree, Pleodendron costaricense
Authors: Ruthmery Pillco Huarcaya, Marvin López Morales, Leonardo Álvarez-Alcázar, Andrew Whitworth
Description: Given the propagation knowledge we have developed, the active restoration efforts of the saplings by Osa Conservation to help increase population numbers, and the strict protection of the two fruiting mother trees, there is now the possibility to attain a positive conservation outcome for this critically endangered species, Pleodendron costaricense.
Warm beach, warmer turtles: Using drone-mounted thermal infrared sensors to monitor sea turtle nesting activity
Authors: Bárbara Sellés-Ríos, Eleanor Flatt, Johan Ortiz-García, Júlia García-Colomé, Orane Latour, and Andrew Whitworth
Description: Here we describe the first empirical testing of a drone-mounted thermal infrared sensor for nocturnal sea turtle monitoring; on the Osa peninsula in Costa Rica.
Acoustic assessment of experimental reforestation in a Costa Rican rainforest
Authors: Álvaro Vega-Hidalgo, Eleanor Flatt, Andrew Whitworth, Laurel Symes
Description: Passive acoustic monitoring serves as a useful tool for ecological assessment.
Recovery of dung beetle biodiversity and traits in a regenerating rainforest: A case study from Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula
Authors: Andrew Whitworth, Chris Beirne, Eleanor Flatt, Graden Froese, Chase Nuñez, Adrian Forsyth
Description: We conducted a comprehensive dung beetle survey (coprophagous and necrophagous communities) within five habitat types, across a land-use gradient, in the ecologically biodiverse Osa Peninsula, located in Costa Rica’s south Pacific.
Habitat selection and diet of the Neotropical otter (Lontra longicaudis) on the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica, and range-wide monitoring recommendations
Authors: Chris Smith, Andy Whitworth, Elizabeth Brunner & Mateo Pomilia
Description: Using surveys for tracks and latrines from ten rivers on the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica, we report results on habitat selection at the local and micro-habitat scales, describe the general diet from 127 scats, and broadly discuss detection and general survey methods.
Spider Monkeys rule the roost: Ateline sleeping sites influence rainforest heterogeneity
Authors: Andrew Whitworth, Lawrence Whittaker, Ruthmery Pillco Huarcaya, Eleanor Flatt, Marvin Lopez Morales, Danielle Connor, Marina Garrido Priego, Adrian Forsyth, Chris Beirne
Description: We investigate this using camera traps placed in both the canopy and on the rainforest floor to determine which rainforest wildlife are attracted to the latrines beneath the sleeping sites of spider monkeys …
Secondary forest is utilized by Great Curassows (Crax rubra) and Great Tinamous (Tinamus major) in the absence of hunting
Authors: Andrew Whitworth, Christopher Beirne, Eleanor Flatt, Ruthmery Pillco Huarcaya, Juan Carlos Cruz Diaz, Adrian Forsyth, Péter K. Molnár, Juan S. Vargas Soto
Description: We investigated habitat use of Great Curassows and Great Tinamous in the Matapalo corridor of the Osa Peninsula, southwest Costa Rica, where they are not hunted, to understand whether disturbed habitats can be suitable for these species.
Arboreal wildlife bridges in the tropical rainforest of Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula
Authors: Eleanor Flatt, Arianna Basto, Carolina Pinto, Johan Ortiz, Kassandra Navarro, Neil Reed, Hilary Brumberg, Marco Hidalgo Chaverri, and Andrew Whitworth
Description: “Arboreal wildlife bridges increase connectivity of fragmented forests by allowing wildlife to safely traverse roads … “
For more information on the Osa Peninsula, download our Osa Bibliography.
This bibliography includes important conservation research publications, including those done by Osa Conservation as well as our research partners seeking to better understand the biodiversity of the region and strategies for protecting our vital ecosystems.
