Nematodes (roundworms) are abundant, ubiquitous, ecologically important and diverse but there appears to be a discrepancy in nematode species diversity in temperate versus tropical ecosystems. For example, a temperate grassland plant may have more than 100 species of roundworms around its roots, whereas plants in tropical rainforests have strikingly lower nematode biodiversity. The simplest explanation for this discrepancy is that tropical habitats have yet to been sampled intensively. We hypothesize that most tropical nematode biodiversity will be found in intricate relationships with arboreal habitats and invertebrates. For this project, we will conduct a comprehensive regional survey of nematode species in Costa Rica in partnership with Consortium UNA-UCR (Universidad Nacional and Universidad de Costa Rica) to accelerate the inventory of nematodes during a time of rapid deforestation. We will sample nematodes from mineral soil, litter, forest understory plants, epiphytes, and associated pollinators and herbivorous invertebrates. We will sample from La Selva along the Barva transect to Braulio Carrillo National Park in Cordillera Volcanica Central Conservation Area, ranging in altitude from 30 to 2800 m above sea level. Species will be characterized and documented using permanent microscope slide collections, bulk community associate samples, DNA vouchers and digital image libraries. Video tapes, vouchers of specimens and molecular sequence data will be integrated into: 1) the official INBio database in Costa Rica, ATTA, 2) web linkages at http://nematode.unl.edu, 3) GenBank and 4) NSF Tree of Life database for Nematoda (NemATOL, DEB 0228692) for global access and future systematic studies.
Four women (2 PIs from the U.S., 2 collaborators in Costa Rica) will serve as senior scientists. In Costa Rica, research and teaching will be integrated by: 1) providing a formal short-course for Costa Rican graduate students and technicians, and 2) ensuring that sampling teams include PIs, technicians and local guides to facilitate intellectual exchange. One postdoctoral, two graduate and three undergraduate students will be trained in our laboratories in the United States; this is an important training goal because nematology is a rapidly expanding discipline within systematics and biodiversity studies. Our results will be globally accessible through internet-linked databases and interactive keys. Our results will help to establish a baseline for future conservation efforts in Costa Rica and other Neotropical regions.
