Howe 9314379 This U.S.-Brazil Cooperative Science Program award supports field expenses and purchase of a computer for statistical analysis, to be performed on site by M. Pacheco, a Brazilian graduate student working on his doctoral dissertation. The study is being developed in the reserves of the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments (BDFF) project, an association between the Smithsonian Institution of the U.S.A. and the Brazilian National Institute for Amazon Research (INPA). In order to complete his work, Mr. Pacheco will spend 400 days in the Amazon forest. The grant also provides for travel expenses to Brazil for H. Howe, Mr. Pacheco's adviser, who will visit him once, to advise him and to supervise his research. Mr. Pacheco will perform research to evaluate the influence of several classes of factors on the distribution and abundance of two tropical palm tree species in the Amazon forest. One of the species grows preferentially on flood plains, while the other one's preferential habitat are plateaus. By studying these closely related species, the research will attempt to distinguish between the effects of abiotic (water, light, etc.) and biotic (predation, infections, etc.) factors on the spatial distribution of the two species. Understanding of these effects will help in predicting the response of tropical tree species to changes in the regional or global climate, and to human related activities. It will also contribute to the understanding of the kind of tropical biology required in conservation and restoration efforts. ***
