Contributions to tropical ecology research in Costa Rica / Beitraege zur tropenoekologischen Forschung in Costa Rica

The present edition of 'Bielefelder Oekologische Beitraege' presents some results of the preceding six years of intensive ecological research in the Biological Reserve 'Reserva Biologica Alberto Manuel Brenes' in Costa Rica. The study area was supposed to be a species rich ecosystem and this led us to select this area as our study site. We wish to thank the Director of the Reserve for his logistical support, the scientific cooperation and, above all, for his friendship all over the years, that has grown during the research work in Costa Rica. We also wish to thank Victor Mora and Hugo Perez Z. vicariously for all contributers who have enabled us to do our research work under frequently difficult conditions of a recently established Biological Station in a real wet climate. Further more we wish to thank the University of Costa Rice (UCR) for the permission of using their facilities and all persons for their support to feel at home in a foreign country. We do hope that this volume may enhance more cooperative research between both partners and may also be a mean for students to decide to do research in fascinating primary forest to understand at least a small portion of the complex structure and the manyfold functions of such a forest in order to help to preserve these areas for future generations. (orig./AJ) / SIGLE / Available from FIZ Karlsruhe / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische Informationsbibliothek / DE / Germany