Test your knowledge on the flora and fauna growing along UGACR campus trails and throughout the Monteverde Cloud Forest here in Costa Rica. You never know when a trivia night will call for tropical ecology facts…
Q: How many species of wild orchids are there in Costa Rica?
A. 30,000 B. 1,600 C. 600
Test your knowledge on the flora and fauna growing along UGACR campus trails and throughout the Monteverde Cloud Forest here in Costa Rica. You never know when a trivia night will call for tropical ecology facts…
This one’s for the coffee connoisseurs:
It is illegal to commercially grow which of the following species of coffee in Costa Rica?
A. Arabica
B. Robusta
C. Liberica
When plant-related diseases spread throughout Costa Rican coffee plantations in the early 1980s, the country could no longer compete with Brazil’s big-boy machinery and mass coffee production. Having lost hope and interest, the government turned to the beef industry and coffee plantations transitioned into grass-blanketed pastureland.
And then, someone had another idea. If competing by quantity were no longer an option, Costa Rica could re-enter the coffee business competing by quality. Which meant Costa Rica’s coffee production was about to get a makeover.
As a result, in 1982, the Costa Rican government passed a law making it illegal to produce Robusta coffee.
Why?
Although the lofty Robusta plants produce large amounts of fruit, they contain up to double the amount of caffeine found in other species, such as Arabica. The plant uses its overwhelming amount of caffeine as a natural defense mechanism against insects – yikes, makes you think humans should not consume pure Robusta beans, either.
In fact, the amount of concentrated caffeine causes health implications including stomach problems, headaches and shakiness. In an effort to dilute these caffeinated consequences of Robusta beans, it is almost always mixed with Arabica beans. Consequently, the quality is diminished.
So Costa Rica decided to nix the mix, and compete with better quality beans, having since developed a reputation for its high-caliber Arabica coffee. This species yields less overall fruit, is very delicate and sensitive to climate and soil, and produces quality coffee beans as a result. Maintaining this reputation is key; otherwise Costa Rica faces a decline not only in its coffee prices but also overall economic stability.
Who is in charge of making sure this reputation is maintained?
The Institute de Café, (ICafé) is a government organization founded in 1933 to delegate Costa Rican coffee taxation and exportation. Over time, all aspects of the coffee business, from managing workers’ wages to researching and experimenting with disease-free seeds to certifying beneficios, places where coffee is produced, fell under ICafé’s jurisdiction. As does quality-control: all coffee undergoes a checkpoint where a needle-like machine samples beans to ensure that only grade A beans are exported, and Costa Rica’s reputation prevails.
What are the consequences?
If a plantation owner is caught growing and selling Robusta coffee beans, their entire plantation will be cut down. Because it takes two to three years for a coffee plant to grow back and produce fruit, most farmers are not willing to undergo the economic impact of loosing those valuable few years of coffee bean production to a slightly higher yield using illegal plants.
Speaking of coffee, it’s time for me to refill my mug with this delicious locally produced coffee.
P.S. They ship!
Blog post contribution by Alex Fylypovych, UGA Costa Rica Photojournalism Intern.
Test your knowledge on the flora and fauna growing along UGACR campus trails and throughout the Monteverde Cloud Forest here in Costa Rica. You never know when a trivia night will call for tropical ecology facts…
Myth Buster: Will white-faced capuchin monkeys throw their fecal matter at you if feeling threatened?
Sounds gross, but tis in fact, a fact.
White-faced capuchins are one of the smartest species of monkeys. Not only do they use tools, but they also do full-body rub downs with citronella leaves, which act as an insect repellant. Traveling in troops, capuchins are not the quietest canopy dwellers, and can be heard cackling and rustling branches as they move swiftly overhead. You’ll likely see more than one at a time, but stopping and smiling in awe is strongly discouraged! Smiling at a capuchin monkey is the equivalent of a dog bearing its teeth – and the primates will take it as a threat. Because capuchins are aggressive, they won’t hesitate to lob nuts, fruits, and yes, even fecal matter, to let you know how they feel.
Post contribution by Alex Fylypovych, UGA Costa Rica Photojournalism Intern
Test your knowledge on the flora and fauna growing along UGACR campus trails and throughout the Monteverde Cloud Forest here in Costa Rica. You never know when a trivia night will call for tropical ecology facts…
True or False?
The spaces between the horizontal rings on a cecropia tree, Cecropia obtusifolia, indicate how much the tree has grown over the course of a given season.
True.
Typically, wider spaces represent a wetter season and thus more growth, whereas smaller distances between rings mean less growth during the dry season.
Cecropia is a hollow pioneer plant. This means they are among the first to spring up in secondary forests because they require plenty of light. Growing quickly (up to 4 meters per year) and living for about 25-30 years, cecropia trees allow less light-dependent species to sprout in their shade. Because the trees have a short lifespan, they need to be sure to remain healthy; their symbiotic relationship with ants is key for successful longevity. The tree provides housing for the ants and the sugar produced by its leaves acts as ant food. In return, ants protect the tree from all types of predators from monkeys to epiphytes by releasing a formic acid that dispels predators. Not every cecropia tree is home to ants, however; those without symbiosis are likely covered in vines and epiphytes.
Blog contribution by Alex Fylypovych, UGA Costa Rica Photojournalism Intern
Test your knowledge on the flora and fauna growing along UGACR campus trails and throughout the Monteverde Cloud Forest here in Costa Rica. You never know when a trivia night will call for tropical ecology facts…
True or False?
This powder puff plant, Calliandra bijunga, does not have medicinal properties:
Ok, it’s sort of a trick question.
The answer depends on whether or not you have a holistic approach to healing.
Rubbing, crushing, mixing or brewing any components of this flower will not cure symptoms. Rather, the bright pink and white pom-poms, perched on branches like sea urchins out of water, and their lively green leaves, serve an ornamental purpose. The powder puff plant playfully greets visitors at the medicinal garden’s entrance. The seemingly weightless flowers tickle the surrounding air with even the slightest gust of wind. Growing sporadically throughout the garden, the long branches reach out, its feathery leaves reaching to pet each passerby.
It has been said that laughter is the cheapest medicine; the powder puff may not make you laugh, per se, but if you catch yourself smiling in the presence of this aesthetically pleasing plant, it may in fact be an appropriate prescription for either a mentally or physically cloudy day.
Blog contribution by Alex Fylypovych, UGA Costa Rica Photojournalism Intern
Test your knowledge on the flora and fauna growing along UGACR campus trails and throughout the Monteverde Cloud Forest here in Costa Rica. You never know when a trivia night will call for tropical ecology facts…
True or False?
These are two different species of trees:
True. That was a tough one, but after a closer look, you could be one step closer to becoming a resident naturalist on the UGA Costa Rica campus!
One of the most telling differences is the growth pattern of each tree. Notice, the first tree, a strangler fig, resembles a vine and weaves around a host tree. The ebony tree on the other hand, has no host and, although its trunk resembles thick vines, it’s merely the trunk growing predominantly upward.
Many plants struggle to establish themselves as seedlings in the dark, nutrient-poor soil of the cloud forest floor. In order to survive, hemiepiphytes start from the top and work their way down. Strangler figs, of which there are a number of different species within the genus Ficus, are one such canopy-born plant. Birds often disperse the seeds high in the canopy, atop branches reaching for sunlight.
While the fig germinates in the cloud forest’s natural awning, its roots begin a journey of descent. For approximately 20 years, the host tree serves as a GPS system for the fig, guiding the roots downward. Slowly, the roots twist and tangle their way around the trunk of its host, forming a lacework of crisscrossing vines. Once rooted in the thin layer of soil, the fig inhibits the host tree from extracting vital nutrients. Strangled and starving, the host tree rots and what remains is the hollow corkscrew trunk of a fig tree.
The ebony tree, Diospyros sp., grows wide and high, from the ground up. Although its outermost trunk may look like thick individual pipes, the tree is entirely connected. During its growth the trunk forms deep crevasses, mini-caves where snakes, birds, spiders and bats are know to nest. Ebony wood is black and sturdy, once a popular material for creating black piano keys. If it were to be cut down, and ebony tree could remain as is for nearly 50 years without decaying, an indication of its durability.
Blog contribution by Alex Fylypovych, UGA Costa Rica Photojournalism Intern
Test your knowledge on the flora and fauna growing along UGACR campus trails and throughout the Monteverde Cloud Forest here in Costa Rica. You never know when a trivia night will call for tropical ecology facts…
True or False?
These three different leaves are, as a matter of fact, the same plant:
TRUE! The monstera vine, part of the Araceae family, has three pretty dramatic costume changes during its lifespan.
In stage one, the vine begins its ascent at the base of a tree, climbing in an organized shingle-like fashion. The leaves form a slightly overlapping, dark green collage, like lily pads that have been glued to the trunk of a tree.
In the second stage, the leaves, having developed a more durable leaf structure, detach from the trunk. However, they continue scaling their host tree via a connective vine. Oval-shaped gaps emerge on either side of the primary vein, dubbing this monstera vine the “Swiss cheese” plant. Holes in the plant are presumed to serve a purpose – if not more than one. Some theories claim that the openings:
Each hole eventually produces a full tear from the primary vein to the outer edge of the leaf. After numerous gaps have reached a leaf’s end, long shreds remain and the leaf resembles a palm. The monstera plant has now reached not only a high spot in the canopy, but also its third stage.
Blog contribution by Alex Fylypovych, UGA Costa Rica Photojournalism Intern
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