La Selva Biological Field Station, Costa Rica - Data gathered at La Selva Biological Station in Costa Rica is expected to be revealing for global climate change. Dr. Alexandra Aparicio and Dr. David Clark are directing field implementation and data collection at La Selva, where most of the data are collected on permanent 1 km2 plots, called Integrated Monitoring Arrays (IMA). Several of La Selva's IMAs will have an altitudinal gradient within them and will cover areas where the impacts of global warming are already being felt and where we may expect to see the most dramatic effect of climate change on biota.

Dr. Clark reports that La Selva's first IMA is now fully surveyed, with all trails cleared and some rudimentary bridges in place to span the area's ubiquitous small streams. Climate monitoring is ongoing, and the first ant and butterfly collections have now been completed. Staff training is also proceeding apace, with seven residents of the local community now working as parabiologists, including specialists in vegetation, ant taxonomy, birds, butterflies, mammals, and litterfall collection and processing. Data from the first monitoring efforts are being used to further train this core of key staff.