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Tropical diversity comes
from being older, study says


Why are there more species in the tropics than in the temperate regions of the globe? Many of the world's species live in the tropics (perhaps more than half), but the reason has been debated for more than 100 years.

Many researchers have hypothesized that climatic factors somehow cause species to originate more quickly in tropical regions. In a paper appearing in this month's issue of The American Naturalist, John Wiens and a group of researchers from New York's Stony Brook University have shown that, contrary to expectations, species seem to evolve at similar rates in tropical and temperate regions.

What causes the difference in species numbers between tropical and temperate regions is not something special about the tropics that leads to more rapid species development, but rather that the temperate areas were colonized more recently, leaving less time for species to originate and accumulate in these regions, they determined.

The researchers studied the causes of high tropical species richness in tree frogs in the Americas. Combining analyses of evolutionary development based on DNA sequences with geographical methods for analyzing the effects of climate on species distributions, the researchers found no relationship between how quickly species originate within a group and whether that group is tropical or temperate.

However, they did find a strong relationship between when each region was colonized and the number of species there today. Thus, the high species richness of tropical regions seems to be explained by the ancient origin of many groups in the tropics, more recent colonization of temperate regions, and by the inability of most tropical species to tolerate the variable temperatures of temperate areas.

According to Wiens, the study has important conservation implications: "If the pattern we see in tree frogs holds true for most other groups, then the tropics may have more ancient lineages and more genetic diversity per species than temperate regions. So there may be far more loss of diversity going on as we lose tropical rainforests than would be suggested by the number of species alone."

More kidnap suspects
linked to ex-fugitive


A man who escaped from the La Reforma prison Oct. 9 has been identified as the leader of a band of kidnappers. and some of the suspects are members of his family.

The Judicial Investigating Organization arrested seven persons Monday and said they were linked to the ring.

The alleged leader, Jovel Araya Ramírez, was wounded when investigators recaptured him in Guápiles Oct. 24. He was wounded with multiple bullets.

Agents said that the gang of kidnappers assisted Araya with the prison break in which a total of eight inmates fled after killing a guard. Investigators figure that vehicles awaited the inmates outside the prison.

The gang was involved in high stakes kidnappings, mostly of businessmen. Unlike other criminals, they accepted property and cars as part payment of the ransom, officials said. Police attribute at least four separate cases of kidnapping to the gang. In most cases the victims were held about a week.
Among those arrested Monday were the two persons who sheltered Araya in Guápiles and his son and daughter.

Corn silage pushed as way
to defeat El Niño's ills


Dairy farmers are being told to make preparations now for a possible dry season caused by El Niño.

The Ministerio de Production is suggesting that farmers and cattle ranchers consider corn varieties that will make good silage.

The Instituto Nacional de Innovation y Transference en Tecnología Peculiarity is in the process of evaluating certain corn hybrids and varieties for use as the raw materials for silage.

Silage is the chopped vegetable matter that is stored in silos or bunkers. Because the material, usually corn or certain types of grass, undergo fermentation, they retain their nutritive value and do not decay.

One milk producer was able to feed 10 cows for three months with corn from 1,500 square meters of land, said the Ministerio de Producción. That's about four-tenths of an acre.

Arnoldo Vargas of the institute said that one way is to compress chopped corn to push out all the air and then cover it with plastic. In some countries large plastic bags are used to hold the silage. In addition to silage, the institute suggests that cows be fed several kilos of high protein beans or grain a day.

El Niño conditions usually mean dry weather for the Costa Rican cattle country.

Musicians seek laws
to protect, push works


A musician's union will seek a law to require radio stations to play more Costa Rican tunes on the airways. And it will seek tax incentives for those who use Costa Rican works and productions.

The union is Asociación de Gestión Colectiva de los Intérpretes y Ejecutantes Musicales de Costa Rica, and the group made known its concerns and goals Monday.

The organization also wants to study the free trade treaty with the United States to see if members will be affected by it, and the union wants to set up a system so that local performers and songwriters are compensated fairly for the use of their efforts.

The 2-year-old group said it now has about 120 artists as members.  It seeks to establish links with similar organizations in other countries, it said.

Cyclist found in Cañas lake


A 23-year-old cicylist, Wilbert Ruiz Ovares, vanished Friday in Cañas. His body turned up Monday in a small lake. Investigators think he lost control of the bike, ran off the road into the lake and died.

Study says U.S. bribes U.N. Security Council non-permanent members with aid

By the University of Chicago press service

Oil price impact can wreck developing economies, U.S. energy official says

By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services

Coffee professionals are meeting here to consider the future of their product

By the A.M. Costa Rica staff