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Liquid Jungle Lab

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LJL Central Laboratory Facility
Isla Canales de Tierra forest canopy

The Liquid Jungle Lab (LJL) is a tropical marine research station on the island of Canales de Tierra on the western coast of Pacific Panamá along a primary marine biological corridor. The LJL research campus was completed in 2004 and is part of a private 3,500 hectare reserve composed of primary forest, mangroves, tide pools, and a rocky inter-tidal zone that transitions into fringing coral reefs.

The island laboratory is adjacent to two large coastal bays, Bahia Honda, Veraguas Province and Pixvae Bay, which are important mangrove, estuarine and riparian (stream) habitats. The island and laboratory serve as a strategic base for ecologic research of the Coiba National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site[1] and Panama’s largest marine protected area. The tremendous biodiversity of the marine and terrestrial environments surrounding Isla Canales de Tierra allows visiting scientists to conduct multidisciplinary ecologic research in a pristine area and has even inspired a designer perfume fragrance, Fleur de Liane.[2] The LJL was founded by Jean Pigozzi, a Swiss venture capitalist, photographer and art collector.[3]

Research

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Tropical underwater habitat of the Liquid Jungle Lab

A multi-disciplinary approach to research in Terrestrial and Marine Tropical Ecology are conducted between a consortium of scientists and researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution,[4] the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute,[5] and Real Jardin Botanico de Madrid.[6] These organizations and visiting scientists and students use the marine lab facilities and experimental farm to conduct primary and applied research in the fields of tropical island ecology, marine biology, physical oceanography, marine biogeochemistry, aquaculture, genetics, molecular biology, herpetology, botany, ornithology, entomology, ecosystem conservation, island biogeography, geology, fisheries management, tropical forest ecology, agro-forestry, veterinary science, and organic agriculture.

Pelagic fish aggregation near Isla Pacora, Liquid Jungle Lab
WHOI scientist observing gelatinous zooplankton (Salp) in open ocean water near Coiba

Current areas of marine research at the Liquid Jungle include plankton community dynamics[7] and marine larval ecology and transport,[8] modeling internal waves and benthic structure, coral community architecture[9] and diversity, synoptic chemical mapping,[10] invasive sessile invertebrate species,[11] mangrove and estuarine watersheds,[12] and the effects of natural and anthropogenic nutrient input on primary production and fisheries along Pacific coastal zones.

References

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  1. ^ Coiba National Park UNESCO World Heritage Site
  2. ^ Fleur de Liane Artisan Parfumeur
  3. ^ Contemporary African Art Collection
  4. ^ Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
  5. ^ Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Archived 2008-08-15 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ Real Jardin Botanico de Madrid Archived 2008-12-20 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ Gallager, Scott M., A.D. York, C. Mingione and S. Lerner. Plankton community structure in the Gulf of Chiriqui, Pacific-Panama, as modulated by upwelling and large internal waves. (in prep)
  8. ^ Starczak, Victoria, P. Perez-Brunius, J. Pineda, J. Gyory, and H. Levine. The role of season, salinity and flushing in determine barnacle distributions in tow adjacent mangrove coastal lagoons. (in prep)
  9. ^ Camilli, Luis, O. Pizarro, and R. Camilli (2008) Advancing spatial-temporal continuity in coral reef ecosystem pattern detection: The morphology, distribution and chemical environments of coral habitats encompassing Coiba National Park, Panamá. Proceedings of the 11th International Coral Reef Symposium, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, 7–11 July 2008, Session number 16
  10. ^ Camilli R, Oscar Pizarro, Luis Camilli (2007) Rapid swath mapping of reef ecology and associated water column chemistry in the Gulf of Chiriquí, Panamá. On the Edge of Tomorrow: MTS/IEEE-OES Oceans Conference. 1-8.
  11. ^ Carman, Mary, S. Bullard, S. Molyneaux, R. Ji, A. Goodwin, E. Baker, and S. Sievert. Ascidian faunas of the island chain Isla Canales de Tierra to Coiba, southern Gulf of Chiriqui and south entrance to the Panama Canal, Pacific coast of Panama. (in prep)
  12. ^ Bowen, J.L. and Ivan Valiela (2008) Using δ15N to Assess Coupling between Watersheds and Estuaries in Temperate and Tropical Regions. Journal of Coastal Research Vol 24:3; pp. 804–813.
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