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Urban vegetation is of key importance because a large proportion of the human population lives in cities. Nevertheless, urban vegetation is understudied outside central Europe and particularly, little is known about the flora of tropical Asian, African and Latin American cities. We present an estimate of how the vegetation has changed in the city of San José, Costa Rica, after about one century, with the repeat photography technique (based on a collection of 19th and early 20th century photographs by José Fidel Tristán and others) and with data from the Costa Rican National Herbarium. We found little vegetation change in the landscape of San José during the 20th century, where a total of 95 families and 458 species were collected in the late 19th and early 20th century. The families with most species were Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Poaceae, Lamiaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Solanaceae, Cyperaceae, Acanthaceae, Malvaceae, Piperaceae and Verbenaceae. Similar results have been found in Europe, where the number of plant species often is stable for long periods even when the individual species vary. Rev. Biol. Trop. 58 (4): 1367-1386. Epub 2010 December 01.La vegetación urbana es de vital importancia ya que una proporción importante de la población humana vive en ciudades. Sin embargo, esta vegetación es poco estudiada fuera del centro de Europa y se sabe particularmente poco sobre la flora urbana de las ciudades tropicales de Asia, África y América Latina. Aquí presentamos una estimación de cómo ha cambiado la vegetación en la ciudad de San José, Costa Rica, durante un siglo, con la técnica de la fotografía repetida (sobre la base de una colección de fotografías del siglo XIX y principios del siglo XX hechas por José Fidel Tristán y otros) y con los datos del Herbario Nacional de Costa Rica. Encontramos pocos cambios en el paisaje de San José durante el siglo XX. En la ciudad se recolectaron 95 familias y 458 especies entre finales del siglo XIX y principios del XX. Las familias con más especies fueron Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Poaceae, Lamiaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Solanaceae, Cyperaceae, Acanthaceae, Malvaceae, Piperaceae y Verbenaceae. Los resultados son similares a los de Europa, donde el número de especies de plantas a menudo es estable durante largos períodos, aunque las especies individuales varíen.

We propose ICA-L, a wetland physicochemical water quality index (WWQI), to be used as a management tool for seasonal-flooding lagoons in Palo Verde National Park, Guanacaste, Costa Rica. The goal is to preserve their natural role for native plants as well as migrants and local animal species. The index was developed in four steps: parameter selection, assignment of parameter weight, transformation of data to their corresponding sub indices and selection of an appropriate aggregation function. In this process, the following criteria were used as a reference: WQI from the National Sanitation Foundation, WQI for the Des Moines River, Escribano and De Frutos WQI, the international legislation on maximum acceptable concentration for different water quality variables, and the authors' personal criteria. The index includes the following parameters: dissolved oxygen percent saturation, pH, nitrate concentration, total phosphorus concentration, chemical oxygen demand, concentration of suspended solids, electrical conductivity and temperature. The index sets itself to zero if the concentration of some toxic substance exceeds the maximum allowed limit. The adjustment values were based on "weights" defined in the National Sanitation Foundation Water quality Index (ICA-NSF). In this study, the weight of fecal coliforms count was excluded, the values of turbidity and the one for total solids were integrated into one (suspended solids) and a factor of 0.08 was assigned to the conductivity parameter. The sub indices associated to suspended solids were obtained from the quality of Kahler-Royer variation graph; the values for pH and the nitrate concentration from the graphs constructed for ICA-NSF. The percentage of dissolved oxygen saturation, in sites like irrigation channels, was evaluated directly from the quality variation graph constructed for ICA-NSF, whereas the same parameter for the flooding lagoons required an adjustment based on the optimal value for similar non contaminated ecosystems. The conductivity was evaluated from adjustments in the qualification functions commented by EscribanoDe Frutos. Chemical oxygen demand, total phosphorus and temperature, were qualified based on the functions developed for the ICA-L.

The ocelot Leopardus pardalis is of particular significance in terrestrial communities due to its ecological role within the group of small-sized felids and as a mesopredator. However, despite the reduction of ocelot habitat in Southeast Mexico, there are still very few ecological studies. This research aimed to contribute with some ecological aspects of the species in this region. For this, 29 camera trap stations were established in a rain forest in Los Chimalapas (an area of 22km2) during a two years period (March 2011-June, 2013), in Oaxaca state, Southeast Mexico. Data allowed the estimation of the population density, activity pattern, sex ratio, residence time, and spatial distribution. Population density was calculated using Capture-Recapture Models for demographically open populations; besides, circular techniques were used to determine if nocturnal and diurnal activity varied significantly over the seasons, and Multiple Discriminant Analysis was used to determine which of the selected environmental variables best explained ocelot abundance in the region. A total of 103 ocelot records were obtained, with a total sampling effort of 8 529 trap-days. Density of 22-38individuals/100km2 was estimated. Ocelot population had a high proportion of transient individuals in the zone (55%), and the sex ratio was statistically equal to 1:1. Ocelot activity was more frequent at night (1:00-6:00h), but it also exhibited diurnal activity throughout the study period. Ocelot spatial distribution was positively affected by the proximity to the village as well as by the amount of prey. The ocelot population here appears to be stable, with a density similar to other regions in Central and South America, which could be attributed to the diversity of prey species and a low degree of disturbance in Los Chimalapas. The ocelot Leopardus pardalis is of particular significance in terrestrial communities due to its ecological role within the group of small-sized felids and as a mesopredator. However, despite the reduction of ocelot habitat in Southeast Mexico, there are still very few ecological studies. This research aimed to contribute with some ecological aspects of the species in this region. For this, 29 camera trap stations were established in a rain forest in Los Chimalapas (an area of 22km2) during a two years period (March 2011-June, 2013), in Oaxaca state, Southeast Mexico. Data allowed the estimation of the population density, activity pattern, sex ratio, residence time, and spatial distribution. Population density was calculated using Capture-Recapture Models for demographically open populations; besides, circular techniques were used to determine if nocturnal and diurnal activity varied significantly over the seasons, and Multiple Discriminant Analysis was used to determine which of the selected environmental variables best explained ocelot abundance in the region. A total of 103 ocelot records were obtained, with a total sampling effort of 8 529 trap-days. Density of 22-38individuals/100km2 was estimated. Ocelot population had a high proportion of transient individuals in the zone (55%), and the sex ratio was statistically equal to 1:1. Ocelot activity was more frequent at night (1:00-6:00h), but it also exhibited diurnal activity throughout the study period. Ocelot spatial distribution was positively affected by the proximity to the village as well as by the amount of prey. The ocelot population here appears to be stable, with a density similar to other regions in Central and South America, which could be attributed to the diversity of prey species and a low degree of disturbance in Los Chimalapas. Gabriela Pérez-Irineo* & Antonio Santos-Moreno Laboratorio de Ecología Animal, Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigación para el Desarrollo Integral Regional, Unidad Oaxaca, Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), Hornos 1003, Santa Cruz Xoxocotlán, Oaxaca 71230, México; gabyirineo@yahoo.com.mx; asantosm90@hotmail.com*Correspondence