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Although precise species-specific aboveground tree biomass equations are needed in the Dominican Republic to quantify potential carbon storage in the context of climate change and sustainable forest management, there has been a lack of available information concerning total aboveground biomass and/or carbon content for naturally occurring Pinus occidentalis trees. The objectives of the study were to develop species-specific allometric biomass models for P. occidentalis, as well as to assess variation in carbon concentration among stem plus bark, branches and foliage by means of chemical analyses. Predictor variables included diameter at breast height (DBH) and total tree height (H), alone and in combination. Model fitting methods employing linear and nonlinear regression techniques were used and evaluated based on goodness-of-fit criteria. Two competing biomass models produced similar goodness-of-fit statistics: model 4, fitted by the Weighted Non-linear Least Squares technique, , and model 6, fitted by modeling the variance component and applying the Maximum Likelihood method, . Average carbon concentration (%) was highest in foliage tissue (49.8%), followed by branches (46.37%) and, lastly, stem plus bark (45.95%). On average, each individual tree is storing 175 kg of total aboveground carbon. To our knowledge, this is the first account reporting carbon fraction for this tropical species. Calculated wood carbon fractions from the study can be easily incorporated into forest C accounting, and may reduce errors in forest C valuations, which nowadays are performed using global estimates published elsewhere.

Trabajo fin de Máster defendido en el Real Jardín Botánico (RJB-CSIC) el 23 de septiembre de 2019- Curso 2018-2019 - Máster Universitario en Biodiversidad en Áreas Tropicales y su Conservación (UIMP-CSIC), [EN] Pinus occidentalis is a key endemic pine species of the Haitian and the Dominican forests on the island of Quisqueya also known as Hispaniola. This pine species is classified as endangered by IUCN because of anthropic threats, even though the main forests are located in protected areas. In order to have genetic information useful for its reintroduction in suitable areas in Haiti, a genetic diversity study was conducted with samples from four different Haitian regions, including three protected areas. The analyses were made both on nuclear and plastid DNA using ISSR markers and plastid sequencing. In addition, the results were omplemented with species distribution models based on bioclimatic variables. With the ISSR analyses, it appeared that the genetic variation within the populations studied is much higher than the variation among the populations. Based on the plastid sequencing analyses, a haplotype network was drawn that revealed a similar pattern of diversity distribution. The results show that the P. occidentalis populations in Haiti are genetically diverse but poorly differentiated, and that in the future, even in the worst-case scenarios, the ideal areas for the species are where present protected areas are established. Thus, in reintroduction or planting initiatives, we would recommend focusing on preserving genetic diversity, but not on maintaining a geographic genetic structure of pine populations in Haiti., [ES] Pinus occidentalis es una especie de pino endémica y clave de los bosques haitianos y dominicanos en la isla de Quisqueya, también conocida como Hispaniola. Esta especie de pino se clasifica como en peligro de extinción (EN) por la UICN debido a las amenazas antrópicas, a pesar de que los principales bosques se encuentran en áreas protegidas. Con el fin de tener información genética útil para su reintroducción en áreas adecuadas de Haití, se realizó un estudio de diversidad genética con muestras de cuatro regiones diferentes de Haití, incluidas tres áreas protegidas. Los análisis se realizaron tanto en ADN nuclear como plástidial usando marcadores ISSR y secuenciación de plastos, respectivamente. Además, los resultados se complementaron con modelos de distribución de especies basados en variables bioclimáticas. Con los análisis ISSR, parece que la variación genética dentro de las poblaciones estudiadas es mucho mayor que la variación entre las poblaciones. Sobre la base de los análisis de secuenciación plastidial, se reconstruyó una red de haplotipos que reveló un patrón similar de distribución de diversidad. Los resultados muestran que las poblaciones de P. occidentalis en Haití son genéticamente diversas pero poco diferenciadas. Las áreas ideales para la especie son aquellas donde se establecen las áreas protegidas actuales. Por lo tanto, en las iniciativas de reintroducción recomendamos preservar la diversidad genética, si bien la estructura genética geográfica de las poblaciones de pinos en Haití no aporta valor añadido en la conservación.

We used Landsat-based estimates of tree cover change to document the loss and gain of forest in the Dominican Republic between 2000 and 2016. Overall, 2,795 km2 of forest were lost, with forest gain occurring on only 393 km2, yielding a net loss of 2,402 km2 of forest, a decline of 11.1% or 0.7% per year. Deforestation occurred in all of the major forest types in the country, and ranged from a 13% decline in the area of semi-moist broadleaf forest to a 5.9% loss of cloud forest, mostly attributed to agriculture. Fire was a significant driver of forest loss only in Hispaniolan pine (Pinus occidentalis) forests and, to a lesser extent, in adjacent cloud forest. Deforestation rates were lower within protected areas, especially in dry and semi-moist broadleaf forests at lower elevations. Protected areas had a smaller, and generally negligible, effect on rates of forest loss in pine forest and cloud forest, largely due to the effects of several large wildfires. Overall, rates of deforestation in the Dominican Republic were higher than regional averages from across the Neotropics and appeared to have accelerated during the later years of our study period. Stemming deforestation will likely require enforcement of prohibitions on large-scale agricultural production within protected areas and development of alternatives to short-cycle, shifting agriculture.

Haiti has suffered great losses from deforestation, with little forest cover remaining today. Current reforestation efforts focus on seedling quantity rather than quality. This study examined limitations to the production of high-quality seedlings of the endemic Hispaniolan pine (Pinus occidentalis Swartz). Recognizing the importance of applying sustainable development principles to pine forest restoration, the effects of growing media and container types on seedling growth were evaluated with the goal of developing a propagation protocol to produce high-quality seedlings using economically feasible nursery practices. With regard to growing media, seedlings grew best in compost-based media amended with sand. Topsoil, widely used in nurseries throughout Haiti, produced the smallest seedlings overall. Despite a low water holding capacity and limited manganese, compost-based media provided adequate levels of essential mineral nutrients (particularly nitrogen), which allowed for sufficient seedling nutrition. Seedling shoot and root growth, as well as the ratio of shoot biomass to root biomass, were greater in polybags relative to D40s. Results indicate that economically feasible improvements to existing nursery practices in Haiti can improve the early growth rates of P. occidentalis seedlings.

The ability to predict cumulative bole volume to any predefined upper stem diameter on a standing tree is essential for estimating current inventory levels and making informed decisions regarding the management of forest resources. Several types of mathematical models have been developed to predict cumulative bole volume, requiring only the collection of low cost data but high accuracy tree measurements. This paper reports on the comparison of a variable-exponent taper model and a volume-ratio model for estimating inside-bark cumulative bole volume to three predefined upper stem diameters using stem analysis data Pinus occidentalis trees in La Sierra, Dominican Republic. Each sampled tree was measured at multiple points on the bole, making observations spatially correlated within the tree. Inference problems due to autocorrelation were addressed by using a nonlinear mixed-effects model fitted by restricted maximum likelihood (REML) and including two random parameter coefficients at tree level in each of the two models tested. Using an independent validation data set, the variable-exponent taper model with two random parameters demonstrated better predictive ability as compared to the volume-ratio model when estimating cumulative bole volume to the three predefined upper stem diameters. The taper model allows flexible volume estimation for the population average as well for specific trees.

The article deals both with the Pinus occidentalis pine tree forests growing on high mountain limestones and siliceous substrates, and with the copses growing on serpentines in Dajabon (Cibao Valle...

Gradual changes in vegetationstructure and composition are expected to result from continuous environmental change with increasing elevation on mountains. Hence, the occurrence of abrupt or discrete ecotones in vegetation patterns is intriguing and may suggest key controls on community assembly in montane forests. We review tropical montane forest (TMF) zonation patterns focusing on a case study from the Cordillera Central, Hispaniola where a striking discontinuity in forest composition occurs consistently at � 2000m elevation, with cloud forest below and monodominant pine forest above. We propose that a discontinuity in climatic factors (temperature, humidity) associated with the trade-wind inversion (TWI) is the primary cause of this and other ecotones in TMFs that occur at a generally consistent elevation. Low humidity, fires and occasional frost above the TWI favor pine over cloud forest species. Fires in the high-elevation pine forest have repeatedly burned down to the ecotone boundary and extinguished in the cloud forest owing to its low flammability, reinforced by high humidity, cloud immersion and epiphytic bryophyte cover. Small-scale fire patterns along the ecotone are influenced by topography and where forest structure is impacted by hurricanes and landslides. Analogous patterns are observed worldwide in other TMFs where the TWI is important, high-elevation fires are frequent, and the flora contains frost-tolerant species (often of temperate lineage). The response of this and other TMFs to anthropogenic climate change is highly uncertain owing to potentially countervailing effects of different climatic phenomena, including warming temperatures and decreased frost; changes in the TWI, high-elevation drought or cloudiness; and increased frequency or

We surveyed postfire vegetation at five sites at high elevations (> 2000 m) in the Cordillera Central, Dominican Republic. Highlands of the Cordillera Central are dominated by a single pine species, Pinus occidentalis, but plant communities are rich with endemics and conservation and fire management efforts in these systems are ongoing. The burns were 2‐7 yr in age and had consumed nearly all shrub crowns. Pines suffered high mortality (> 50%, all sites combined), but shrubs resprouted at high rates (88%, N = 957) after fire. All shrub taxa produced basal resprouts; eight of 11 shrub taxa measured had resprouting rates > 90 percent, while Baccharis myrsinites had the lowest (56%). Most taxa grew to prefire height quickly (within 5‐7 yr), with regrowth of stem diameters lagging behind. Patterns and rates of shrub recovery resembled those documented in high elevation shrublands in Costa Rica and Brazil. Pinus occidentalis does not resprout, but larger individuals can survive fire. Survival increases dramatically when trees attain > 13-cm dbh, when bark becomes thick enough to protect cambial tissue. Overall, pines are regenerating much more slowly than shrubs, but seedling establishment varied considerably between sites. Frequent fires may cause a decline in pines and an increas ei n shrubor grass-dominated communities. Succession in these high elevation fire-dependent pine forests favors taxa already present in the preburn vegetation, with woody composition changing little after fire, in contrast to lower-elevation cloud forest, where postfire vegetation has been shown to bear little resemblance to mature forest even after several years.

This work presents an analysis of Pinus occidentalis pollen and seed proteomes, in which both gel-based and gel-free approaches have been used. Proteins were extracted from P. occidentalis seeds and pollen by using the TCA/acetone/phenol precipitation protocol, and protein extracts were subjected to 1- and 2-DE coupled to MALDI-TOF-TOF as well as to shotgun (nLC-LTQ-Orbitrap) analysis. All bands (1-DE) and the most abundant spots (2-DE) were excised, trypsin digested and the resulting peptides analyzed by MALDI TOF/TOF. In order to increase the proteome coverage, a gel free approach was used. Proteins were identified from mass spectra by using three different databases, including UniProtKB, NCBI and a Pinus spp. custom database [2]. The gel-based approach resulted in 42 (seeds) and 94 (pollen) protein identifications, while the shotgun approach permitted the identification of 187 (seed) and 960 (pollen) proteins. Proteins were classified based on their corresponding functional categories. In seeds, storage proteins were the most abundant ones, and some allergens and proteases were also identified. In pollen proteins related to general metabolism were the most predominant. Data are compared and discussed from a methodological and biological point of view, taking into account the particularities of the seed and pollen organs. Biological significance In this work we characterized P. occidentalis proteome with seeds and pollen samples implementing two complementary approaches for the analysis. We found a high content of storage protein, stress response and metabolism related proteins in the seed proteome. Similarly, in the pollen proteome we found predominant groups of proteins related to metabolism and stress response.

Crossbills (Aves: Loxia) and several conifers have coevolved in predator-prey arms races over the last 10,000 years. However, the extent to which coevolutionary arms races have contributed to the adaptive radiation of crossbills or to any other adaptive radiation is largely unknown. Here we extend our previous studies of geographically structured coevolution by considering a crossbill-conifer interaction that has persisted for a much longer time period and involves a conifer with more variable annual seed production. We examined geographic variation in the cone and seed traits of two sister species of pines, Pinus occidentalis and P. cubensis, on the islands of Hispaniola and Cuba, respectively. We also compared the Hispaniolan crossbill (Loxia megaplaga) to its sister taxa the North American white-winged crossbill (Loxia leucoptera leucoptera). The Hispaniolan crossbill is endemic to Hispaniola whereas Cuba lacks crossbills. In addition and in contrast to previous studies, the variation in selection experienced by these pines due to crossbills is not confounded by the occurrence of selection by tree squirrels (Tamiasciurus and Sciurus). As predicted if P. occidentalis has evolved defenses in response to selection exerted by crossbills, cones of P. occidentalis have scales that are 53% thicker than those of P. cubensis. Cones of P. occidentalis, but not P. cubensis, also have well-developed spines, a known defense against vertebrate seed predators. Consistent with patterns of divergence seen in crossbills coevolving locally with other conifers, the Hispaniolan crossbill has evolved a bill that is 25% deeper than the white-winged crossbill. Together with phylogenetic analyses, our results suggest that predator-prey coevolution between Hispaniolan crossbills and P. occidentalis over approximately 600,000 years has caused substantial morphological evolution in both the crossbill and pine. This also indicates that cone crop fluctuations do not prevent crossbills and conifers from coevolving. Furthermore, because the traits at the phenotypic interface of the interaction apparently remain the same over at least several hundred thousand years, divergence as a result of coevolution is greater at lower latitude where crossbill-conifer interactions have been less interrupted by Pleistocene events.

Fire history was reconstructed from fire-scarred individuals of the endemic pine (Pinus occidentalis )a long climatic gradients in the Cordillera Central, Dominican Republic. We analysed variation in fire frequency by climate, elevation and aspect (windward and leeward of the central massif). A high correspondence between known fires and fire-scar chronologies indicates that the primary rings of this species are annual. Evidence was found for 41 fire years since 1727 A.D.; 28 were landscape-scale fires, nine of which were exceptionally large and linked to El Ni ˜ no-triggered droughts. Mean fire return interval (FRI; the mean of individual samples) and mean fire interval (MFI; the composite mean of a group of samples) were used to estimate the upper and lower range in fire frequency. Mean FRI of the entire study area was 31.5 y (± 24.9 y SD) and MFI for landscape-scale fires was 5.6 y (± 4.1 y SD). The fire regime varied significantly with elevation and aspect. Mean FRI was 42.1 y (± 27.6 y SD) and MFI was 9.8 y (± 16.7 y SD) on moister windward zones, and mean FRI was 16.7 y (± 7.8 y SD) and MFI 4.2 y (± 1.9 y SD) in drier leeward zones. On windward slopes, high-elevation mean FRI (26.4 y) was significantly shorter than at middle (44.5 y) and low elevations (58.4 y). On leeward slopes, mean FRI did not vary significantly with elevation. The strong windward elevational patterning of the fire regime is driven by the trade wind inversion which traps moist air below 2000-2300 m. Such elevational patterns may be characteristic of montane fire regimes throughout the tropical trade wind belt.

We examined evidence of past vegetation, climate, and disturbance history in a sediment core from a bog on the windward slope of the Cordillera Central in the Dominican Republic. The sediments revealed a continuous 4000 cal yr history of pine (Pinus occidentalis) dominance and fire. Bog formation may have been linked with a regional shift toward wetter conditions seen at other highland sites around 4000 cal yr BP. Low pollen influx, low organic content, and poor pollen preservation suggested periodic drying of the bog surface between ~3700 and 1200 cal yr BP and the loss of sediments to either deflation or erosion. Spikes in pollen of broadleaf trees and shrubs, mainly before 2500 cal yr BP, may indicate warmer or wetter intervals. Remobilized old charcoal, along with peaks in Poaceae, Cyathea, and Lophosoria, indicate a possible large tropical storm event around 2900 cal yr BP. Transported clasts of peat and soil in the core signal other high precipitation events. We found no clear evidence of prehistoric human activity. D 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sherman, R. E., P. H. Martin, and T. J. Fahey (Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853) Vegetation-environment relationships in forest ecosystems of the Cordillera Central, Dominican Republic. J. Torrey. Bot. Soc. 132: 293–310. 2005.—We examined forest vegetation-environment relationships in the central mountain range of Hispaniola to improve general understanding of tropical montane forests. Forest inventory data were collected in 1999 and 2000 from 245 plots established in the Armando Bermudez and Carmen Ramirez National Parks, Dominican Republic, over an elevation range of 1,100–3,075 m. Average tree density (≥ 10 cm dbh), basal area, and dbh were highly variable across the elevation gradient; species richness declined significantly with elevation; and the canopy height of broadleaved stands declined whereas the height of stands dominated by the endemic pine, Pinus occidentalis Sw., was relatively constant across the elevation gradient. Four major forest associati...

Rediscovery of Ossaea alloeotricha, an endemic of the high-elevation Massif de la Hotte, Haiti, and its transfer to Miconia (Melastomataceae: Miconieae). Brittonia 56: 159–165. 2004.—Ossaea alloeotricha, described by Urban on the basis of material with very immature flowers, has been re-collected (in flower and fruit) in the cloud forests and moist forests dominated by Pinus occidentalis in the vicinity of Pic le Ciel, 2150 m, on Morne Formon of the Massif de la Hotte (western group), Haiti. The mature flowers of this species have broadly elliptic to suborbicular petals with rounded, asymmetrically notched apices, clearly indicating a placement in Miconia, not Ossaea or Leandra (which have acute to acuminate petals); the species is here transferred to Miconia (sect. Cremanium). Miconia alloeotricha is provided with an expanded description and compared with M. desportesii, M. monciona, M. sphagnicola, and M. tetrandra, the other species of Miconia sect. Cremanium occurring in Hispaniola (Dominican...

We studied avian resource use in a native West Indian pine (Pinus occidentalis) forest in the Cordillera Central of the Dominican Republic during the nonbreeding season. The forest is characterized by a fairly open pine canopy and a dense mixed-broadleaf and pine understory. We used a principal components analysis of 23 foraging characters for 23 bird species, including foraging height, the proportional use of 5 different foraging methods, 3 horizontal positions and foliage densities, and 11 foraging substrates. Five principal components accounted for 74 percent of the total variance of the assemblage variables and resulted in the delineation of at least 5 foraging guilds. 78 percent of bird species had mean foraging heights of 5.0–10.0 m, corresponding to the region of overlap of pine and broadleaf vegetation. As a result, the diversity of foraging substrates and maneuvers used by birds, rather than foraging height, appears to be the primary means by which birds that exploit this habitat separate ecologically. Migrant wood warblers (Parulinae) are probably able to integrate into the community because of little diet overlap between residents and migrants, and the fairly specialized nature of their largely insectivorous foraging habits. Avian foraging in this habitat may reflect the effects of frequent disturbance such as hurricanes. RESUMEN Estudiamos el uso de recursos por aves en un bosque de pino nativo (Pinus occidentalis) en la Cordillera Central de la Republica Dominicana durante la epoca de no-reproduccion. El bosque se caracteriza por un dosel de pino bastante abierto, con pinos y arbustos mixtos y densos en las clases de vegetacion de alturas mas bajas. Utilizamos un analisis de componentes principales de 23 caracteres de comportamientos alimenticios para 23 especies, incluyendo la altura de alimentacion, el uso proporcional de cinco metodos de comportamientos alimenticios, tres posiciones horizontales y clases de densidades de los arbustos, y once substratos de alimentos. Cinco componentes principales explicaban 74 por ciento de la variacion total entre las 23 especies y delineaban por lo menos cinco guildas de alimentaciones. 78 por ciento de las especies de aves tenian una altura media de alimentacion de 5.0–10.0 m, coincidiendo con la region de traslapo de pinos y arbustos. Como consecuencia, la diversidad de substratos de alimentos y metodos de comportamientos alimenticios utilizados por las aves, en vez de la altura de comportamientos alimenticios, es la manera principal en que las aves utilizando este habitat separaban los nichos ecologicos. Aves migratorias (Parulinae) probablamente pueden integrarse en la comunidad porque hay poco traslapo de alimentaciones entre los residentes y migrantes, y sus comportamientos alimenticios estan bastante especializado. Es posible que el comportamiento alimenticio de aves en este habitat refleja los efectos de perturbaciones frecuentes como huracanes.

The growth rings of Pinus occidentalis Swartz trees in La Celestina, Dominican Republic, show between-tree uniformity. With difficulty, two mean time series were made from ring widths of 1) all visible, including intra-annual, rings and 2) groups of rings that were hypothesized to be annual. Both were compared with a 63-year range of rainfall data. An annual periodicity in wood formation is present, but obscured by many intra-annual rings. The annual periodicity of the trees may be a remnant of their possible origin from higher altitudes, where frosts may occur during the cold season. The youngest of the 7 investigated trees was about 39 years old; the oldest about 46 years. These seven trees contain between approximately 2 and 6 growth rings per year, with an average of about 3.5-4.

Duranta arida Britt. & Wils. subsp. serpentina Sanders & Judd (VERBENACEAE)—Pedernales Province: Sierra de Baoruco National Park, accessed N of Cabo Rojo on old Alcoa road to Aceitillar, then north on jeep trail (Sendero Baoruco) to Caseta #2. Along trail between park entrance (near Caseta de Control, #4) and Caseta #2, on steep slope below location of sign pointing direction to ‘‘Caseta No. 2.’’ 1,850 m. High elevation pine forest. Lat. 18u12958.20N, Long. 71u34923.10W Datum: WGS84, 3 June 2006, Judd 8130 (FLAS, JBSD, NY). Significance. This collection represents the first documented occurrence of this distinctive subspecies of Duranta arida in the Dominican Republic, where it occurs in the Sierra de Baoruco, on steep rocky slopes in a high montane forest of Pinus occidentalis Sw. The taxon previously was known only from two collections (i.e., Judd 4931: FLAS, JBSD; Proctor 10740: US) in the Massif de la Selle, Haiti (Judd and Sanders 1986, Liogier 1994). The range extension is not really surprising, given that the Sierra de Baoruco, in the Dominican Republic, is the eastward extension of the Massif de la Selle. The habitats of the Haitian and Dominican collections are strikingly similar – both are from steep rocky, limestone slopes, in open forests dominated by Pinus occidentalis. Associated species in the Sierra de Baoruco include Baccharis myrsinites (Lam.) Pers., Chamaecrista selleana (Urb.) Britt. & Rose, Eupatorium illitum Urb., Fuchsia triphylla L., Garrya fadyenii Hook., Hypericum hypericoides (L.) Crantz, Ilex tuerckheimii Loes., Lyonia microcarpa Urb. & Ekman, Myrica picardae Krug & Urb., Pilea spp., and Senecio picardae Krug. & Urb. Associates at the type locality, near Pic la Selle, are similar (see list in Judd and Sanders 1986). The Haitian collections are from 2,000–2,550 m elevation, so the Dominican collection also slightly expands the elevational range of this taxon. This new collection of Duranta arida subsp. serpentina also expands the documented variation in leaf form. The collections from the Sierra de Baoruco have leaves with emarginate to truncate or rounded-mucronate apices, and often have two, small lateral teeth—and thus are often minutely tricuspidate. The leaves of the previously known collections of this subspecies are apically emarginate or tricuspidate. The leaves of plants of Duranta arida subsp. domingensis (Urb.) Mold., which is more widespread on Hispaniola (Liogier 1994), are usually acute to rounded-mucronate. The other distinctive features of D. arida subsp. serpentina, i.e., the prostrate habit, with the branches creeping along the ground (vs. erect stems to 2–3 m tall in subsp. domingensis) and the fruiting calyx open at the apex (vs. usually closed in subsp. domingensis), match those of the Massif de la Selle collections. Thus, the distinctiveness of subsp. serpentina, especially the extremely prostrate habit – with the stems growing along the ground in a snake-like fashion – allows it to be readily distinguished from subsp. domingensis (see keys in Judd and Sanders 1986, and Liogier 1994). Although Duranta arida subsp. domingensis does occur in the Dominican Republic, it was not seen in this part of the Sierra de Baoruco. It is noteworthy, however, that Duranta arida, without designation of subspecies, was included in a list of plants occurring in the Sierra de Baoruco (Garcia et al. 2001). The two subspecies likely are ecologically separated, and thus are probably reproductively isolated. This taxon was found during work on the systematics of Miconieae (Melastomataceae) in the Dominican Republic, and this fieldwork was supported by NSF Grant DEB-0515636. I thank Milciades Mejia and the herbarium *email address: wjudd@botany.ufl.edu Received July 2, 2007; Accepted August 21, 2007. CASTANEA 73(1): 40–41. MARCH 2008

It was found that the turpentine of Pinus nelsonii contained 49.60% l-α-pinene, 41.50% l-β-pinene, 1.02 dipentene, 0.24% camphene, and 0.01% n-heptane. The remainder contained 3.74% of oxygenated substances derived mainly from terpenes (including probably some oxygenated sesquiterpenes); about 0.02% of unidentified, low-boiling materials, pot residue, and losses. The possible occurrence in P. nelsonii turpentine of the oxygenated materials should be rechecked, using freshly collected material. The identification of camphene and n-heptane must be considered as tentative, only. The turpentine of Pinus occidentalis contained 63.8% d-, dl-α-pinene, 22.2% l-β-pinene, 7.7% d-Δ3-carene, 1.8% methyl chavicol, 1.1% dipentene, 0.5% d-longifolene, 0.3% linalool, 0.2% camphene, and 0.1% n-heptane, with the remaining 2.3% accounted for by unidentified terpenes, pot residue, and losses. The identification of the last four constituents must be considered only tentative.

An outbreak of pine bark beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) occurred in the central highlands of the Dominican Republic during 1986-1987. Initiation of the outbreak coincided with a period of severe drought. Thousands of native West Indian pines, Pinus occidentalis Sw., were killed by beetles attacking the trunk and branches. Ips calligraphus (Germar) was the principal mortality agent. Two other bark beetles infested the smaller branches (Pityophthorus antillicus Bright) and shoots (Pityophthorus pinavorus Bright). Spatial attack pattern, harem size, egg gallery length, egg density, and sex ratio of Dominican I. calligraphus populations were similar to values reported from the southeastern United States. However optimal pheromone blends differed between the two populations. Of five pheromone blends tested, the 50% (-)-ipsdienol:50% (+)-ipsdienol plus cis-verbenol attracted the most Dominican beetles. Ips calligraphus adults were collected throughout the year in pheromone-baited traps and theoretically could complete 11 to 12 generations per year in the Dominican highlands. No other species of Ips nor any species of Dendroctonus were collected in traps baited with pheromones of the pine bark beetle complex of the southeastern United States. Average tree diameter, tree height, and stand basal area from several infestation sites are presented. Infested pines ranged from 5 to 50 cm in diameter and from 6 to 26 m in height.

Twenty-three mosses are reported for the first time from Hispaniola. an island poorly studied bryologically in spite of its diverse flora. Ptilium ortho- thecium Ther. is placed in synonymy under Hypnum polypterum (Mitt.) Broth. The island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles includes peaks of the highest elevations in the Caribbean (Pico Duarte, formerly Pico Trujillo, 3175 m alt.), and its mountainous areas are covered with cloud forests, high to low elevation Pinus occidentalis forests, and sclerophyllous thickets. Thus, the island's flora is quite diverse (see Ciferri 1936; Moscoso 1943; Howard 1973). In spite of this diversity, Hispaniola has been relatively poorly col- lected. No bryophyte flora is available, although several papers dealing with Haitian or Dominican mosses have been published (i.e., Miiller 1898; Williams 1930; Theriot 1944; Crum & Steere 1958; Crum 1965). In 1976 the author made a small collection of bryophytes in the Dominican Republic and portions of this collection are listed alphabetically below. Twenty-three mosses are recorded for the first time in Hispaniola. Taxa not reported in any of the above cited lists of species (or not reported in recent revisionary work) are indicated by an asterisk. The author's collection numbers are given in italics, and the specimens are on deposit at either the Farlow Herbarium (FH) or the Herbarium of the University of Florida (FLAS). The various collection localities are indicated by Roman numeral notations given be- low. Locality I: Pico Diego de Ocampo (prov. Santiago). This, the highest peak (1249 m) in the Cordillera Septentrional, is the only one to support a lush cloud forest at its summit. Except where indicated otherwise, the collections from this locality were made from 1170 to 1249 m alt. Locality II: Loma de la Sal (prov. La Vega). This mountainous area is southeast of Jarabacoa. A rich cloud forest (dominated by Magnolia domingensis, Myrsine coriacea, Alsophila spp., various Melastomataceae) is present toward the summits of the highest peaks. Collections from this region were made between 1280 and 1340 m alt. Locality III: Cordillera Central (prov. La Vega). Collections in this region were made along the road that passes through Valle Nuevo from Constanza to La Nuez. The elevations vary from 1130 m (near Constanza) to ca. 2300 m at Valle Nuevo. These collections were made in low to high elevation forests of Pinus occidentalis. Common understory plants included: Baccharis myrsinites, Lobelia rotundifolia, Myrica cerifera, Garrya fadyenii, Cestrum coelophlebium, Citharexylum fruticosum, Gaultheria domingensis, Myrsine co- riacea, Pteridium aquilinum, Rhytidophyllum berteroanum, Miconia spp., Tetrazygia spp., Lyonia spp., Andropogon spp., and Danthonia domingensis. Locality IV: Monteada Nueva (prov. Barahona). This peak, which is east of Polo in the Sierra de Baoruco, has an interesting cloud forest at its summit (ca. 1300 m alt.). The cloud forest is dominated by Magnolia emarginata, M. hamori, Clusia grisebachiana, Ocotea leucoxylon, and many Melastomataceae and Rubiaceae. It is rapidly being destroyed by slash-and-burn agricul- tural methods. Locality V: El Rio (prov. La Vega). Collections were made in the vicinity