Submitted by Biblioteca de Pós-Graduação em Geoquímica BGQ (bgq@ndc.uff.br) on 2016-04-14T15:53:22Z No. of bitstreams: 1 PENIDO YP 2009 27 10 13 (2).pdf: 5657970 bytes, checksum: 21d6cd6d8ae33e9630b66b151f8e6b19 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-14T15:53:22Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 PENIDO YP 2009 27 10 13 (2).pdf: 5657970 bytes, checksum: 21d6cd6d8ae33e9630b66b151f8e6b19 (MD5) / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / Universidade Federal Fluminense. Instituto de Química. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Geociências-Geoquímica. Niterói, RJ / No presente trabalho foram analisados quatro testemunhos lacustres (comprimento entre 68 - 113 centímetros) coletados na Lagoa da pata, São Gabriel da cachoeira (AM). O objetivo deste trabalho é contribuir para a compreensão das mudanças paleoclimáticas e paleohidrológicas ocorridas na região durante os últimos 45,000 anos AP. As mudanças na composição isotópica (δ13C e δ15N), C/N, alterações granulométricas e mineralógicas contém registros hidrológicos e das mudança na Amazônia Sul-americana durante o Pleistoceno superior, Último Máximo Glacial e Holoceno. As análises revelaram um evento seco durante o periodo de 25550 a 21300 cal anos AP, quando lago atingiu o nível mais baixo, apresentando a oxidação quase total da matéria orgânica. Um período marcado por chuvas torrenciais com alto hidrodinamismo no lago intercaladas por secas prolongadas. Durante a transição Pleistoceno-Holoceno, fase Younger Dryas (12800 a 11500 anos cal AP), observou-se redução da percentagem da goetita o que reflecte condições climáticas mais úmidas, indicando um aumento gradual do nível do lago. O Holoceno se destaca por grandes oscilações no nível do lago, sendo a última fase seca datada em 5500 anos cal AP, quando se iniciou o gradual aumento do nível do lago (5180 a 3750 anos cal AP). O nível permanece relativamente alto durante todo o Holoceno superior / This work analyzed six lacustrine sediment cores (68 to 113cm) from a remote lake localized in northern Brazil. The aim of this work is to contribute to understand paleoclimatic and paleohidrologic changes occured in the region during the last 40,000 years AP. Changes in the isotopic composition (δ13C and δ15N), C/N ratio, stratigraphy, mineralogy and metal concentrations (Al, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, P, Pb, Ti, V and Zn) contais records of past water level and hidrological change in the South American Amazon during the upper Pleistocene, Last Glacial Maximun and Holocene. The lacustrine core analysis revealed dry events during 21,300 to 25,550 cal years AP, when water level reached lowest conditions, with almost total oxidation of the organic matter. The period was marked by events of heavy rainfall (high hydrodynamics) interspersed by prolonged drought. During the Pleistocene-Holocene transition, Younger Dryas phase (11,400 to 13,840 cal years AP), reduction of goethite percentage reflecs humid climatic condictions with gradual increase of the lake level. The following period, early and middle Holocene, is caracterised by large water level fluctuations. The last dry period is around 5500 years cal AP, when it began to change, with the gradual increase in the level of the lake (3750 to 5180 years cal AP). The level remains relatively high and constant throughout the latest Holocene

Les forêts tropicales contiennent dans leur biomasse aérienne un stock de carbone important à l’échelle de la planète. Mesurer ce stock et comprendre son fonctionnement permet de mieux saisir les enjeux liés à sa protection, sa destruction ou sa modification, ainsi que son rôle dans le cycle du carbone et les mécanismes climatiques globaux. Dans le cadre des problématiques économiques et écologiques liés au climat, les forêts sont progressivement prises en compte dans les programmes internationaux de mesures visant à réduire l’impact anthropique sur le climat (Protocole de Kyoto, 1998 ; Accord de Copenhague, 2009). L’intégration des forêts dans les mécanismes financiers liés au marché du carbone est clairement envisagée dans les années à venir (marché de carbone « d’origine forestière »).L’estimation de la biomasse aérienne d’une parcelle de forêt inventoriée nécessite l’utilisation successive de plusieurs modèles. Dans ces parcelles, le diamètre et l’espèce de chaque arbre sont renseignés. Ensuite, ces parcelles sont utilisées comme références pour l’extrapolation spatiale des valeurs de biomasse. Cette extrapolation repose souvent sur le traitement de signaux aériens (avions, satellites). Il est aussi possible d’utiliser covariables environnementales (climat, géologie, …).L’incertitude associée à l’estimation de la biomasse d’une région est le résultat de toutes les incertitudes associées à ces différents processus. Les connaissances actuelles ne nous permettent pas de quantifier cette incertitude. L’objectif de la thèse est de développer une méthodologie d’estimation de la biomasse qui permette la propagation des incertitudes ainsi que l’identification des sources de cette incertitude.Modèle de hauteur : Nous proposons un nouveau modèle de hauteur pour les forêts tropicales. Les paramètres de ce modèle ont un sens écologique et peuvent être prédits par des variables décrivant le peuplement sur lequel il est appliqué. Nous avons utilisé les données des projets Amalin et Bridge et sélectionné 42 parcelles réparties en Guyane dans lesquelles le diamètre et la hauteur de chaque arbre ont été mesurés.Modèle de densité de bois : Un modèle à été conçu pour associer à chaque espèce une distribution de densité de bois et non une valeur fixe. Nous avons utilisé les données du projet Bridge dans lequel la densité de bois a été mesurée sur 2504 arbres représentant 466 espèces.Modèle de biomasse: Nous avons montré par une analyse de sensibilité que les incertitudes des prédictions de hauteur et de densité de bois n’avaient qu’une part négligeable dans l’incertitude des prédictions de biomasse. L’amélioration de la précision de ces modèles n’est donc pas une priorité. En revanche, le modèle de hauteur peut être une source de biais.Modélisation spatiale : Les modèles développés ont été appliqués à différents réseaux de parcelles couvrant bien la zone littorale guyanaise : inventaires papetiers de l’ONF, réseau Guyafor, projet Amalin… Les prédictions de biomasse de ces parcelles sont utilisées dans un modèle spatiale. Nous produisons ainsi une carte de biomasse guyanaise associée à une carte de l’incertitude de cette estimation. / Tropical forest yield and important part of the aerial vegetation carbon stock on earth. Measuring and understanding this stock distribution is crucial for the management of the tropical forests facing the actual environmental challenges (REDD+, carbon market).Aerial Biomass estimation of forest census plots requires few models depending on the precision of the inventory: diameter models, height models, wood density models. Spatial extrapolation between census plots relies on aerial data (satellite measurements, images) or ground-based data (geology, altitude).The uncertainty of the estimation of a region’s biomass is the result of the uncertainty brought by all these models. The aim of the thesis is to develop models and methods to estimate the biomass of a region while propagating the uncertainties. This is applied to the neo-tropical forest of French Guiana (South America, Guianas Plateau).

La compréhension de la dynamique des forêts tropicales hyperdiverses a toujours été un défi en écologie. Historiquement les modèles se basant sur le concept de la niche ou la courbe logistique ont montré leurs limites lorsqu'il s'agissait d'expliquer la diversité d'espèces en forêt tropicale. L'arrivée des modèles neutres en écologie a permis d'exprimer dans un cadre mathématique l'échantillonnage des forêts tropicales, ouvrant de nouvelles perspectives. Ces modèles, très réduits en nombre de paramètres, ont été développés depuis la génétique des populations. Encore peu explorés, ces modèles considèrent les espèces comme étant fonctionnellement équivalentes entre elles. Pour commencer, nous réexaminerons les avancées récentes dans ce domaine extrêmement actif, pour discuter ensuite du développement futur de ces modèles. Dans un second temps, nous analyserons l'inférence des paramètres neutres, afin d'établir ce lien important entre modèles théoriques et données du terrain. De plus, nous introduirons un nouvel estimateur du paramètre décrivant la richesse d'espèces rencontrées dans ces forêts. Ces résultats seront mis en perspective par l'utilisation des données de terrain provenant des forêts sempervirentes des Ghâts Occidentaux d'Inde ainsi que des forêts humides autour du Canal du Panama. Nous testerons également ces approches sur des simulations variées. Finalement, nous essayerons d'évaluer la pertinence des estimations du paramètre de migration en les comparant avec les distances de dispersion des graines observées en forêt tropicale. / Understanding the dynamics of highly diverse communities such as tropical forests has always been a challenging task in ecology. Historically, simplified logistic models and complex niche theories have had a limited success in explaining the species diversity and composition in a tropical context. With the advent of neutral models, we have an original quantitative framework in terms of a sampling theory which opens new perspectives in the field of tropical community ecology. These parsimonious models originally developed from existing theories in population genetics, have a highly selective interpretation of niche theory defined as the functional equivalence of species which has been insufficiently explored. To begin with, we review recent advances of this extremely active field and provide insights into future developments of this theory. Further on, we provide a detailed account of parameter inference which is the crucial link between theoret ical models and field data. In addition, we improve on existing approaches by introducing a novel estimator for the parameter explaining the species richness found in these forests. These results are put into perspective by using field data from the wet evergreen forests of the Western Ghats region of India and the tropical rain forests around the Panama Canal Watershed. Our results are also rigorously tested using simulations of neutral community composition. Lastly, we provide insights into whether parameter inferences dealing with immigration correspond to the seed dispersal distances typically found in tropical forests.

La thèse analyse le rôle des organisations de conservation dans la contradiction croissante entre, d’une part, la formalisation continue d’un cadre politique - juridique - institutionnel - financier - médiatique pour la conservation de l’orang-outang de Sumatra et, d’autre part, le constat avéré du déclin continu de son habitat et de ses populations. Partant du niveau global, elle se concentre ensuite dans le contexte indonésien, porteur d’un conflit aigu autour de la transformation de la forêt de basse altitude -habitat de l’orang-outan de Sumatra- en culture de palmier à huile.Le rôle des organisations de conservation sont étudiées à travers quatre dimensions sociologiques : l’établissement des référentiels globaux de conservation, la construction scientifique des indicateurs de référence, la mise en œuvre du droit indonésien et l’application de l’accord volontaire du RSPO.La thèse a trouvé des réponses concluantes pour chaque dimension et transversalement. Sans minimiser le rôle de l'état et du secteur privé, les ONG jouent aussi un rôle décisif dans le maintien du problème. Deux constantes sont observées : l'une est leur difficulté à tenir compte de la société qui abrite les populations d'orangs-outans, l'autre est leur propension à privilégier leurs propres intérêts afin de perdurer dans le champ social au détriment de leur objectif initial de conservation. Se préoccuper à ces deux manquements est le défi contemporain de la conservation. Des pistes sont donc données dans la conclusion pour refondre la gouvernance internationale de la conservation et pour redéfinir stratégiquement le rôle des ONG de conservation. Cette thèse est basée sur près de vingt ans d'expérience dans la gestion de l'environnement - à la fois pour des organisations de conservation et les Nations Unies - et 49 entretiens semi-directifs. / The thesis analyses the role of conservation organizations in the growing contradiction between, on the one hand a continuous and regular formalisation of a framework (political - legal - institutional - financial - media) for Sumatran orangutan conservation, and on the other hand, a proven report of the continuous decline of orangutan habitat and populations. Starting at the global level, the thesis then focuses on the Indonesian context that gives rise to an acute conflict centred on lowland primary tropical forest - the exclusive habitat of Sumatran orangutans - being converted into large-scale oil palm plantations. The role of conservation organizations has been studied through four sociological dimensions: i) the establishment of global paradigms for conservation, analysing in particular the Great Ape Survival Partnership - GRASP; ii) the "scientific" construction of reference indicators that characterise the orangutan; iii) the establishment and implementation of law at Indonesian level; and iv) the application of the voluntary agreement Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil - RSPO. The overall understanding of the role of NGOs is then given by the cross- analysis of the results under these four angles. The thesis has found articulated and conclusive answers for each dimension. Without underestimating the role of the state and the private sector, the cross-analysis shows that NGOs also play a decisive role in maintaining the problem of habitat loss and the decline of emblematic species, in particular the Sumatran orangutan. Two concomitant constants are observed. One is their difficulty to productively engage with the society that supports the wild orangutan populations. The other is their tendency to prioritize their own interests to perpetrate in the social and political sphere at the expense of their initial conservation objectives. To address these two structural shortcomings is the contemporary challenge for conservation. In the conclusion, suggested paths are given, both to reform international biodiversity governance and to strategically reorient the role of conservation organizations. The thesis is based on information gathered during twenty-years of experience in environmental protection - both in the United Nations and conservation organisations - and 49 semi-structured interviews.

京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(農学) / 甲第24111号 / 農博第2516号 / 新制||農||1093(附属図書館) / 学位論文||R4||N5402(農学部図書室) / 京都大学大学院農学研究科森林科学専攻 / (主査)教授 北島 薫, 教授 井鷺 裕司, 准教授 東樹 宏和 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Agricultural Science / Kyoto University / DGAM

As a strategy to conserve tropical rainforests of the East Usambara block of the Eastern Arc Mountains, Tanzania, I developed a set of models that can identify above-average tree species richness areas within the humid forests. I developed the model based on geo-referenced field data and satellite image-based variables from the Amani Nature Reserve, the largest forest sector in the East Usambara. I then verified the model by applying it to the Nilo Forest Reserve. The field data, part of the Tanzanian National Biodiversity Database, were collected by Frontier-Tanzania between 1999 and 2001, through the East Usambara Conservation Area Management Program, Government of Tanzania. The field data used are rapidly collectible by people with varied backgrounds and education. I gathered spectral reflectance values from pixels in the Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper (Landsat ETM) image covering the study area that corresponded to the ground sample points. The spectral information from different bands formed the satellite image-based variables in the dataset. The best satellite image logistic regression and discriminant analysis models were based on a single band, raw Landsat ETM mid-infrared band 7 (RB7). In the Amani forest, the RB7-based model resulted in 65.3% overall accuracy in identifying above average tree species locations. When the logistic and discriminant models were applied to Nilo forest sector, the overall accuracy was 62.3%. Of the rapidly collectible field variables, only tree density (number of trees) was selected in the logistic regression and the discriminant analysis models. Logistic and discriminant models using both RB7 and number of trees recorded 76.3% overall accuracy in Amani, and when applied to Nilo, 76.8% accuracy. It is possible to apply and adapt the current set of models to identify above-average tree species richness areas in East Usambara and other forest blocks of the Eastern Arc Mountains. Potentially, managers and researchers can periodically use the model to rapidly assess, monitor, update, and map the tree species rich areas within the forest. The same or similar models could be applied to check their applicability in other humid tropical forest areas. / Ph. D.

Introduction and objectives In Vietnam, the forest resources have been declining and degrading severely in recent years. The degradation has decreased the natural forest area, changed the forest structure seriously and reduced timber volume and biodiversity. From 1999 to 2005, the rich forest area has decreased 10.2%, whereas the poor secondary forest has increased dramatically by 20.7%. Forest structure plays an important role in forestry research. Understanding forest structure will unlock an understanding of the history, function and future of a forest ecosystem (Spies, 1998). The forest structure is an excellent basis for restoration measures. Therefore, this research is necessary to contribute to improving forest area and quality, reducing difficulties in forest management. The study also enhances the grasp of forest structure, structure changes after harvesting and fills serious gaps in knowledge. In addition, the research results will contribute to improving and rescuing the poor secondary forest and restoring it, approaching the old-growth forest in Vietnam. Material and methods The study was conducted in Kon Ka Kinh national park. The park is located in the Northeastern region of Gia Lai province, 50 km from Pleiku city center to the Northeast. The park is distributed over seven different communes in three districts: K’Bang, Mang Yang and Đăk Đoa. Data were collected from 10 plots of secondary forests (Type IIb) and 10 plots of primeval forests (Type IV). Stratified random sampling was applied to select plot locations. 1 ha plots were used to investigate gaps. 2000 m2 plots were used to measure overstorey trees such as diameter at breast height, total height, crown width and species names. 500 m2 subplots were used to record tree positions. For regeneration, 25 systematic 4 m2 subplots were established inside 1 ha plots. After data were collected in the field, data analyses were conducted by using R and Excel. Firstly, some stand information, such as density, volume and so on, was calculated, and then descriptive statistics were computed for diameter and height variables. Linear mixed effect models were applied to analyze the difference of diameter and height and to check the effect of random factor between the two forest types. Diameter and height frequency distributions were also generated and compared by using permutational analysis of variance (PERMANOVA). Non-linear regression models were analyzed for diameter and height variables. Similar analyses were implemented for gaps. Regarding spatial point patterns of overstorey trees, replicated point pattern analysis techniques were applied in this research. For biodiversity, some calculations were run such as richness and biodiversity indices, comparison of biodiversity indices by using linear mixed models and biodiversity differences between two forest types tested again by permutational analysis of variance. In terms of regeneration, some analyses were implemented such as: height frequency distribution generation, frequency difference testing, biodiversity indices for the regeneration and spatial distribution checking by using a nonrandomness index. Results and discussion After analyzing the data, some essential findings were obtained as follows: Hypothesis H1 “The overstorey structure of secondary forests is more homogeneous and uniform than old-growth forests” is accepted. In other words, the secondary forest density is about 1.8 times higher than the jungle. However, the volume is only 0.56 times as large. The average diameter and height of the secondary forest is smaller by 5.71 cm and 3.73 m than the old-growth forest, respectively. Linear mixed effect model results indicate that this difference is statistically different and the effect of the random factor (Section) is not important. Type IIb has many small trees and the diameter frequency distribution is quite homogeneous. The old-growth forest has more big trees. For both forest stages, the height frequency distribution is positively skewed. PERMANOVA results illustrate that the frequency distribution is statistically different between the two forest types. Regression functions are also more variant and diverse in the old-growth forest, because all standard deviations of the parameters are greater there. Gap analysis results indicate that the number of gaps in the young forest is slightly higher, while the average gap size is much smaller. The gap frequency distribution is statistically different between the two types. In terms of the spatial point pattern of overlayer trees, the G-test and the pair correlation function results show that trees distribute randomly in the secondary forest. In contrast, the spatial point patterns of trees are more regular and diverse in the old-growth forest. The spatial point pattern difference is not significant, and this is proved by a permutational t-test for pair correlation function (pcf). Envelope function results indicate that the variation of pcf in young forests is much lower than in the primary forests. Hypothesis H2 “The overstorey species biodiversity of the secondary forest is less than in the old-growth forest” is rejected. Results show that the number of species of the secondary forest is much greater than in the old-growth forest, especially richness. The richness of the secondary forest is 1.16 times higher. The Simpson and Shannon indices are slightly smaller in the secondary forest. The average Simpson index for both forest stages is 0.898 and 0.920, respectively. However, the difference is not significant. Species accumulation curves become relatively flatter on the right, meaning a reasonable number of plots have been observed. Estimated number of species from accumulation curves in two forest types are 105 and 95/ha. PERMANOVA results show that number of species and proportion of individuals in each species are significantly different between forest types. Hypothesis H3 “The number regenerating species of the secondary forest is less and they distribute more regularly, compared to the old-growth forest” is rejected. There are both similarities and differences between the two types. The regeneration density of the stage IIb is 22,930 seedlings/ha, greater than the old forest by 9,030 seedlings. The height frequency distribution shows a decreasing trend. Similar to overstorey, the richness of the secondary forest is 141 species, higher than the old-growth forest by 9 species. Biodiversity indices are not statistically different between two types. PERMANOVA results indicate that the number of species and the proportion of individuals for each species are also not significantly different from observed forest types. Nonrandomness index results show that the regeneration distributes regularly. Up to 95% of the plots reflect this distribution trend. Hypothesis H4 “Restoration measures (with and without human intervention) could be implemented in the regenerating forest” is accepted. The investigated results show that the secondary forest still has mother trees, and it has enough seedlings to restore. Therefore, restoration solutions with and without human intervention can be implemented. Firstly, forest protection should be applied. This measure is relevant to national park regulations in Vietnam. Rangers and other related organizations will be responsible for carrying out protection activities. These activities will protect forest resources from illegal logging, grazing and tourist activities. Environmental education and awareness-raising activities for indigenous people is also important. Another measure is additional and enrichment planting. It should focus on exclusive species of the overstorey in Type IIb or exclusive species of the primary forest. Selection of these species will lead to species biodiversity increase in the future. This also meets the purpose of the maximum biodiversity solution. Conclusion Forest resources play a very important role in human life as well as maintaining the sustainability of ecosystems. However, at present, they are under serious threat, particularly in Vietnam. Central Highland, Vietnam, where forest resources are still relatively good, is also threatened by illegal logging, lack of knowledge of people and so on. Therefore, it needs the hands of the people, especially foresters and researchers. Through research, scientists can provide the knowledge and understanding of the forest, including the structure and forest restoration. This study has obtained important findings. The secondary forest is more homogeneous and uniform, while the old-growth forest is very diverse. Biodiversity of the overstorey in the secondary forest is more than the primary. The number of regenerating species in the secondary forest is higher, but other indices are not statistically different between two types. The regeneration distribute regularly on the ground. The secondary forest still has mother trees and sufficient regeneration, so some restoration measures can be applied here. Findings of the study contribute to improve people’s understanding of the structure and the structural changes after harvesting in Kon Ka Kinh national park, Gia Lai. That is a key to have better understandings of the history and values of the forests. These findings and the proposed restoration measures address rescuing degraded forests in Central Highland in particular and Vietnam in general. And further, this is a promising basis for the management and sustainable use of forest resources in the future.

Termites are important ecosystem engineers in tropical and sub-tropical terrestrial regions where they influence ecosystem processes by altering the physical and chemical structure of the habitat. Termites affect nutrient availability by decomposition and comminution (shredding) of organic matter and act as agents of bioturbation as they re-work substrates during the construction of nests, tunnels and runways. At present we have a relatively good understanding of termite diversity patterns in the tropics through the extensive use of the standardised transect sampling protocol by Eggleton et al. (1995). These diversity data suggest that there is a functional difference in termite assemblage structure, and potentially in termite abundance and biomass, among comparable habitats across continents. However due to the lack of comparable abundance and biomass data from South America this has not previously been confirmed. In this thesis I, therefore, collected extensive data on termite taxonomic and functional assemblage structure in a South American site in Peru. The data were used to compare termite abundance and biomass from two comparable sites in Africa (Cameroon) and south east Asia (Malaysia) in order to gain better understanding of the role termites play in ecosystem processes. I found that there was an intercontinental difference in the abundance and biomass of termite feeding-groups mainly due to the dominance of soil-feeding termites in Cameroon and the absence of fungus-growing termites from Peru. The impact of certain lineages on the intercontinental differences suggests that the differences may be due to biogeographical evolution. Moreover, Eggleton et al. (1998) show that larger-bodied soil-feeding termites in Cameroon process more energy per unit area than predicted by their body size. Due to the need for an examination of the allometric relationships in termite assemblages outside Africa and the development of a more sophisticated feeding-group classification I explore the findings in Eggleton et al. (1998) further using population density - body mass relationships in three termite feeding-groups among the three continental sites in Cameroon, Peru and Malaysia. I found that large-bodied soil-feeding termites in Cameroon and large-bodied wood-feeding termites in Peru had higher population densities than expected by their body masses. As the population density - body mass relationship is inverse to that of the energy - body mass relationship the results suggest that the two feeding-groups also use more energy than expected by their body masses. Further, we have a relatively good understanding of the role termites play as ecosystem engineers e.g. in nutrient cycling and distribution, however, compared with our understanding of wood and litter decomposition in tropical forests quantitative data on the impact of termites in soil processes is poorly understood. In this thesis I conducted, to our knowledge, the first in situ soil macrofauna exclusion experiment using translocated soil in Peru to examine the impact of termites on soil C and N loss. I found that termites promote soil C and N loss which may be linked to the increase in microbial activity due to the passage of soil through the termite gut as well as the affect termites have on bioturbation and nutrient distribution. To conclude, in this thesis I present the first intercontinental comparison of abundance and biomass as well as the first in situ soil macrofauna exclusion experiment to date. The link between termite ecology, biogeography and evolution is discussed as well as the contribution of this thesis to the field of termite ecology.

No description available.

Documenting life history characteristics of populations, especially of herbivorous insects such as butterflies, is fundamental to the ecological study of tropical rainforests. However, we know relatively little about tropical forest butterflies. Here, I combine information gathered using the mark-release-recapture (MRR) approach with manipulative and observational experiments in a natural environment to explore aspects of the population biology of three closely-related species of Costa Rican fruit-feeding understory butterflies (Cithaerias pireta, Dulcedo polita, and Pierella helvina), specifically: vertical stratification, attraction to and persistence in fruit-baited traps, relative abundance and distribution, movement patterns, probabilities of recapture and daily survival, and factors that affect those probabilities. Among the three focal species there were differences in capturability, recapturability, spatial distribution, and degree of vertical stratification. Males appear to fly within smaller home ranges than females, and P. helvina can traverse the entire forest reserve in a single day. These findings have implications for the genetic diversity of these populations and for the risk of local extinction in the face of changing ecological conditions.