its width (32). On physical grounds, the thin gas gap suggested by our measurements should also be expected to possess soft modes with fluctuations whose wavelength ranges from small to large. From this perspective, we then expect that the experimental geometry of a Janus-type water film, selected for experimental convenience, was incidental to the main physical effect.These conclusions have evident connections to understanding the long-standing question of the structure of aqueous films near a hydrophobic surface and may have a bearing on understanding the structure of water films near the patchy hydrophilichydrophobic surfaces that are so ubiquitous in nature.Note added in proof: We have recently been made aware of neutron reflectivity experiments that indicate the existence of a nanometer-thick vapor-like coating that forms on an extended hydrophobic surface when it is immersed in water (33, 34). The high alpha-diversity of tropical forests has been amply documented, but beta-diversity-how species composition changes with distance-has seldom been studied. We present quantitative estimates of beta-diversity for tropical trees by comparing species composition of plots in lowland terra firme forest in Panama, Ecuador, and Peru. We compare observations with predictions derived from a neutral model in which habitat is uniform and only dispersal and speciation influence species turnover. We find that beta-diversity is higher in Panama than in western Amazonia and that patterns in both areas are inconsistent with the neutral model. In Panama, habitat variation appears to increase species turnover relative to Amazonia, where unexpectedly low turnover over great distances suggests that population densities of some species are bounded by as yet unidentified processes. At intermediate scales in both regions, observations can be matched by theory, suggesting that dispersal limitation, with speciation, influences species turnover. References and NotesBeta-diversity is central to concepts about what controls diversity in ecological communities. Species turnover can reflect deterministic processes, such as species' adaptations to differences in climate or substrate, or it can result from limited dispersal coupled with speciation, delayed response to climatic change, or other historical effects. Perhaps more important, beta-diversity is as important as alpha-diversity for conservation, because species turnover influences diversity at large scales. Recently, Hubbell (1) and Harte et al. (2, 3) have derived theories relating species turnover with distance to species-area relations and total species richness. In very rich forests of the neotropics, these theories may allow us to interpolate species turnover and estimate species distributions and diversity at scales relevant to conservation even with the sparse data from forest plots that are currently available.To measure beta-diversity and test factors influencing it, we identified all trees in 34 plots near the Panama Canal, 16 plots in Ecuador's Yasuní National Park, and 1...

The manner in which terrestrial ecosystems are regulated is controversial. The "top-down" school holds that predators limit herbivores and thereby prevent them from overexploiting vegetation. "Bottom-up" proponents stress the role of plant chemical defenses in limiting plant depredation by herbivores. A set of predator-free islands created by a hydroelectric impoundment in Venezuela allows a test of these competing world views. Limited area restricts the fauna of small (0.25 to 0.9 hectare) islands to predators of invertebrates (birds, lizards, anurans, and spiders), seed predators (rodents), and herbivores (howler monkeys, iguanas, and leaf-cutter ants). Predators of vertebrates are absent, and densities of rodents, howler monkeys, iguanas, and leaf-cutter ants are 10 to 100 times greater than on the nearby mainland, suggesting that predators normally limit their populations. The densities of seedlings and saplings of canopy trees are severely reduced on herbivore-affected islands, providing evidence of a trophic cascade unleashed in the absence of top-down regulation.

Atmospheric carbon dioxide records indicate that the land surface has acted as a strong global carbon sink over recent decades1, 2, with a substantial fraction of this sink probably located in the tropics3, particularly in the Amazon4. Nevertheless, it is unclear how the terrestrial carbon sink will evolve as climate and atmospheric composition continue to change. Here we analyse the historical evolution of the biomass dynamics of the Amazon rainforest over three decades using a distributed network of 321 plots. While this analysis confirms that Amazon forests have acted as a long-term net biomass sink, we find a long-term decreasing trend of carbon accumulation. Rates of net increase in above-ground biomass declined by one-third during the past decade compared to the 1990s. This is a consequence of growth rate increases levelling off recently, while biomass mortality persistently increased throughout, leading to a shortening of carbon residence times. Potential drivers for the mortality increase include greater climate variability, and feedbacks of faster growth on mortality, resulting in shortened tree longevity5. The observed decline of the Amazon sink diverges markedly from the recent increase in terrestrial carbon uptake at the global scale1, 2, and is contrary to expectations based on models. (Résumé d'auteur

The role of the world's forests as a "sink" for atmospheric carbon dioxide is the subject of active debate. Long-term monitoring of plots in mature humid tropical forests concentrated in South America revealed that biomass gain by tree growth exceeded losses from tree death in 38 of 50 Neotropical sites. These forest plots have accumulated 0.71 ton, plus or minus 0.34 ton, of carbon per hectare per year in recent decades. The data suggest that Neotropical forests may be a significant carbon sink, reducing the rate of increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide.