Persistence of forest birds in the Costa Rican agricultural countryside. C. H. Sekercioglu, S. R. Loarie, F. Oviedo Brenes, P. R. Ehrlich, and G. C. Daly. 2007. Conservation Biology 21:482-494. This study radiotracked several species of resident forest birds in…
Research on coffee growing
Research: Shade coffee buffers against climate change
Agroforestry management as an adaptive strategy against potential microclimate extremes in coffee agriculture. Agriculture and Forest Meteorology.
Research: Birds in shade coffee favor plant diversity
Dietsch, T.V., I. Perfecto, and R. Greenberg. 2007. Avian foraging behavior in two different types of coffee agrosystem in Chiapas, Mexico. Biotropica 39:232-240. Other studies have documented that structural diversity is important in coffee farms — it is the complexity…
Research: Beneficial fungi in wild Ethiopian coffee forests
Composition of coffee shade tree species and density of indigenous arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) spores in Bonga natural coffee forest, southwestern Ethiopia. Muleta, D., F. Assefa, S. Nemomissa, and U. Granhall. 2007. Forest Ecology and Management 241:145-154. Mycorrhizal fungi have…
Research: Leaf-cutting ants don't harvest coffee leaves in shade farms
Varon, E. H., S. D. Eigenbrode, N. A. Bosque-Perez, and L. Hilje. 2007. Effect of farm diversity on harvesting of coffee leaves by the leaf-cutting ant Atta cephalotes. Agriculture and Forest Entomology 9:47-55. Leaf-cutting ants, which are common in the…
Endangered coffee
I previously discussed the important species and varieties of coffee. An understanding of these varieties can be of great help to consumers looking for sustainable coffee, as different types are typically grown under shade or sun conditions. The species and…
Research: Biodiversity and profitability in coffee agrosystems
Gordon, C., R. Manson, J. Sundberg, and A. Cruz-Angon. 2006. Biodiversity, profitability, and vegetation structure in a Mexican coffee agrosystem. Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment 118:256-266. This study looked at coffee grown in various types of shade in central Mexico, and…
Research: Nesting birds in shade coffee
Gleffe, J.D., J. A. Collazo, M. J. Groom, and L. Miranda-Castro. 2006. Avian reproduction and the conservation value of shaded coffee plantations. Ornitologia Neotropical 17: 271-282. Most of the research on birds and coffee farms focuses on migrant birds which…
Research: The value of wild coffee
The economic value of coffee (Coffea arabica) genetic resources. Wild coffee, and therefore its genetic resources, are only found where the species originated, in the highland forests of Ethiopia.
Coffee growing and climate change
Coffee requires quite specific growing conditions. Its sensitivity to climatic variables means that global climate change is likely to have profound impacts on coffee growing and production.
Abstracts on presentations at the NAOC
Here are some very brief summaries of research that had to do with coffee growing that were presented at North American Ornithological Conference. I also put together a page with full abstracts, and author contacts. Cerulean Warbler (Dendroica cerulea) foraging…
Research: American Redstarts in Jamaica
Assessing habitat quality for a migratory songbird wintering in natural and agricultural habitats.
Research: Ants on Colombian coffee farms
Armbrecht, I., I. Perfecto, and E. Silverman. 2006. Limitation of nesting resources for ants in Colombian forests and coffee plantations. Ecological Entomology 31:403-410. Ants are popular research subjects in coffee farms because they are abundant and important components of tropical…
Research: Biodiversity in wild coffee farms in Ethiopia
Senbeta, F. and M. Denich. 2006. Effects of wild coffee management on species diversity in the Afromontane rainforests of Ethiopia. Forest Ecology and Management 232:68-74. Traditional coffee management in Ethiopia ranges from harvesting cherries in relatively undisturbed forest, to reducing…
Research: Bat diversity in different types of shade coffee
Garcia Estrada, C., A. Damon, C. Sanchez Hernandez, L. Soto Pinto, and G. Ibarra Nunez. 2006. Bat diversity in montane rainforest and shaded coffee under different management practices in southeastern Chiapas, Mexico. Biological Conservation 132:351-361. Southeastern Chiapas is Mexico’s primary…