Barro Colorado Island: Facts, Discussion Forum, and Encyclopedia Article

Barro Colorado Island

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	Topics Barro Colorado Island Topic Home Barro Colorado Island (BCI) is located in the man-made Gatun LakeGatun Lake Gatun Lake is a large artificial lake situated in the Republic of Panama; it forms a major part of the Panama Canal, carryin... in the middle of the Panama CanalPanama Canal The Panama Canal is a major ship canal that traverses the Isthmus of Panama in Central America, connecting the Atlantic and... . The islandFacts About Island An island or isle is any piece of land that is completely surrounded by water.... was formed when the waters of the Chagres RiverChagres River The Chagres River is a river in central Panama.... were dammed to form Gatun LakeGatun Lake Gatun Lake is a large artificial lake situated in the Republic of Panama; it forms a major part of the Panama Canal, carryin... . When the waters rose, they covered a significant part of the existing rainforestRainforest A rainforest, or a wet forest, is a forested biome with high annual rainfall.... , and the hilltops remained as islands in the middle of the lake. It has an area of 15 square kilometres. The island was set aside on April 17, 1923 as a nature reserve by the U.S. Government. Initially administered by the Panama Canal Company under the able direction of James Zetek, since 1946 Barro Colorado Island has been administered by the SmithsonianSmithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded... together with five adjacent peninsulas, as the Barro Colorado Nature Monument (BCNM). The BCNM has an area of 54 square kilometres, perhaps the largest and most studied natural reserve devoted to scientific research in the New World Tropics. The Smithsonian Tropical Research InstituteSmithsonian Tropical Research Institute The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama, the only bureau of the Smithsonian Institution based outside of the U... has a permanent research center on the island, dedicated to studying rainforestRainforest A rainforest, or a wet forest, is a forested biome with high annual rainfall.... ecosystems. Because the Island's diverse ecosystemEcosystem An ecosystem, a contraction of "ecological" and "system", refers to the collection of components and processes that comprise... has been very little altered by humans, Barro Colorado has been studied for over eighty years within a great variety of biological disciplines. Only the larger fauna disappeared from Barro Colorado after the lake was flooded in 1914. Many scientific studies have been conducted to document the changes in the species composition of the island (see also Island biogeographyIsland biogeography The study of island biogeography is a field within biogeography that attempts to establish and explain the factors that affe... ). Barro Colorado Island is perhaps the most important biological research station in the New World Tropics. Every year, an estimated 200 scientists conduct research projects on Barro Colorado Island. "The Tapir's Morning Bath" by Elizabeth Royte chronicles the lives and work of scientists working on the island.