Piper of Barro Colorado Island: How Many Species Are on the Island and What Do We Know About Them?

Piper is one of the most diverse and abundant genera at Barro Colorado Island (BCI) and a fascinating model system given its diversity in habitats and ecological and physiological strategies. In this chapter, we review and summarize what is known about the life history of Piper. We begin by revising and updating the list of species on BCI to 27 species. We discuss the hypotheses proposed to explain their coexistence. We reflect on the ability of many Piper species to spread clonally and explore the potential causes and consequences of such propagation. We review current knowledge on Piper’s pollina?tion and reproductive biology and discuss how its pollination, seed dispersal, and clonal spread affect gene flow and population genetic structure. We conclude by discussing the reasons for the decline of BCI Piper populations. We also identify several open research questions, hoping to inspire future generations to continue using Piper as a model system.