Natural hydrological disturbances in tropical stream ecology

Rising temperatures are predicted to alter the intensity and duration of precipitation in tropical regions. There is limited information on the effects of these extreme events on tropical streams. We present two case studies of tropical headwater streams affected by storms that were unusual in their intensity. The first takes place in a premontane cloud forest in Costa Rica after Tropical Storm Nate and the second in a rainforest of Puerto Rico after successive hurricanes Irma and Maria. We have pre-event data collected at both locations which provides a rare opportunity to learn about response and recovery of these systems.