Audrey Heldreth
It has finally arrived… our last full day in the country we’ve called home for the past three weeks. With the final exam behind us and field journals submitted, we had a purely tourist day ahead of us. After breakfast at our hotel, La Colina in Manuel Antonio, we boarded the bus and Marvin took us on our last lengthy bumpy ride to San Jose. Bring on the Dramamine. Once we arrived and checked into the Hotel Presidente, the first thought on everyone’s mind was food. We hit the streets and went on a hunt for some sustenance. Some of us kept it classy and went to a Costa Rican café. Others… that may have included myself… dined in style at Taco Bell. Being that this is in my top 3 favorite restaurants (#lowstandards), I have to say I will never fully get over how incredible the Taco Bell experience is in Costa Rica, especially their French fries (that’s not a typo btw). And what better way to follow up fine Mexican cuisine than with a visit to POPS ice cream? (Don’t worry folks, any weight that anyone may have lost on this trip was gained back in a single afternoon). After everyone was done browsing for souvenirs and experiencing the effects of the food coma, we headed back to the hotel and polished our papers before our last group meal. Our swanky farewell dinner was at El Patio, right across from our hotel. From classic Costa Rican to Italian, we had quite the variety. It was the perfect end to an even more perfect three weeks. As our evening came to a close and we spent some quality time together for the last night, the course of the trip and the adventures we’ve had flooded back to us. We survived Palo Verde, even the scorpions and botflies (or at least that we know of so far). We watched the sunset behind the mountains on top of La Roca. We looked up at the clear night sky lying on the boardwalk to the lagoon. We hiked through the Monteverde cloud forest and spotted birds that people travel from across the world to see in their lifetime. We zip-lined through the forest canopy and took a leap of faith (or more like a shove) on a Tarzan swing. We swam under a waterfall at Arenal and saw the sky exquisitely painted behind the volcano. We crept through the rainforest in the cover of night and saw wildlife we couldn’t experience anywhere else. We frolicked in the pouring rain for miles and got in touch with our inner childhood selves (I’m referring to your puddle-hopping, Dr. Quinn). We kayaked in the open ocean and surrounded ourselves with schools of tropical fish. While the adventures were obviously incredible, there is no doubt in my mind that the reason our trip to Costa Rica was unforgettable was because of the people who were on it. All of the bus rides, humidity filled hikes, and anything in between was made infinitely more enjoyable with our group dynamics. What would we have done without Thomas’s rare skill of putting into words what we were all thinking? (“No wonder Tupac got shot you can’t see anything in this bandana”). Or Rachel who was able to stand in as our very own wild woman Devenia when we had to leave the real thing behind with the crocodiles. Who would we look up to (literally) if we didn’t have Dr. Quinn perched in his princess chair, binoculars in hand and total lack of knowledge about our itinerary? I can’t even imagine the trip without our newly 20 year old Alpha Male to force us into a steady jog up the steep and winding trails (and was right 95% of the time all the time). I could go on for pages, but instead I’ll express my affection for these people in picture form. We became the dysfunctional family that I’m so very sad to be leaving (our group rendition of John Legend’s “All of Me” on the plane leaving Atlanta was a nice summation of our emotions, even if our fellow passengers weren’t thrilled by it). If there’s any way to wrap this up, it is to say thank you to all my classmates, Dr. Pollard, and Dr. Quinn. The tropics are weird and so are y’all, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. Mucho amor,
Audrey Heldreth
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Since it was the second night that we had air conditioning since San Jose nearly three weeks ago, we all slept great! It was weird waking up to an exam in the morning.: this has definitely been a busy trip, but this was the first work that seemed like school. Some of us had studied a lot the night before, some of us read over notes, and some of us remembered to study 15 minutes before the test (sorry mom and dad, but I'm at the beach!). We met up for breakfast of eggs and toast or pancakes around 7:30, and Dr. Pollard went over exactly what the test would look like: essentially essays and identifying different animals that we saw on the trip. Oh, and we were going to take the test sitting at the bar around the pool, so all those feelings of being back at school were quickly squashed for the beach mentality. The exam wasn't too bad, especially since we had been learning the material first hand in the jungle for the past few weeks, and it only took a little more than an hour. Dr. Pollard and Dr. Quinn also picked up our journals for the last time, so that was a plus. After the exam, we went back to our rooms and took a quick nap before a lunch of burritos, guacamole, and pico, after which we were finally going snorkeling, and kayaking. The majority of the beaches that we've been to on the Pacific side of Costa Rica are all pretty short, about 100-500 meters with rocky cliffs on either side. This makes for some spectacular views of waves hitting these cliffs and spraying mist everywhere. We got some time to enjoy this view while waiting for our snorkeling guide to come in towing five brightly colored two person kayaks behind a jet ski. Ten of us paddled out to the buoy (gallon jug) marking the rock where we'd be snorkeling. When we were first all getting in, me and my partner Sarah decided that we'd rather try to dump ourselves in, flipping the kayak. Our guid shouted for usti just swim to the rock. When we got there, it was beautiful! There were so many yellow and silver fish that looked like the Pacific version of sergeant majors, brightly colored trigger fish, angel fish, and many other kinds that we couldn't name. It was definitely a cool experience. On the way back, our guide told us that a few of us could take the kayaks out by ourselves if we wanted, so Rachel, Sami, and I decided to kayak around the rocky cliffs, see a few cool coves, and almost get sucked into a submerged rocky overhang or two. The waves out towards the open water seemed to be about 3-4 feet with a couple around 5 or 6 feet, which were awesome to see cutting off our horizons before we would get sucked onto them and shoot over. When we saw the second group of snorkelers paddling in, we begrudgingly decided that we should too. After we got back to La Colina, we hung around until dinner at 6:00. We ate dinner, then sat around the bar for a little bit, before a few people went out to a cool bar called El Avión (The Plane). It was a small bar inside of an old plane body, with a restaurant outside. Everyone who went had a great time. It was sad thinking that we would have to leave Manuel Antonio the next day, as that meant there were only two more days before we would have to leave Costa Rica. It will be nice to get home though! -Thomas Throughout our trip we have spent time at Palo Verde, Monteverde, Arenal, and La Selva exploring different environments. Today was no exception with our final adventure into a Costa Rican park exploring the coastal forest of Manuel Antonio. This national park may be the smallest of the Costa Rican parks, spanning a mere 4,014 acres, but it is recognized as one of the most beautiful.
After purchasing tickets we headed into the surprisingly busy and touristy park. The parks wide trails and commercialized amenities made our group feel out of place. Our time in Costa Rica has been filled with adventures in seemingly remote places but Manuel Antonio did not have the genuine wild feel we have become accustomed to. We did not have a guide for this hike so we tried to piggyback onto groups and spot animals that their guides were pointing out. We managed to see a Potoo, which is in the owl family. It is a very hard bird to spot due to its cryptic (camouflage) coloring and its innate ability to look like a tree stump. Further down the main trail we saw a Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth, which everyone had wanted to see. The sloth was hanging from a tree slowly moving and eating leaves. After our sloth spotting we continued along a trail that brought us to the parks beaches. Once we saw the beach our focus was gone and we had one-track minds of getting in the ocean. We ended up walking down to Playa Espadilla Sur where we set up camp until lunchtime. While at the beach we had a minor run in with a park ranger and some very close encounters with mischievous raccoons. These raccoons are so used to humans that they do not shy away. One time we turned to see two raccoons trying to get into our backpacks with Dr. Quinn sitting in a chair just a few feet away. After a few hours of sun burning and exploring at the beach, we retuned to our hotel for lunch. After lunch we had free time until around 6pm when we got together and completed our group presentations. Post dinner we finished up our individual presentations and enjoyed the hotel bar before calling it a night. Lovin Life, Matt This morning we had our final meal at La Selva. We reminisced about our times at the biological center as our faithful driver, Marvin, loaded our belongings onto the bus. Then, we were off on a five-hour bus ride to the beach! Most people used this time to catch up on some much-needed sleep (I only managed a short catnap). We stopped about half an hour past San Jose for a typical Costa Rican lunch and ice cream! After leaving the restaurant, we stopped on a huge bridge over the Tárcoles River for some sight seeing. About 25-30 American Crocodiles were hanging out under the bridge, waiting for their handout. Apparently, locals feed the crocs to keep them around for tourists like us to stop and see! Normally you wouldn’t such a high density of crocodiles. Then we continued on our journey to Manuel Antonio—our next stop. We passed rows of palm trees, which Dr. Pollard said are used for harvesting Heart of Palm. The farm girl in me got super excited when we passed the cows and rice paddies, I must say. Then, we started to see the ocean. This trip has provided me with my first experience of the Pacific, so I was especially ready to go to the beach. We checked into our swanky hotel (in comparison to the field-work dormitories we easily got used to) and immediately changed into our bathing suits. We were heading to the beach for some fun! I got to swim in the Pacific Ocean for the first time, and the water was the perfect warm temperature. However, I was disappointed in the lack of seashells on the beach. Instead, small rocks from the rock formations on the shore created the sand at Manuel Antonio. Just past our personal inlet, I saw where the beach turned into Mangrove Forest. When I faced out toward the ocean, I noticed that our adventurous members had scaled one of the large rocks on the shore! After joining them for a little while, we returned to our towels, took some pictures, and dried off. Upon returning to the hotel, we got situated into our rooms and had supper at the hotel’s restaurant. From chicken skewers to Mahi-Mahi, all of the food was delicious, and we ate to our heart’s content. We had the night off from presentations and fully enjoyed the beach’s atmosphere. Loving the salty breeze and ocean views,
Dainee 6:30 wake-up, eat rice and beans, and repeat. That has been our morning routine for the whole trip and this morning was no different. Although the morning schedule was the same, we all realized that today was marking the end to another chapter of our trip; it was our last day at La Selva Biological Station. We had called the station our home for the past 8 days and we were now going to say goodbye….it was a sad time. Luckily, our fearless and ever so wise professors decided that the best way to help lift our spirits was a final hike through the lowland tropical forest reserve. The group was divided for this hike, with half of the class going to the successional plots with Dr. Pollard and the other half of the trip walking through the Sendera de Tres Rios (STR). Unfortunately, Dr. Quinn was not feeling too hot this morning and therefore was not able to go through the hike with us. With the groups divided, we began our final march through the jungle.
With Dr. Pollard, we did not really see much, we were too focused on trying to reach the successional plats before a set time amount. Once we arrived at the successional plots, we were all amazed. I never thought that different mowed areas were so significantly unique. After our morning hike, we returned to our lab/classroom to finalize our papers, presentations, and journals. We were given the rest of the day off, so many students did just that; took the time to walk around the compound and soak in all what La Selva had to offer. While the rest of us (this includes me) had to finish up papers and journals, but it was time well spent and a lot of work was completed. Ironically, we ended our La Selva stay the same way we began, with a soccer game. Only this time, the field was partially flooded due to the amount of rain we had received the night before. Still, researchers, staff, and guides were sliding around in the mud and we decided to join the fun. Once that game was over, our shoes were covered in mud and no true winner was decided, we rushed over to the DH to jump in line for the BBQ dinner they had prepared for us. With all our excitement over the BBQ dinner, all food was devoured in about 5minutes, which gave some of us time to shower before we began our presentations. With students going up explaining their independent and group projects, we all realized the work we had done during the trip was actually going to something, who would have ever guessed. With most of projects turning out pretty well, we ended the night with some packing and of course journaling. Dreams of waves crashing and the nightmare of the ever-approaching final, we were ready for Manuel Antonio the next morning. Until America, Sami A As our time winds down here at La Selva, so do our organized activities. Although, we are all still staying busy by collecting more data, working on our group and individual projects or writing in our field journals. For example, my individual project is on Dragonfly perching height and how it is potentially effected by wind speed, temperature and relative humidity. I collected data at both Palo Verde and La Selva. We have to run statistical tests on our data, analyze it and incorporate this into a scientific paper. Stay tuned for our finished work! After breakfast Sarah, Bridget and I decided to join Dr. Quinn on a hike to some successional plots. La Selva has five successional plots ranging from 0-1, 1-2, 2-3, 3-4 and 4-5 years. These plots show a variety of different species of plants at differing ages. By looking at these plots one can observe the differences in height, species abundance, density, leaf litter, shade/sun availability and other factors between each plot. After we walked by the plots, we tried to make our way down a trail to the river, but because it hasn’t rained that much recently the water was lower and farther away. On this hike we also saw some noisy Orange (or red) Throated Parakeets, a Broad-billed Motmot, a White-breasted Wood Wren and a Clay Colored Robin, which is the national bird of Costa Rica. We heard the familiar Howler Monkey, which seems to follow us everywhere we go. Its howl is deafening and travel three miles in a forest. Here is a recording on one that we heard on our hike this morning, take a listen! During the afternoon many students (including myself) headed to the air conditioned library to get some work done. Some other students caught up on sleep with some well-deserved naps, while John and Megan went on a 5K run. There was also another soccer game tonight. Sami, Brendan, James, Matt and Dr. Quinn all played and did a great job! After dinner, which featured some delicious cookies, the group split up again. Some went back to the library to do work, others went on a night hike and the rest of us went to listen to a guest speaker. Dr. Alex Gilman from the University of California, Los Angeles gave a lecture entitled Climate Change and Shifts in Tropical Biodiversity. She discussed her research and results that included Lowland Biotic Attrition, Range Shift Gaps, and Range Contraction and Mountain top extinction .
Overall, this day was very different for everyone but we all feel asleep to that familiar sound of rain outside our rooms. - Autumn After a night of being serenaded by the sound of rain, everyone was eager for Day 5 at La Selva. The first event for the day, following breakfast of course, was Rachel and Dainee’s group project. We all met in the classroom at 8:00am before heading out on El Sendero Tres Ríos (that’s the “Three Rivers Trail” for those who prefer English). They had us collecting data on the patch-matrix effects of birds in Cecropia trees. Essentially, a ‘patch’ (the Cecropia tree) is a homologous area surrounded by a different setting and the matrix refers to the differing background ecological system. For example, Thomas and I were given an area of forest that is considered silviculture, while another group looked at a light gap; different ecological areas with the same species of tree. Unfortunately, the area I studied produced a whopping zero birds; however Thomas did manage to entertain most of the group with the dance he did when Brendan pointed out the bullet ant that had managed to crawl onto his shirt. Upon returning to the station from collecting data, the group disbanded until lunch- some people decided to set up shop in the library and work on their papers, while others (including myself) took a well-deserved nap. During the 11 o'clock hour we experienced a mini-monsoon, which just provided all the more motivation to celebrate siesta time! On the menu at the La Selva “DH” for lunch was fish (they found the key to my heart) - fried cod to be specific (unless you’re Bridget who pre-ordered herself a PB&J). After lunch everyone reclaimed their work areas and continued to spend the afternoon working on papers and individual projects (this May X is a legit class). At 7:00pm, after dinner, everyone reconvened at our little classroom to prepare for a very short night walk. Before departing we discussed what we need to do for Sarah and James’s group project. We will be analyzing bird call frequencies to determine if birds in higher traffic areas, such as a bus stop near the station will have a higher frequency call than birds in a quieter area, like on the dirt road leading into the station. Be on the lookout for more about this project as it unfolds! Also before the night hike we got our field books back, which Dr. Pollard and Dr. Quinn had been holding hostage for 24 hours to grade (I was going through some severe separation anxiety)! So, we finally started walking toward the Sendero Tres Ríos for a second time that day, but before even leaving the station Dr. Pollard spotted (and almost stepped on) a Blunthead Tree Snake (Imantodes cenchoa) on the walkway. Most of the group went to the 750 meter mark on the trail before turning around, during which Audrey made a point of counting all of the millipedes along the walkway (I believe she concluded there were several dozen). But as the title says, and even better said by Sarah in relation to one of the peccaries that startled us during the hike, “It’s their forest, too!” Despite all of the amazing sightings, research, and siestas of the day, I think the pure excitement Rachel had when she and Thomas found a bio-luminescent (glow in the dark) fungus growing on a stick was the climax. I will admit that it was a pretty cool fungus and the perfect discovery to end the day. Also, I would like to give a shout out to the guy from Georgia that we found sleeping in the library, mattress and all, because he couldn't stand the heat (and humidity), but then again “It’s his library, too!” Pura Vida! -Jason Pecorella I'm still getting used to seeing Toucans fly overhead, Montezuma Oropendola calls, Peccary babies, and an occasional Green Honeycreeper on the trees outside the "dh." For each of the Furman squirrels, there is an exotic species here. And a weird insect. But unlike the type of day I have gotten used to on this trip, today had no scheduled activities. What?! We don't have to get up for breakfast until 7:00? We're adjusting to early mornings, but given the number of naps that occur during the day and cups of tea (Sarah . . . okay, me too) consumed, we've had help. In fact, caffeine entered our breakfast conversation in the form of, not surprisingly, Starbucks. Though it dominates the urban coffee ecosystem, it still hasn't made it to La Selva. Yet. However, there are plenty of Monkey Pots around that would make great reusable cups for Triventi Guanabana Frappacinos. And I'm sure they could even add extra alkaloids in their drinks for amphibian customers. Despite the lack of official business, we all had plenty of work to do on our projects. So after breakfast, we dispersed, boots still soggy from yesterday's hike. I saw virtually no one until lunch time when we reconvened for our second gallo pinto (rice and beans) meal of the day. I stayed in the open air patio of the "dh" where I could get the least slow wifi I could find and reviewed the literature for my independent research project on amphibian acoustics. I've discovered a fascinating up and coming field--thanks Dr. Quinn!--bioacoustics. Given that I already enjoy nighttime sounds, it wasn't hard to accept that data collection meant going into the marsh at Palo Verde, the Monteverde cloud forest, and the La Selva rainforest at night, recorder, headphones, and microphone in tow, to listen to the most melodious soundtrack I've heard. Today Dr. Quinn introduced me to Raven, a program for visualizing acoustics. I spent several hours parsing sonograms, which show the patterns and frequencies of recorded sounds or the "soundscape" of the ecosystem, which includes all the sounds--biological, anthropogenic, geological/meteorological--of the ecosystem. Here's a clip of what Monteverde Cloud Forest sounds like at night: Matt went out to collect data, walking down the many trails searching for any lizard movement, which he's quite adept at doing. He found at least 30, the most common being the Central American Whiptail (Ameiva festiva) . He also saw Striped Basilisk (Basiliscus vittatus), and Yellow Spotted Night Lizard (Lepidophyma flavimaculatum). Sarah added another snake to our list: a Coral snake in the family Elapidae. We didn't have to use the snake kit, fortunately. In the rainforest, it's a law that when you're alone or in a group of 2, you see more and you hear more. Now, I'm not sure how much of that can be explained by anxiety-provoked auditory hallucinations or Cane Toad (Bufo marinus) induced ones, but when plants start rustling and branches crack, suddenly the images of Jaguar (Panthera onca) babies and their mother lose their cuddly quality. That is I believe, what may have been going through Bridget and Jason's mind as the underbrush surrounding the palms they were identifying and counting, began to growl. They were alone, of course. And on one of the trails further away from the station. In all its glory, large and sweaty with rainforest humidity, they saw . . . a collared peccary (Pecari tajacu). Apparently, it was just as frightened of them, innocently counting the palms, as they of it. I hope for Dainee's sake, we see a Jaguar eventually. Fingers crossed. There was one semi-planned event today, however: it was Brendan's birthday. Before lunch, Megan and Audrey found me the "dh" and we schemed about what to do about Brenden's birthday apart from the cake got in town yesterday. His laundry may or may not have gone missing from the laundry room . . . Less mischievous, his bed was decorated and everyone in the group wrote a note to him which also adorned his bed. At dinner--likely to his chagrin--we all burst out in song before the mystery flavor cake emerged from Dr Pollard's refrigerator. Other students also staying at La Selva joined in the song, but not the cake. We guard our sugars. The rest of the evening was spent working or reading and swatting off the more numerous (but nothing in comparison to Palo Verde) mosquitoes that had come out since the rain. I went to bed, my sheets somewhat damp from the high humidity, listening to the sound of the rainforest and dreaming of Cookout milkshakes.
On a final note, Dr. Pollard on coconut flan: "It tastes like . . . sunscreen." ~ Rachel I would like to start this blog post off with something I like to call “Stuff ecologists say, but nobody else ever would”. Here goes. “Oh, you mean the cactus!” –Dr. Pollard “You can’t kill all the mosquitoes, they’re essential to the environment” –Dr. Quinn “I would be annoyed if I got a botfly” –Thomas “LIGHT GAPS!” –Sami “The tropics are weird” –Thomas “See that tree with the groovy trunk? Groovy man” –Dr. Pollard “I have no idea” –Dr. Quinn “I could make a good tote bag out of that crocodile” –Thomas “I wish fanny packs were socially acceptable” –Brendan (me) “There’s a bird! Look, there’s a bird! Never mind, just a common bush tanager.” –Sami “Wow, that tree smells nice, unless that’s the perfume you’re wearing” –Dr. Pollard “I wonder what peccary tastes like” –Brendan (me) “I like big buttresses” –Thomas “Have you ever licked one?” –Random person at a Poison Dart Frog lecture “Yes” –Poison Dart Frog researcher Two things will never cease to amaze me: extremely colorful birds and gigantic reptiles. I saw both of those this morning before breakfast. In the fifty meter walk between our unsophisticated, but oddly homey living quarters and the river I have been doing my independent research in, I saw a Mealy Parrot. Upon arriving at the river, I saw that a caiman was occupying the same eddy that I wanted to observe. After noticing me, he slipped away into the water. It was probably for the best. I think I had 20 pounds on him, so I could’ve taken him in a fight (Jokes). Right after breakfast we ventured into the vast rainforest for our long day hike. If you’ve never spent time in the rainforest, put it on your bucket list. The experience is almost indescribable. The forest is filled with unique bird calls, croaking frogs, buzzing insects, howling monkeys. Every minute you spend under the canopy, you want to dive into the underbrush in search of exotic species. If you keep your eyes open, you will see them. Shortly into the walk I saw a Strawberry Frog which is one of the poison dart frog species. Researchers say that they are extremely concentrated in this area, almost one frog per square meter. I definitely thought that was an overestimate, and then I spent some time in the forest. After the first hour of this hike, I counted 15 Strawberry Frogs. Once I started looking for them, I couldn’t stop seeing them. Later down the trail we came across this massive fruit. I mean like softball sized. Dr. Pollard explained that it is called the Monkey Pot Tree and it is part of the Brazil nut family. That’s pretty cool stuff. Our halfway point was an old farmhouse. Part of the land here is primary forest (undisturbed) and some of it is secondary forest (regrowth). The station here contains some old farmland that they are allowing to run wild. We ate an early lunch at the farmhouse. A few of us ventured into the abandoned house and discovered a small colony of Long Nosed Bats. As we were finishing up lunch, it started to rain. Now this is our third day in the lowland rainforest and we’ve only gotten small showers. Here, when it rains, it pours. The heavens opened up and the floodgates opened. It rained non-stop for four solid hours. And every minute of it we spent outside. Now this could have seriously ruined our relationship with the forest, but we did not let it dampen our spirits (haha get it? Dampen?). We were soaking wet, but I don’t think I’ve ever felt that alive. The rainforest is a very fitting name. Audrey and Thomas had a tender moment in the rain, and then we left the farmhouse in high spirits. As I was hiking, I was enjoying the scenery and having some meditation time, but was brought back to earth by a massive quantity of giggling behind me. I turned around just in time to see Dr. Quinn launch himself off a small earthen mound and land feet first in a large puddle, sending water everywhere. Nice Dr. Quinn, nice. I think we’re rubbing off on him. Soon after, all of us were jumping in puddles. We were jumping in PUDDLES in the MIDDLE of the RAINFOREST. Weren’t we supposed to be doing research or something? We eventually got to a fork in the road where we could either hike more, or hike back to base. Some chose to hike back and some chose to go explore. I was already soaking wet, so what’s a little extra water? You’re only in Costa Rica once, so I went on exploring. We saw some pretty nice views, so it was totally worth it. On the way back we came across a Green and Black Poison Dart Frog. And then we saw a few more. And then they were practically everywhere. They must become more active during the rain. After hours of hiking and absorbing probably 5 pounds of water, we made it back to the La Selva compound. Everything was wet. We practically had to peel our clothing off. In desperate need of snacks and laundry supplies, Megan, Audrey, and Sami make a kamikaze trip to the nearest town by taxi. Now when I say town, I mean one street with a few shops. The search for snacks was successful, but the quest for laundry supplies was somewhat of a folly. Apparently they don’t use dryer sheets in Costa Rica, who knew? After they got back, we scarfed down some chips and oreos and then settled down to put in some work. Journals and field notebooks and papers, oh my! (but in all seriousness, field notebooks are an essential part of science and ecology. Especially if you want to look back and know exactly what you saw and where you saw it). Our favorite working spot is the back porch of Dr. Pollard and Dr. Quinn’s cabin. While were stuck in small rooms pack with six beds, they have a nice cabin with a living area and even a refrigerator. But, as Dr. Quinn pointed out, they deserve it because they have a few more years of education than us. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But anyway, their cabin has fantastic wifi and at this point its survival of the fittest. (Don’t judge me; I had to instagram a picture of the poison dart frog). On a cool note, we hiked about 9 miles through the rainforest today!
“The Road goes ever on and on Down from the door where it began. Now far ahead the Road has gone, And I must follow, if I can, Pursuing it with eager feet, Until it joins some larger way Where many paths and errands meet. And whither then? I cannot say.” -John Ronald Reuel Tolkien Sincerely, Brendan Lutz We have started to settle in here at La Selva! We have learned our way around the station, identified many of the plants and animals along the trails, and have had time to catch up on the important things – like laundry! Today was relatively light on scheduled group activities, so we had plenty of time to work on our individual projects and write in our field journals. If you haven’t caught on from the previous blog posts, we write in our field journals every day and spend a lot of time recording our observations and the scientific names of the plants and animals that we identify. We started our morning by working on Thomas and Jason’s group project. The goal of their project is to identify types of palm trees in primary and secondary growth forests. It was cooler and in the upper 70s (but still high humidity!), so our 40 minute hike out to the palm trees was relatively pleasant. It had rained a little in the morning, so the trails were muddy and slippery in some areas, and all of our hiking boots started to get muddy! Dr. Pollard quickly taught us to identify 8 different types of palm trees as we hiked: Socratea, Irartea, Welfia, Geonoma, Calypterogyne, Asterogyne, Astrocaryum, and Prestoea. We were divided into groups of two, and each pair was responsible for identifying the types of palms in a specific area of the trail. Thomas and Jason will use the data collected to compare the types of palms that are in the primary growth and secondary growth areas. After the palm tree project, we all enjoyed some down time to work on individual projects and to journal. As I was walking back to the classroom, I realized we haven’t blogged about one of the organisms that we see most frequently here at La Selva – the Collared Peccary (Pecari tajacu). These animals are grey, about the size of a pig, have coarse bristly hair, and long snouts. They do not seem bothered by our presence, and at night we have seen around fifteen peccaries sleeping in the grassy area near our classroom. I took a picture of a peccary that was wandering near our classroom and managed to trip over a fallen branch and sprain my ankle in the process (graceful!). So I thought a little ice and ice cream would be the perfect treatment! Several of us found our way to the La Selva gift shop to buy some afternoon sweet treats. After dinner, we were able to attend a lecture by Dr. Ralph Saporito who is a professor at John Carroll University (Cleveland, OH). Many of the other researchers and students who are staying at La Selva attended as well, and we all learned about the chemical ecology of poison frogs. Here at La Selva, there are three species of poison frogs – lovely poison frog (Phyllobates lugubris), strawberry poison-dart frog (Oophaga pumilio), and green and black poison dart frog (Dendrobates auratus). I personally have been able to see several of the strawberry poison-dart frogs and green and black poison dart frogs. The lecture focused on the alkaloid-based chemical defenses that the frogs have. The alkaloid levels in the frogs depend on their location, what they eat, whether they are male or female, and whether they are old or young. The frogs get the alkaloids from the arthropods (specifically mites and ants) that they eat. Predators can use chemoreceptors to detect the poisonous frogs and the aposematic coloring is a warning sign for predators. The lecturer told us that he has licked a poison dart frog before and did not suffer any negative side effects, but I don’t think any of us will be trying that while we are here! After the lecture, most of us went to bed fairly early so that we would be ready for our long hike at 7:30 am.
Love from La Selva! Bridget |
2016 MayX13 Students and 2 Faculty from Furman University ArchivesCategories
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