All posts by ejd7

1 Fish, 2 Fish, Red fish, Blue fish

Today was one of the best snorkeling days. We started the day snorkeling on the back reef. We were doing a diversity study and were trying to collect as many species as possible. There were so many different organisms. Immediately, we stumbled across a baby nurse shark hiding in the seagrass. A few minutes later, a spotted eagle ray appeared and swam by us. I have decided that my favorite fish are a porcupine fish and a trunkfish. They both look like they shouldn’t exist and are defying nature. While searching for the different species on the reef, I saw some very large lobsters.

On the back reef, I also finally saw all of the herbivorous fish on my taxon sheet. I finally saw the juvenile Pomacanthus paru French Angelfish and a Juvenile Pomacanthus arcuatus (Grey angelfish). The final fish I saw was a Acanthurus chirurgus (Doctorfish).

At around 10:40, we got back with all of our organisms. While sorting through the all the material, I discovered a baby octopus sliding toward the drain. I quickly scooped him out and placed him in a bucket. When he entered the bucket, I saw him ink a cute little splotch of black ink. We also found some fire worms, brittle stars, and lots of crabs.

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For most of the afternoon, we did data analysis and presentations. But after we finished everything, we went for a quick snorkel before dinner. The water was really rough but it was really fun! We saw a really huge nurse shark! Today, was really fun!

What a Trashy Day!

After breakfast today, the water was very choppy so we could not go out on the reef. Instead, we did our presentations in the morning and learned about Mollusks, Annelids, and crustaceans. Next we went through the mangroves of death which were very un-deathy to get to a patch of back reef. There were a few mosquitos, but they were not huge swarms of biting insects. While on this reef, we were looking for Christmas tree worms and were trying to measure host preference. Unfortunately, there were very few Christmas tree worms on this reef. The current and waves were also very strong. While on the reef, I saw a Caribbean squid and lots of fire coral.

While on the reef, I continued to see lots herbivorous fish. The parrot fish on this reef were also bigger then on the little patch reef off the dock. I saw for the first time the intermediate stage of the Blue tang.

I continued to see Sparisoma Viridi (the stop light parrot fish), Chaetodon Striatus (Banded butterfly fish), Chrysiptera parasema (the yellow tail damsel fish), Stegastes paritus, the Bi-color damsel fish, and Scarus Croicensi (the striped parrot fish, initial and terminal phases). I see the parrot fish species and the Chaetodon capistratus (the four eye butterfly fish) the most. While this is very antidotal, I preserve these species to be more abundant.

After lunch, we did data analysis and of the Christmas tree worms. Although our data sample was small, we saw a slight preference for Christmas tree worms on brain corals. Next, we designed an experiment to analyze what types of marine debris are the most prevalent. We picked up trash from the beaches and mangrove areas. There were a surprising number of shoes and toothbrushes washed up on the beach. We found a little hermit crab within the trash that was using a bottle cap as a shell. It was very sad. Once we counted and weighed all the different types of trash, we had free time for the rest of the night.
Tonight, we say on the dock and put dive lights under the water. We saw a crocodile, a possible shark, and a few stingrays. It was really nice just to relax for the night and watch the stars.

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Another day in paradise…

We began the day by continuing our comparison of reef health in the marine protected zone and the non-protected zone by measuring the urchins we had collected the day before. As a group, we collected 144 in the protected area. After, we performed another graudrat and transect experiment on a reef outside of the protected zone. There was definitely more sea grass and macro algae present in this region then in the protected area. The benthos was covered in red coralline algae and there were lots of Ctenophores (cone jellies) floating around. One jelly road around on my mask for a while. When we collected urchins from this reef, we were only able to find and extract 60 urchins. While snorkeling around the reef, I saw my first nurse shark of the vacation hidden under the coral. I also saw lots of worms and brittle stars while searching for the urchins.

While on the reef, I saw a large number of herbivorous fish. For the first time on this vacation, I saw the terminal phase of the Sparisoma Viridi (the stoplight parrot fish) and Chaetodon Striatus (Banded butterfly fish). I continued to see all the other herbivorous fish mentioned in previous blog posts. In the Non-MPA reef, the fish tended to be bigger especially the parrot fish and the blue tangs. I believe that this is primarily due to the fact that this reef was deeper than the MPA reef. This was also the first time, I saw a school of Blue tangs and surgeon fish swimming around the reef picking macro algae.

After our experiment, we ate lunch and began our poster write up for the experiment. It turned into a 4-hour long catastrophe. Our final project turned out pretty good, but the road to getting there had many ups and downs involving many calculation errors. Let’s just say that basic arithmetic does not mix well with the heat and high levels of exhaustion. I have never laughed more about math in my life.

After, dinner we listened to presentations on green, red, and brown algae. One of our marine safety officers gave a talk on Belizean culture that was very interesting. Finally, I gave my presentation on the factors affecting coral reefs today and in the future.

Hunting all creatures great and small…

After breakfast this morning, we went crap hunting. We began to learn how to use a quadrant and transect tape on land. Quickly after completing our intro experiment, we leveled up and performed a similar experiment on the patch reef. During this experiment, I saw my first upside down jellyfish. There were hundreds of them in a sandy region near the grass bed. Occasionally, the jellyfish would float up like little aliens blooping around until they drifted back down to the bottom.

After lunch, we got to go on a boat ride to visit a patch reef near the back reef. Woo! We performed a very similar transect experiment over the patch reef. Then, we went urchin hunting! This was my favorite part of the trip so far. I felt like I was on a treasure hunt peering into the coral crevices. I also spotted a few light grey and blue brittle stars in my hunt for urchins.

Today, was another good day for herbivorous fish! For the first time, I spotted Pomacanthus arcuatus (the grey angle fish) in the deeper reef. I also identified Chrysiptera parasema (the yellow tail damsel fish) and Stegastes paritus, the Bi-color damsel fish. I continued to see Stegastes variables (the Cocoa damsel fish in the adult and juvenile phases), Chaetodon capistratus (the four eye butterfly fish), Scarus Croicensi (the striped parrot fish, initial and terminal phases), and finally Sparisoma Viridi (the stoplight parrot fish, juvenile and initial phase). I saw all of these fish swimming around clumps of coral. Each species was usually swimming in pairs except for Stegastes paritus and Chrysiptera parasema which were typically alone. For the majority of the time, the fish were picking bits of algae off the coral or out of the sand.

Mosquito bite count: 85! (this means I am winning right )

Fish on Fish on Fish

Today was a busy day! We woke up at 5 am to get on the bus to go to Glovers Atoll. After a short drive, we arrived at the dock and met our marine safety officers, Javier and Adalfo. We then took a three-hour boat ride to Glovers. The boat ride was a lot of fun! Once we got outside the Great Barrier Reef of Belize, there were huge swells on the boat. A very large sea (approximately 6 feet wide) turtle popped up near the boat to see us. We also spotted lots of brown algae, a few pelicans, and possibly a flying fish.

We arrived at paradise, aka Middle Cay island at approximately 10:40am. We toured the field station and ate lunch. After lunch, we got ready for our first snorkel adventure. We snorkeled directly off the pier of middle cay on a patch reef. There were so many different organisms. I saw one of the largest lobsters I have ever seen peeking out of a hole in the coral. I also saw a yellow stingray swimming above the reef.

On the reef, I saw so many herbivorous fish!!! The first fish I saw was, Acanthurus bahianus, commonly known as the ocean surgeon fish. I also saw the adult form of Acanthurus Coeruleus, the Blue tang surgeon fish with the characteristic yellow caudal spine. The next herbivorous fish I spotted was Chaetodon Capistratus, the four eye butterfly fish swimming above the reef. I also saw Stegastes variables, the cocoa damsel fish, which is primarily yellow with a blue dorsal region. I identified Scarus croicensis, the striped parrot fish, in the initial and terminal phases. The last herbivorous fish I saw was, Sparisoma Viride, the stoplight parrot fish, in the Initial and Juvenile phases. I feel like I notice so many more herbivorous fish now!

After our snorkel trip. We hiked to the coral graveyard and learned how to identify different coral species from their calcium carbonate exoskeletons. I now see coral in a whole new light. I can’t wait to try to identify some of the corals tomorrow.To end the day, we ate dinner and listened to two presentations on Echinoderms and Hard Corals. We also learned how to make a quadrant!

WE ARE FINALLY HERE!!!

We finally arrived in Belize City after a short flight 2-hour flight. I fell asleep almost immediately as the plane was taking off and didn’t wake up until we were about 30 minutes out of Belize city. As the plane was landing, I got my first glimpse of the beautiful rainforests of Belize. The sunlight glinted off the muddy rivers turning them a brilliant golden color as they wound through the dense jungle.

We quickly passed through customs and immigration and were officially on Belizean soil. My excitement began to build as we climbed into the bus and started making our way to the Tropical Education Center where we will be sending the night. We stopped at Low’s convenience store and got snacks for the trip. I can’t wait to try the plantain chips with hot sauce. It was very interesting to see how many American brands and symbols have permeated into Belizean culture. We even saw a truck sporting a Houston Rockets sticker driving down the road ahead of us.

When we got to the research station, it was dinner time. We quickly through our stuff in the cabins and went to dinner. The chicken and the fruit juice was amazing!

When we got back to the cabins after dinner, I had my first amphibian sighting! Luckily, we turned on the light on just in time to avoid stepping on the little frog. Although I am not entirely sure, I believe that the frog was a Smilisca baudinii, commonly known as the Mexican tree frog. After a few narrow misses, I was able to take a picture of the frog and get a close up view of him. This frog had the characteristic large eyes and broad flat head of the Mexican tree frog. Furthermore, this frog was primarily a lighter brown with darker brown spots all along its ventral side. Despite much protest from the frog, I was eventually able to pick up the frog and carefully carry him outside in order to avoid future mishaps.

On the way to write this blog entry, I had my second amphibian sighting. A very large toad crossed our path on the way to the classroom. Unfortunately, he hopped away before I could get a close look at him. However, he was approximately the size of my fist and had large warts all along his body. I am so glad that I have already seen some amphibians on this trip. Initially, I was afraid that I wouldn’t see any amphibians becuase we are traveling in the dry season and they are supposed to be very rare during this time. I hope that my luck will continue and I will be able to spot a Mexican Burrowing toad by the end of this trip.

I am so excited to finally be in Belize and can’t wait for the boat ride to Glovers early tomorrow morning. (I also can’t wait to take a shower tonight as I hear it is the last place with hot water for a while)

Belize it or not! I will be in Belize in less than 24 hours!

I am very excited for this trip to Belize. I think that it will be an amazing experience through which I can learn a lot about the coral reef and tropical rainforest environments. I haven’t had any experience with tropical rainforests, so it will be fascinating to see this environment up close. I expect that this course will be a very fun and enriching experience even though it involves a lot of hard work and early mornings.

I hope that I will be able to find and identify the amphibians and herbivorous fish that I learned about for my taxonomic briefings. For my topic lecture, I learned about the multitude of different factors affecting coral reefs today and the techniques that are being used to study them. I hope that I will be able to apply this knowledge during our time at Glovers.

The only thing that I am slightly nervous about are the mosquitos. Although we are traveling in the dry season and mosquito populations should be small, they always seem to find me. I hope that I will not come back from this trip as one giant mosquito bite.

I hope to learn more about the realities of doing field research in the tropics. I am still trying to decide what I want to do in the future. I believe that through this trip, I can get a better understanding of how to perform tropical research and hopefully decide if I want to become a marine biologist or go into medicine in the future. I believe that this trip will show me both the positive and negative qualities of becoming a tropical field researcher. I am the most excited to learn how to apply field research techniques on the coral reef and in the rainforest.

Fortunately, I have visited the tropics and Belize before. All of my immediate family members are avid scuba divers and we have taken family diving trips in Cancun, Florida, and Bonaire. It will be very interesting to learn more about the coral reef which previously I have only admired for its aesthetic beauty. A few years ago, my family took a trip to Belize, but we primarily stayed on the resort. I am excited to stray away from the more touristy parts of the country. Overall, I can’t wait to experience everything Belize has to offer.