Tag Archives: Belize

An Un-Belize-able Experience

Hey guys! It’s Michiel, and this will be my last blog post !!

My experience in Belize was life-changing; it was an adventure that I’ll never forget.  I remember expecting that this class would push my boundaries, and it certainly did! I’ve always been used to working in sterile, organized labs, and working out in the field was nothing like that. I would have never reached my hands into coral crevices to try to get a sea urchin or pick up random arthropods I found in the jungle before this class. I also expected that each day would be a great workout, and it definitely was. The physical exertion required by this class was tiring, but it made me more proud of what I was doing.

It also opened my eyes to the diversity held in both coral reefs and the tropical rainforest and showed me similarities between the two ecosystems I would’ve never noticed without this class. One of the most important similarities I noticed is the importance of destruction in the ecosystems. When plants die and fall to the forest floor, the decaying organic matter adds nutrients to the soil, which are quickly taken up by surrounding plant life. It is also a source of energy for detritivores. Thus, the decaying plant contributes to both nutrient cycling and the food chain. Similarly, the erosion of coral by waves contributes to its ecosystem, but in a different way. As the coral is eroded, it becomes sand particles that contribute to the sediment in the reef. Adding sediment creates new space for coral to colonize, which allows the reef to grow larger. It also stabilizes already growing coral. The way these habitats handle destruction contributes to the biodiversity of these places because a variety of organisms take up and use nutrients deposited by decaying organic matter in a variety of ways in the jungle and coral growth through additional sediment allows for other marine species to inhabit the area the coral colonized. However, human involvement has taken this destruction to an extreme that is unsustainable. The felling of trees for logging doesn’t allow the soil and surrounding organisms to take up the nutrients and energy from the tree, and the weakening of corals by climate change creates so much sediment that it buries live corals, obstructing their access to sunlight.

While I was in Belize, I was also able to observe a staggering amount of symbioses. In the jungle, leaf cutter ants (Atta spp.) cultivate fungus gardens by collecting leaves for it to feed on, and once the fungus is grown, it is eaten by the ants. Another example of a symbiotic relationship is between the acacia ant (Pseudomyrmex ferruginea) and the bullhorn acacia tree (Vachellia cornigera). The tree provides a home and food for the ant by allowing it to live within the thorns of the tree and giving it nectar to feed on. In return, the acacia ants are fierce defenders of their home. In the reefs, symbiodinium algae lives within coral, providing it nutrients it synthesizes through photosynthesis. In return, corals give the algae nutrients it can’t synthesize and a safe place to live. Symbioses like this allow various species to coexist in the same ecosystem, contributing to the habitats’ biodiversity. 

A difference I noticed between the two ecosystems, were their dependence on wind and waves, where the jungle depended a lot less on the wind than the reef depended on the waves. Yes, plants in the jungle rely on the wind for pollination and seed dispersal, but many plants have evolved in ways that make them rely on pollinating species, rather than the wind, and they have come up with ways to disperse their seeds that don’t require wind, like through animals. However, the reef has mass spawning events where gametes are released into the ocean and the current pushes gametes together as well as dispersing fertilized eggs to new areas of the reef. Additionally, wave activity can limit where reefs can grow, because too much wave activity will destroy coral at a faster rate than it can be produced, but too little wave activity will limit the spread of nutrients throughout the reef.

Other than analyzing the similarities and differences between coral reefs and rainforests, and observing herbivorous fish and mammals, we also had some very memorable experiences. I absolutely loved hiking through the jungle and swimming through the reef, listening to my peers get excited as they talked about their assigned taxa or topic for their lecture, and the camaraderie developed between everyone on the trip. I also loved looking through the reef for sea urchins; I thought that was one of the most fun and interesting activities I’ve ever done. However, taking freezing cold showers at Las Cuevas and wearing the same dirty clothes every day was definitely not fun.

Now that this class is over, it has left me with some lessons that I won’t soon forget: drastic climate change is changing both rainforest and coral reef ecosystems that are making it inhospitable for many organisms, there is a balance between destruction and growth in both environments that is vital for its success, and termites taste like carrots.

I loved this trip! I’m so thankful to my professors and peers that made it as enjoyable as it was. I’ll miss Belize for years to come, and I’ll be eternally grateful for the opportunity it gave me to explore a new area in biology. Here are some final pictures of my new-found friends and I on the trip!

A Harsh Introduction

Day one in Belize has almost come to a close, and boy was it a long one!

We managed to get to the airport no problem, but once we did, it was a bit of a rollercoaster ride to get on to the plane. There was the issue of finding the terminal, extra paperwork, lost boarding passes, lost credit cards, and an impossible-to-find drinking fountain! But somehow the group made it on to the airplane in one piece! For the flight, I downloaded books from z-library, which I would definitely recommend, especially if you don’t have space in your bag for books.

The people next to me were an adventure as well, since they were on their honeymoon, and they were sure to make it my problem. Just kidding-they were perfectly nice.

Once we landed, we went through customs, got our bags, and then headed to the marina. We got lunch and got on the boat, expecting a two hour ride to the Glover’s Reef Research Station. It ended up being double that. We also encountered very choppy water after passing the reef barrier (which used to be Belize’s coast before sea levels rose!), and in order to fight the sea sickness, I had to stare at the horizon for the remaining 1.5-2 hours. On the bright side, I saw some floating sargassum (which belongs to the brown algae taxa!) and one of the water safety officers told us about Belize culture and language. For example, in Belizean kriol, “humoch aklak” means “what time is it.” Also, since Belize was colonized by the English until 1981, the kriol language, spoken in central Belize, is a mix of English with African language, while native/Maya languages are more spoken in the South, and Spanish in the North. Last fun fact, the population of the entire country of Belize is about 400,000, making it the population of Sacramento in an area the size of New Jersey!

When we got to Glover’s Reef, we got to look around the station area a bit. The bunk rooms, kitchen, and toilets are all on stilts, while the wet lab, classroom, and showers are not. We had a delicious dinner of rice and beans, chicken, salad, and fresh mango, and then we had a short debriefing about tomorrow, before breaking off to do our journal entries and blogs.

The island is literally crawling with huge hermit crabs and common land crabs, which is very cool. There are a lot of palm trees and some little mangroves. There were also a lot of bugs, but the wind came in so they haven’t bothered us since dusk. I can’t wait to see what else is going on on the island, and in the reefs around it!

I will update you all again tomorrow!

-Elena

ps happy birthday to my dad 🙂

 

Almost time to depart! (Day 0)

It’s thrilling to think that in just 1 week, I will be on the shores of Glover Reef learning about the delicate coral reef ecosystem.  All summer, I have been reading up on and studying  Belizean reptiles, echinoderms, flora, illnesses, and traditional medicines, and I hope to put this knowledge to good use.  When I was younger, I visited many tropical countries like Costa Rica, Belize, Bonaire, Honduras, and Peru, yet I’ve never gone on a research-based trip. Therefore, I’m excited to revisit Belize and develop a newfound appreciation for the Mayan forest’s biodiversity.

Admittedly, I am a little nervous about lionfish, venomous snakes, mosquitos, and ants. Belize has 8 different types of venomous snakes, and although they all have antivenoms, I still don’t want to get bitten by accident. Also, tropical mosquitos like the Aedes aegypti carry tons of illnesses that I would hate to host. However, I’m sure that we can avoid any dangerous interactions with proper equipment and vigilance! I think the only non-environmental concern I have is being able to identify my taxa. I’m so worried that something may pop up, and I’ll have no clue what it is. I can only hope my Taxon cards are enough!

My goals for the trip are as follows:

  1.  Find a Holcosus festivus aka the Central American Whiptail. Whiptail lizards are my favorite species and their colorful variants are only found in tropical areas
  2.  Find a West Indian Sea Egg (Tripneustes ventricosus) and name them “Fuzzy”
  3. Identify a few traditional medicine plants, and maybe use one if it is safe. (For context, medicine is a niche interest of mine)
  4. Learn about the tropical bats in Belize and how they differ from “old-world bats”
  5. Gain research experience and better understand  how research is conducted:  the environment, tasks, etc.
  6. Better understand the Ecology and Bioscience fields (my major!!!) as a whole

I’m most excited to see the wide variety of fauna and walk through the rainforest. The ocean is great and all, but as a Floridian and an experienced diver, I have already visited very diverse reefs. So, I am way more excited to be immersed in an unfamiliar ecosystem like the jungle. Also, the professors keep mentioning cave systems and Las Cuevas, and caves mean my favorite animals, BATS!!! Lastly, I’m hoping to get some great photos to paint when I get back in July.

Even though it’s a week away, I’ve been studying, planning, preparing, and packing , so my suitcase is already stacked for adventure!

Wish me luck, because the next time you will hear from me I’ll be in the tropics! Till then!!!

I’ve had this suitcase packed for weeks now, slowly adding to the collection as gear came in the mail!!!

-Faith

 

Wrap-up…life-changing

The drop

May 30th, 2019

The tropical rainforest and the coral reef are two very biodiverse and seemingly opposite ecosystems; however, I’ve learned that they are quite similar.  One similarity is that both ecosystems are actually nutrient poor, however they are able to support a wide array of organisms through very efficient nutrient cycling. In the rainforest, the nutrient cycling is due to the rapid decomposition of leaf litter. In coral reefs, the nutrient cycling mainly happens in nearby mangroves.

Also, in both the tropical rainforest and coral reefs, there is a wealth of symbiotic relationships that help organisms flourish. For example, we learned about the Pseudomyrmex ants and their relationship with the Bullhorn Acacia. The ants defend the acacia, while the acacia provides shelter, carbohydrates, and protein. While in coral the skeleton provides shelter for Symbodinium, while the algae provide food for the coral.

Quite honestly, I don’t remember what my expectations were for the course as the start of it seems so long ago. From what I can remember, I took this course as an indicator to see if I would like doing reef fieldwork and to see if that’s what I would like to do post-graduation, which I can say I want to. What I didn’t consider was how much I would love doing fieldwork in the Chiquibul. I think my favorite part of the course was diving the fore reef. Being able to swim over and stare into the drop-off was just a surreal experience. I also loved the night hike and the night snorkel; the familiar trails and reefs looked very different in the dark and it was a chance to see a lot of predators out and about. I don’t really think I have a least favorite part of the course, except for running through the Mangroves of Death and getting over 50+ bug bites.

One thing that I learned that still haunts me almost is the fragility of both ecosystems and their vulnerability. Both the tropical rainforest and coral reefs rely on a careful balance, such as the balance of coral and macroalgae, and if that balance is interrupted both ecosystems can collapse. I also did not expect how difficult it would be to perform fieldwork underwater. Despite having to deal with wind, current, and the ever-present fire coral, the hardest part was communication. Yet despite the difficulties, I loved the reef fieldwork. Last but certainly not least, I learned that every day things that I take for granted are commodities not necessities. I ended up missing things like a well paved road or warm shower, things that I had never missed before.

Rainforest Mammals seen in the wild

Alouatta caraya

Ateles geoffroyi

Chiroptera

Dasyprocta leporine (possibly)

Didelphis virginiana

Taprius bairdii (camera trap)

Puma concolor (possibly on camera trap)

 

Herbivorous reef fish

 

Acanthurus bahianus

Acanthurus coeruleus

Aacnthurus chirurgus

Stegastes planifrons

Abudefduf saxatilis

Stegastus fuscus

Stegastus partitus

Sparisoma viride

Stegastes leocostictus

Pre-departure blog

 

All of my snorkeling gear and the giant rubber boots

After the slog of finals its finally time to head on a two week trip to Belize to the Las Cuevas research station and Glover’s reef. I really hope to see first hand what research in these environments is like, as I’m very interested in eventually pursuing a career in Marine Biology. Furthermore, I’m really interested to see if I can identify rainforest animals with limited resources. I’d also like to learn how to quickly identify an animal in the field using the i.d cards, which I’ve never had to do because I’ve always had access to a database.

I’ve prepared by reading more about the biodiversity of the rainforest as well as trying to identify certain species of birds that I see in my backyard (most of which are house sparrows and robins).

The one thing that I’m nervous about is caving. I’ve never actually been in a cave before so I’m not sure how I’ll react to the confined space or seeing cave crickets. I’ve had some experience in the tropics, mainly snorkeling in the Cayman Islands which are very close to Belize.

 

Post-Belize Reflection

Wow! What an amazing experience! Our class of 11 was constantly at work hiking, setting up pit fall traps, collecting data with transects, snorkeling, collecting data with quadrads, interpreting data, putting together poster presentations among other activities. In total, we accomplished 6 research projects with poster presentations for each of them. For each research project, we learned something new and interesting about the unique environment that we were living in for half a month. The experience involved a lot of hard work both physically and mentally, but it rewarded me with knowledge, fun, friends, and a lasting appreciation for the beauty of this world. It is nice to be home, where there’s air conditioning, WiFi, warm showers, less mosquitoes, no sandflies, but I will be thinking about Belize and my experience there for a long time to come. Thank you Dr. Solomon, Dr. Shore, Las Cuevas Research Station, and Glover’s Reef Research Station—for this one-of-a-kind opportunity!

Lepidoptera:

  • Eurytides marcellus, Zebra Swallowtail
  • Morpho peleides, Blue Morpho
  • Ascalapha odorata, Black Witch Moth
  • Sphingidae genus, Sphinx Moth
  • Heliconius hecale, Tiger Longwing
  • Eacles imperialis, Imperial Moth
  • Papilio polyxenes, Black Swallowtail

Piscivorous Fish

  • Ocyurus chrysurus, Yellowtail Snapper
  • Pterois volitans, Red Lionfish
  • Sphyraena genusBarracuda
  • Halichoeres bivittatus, Slippery Dick Wrasse
  • Hemiramphus brasiliensis, Ballyhoo
  • Ginglymostoma cirratum, Nurse Shark

Above is a list of the different species I saw from my taxons while on the trip. Below is a picture of a different species that I see at home. Glad to be reunited with my house cat (Felis catus) pictured below in his natural habitat!

Pre-Departure Blog: Any Fin is Possible If You Just Belize

T minus 12 hours until I’m on a plane to Belize! Will this trip be the academic experience of a lifetime? Will this trip re-define my perspective of the world? Will my poor sight hinder my ability to distinguish between a snake and a branch leading to a rather tragic and short-lived trip for me? All this remains to be answered in the upcoming weeks.
It’s May 13th. My stuff: packed. My assignments: turned in. I am: excited. Now that I’ve established myself as ‘that one kid who feels an obligation to title ever blog post with a horrible pun’, I have to say: I am beyond excited to meet everybody, bond, learn, and experience the wonders of Belize. I hope to come away with valuable field work experience and skills that I can bring back with me to Vanderbilt labs (plus 10 new friends)!
While the obvious anxieties for a newbie to the tropics arise (heat, diarrhea, getting lost), it is my habit as an overachiever to worry more about my grades. Fingers crossed, the readings will sufficiently prepare me for conducting quality research. As an off-campus class member, I know that my preparation process has been slightly different from the rest of the class body. Communication has been a  source of annoyance, but those woes are soon to be gone once I am integrated into the class. I packed my gear and living supplies into two bags and flew down from the 901 to Houston yesterday, where I have been crashing on my cousin’s couch and eagerly awaiting Belize (picture of me experiencing Houston attached below). Here’s to an awesome experience! See y’all soon!

-Elizabeth Dang

Pre-Trip Thoughts: I can’t Belize it’s happening!

We are hours away from going to Belize and I am beyond excited. Prior to the trip, each of us had to sign up for two taxonomic groups and a topic to present on during the trip itself. In preparation, I have been reading research, articles, and books on ants, sponges, and how competition, predation, and environment shape coral reefs. Though we are preparing to become “experts” in those disciplines, I am definitely still nervous about articulating and conveying information to the class. I expect that I will most certainly struggle with naming ant and sponge species, but I think that’s exactly the value of this trip- to practice, to fail, and to sometimes succeed! 

I think this trip will definitely offer insight being a tropical field biologist and conducting field research. I am very grateful to have the opportunity to be able on the trip and experience the things I read about with my own eyes. I am very excited to be immersed in the environment for two weeks and engage with the class. 

One aspect of the trip I am particularly excited about is actually writing blogs! I have never had an opportunity to communicate science through blogs and having that on display for the world. Growing up in Taiwan, a small tropical island, I never would have imagined going to Belize and writing about my experiences, and, in all honesty, I don’t know what to expect! All I know is, if you’r reading this, I hope you stick around because I have a great feeling about this trip. 

 

fig. 1: doing some last minute shopping at Academy because I forgot field pants!

Brendan Wong

Houston,TX

5/13/2019

No One Leaves Belize Scott-Free: My Love Letter to Belize

It’s hard to imagine that a country as small as Belize can contain such vastly different environments, which we were lucky enough to experience. The rainforest and the reef are both such fascinating views into the diversity of life, each with their own unique organisms that we humans depend on. Every time we saw something we didn’t recognize, I couldn’t help but wonder if we were the first people to ever come across it, since the sheer number of organisms in the rainforest and reef make that a possibility each time we stepped out onto the field. Even though I’ve always known how important both of these ecosystems are, I never really understood the impact they have on us until I experienced them through the eyes of a biologist.

Despite this similarity, these ecosystems were still so different. We faced unique problems in each environment that often required us to think outside of our comfort zone to answer the questions we posed. Each time we tried to solve a question, we encountered multiple other problems that we had to come together to find a solution for. In the rainforest, this was often because of just a lack of knowledge about all the organisms that were there, like in To Pee or Not to Pee with our vast number of insect morphologies. In the reef, the main problem was learning how to collect data while snorkeling. Communication became so much harder underwater and making sure that you were identifying the right organism became more complex. Despite these challenges, we always worked together to find the best solution.

I came into this course with pretty much no idea what to expect, which I think was a good thing because I never would’ve been able to guess the crazy things we’d experience. I expected to learn about the rainforest and the reef, but we also learned so much about living in research stations, caring about the environment, and working together as a group. At first, my least favorite part about this trip was how isolated I felt being in the rainforest with no internet and no way to contact anyone outside the group. However, this became less and less of an issue as the days went on and actually became something that I enjoyed. We became really close as a group and I felt like I learned so much about everyone because of how close we were to each other. Working in such a close knit group became my favorite part of the course because we were able to joke and talk with each other so comfortably. I’ll always remember this group as some of the greatest people that I’ve met at Rice.

There are a lot of things that I learned from this trip that I’ll remember for years to come. One was that despite how much you think you know about conservation and protecting the environment, there’s always more to learn and experience. Our marine debris project really showed me just how much more work we have to do to clean up the reefs and protect them for future generations. The second one is that there’s always more to an environment that you don’t always see at first. From the leaf cutter ants to the camera traps we set out, we were always finding out about hidden worlds that, even though we didn’t see them at first, still hold such importance. The last thing that I learned comes from something Andressa mentioned to me in Las Cuevas. She said it was crazy how this trip had shown that literally anyone can become friends. Despite our different backgrounds and experiences, all it took was a love for nature for all of us to become close friends. I was surprised by how true this was but extremely grateful that it was.

Overall, this course was everything I hoped it would be and more. I’m extremely impressed that everyone was able to put up with my terrible jokes and lame stories for two weeks, so kudos to all of you guys. Everyone on this trip and everyone we met in Belize played such a huge role in making this trip so memorable. There’s really no way to end this but with a culmination of my worst joke this trip:

Day 15: When it’s Time to Find Home, We Know the Way

Blog Post #15

Day 15: When it’s Time to Find Home, We Know the Way

Written at 9:39 am on May 30th

 

Yesterday was mixed with bittersweet emotions, memories, and travel. I really didn’t want to leave Glover’s Reef or Belize. Going back to the real world will for sure be a transition.

I woke up to see the sunrise, and it was actually gorgeous. The pictures don’t do it justice. I just soaked it all in. 

After packing, we had breakfast and said goodbye to the Glover’s Reef staff, as well as the Coast Guard and Fisheries guys too.

As we made the crossing back to the mainland, we stopped by Carrie Bow Cay, the Smithsonian Marine Biology research station. We met with the station manager and one of the scientists doing research there right now! She was studying the resistance of an acropara hybrid (stag and elk horn mixed tougher) to heat stress. She could really help figure out how to save some coral reefs when it comes to ocean warming.

Afterwards, we stopped at Twin Cay, a mangrove island, to explore what life is like under its roots. There were tons of fire sponges and orange encrusting sponges. I had no idea that mangroves could host these organisms because I didn’t come across any sponge references in mangroves in my research before class. I was fascinated. There were also tons of upside down jellyfish, and I spotted my fair share of baby barracuda.

Before I knew it, we were back on the boat headed to lunch at the marina restaurant. I ordered creamy shrimp pasta and a fruit punch drink—both delicious!

As our goodbye salute to being TFBs, our van to the airport had no air conditioning, so we all sweated out the rest of the salt water from the mangroves. The flight home was captained by Claire’s dad again (it’s so fun getting a shout-out from the cockpit!), and before we knew it, we were back in Houston.

This was truly the best “study abroad” I could have asked for with my limited credits and availability. I feel so lucky to have gone on this trip. Reflection blog post coming soon.