Tag Archives: Bella 2019

Day 6: *Drum roll please* Tropical Field Biology Presents:

5/19/19: Today, we started our day with an early morning research project. We were looking at how hurricane impacts areas within the Chiquibull, specifically how they impact plant diversity.  We were able to create a poster and present it all before lunchtime. I am not going to lie it felt pretty productive to get that all done in one morning.

Next, we had a second research project for the afternoon where we looked at the relationship of Cecropia trees and Aztec ants. We wanted to know if trees that were not colonized by the ants (ants provide tree protection against attack from herbivores) had tougher leaves to prevent herbivory. We are still working on the project, but I will keep y’all updated on the results.

I think my favorite part of the day was overlooking the entire Chiquibul forest from the bird tower. The sun was just starting to set and the dimming sunlight made for a beautiful sight. To see nature undisturbed for miles upon miles, it was incredible. I also got to take some nice photos with a great view which is always a plus.

A view from the bottom looking up on the bird tower

As for my beloved arachnids, not much has changed. We saw a small Florida Bark scorpion (C. gracilis), orb weaver spider, and a few Red-Rumped (B. vagans) tarantulas today. However, something cool that I have noticed on night hikes is the sheer number of spiders on the forest floor. As we walk with our headlamps, their eyes are illuminated and reflect back towards us. In fact, we thought we saw a wolf spider with a glittery back, but we soon realized, it was not glitter at all. The spider was carrying hundreds of young spiders! With the way things are going, I am excited to start another project tomorrow.

On the back of this spider, there appears to be “green spots.” Those spots are not spots at all. They are eyes of small spiders on its back!

Wish me luck!

-Bella

Day 5: Urine not going to Belize it

5/18/19: We retrieved our pee. All 11 sets of pit-fall traps were successfully captured. Wooohoo! As crazy as it might sound, I was kind of sad when I didn’t find too many arthropods in my pee. I mean, I don’t know what I was anticipating, but I kind of wish a beetle would have fallen into my pee. Is my pee not good enough? All I accounted for was a few ants and ticks.

Us walking down the shortcut to bird tower trail to pick up our pitfall traps

Today, we worked on evaluating our results from these traps and preparing a poster presentation.  Prior to this trip, I would have thought it was nearly impossible to make a poster and present it in one day, but boy was I wrong. We worked very well together, and we were able to create a poster and present it in a single day. I worked on the data analysis which I really enjoyed. Getting to apply what you learn in class in the field has definitely been a highlight of this trip.

It was a slow day for arachnids. I saw a quite a few wolf spiders walking to retrieve the pee samples on the Mayan trail. They ranged in size from 0.1 cm to 4 cm across the body.  And of course, I had a few run-ins with some ticks. But aside from that, my day seemed to be consumed with amphibians and birds. URINE not going to BELIZE what I saw! We saw a Morelet’s tree frog and a toucan walking along the Maya trail. Ahhh! Seeing the Morelet’s tree frog in real life makes reading about it seem so insignificant. The real-life experience was incredible, and I won’t ever forget it. I am going to keep an eye out for a Golden Orb Weaver spider tomorrow because it is something I have really been wanting to see.

The Morelet’s Tree Frog we spotted sleeping on a leaf as we were picking up our pitfall traps.

 Wish me luck!

-Bella

Day 4: Las Cuevas name rings true

5/17/19: In class today, we peed. Yes, you heard me right, we peed. For the love of science, we peed in vials that will act as nitrogen sources for our new field experiment. Our 2 questions for the experiment were: Is there a greater species richness and abundance of arthropods on the forest floor or in the canopy? And, is nitrogen limitation more severe on the forest floor or in the canopy? Currently, my pee sits awaiting arthropods in the middle of the Chiquibul forest. I’ll keep you updated as to how it goes.

Aside from that, I think my favorite part of the day was visiting the cave near Las Cuevas Research Station. It is crazy to me how something so beautiful can even exist all on it is own. It is not man-made; it just exists by the natural world. I went on the cave field trip in the second grade and that was the end of my cave-going days, so it was nice to see it as an adult to appreciate it more fully. We even had lectures inside of the cave which was very cool.

The entrance to the cave near Las Cuevas Research Station

Today, I had a few interesting sightings of arachnids. Along the Mayan trail, I saw a wolf spider (genus: hogna) and a harvestman. The wolf spider was carrying an egg sack. The harvestman was red, black, and white. I saw quite a few red-rumped tarantulas today along the trail near their underground burrows. They are always a cool site.

The most intriguing find I had was on a night hike down the Mayan trial. Even with some research, I am unsure of the species of this spider. It was a beautiful orange color with black stripes; it had a thicker abdomen and legs than most spiders I have seen in the canopy.  I nicknamed it the tiger spider. Check out the picture and let me know what you think!

“Tiger spider” sitting above us in the forest canopy during our night hike on the Mayan trail

Check in tomorrow because guess what? We are going to extract our pee. Cheese Belize!

Wish me luck!

-Bella

Day 3: Don’t stop belizin’ until you find some arachnids

5/16/19: I woke at 5:00 o’clock this morning to go birding, and I must say, I was not sure if I would be able to do this. Typically, I am a night owl and late riser, but waking up early was not too bad. The prospect of seeing beautiful birds seem to do the trick in getting me out of bed. And of course, I saw beautiful birds. It is the tropical rain forest we are talking about here!

In addition to some beautiful birding, today we set up the camera traps for our research experiment. Our research question is: Does the clearing for Las Cuevas Research Station impact the species richness and species abundance (i.e overall biodiversity) found near the station? I have never used camera traps before, but it went quite well aside from the fact that four of our cameras were not working. But hey! That’s fieldwork, so we improvised and made it work.  I am hoping that we get an answer to our question—-plus catch a jaguar or puma on camera traps!

On the 50-hectare plot, I saw a Gastercantha cancriformis or Spiny Orb-Weaver Spider.

Today was a spicy day for Arachnids. On the 50-hectare plot, I saw a Gastercantha cancriformis or Spiny Orb-Weaver Spider. It was black, yellow, and white, which was super interesting. It had the characteristic 6 spines and it was spinning a web in the middle of the trail. Also, we did see a spider (unknown) with a grasshopper in its grasp. On a final note, my favorite find of the day was a female wolf spider (genus: Hogna) carrying her egg sack across the trail. She looked so regal with her little children. I also saw my first scorpion and tarantula in the Las Cuevas clearing: a large Florida Bark Scorpion, Centroides gracilis, and a Red-Rumped Tarantula, Brachypelma vagans. Oh…. and…. let’s just say ticks also made an impact today. (Kaela had over 100 ticks!)

Can you spot the wolf spider? Look for the white egg sack and you should find her!
A large Florida Bark Scorpion, Centroides gracilis, found in a sink at Las Cuevas Research Station.

Day 2: “Cheese Belize!”

5/15/19: Well, today was our first full day in Belize and it was quite an experience. I have never before experienced anything like this.

It was a jammed pack day full of swimming, hiking, and exploring. We went to Rio on Pools site to swim which was super refreshing after being in the hot sun. I think I am going to keep reminiscing on those moments in the cool river while out here at Las Cuevas hiking in the humidity.

A picture of me enjoying the small waterfall at the Rio on Pools site.

I have to say my favorite part of the day had to be exploring the Mayan Caracol ruins. It was crazy to me to think that I was climbing structures that were built thousands of years ago. It also astounded me that Belize struggles to find funds to excavate all of the sites. We were only able to see the 1% of Caracol that has been excavated. There were so many other sites that have yet to be uncovered. If I had all the money in the world, I feel like I would want to donate some to help fund the archeological projects in Belize. I was in awe of its magnitude and beauty, so I can only imagine what it would be like to see all of the ruins uncovered.

I am atop one of the plaza structures at Caracol ruins site in Belize

I have seen 2 arachnids today, but I was too slow to grab my camera before they scurried away. One was a small common wolf spider and the other I think could have been a huntsman/banana spider (Heteropoda venatoria). It was on the smaller side, but it had the characteristic long legs seen in most banana spiders. I hope as we venture into Chiquibul tomorrow I will see many more! Hopefully, my first wild tarantula sighting will happen soon.

On a quick final note, in honor of our driver Leo, I am excited to keep saying “Cheese Belize!” in many more photo ops on this trip.

Wish me Luck!

-Bella

Day 1: I can’t Belize we made it!

5/14/19: We are finally here! Despite some early morning bumps in the road and a late takeoff for our flight, we made it! It feels so surreal to be here.

The majority of our day was spent traveling on bus rides and a plane ride. We have come approximately 1,679 miles. Upon arrival to Belize, let me be the first to say, the humidity hit me like a ton of bricks. But, I soon recovered, and we began our journey to Las Cuevas Research Station in a van. We stopped tonight at Crystal Paradise Lodge before we keep driving tomorrow.

While driving, I could not help be mesmerized by the difference in vegetation compared to Texas highways. Driving in Texas, we are constantly surrounded by cattle pasture or farms, so to be immersed on either side of the car in forest-like  ecosystems, it was quite an experience.

I think I have been the most surprised today about how different it has been here compared to the U.S. I mean I always knew it would be different based on our readings and preparations, however, I had no idea it would be this different. The restaurant, Cheers, we ate at was also immersed in the vegatation.  It makes me excited for the days to come.

This is the view from the outdoor restaurant Cheers on Belize’s main highway!

I was able to see only 1 arachnid today. I believe it was a wolf spider, but since it was dark outside, it was difficult to tell before it scurried away.

Wolf spider spotted outside Crystal Paradise Lodge

We were not able to do too much exploring today. However with all of the travel done today, we still encountered hummingbirds, termite nests, an Agouti, and leaf-cutter ants, so I have a feeling in the next few days we will definitely be able to see some more arachnids. I hope we will go walking out at night with our headlamps near tree bases or in foliage to have the best chances of catching a glimpse.

Wish me luck!

– Bella

Pre-Departure: Belize here I come!

This morning I got the notification that our flight to Belize is less than 5 days away. I have never been to Belize, and in fact, I have never really been out of the country on a trip like this before,  so I am definitely excited. Ah! My first trip to the tropics!

Sitting on my couch watching Blue Planet episodes of the tropics in HD has given me some pretty high standards for the beauty of these places, so I have high hopes for what I might encounter. Also, I totally plan to channel my inner David Attenborough for this trip. However, I am still a little nervous about how it’s going to go.

I am the taxon expert for arachnids and green/red algae. My family thought it would be funny to make me watch the 1990 movie Arachnophobia in preparation for my trip. Let’s just say that I found it…. a little… less funny. I have never really been scared of spiders before, but last night, I had a dream I was attacked by a giant spider,  so it is safe to say I am a bit wary.

I have done my best these past few months to ensure that I am prepared for this trip. Aside from the packing and organizing of all the snorkel/rainforest gear, I prepared myself through the taxonomic research, the readings, and the creation of the presentations. I am hoping that I can identify both arachnids and algae in the field.  My biggest worry for the trip is that either Dr. Solomon or Dr. Shore is going to ask me about a certain organism and I am going to stare blankly back at them like a deer in headlights. I have my fingers crossed that this won’t be the case! Not to mention, I have had to mentally prepare myself for the humidity we are going to endure. For this trip, I am most excited about experiencing fieldwork for the first time. I have always been limited in learning about the natural world from books, videos, or short field trips, so 14 days in the tropics is something I am looking forward to. It feels like it has been centuries since I first started dreaming about doing fieldwork. Overall, I hope this trip will give me some insight into what a career involving fieldwork might be like, and if this could be a career path for me. I think it will be, but you never know until you try it.

On a final note, I grew up on the Texas coast my whole life which makes me accustomed to one thing: murky ocean water (Thank you Mississippi river sediment!) So,  I cannot wait to put my feet into the ocean and be able to see my toes clearly!

 

Wish me luck!

-Bella