All posts by es101

Uncategorized

Day 5: Defenders of the forest

Leave a comment

This morning we analyzed results from our cecropia tree experiment, studying how the defense mechanisms in colonized vs un-colonized cecropia trees differ, if they do differ at all. Right after, we jumped into a fascinating presentation done by the head of Friends for Conservation Development (FCD), Rafael Manzanero. It was fascinating to hear about the history of the organization: starting with humble roots as a group of friends who would hike for days in the Chiquibul forest, documenting their findings, to a significant NGO with millions of dollars in funding.

As I am interested in attending law school after graduating, I was particularly interested in learning about the ethical and legal dilemas that FCD has faced over time. He explained how poor people are often the ones involved in illegal rainforest activities such as smuggling, cattle ranching, and drug cultivation, and that sometimes FCD is forced with tough decisions surrounding law enforcement. Their primary mission is always to protect the rainforest, but it can get tricky when someone is caught with only a couple dollars worth of illegal contraband on them and no other methods of securing income. Although this can be difficult, he noted a positive: this dilema has generated greater concern among the international community surrounding rainforest conservation. Yet, due to the lack of a clear border between Guatemala and Belize, it is tricky and complicated to enforce any guidelines. Territorial disputes are currently before the Belizean appellate court, but it is hard to make definite laws when persons are found operating illegally on the Beilze-Guatemala adjacency zone.

One specific issue that is currently facing the Belizean government has to do with cattle ranchers raising cattle within the Chiquibul forest. Rafael posed the question to us: without using lethal force, how can the cattle ranchers be moved? He noted that there are potential connections between the cattle ranchers and drug cultivators, so it is challenging to incentivize the ranchers to re-locate. These complex issues made me interested in researching more in the field of environmental law, as I had previously only heard from the perspective of big oil and gas lawyers.

As a fun little break from our presentations, we hung out with a stick bug outside the classroom! He loved climbing up our arms and on our heads!

 

The morning taxon presentations featured formidicae and epiphytes in Belize. Honestly, ants have been my absolute favorite taxon to learn about on this trip so far. I was fascinated by the zombie fungus that can sometimes infect ants. Apparently, the fugus can infect ants and demand them to climb to a specific height on trees, sprout a mushroom out of the ants, and then spread to other ants through air-borne spores. Further, when ants figure out that one of their kind is infected with a fungus, they will quarantine the ant in a chamber of the colony on its own. Also, there are certain species of cockroaches that will sometimes copy the scent of certain ants and live in the colony their entire lives. Epiphytes are a bit less naturally intriguing to me, but I still enjoyed learning about the plant mutualisms. Today’s lecture highlighted plant-animal interactions, and it was interesting to learn a bit more about some of the interactions we have been observing in the field such as acacia trees and pseudomyrmex ants, leaf cutter ant mutualism with fungi, and Belizean orchid bees with orchids.

This afternoon, we did a deep dive into leaf cutter ants and disrupted two colonies: one young and one old. I learned so much about them and specifically their queens! Apparently, leaf cutter ants partake in a unique (never been seen before) mating ritual only once in their lifetimes where the queen will fly up into the air, mate, and then return to the ground to start their colony. With the first colony we disrupted, the younger one, there was an ant with her fungi, which allegedly goes for around $1,000 in insect trade. The next colony we disrupted, the older one, was much much larger and the ants fought back when we uncovered them. On top of all this, we even spotted one of the cockroaches, which appeared to be a giant cockroach, that hang out with leaf cutter ants! I could hardly believe my eyes when he came crawling out of the ant hill. It was excreting a sticky substance off of its back to defend itself.

Tonight we went for a night hike and saw a lot of crazy bugs! We found a cockroach in some leaves that appeared to be either a brown-banded cockroach or oriental cockroach, though I am still a bit unsure. I also saw a smokybrown cockroach on a branch.

Overall, it was a super fascinating day and I loved learning more about this awesome species.

-Emily

Uncategorized

Day 4: Poaching and Logging

Leave a comment

Last night was cockroach-mania in my bedroom. We accidentally left the light on while showering/listening to lectures and ended up attracting a cacophony of cockroaches. Although I have been hoping to spot more of the little creatures, seeing three crawl out of my pillowcase was not the grand introduction I expected. Nevertheless, we persevered. Many of them appeared to be German Cockroaches (Blattella germanica) under the glow of my flashlight. I think a few of them may have been brown-banded roaches (Supella longipalpa), and a few others were likely the Smokybrown cockroach (Periplaneta fuliginosa), as they were significantly bigger than the others. Many of them were quite little, and I believe they were not full-grown, but still in the nymph stage of development.

This morning’s activity was quite different from yesterday’s, as it involved each of our urine being placed out in viles in hopes of trapping invertebrates. We called back on the knowledge we gained from the previous lectures on canopy life and tropic soil in an effort to better understand the question: how does the structure of the forest impact Nitrogen availability in invertebrates? In order to observe both the abundance and richness of species and see how nitrogen-limited invertebrates are up in the canopy compared to the forest floor, we utilized pitfall traps. Our hypothesis was that the forest floor may demonstrate a greater abundance in the Nitrogen pitfall trap than the canopy, and that in the canopy there would be a greater visible difference between the Nitrogen and water pitfall traps. Our methods involved each student placing 4 viles in the rainforest. Each person tied two viles to a tree: one with urine (a Nitrogen-heavy substance), the other one with water; and digging two holes with a trowel near the tree to place counterpart urine and water viles. My tree was over a tarantula den, which was a bit less than desirable for an activity which involved kneeling and digging into the ground for several minutes! In a couple of days, we will return to our viles and collect them to measure the invertebrates collected in each.

After a lunch of fried chicken and veggie rice, we turned to a study of plant-animal interactions. Specifically, the relationship between cecropia trees and ants. These two organisms have a special, co-evolved relationship, as the trees provide a perfect, compartmentalized home for the ants complete with nutrition in exchange for the ants’ defense. Our study aims to understand whether there is a difference in the tree’s defense mechanisms pre vs post-ant colonization. To do this, we decided to go directly to the source and ask herbivores themselves. We collected samples from two different cecropia trees (one with an ant colony and one without), measured the leaves using a penetrometer and scale, and placed the leaves in containers with a few different Orthoptera species: crickets, grasshoppers, and katydids. Tomorrow morning, we will return to this study and note the eating patterns in the cecropia trees without an ant colony and those with an ant colony.

The hike to collect these cecropia samples was packed-full of fun and creepy creatures! Notably, a scorpion, the molten skin of a tarantula, and two cute leaf-cutter bugs sharing a drink of tree juice. Honestly, it made me quite sad to see the ant colony flee from their home when we chopped down the cecropia tree (hence my title for today). I wished that there had been another way to go about the experiment, and it was hard to watch them grab the larvae and run from their tree, knowing they would all die quite soon. The tarantula under the tree was also carring an egg sack and I can only hope that her fate is somewhat better than the poor ants.

.

Dinner was absolutely delicious and tonight’s lectures featured beetles, amphibians, and the Chiquibul cave system! I learned that the Chiquibul cave system is composed of carbonate limestone deposits dating back to 200 million years ago. Many of the cave creatures we may encounter on our expedition have quite uniquely adapted features to life in the dark such as rudimentary/absent eyes, specialized secondary organs, a lack of pigmentation, and modified appendages. I think I am most excited for our day in the caves, and am truly looking forward to spotting many of the subterranean species that dwell there.

It is really hard to believe we’ve only spent two full days in the rainforest so far. I hope to wake up early for bird watching tomorrow morning and spot some of the iconic colorful feathers that help define jungle biodiversity.

-Emily

Uncategorized

Day 3: Into the thick of it!

Leave a comment

Wow. Today really felt like a marathon: an awesome, sweaty, exhausting, educational marathon. Most of the day we spent setting up camera traps. This effort involved countless machete hacks, tons of bug spray, and a lot of good laughs.

On the trails, Scott and Kory turned over a couple of logs which revealed the homes of a couple cockroaches! From my taxon ID card I think they were either Smokybrown cockroaches or Oriental cockroaches, but they ran away quickly so it was a bit difficult to tell.  I can’t believe I’m actually starting to get excited about seeing those little creatures. We also spotted a large cat paw-print on the trail, and decided to get creative by making an even larger footprint of own.

It was really awesome to see all of the micro-habitats on the rainforest floor. It seems like each and every leaf conceals a unique habitat and lifecycle of its own. I also loved noticing all of the twisting and turning vines and plants I had only seen in expensive houses before.

Tonight’s lectures were quite interesting and spotlighted orthoptera, reptiles, and the history of biogegraphic development in Central America. I learned about the jumping mechanisms of grasshoppers (something we get to see in action each day in the field/LCRS), stridulation, and the significance of orthopera in reflecting broader microclimatic conditions. It was also fascinating to hear about all of the unique species of reptiles just in the Belizian rainforest.

Tomorrow will be another big nature day and I am excited to get back out there!

-Emily

Uncategorized

Day 2: The Climb

Leave a comment

Today was definitely the coolest day…so far. Seeing Caracol in person was like nothing I’ve ever experienced, even compared to exploring other ancient structures like the Colluseum. I think part of what made the experience so special was the absolute overwhelm of the rainforest. Driving for hours through pristine, preserved forests created a real build-up, as I could truly picture the Mayan worldview and landscape. Also, being the only group trouring Caracol today cast the whole trip in an almost ethereal light-as if we were the only ones who got to enter some other-worldly dimension. It was fascinating to hear about the Mayan religious practices, something that appears to transcend all time and borders. Hearing about the blood letting, sacrifices, and extreme sports they played (10 pound balls?!) made me wonder which practices or rituals I partake in that would make future civilizations raise an eyebrow.

Turning to the rainforest more broadly, it was cool to get a little taste of what the rest of our stay at LCRS will look like. Although I am a bit wary of flying insects, I really enjoyed the thrill of stepping into the unknown underbrush. There is so much more complexity to the rainforest than I could ever comprehend. From the epyphytes to the complex paradox of the rainforest soil, it feels like every single part of the landscape is just as, if not more alive than me. LCRS is truly situated in such a fascinating spot, and I am happy I get to spend nearly a week exploring here.

Still, I have not stumbled across any cockroaches. My presentation this evening went smoothly and I learned that the Giant Cockroach nyphs have a unique defense mechanism: secreting a sticky, stinky substance that repulses its predators. I am hoping to turn over a couple logs in the forest tomorrow and finally have my first spotting!

-Emily

Uncategorized

Houston –> Belize

Leave a comment

May 16th, 2025

Today was all about transitions: from city to canopy, airport rush to forest stillness. I woke up in Houston at 5:30 a.m., and by noon, I was in Belize, squinting into the sunlight and already sweating in a totally different ecosystem. It didn’t feel real until we stopped for lunch at a cheerful roadside spot called Cheery’s (fitting name), where I saw my first Belizean iguana and a surprisingly dramatic parade of ants. It felt like a gentle “hello” from the local wildlife. Subtle, but enough to remind me I’m definitely not in Texas anymore.

After lunch, we made our way to the ecolodge we’ll be staying at. It’s tucked into the forest in the most charming, quietly alive way, vines spilling over walkways, trees creaking in the wind, and birds calling constantly from above. Once we got settled, we hiked down to the river, where I finally felt that first moment of awe hit. The trail was muddy and steep, but the river view at the bottom was worth it. It’s one thing to read about tropical ecosystems, but another entirely to stand inside one.

Later, we had our first lecture on canopy life, and honestly? It was pretty fascinating. I didn’t know much about epiphytes (plants that grow on other plants) or lianas (those thick jungle vines you picture in every rainforest movie), but they’re foundational to how the whole upper forest works. I’m already rethinking how I look at trees.

So far, no cockroaches, which is both a relief and a minor letdown, since they’re my assigned taxon for the rainforest. I’m sure they’ll turn up soon enough (hopefully not in my bed). For now, I’m soaking in the calm before the real jungle immersion begins. Today felt like a soft launch: a little surreal, a little sleepy, and totally promising.

Emily S

Uncategorized

PRE-DEPARTURE POST!

Leave a comment

Hey y’all, my name is Emily Stanford and I’m a rising junior majoring in Cognitive Sciences and minoring in Politics, Law, and Social Thought. I’m writing this while triple-checking my packing list and trying to convince myself I don’t need to bring a fourth notebook (I probably do). T-6 hours until we’re Belize-bound!

I’m really looking forward to just being out in the field: mud, bugs, weird smells and all. I think I’m most excited for our time at Las Cuevas. I’ve spent a lot of time reading about tropical forests, but never actually been in one, so I feel like it’s going to blow my mind. I’m also so curious to see how my understanding of ecosystems shifts when I’m seeing them up close, watching ants build bridges or hearing frog calls in the middle of the night. Glover’s Reef sounds amazing too. I’ve snorkeled a few times before, but never over a living reef, so I can’t wait to see what that’s like.

To prepare for the trip, I’ve been reviewing our readings and putting together ID cards for cockroaches (which I now have a weird appreciation for?) and piscivorous reef fishes. I’ve also been trying to build some observational habits, bringing a notebook on walks, slowing down, paying attention to plants I’d usually ignore. I’ve done some traveling in the tropics before (I lived in Indonesia for five years growing up…I’ve included an image from the last time I was in the Monkey Forest in Ubud) but this will be my first time doing formal fieldwork, and I’m excited to see what that feels like as a student.

I’m a little nervous about keeping up with the physical demands of the trip, it’s one thing to hike, another to hike with a soggy notebook and binoculars while covered in sweat. I’m also slightly anxious about making mistakes or missing obvious things in the field, but I think that’s part of the learning curve. Mostly, I’m just excited. I’m hoping to come back from this trip with better field skills, a more intuitive sense of the systems I’ve studied, and some great stories to tell.