Hi! It’s day 4 in the rainforest and what a day it has been so far. We started off this morning by monkeying around…literally. We met the local family of howler monkeys and had a great discussion with the manager of Las Cuevas, Jane, about their behaviors and family structure. The family consisted of five monkeys of various ages and included a small baby that was incredibly cute!
After breakfast (eggs, beans, and fruit), we met the Karst Team and went on a tour of the nearby cave system. I really enjoyed learning about the history of the cave and the species that reside within it. I also appreciated the cool cave air. We then headed to the field to collect our pitfall traps.
After lunch (rice and beans, chicken, and plantains), we listened to a few presentations, processed the results from our pitfall trap project, and worked on our poster. Dr. Solomon caught a basilisk near the cave and brought it back for us to take a look!
Basilisk caught by Dr. Solomon
We ended the day with a hike to the bird tower, which overlooks the Chibiqual forest. It was truly one of the most incredible views I’ve ever seen. I look forward to hiking there again tomorrow morning to see the sunrise and for my topic lecture on tropical parasites, disease, and medicinal plants. That’s all for now! – Elise
Bird towerFrom the top of bird towerFrom the top of bird towerTree pose surrounded by treesOn the bird tower trail
Hi everyone! Day 3 in the forest and the scenery has really grown on me : ) I woke up for birding this morning to a beautiful sunrise over the treetops. We saw four scarlet macaws today! After breakfast (pineapple, bananas, eggs, and beans), we headed to the lab to process the results from our Cecropia project. We massed each leaf and recorded the change in weight since yesterday afternoon. We obtained mixed results, with some leaves gaining mass (likely from water uptake) and some losing mass (likely from herbivory). Therefore, we decided that we could not make a definite conclusion regarding the defenses in trees colonized by ants compared to defenses in trees uncolonized by ants.
We were surprised to hear that the director of the FCD (friends for conservation and development) was at Las Cuevas today. He delivered an impromptu presentation on conservation in the Chiquibul forest for us and I really enjoyed hearing from him! After lunch (rice, pork, and salad), we headed to the classroom for more taxon presentations and a topic lecture. Then, we headed into the field to play with ants! Leaf cutter ants cultivate fungal gardens in their nests, and we excavated two (one young, one old) to see them. In the young nests, we eve found the queen ant on the fungal garden, which was incredibly cool. We spent the majority of the expedition stomping to keep the ants from climbing up our boots. Leaf cutter ants have a powerful bite, and I was fortunate to not experience it…so far.
Queen ant and fungal colonyDinner at LCRSDinner at LCRSPost-ant attack
After the sun set, we returned to the forest for a final time to see what species we could find in the dark. Sadly, we could not find any amphibians. We did find some snakes! But they part of an experiment, so they were made out of clay. Tomorrow, we head to the caves and I look forward to seeing what we’ll find. That’s all for now! –Elise
Hi everyone! It’s day 2 in the forest and I’m having a blast! Today, we started the morning by setting up a project relating to plant-insect interactions. We aimed to quantify how nitrogen-limited macroinvertebrates are in the canopy compared to the forest floor. To do this, we set up traps called “pitfall traps” with water and a nitrogen source in various locations. Want to guess what we used as the nitrogen source?! Our own urine! Urea has a high concentration of nitrogen and there was little else to use in the middle of the rainforest. This was definitely the strangest lab I have ever taken part in. We spent two and a half hours securing pitfall traps with pee to the trunks and bases of trees. We also found a really cool water vine while hiking and took some pictures swinging from it, so I’ve included those below.
Setting up pitfall trapsIn the fieldReady to hike!
After lunch (fried rice and watermelon), we met in the lab to discuss our next project. This one focused on Cecropia trees and Cecropia ants. These species work together to survive, with the ants providing protection for the tree and the tree providing food and shelter for the ants. We hoped to quantify the effectiveness of the defense that these ants provide in protecting the tree from herbivory. To do this, we gathered leaf samples from a young Cecropia tree without ant colonization and an older Cecropia tree inhabited by ants. We also collected various herbivores (grasshoppers, crickets, and katydids) along the way. Catching them was a group effort and was one of the highlights of my day.
Cecropia ant colony
After returning to the lab to set up the testing containers, we ate dinner (pasta, vegetables, and banana cake) and prepared for presentations. I will be presenting my taxon briefing on amphibians tonight (I did not find any today, sadly). I look forward to exploring more tomorrow. That’s all for now!
Hi everyone! Today was a busy day in Belize! We started off the day strong with some bird watching from the station veranda from around 6-7 am followed by a delicious breakfast of eggs, beans, and papaya. Dr. Solomon and Dr. Evans revealed our first big project theme: camera trapping! Camera traps are motion-sensing cameras that take pictures of animals that cross in front of them. It was up to us to discuss as a class what scientific question we would address using camera trapping and how we would go about testing it. We decided to look at how the impact of human disturbance via the presence of man-made trails affects the biodiversity of vertebrates (mammals and birds) surrounding Las Cuevas.
Ready to hit the trail!Las Cuevas trail map
After developing our methodology, we hit the trail. Each student in the class was responsible for setting up one of the 14 camera traps. Seven of us set up cameras in disturbed areas (along the trail) and seven set up cameras in undisturbed areas (50 steps off the trail). I set up a camera trap off the main road into Las Cuevas to the north of the station. Setting the trap required Dr. Solomon’s excellent machete skills to create a path through the thick underbrush.
Setting up camera trap
While we were setting up the traps, we observed several new species, including green anole lizards, tailless whip scorpions, and a true scorpion (we maintained a safe distance). I also tried a new food today: termites! They actually weren’t awful to eat and tasted a bit like carrots.
Post-hike!
We took a break from placing camera traps around noon for lunch, which was rice and beans, pico de gallo, avocado, chicken, and plantains. Side note: I’ve recently learned that rice and beans and beans and rice are two different dishes! Rice and beans are cooked together while beans and rice are served separately.
Plans for tonight include dinner followed by presentations. So far, I have yet to see an amphibian today, but maybe I will be able to find one around the station later tonight. I have met a new friend today though: the stingless bee or “Drunken Bayman.” It is called this because it tends to fly in a disorganized manner. It seems to be following me everywhere. Tomorrow, I am looking forward to another morning of bird watching and exploring the trails around the station a bit more. I have learned the safest way to flip logs which caecilians, salamanders, and frogs tend to hide under, so hopefully I will have an update with an amphibian sighting soon. That’s all for now!
“Toto, I’ve got a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” Today, our group officially entered the jungle with a tour of the ruins of Caracol and a hike around Las Cuevas Research Station. While I encountered neither an amphibian nor an angelfish (I would have been really surprised to see that one), we saw many amazing species. While at Caracol, we observed a species of bird called Montezuma’s Oropendola. This species has a long tail with yellow feathers and builds pendulum-shaped nests. Our guide, Leo, noted that if the female Oropendola does not approve of a nest, she will push it to the ground and the male Oropendola will have to build another. We also observed several Howler monkeys (including a baby Howler monkey) and a Toucan from the road out of Caracol.
Caracol is a site of ancient Mayan ruins and we had the unique opportunity to climb the stairs to several large temples. I particularly enjoyed the view of the surrounding forest from the top. One of the structures we climbed remains the tallest building in Belize to this day. I learned a lot about Mayan culture and traditions, including their practice of playing ball games in large areas surrounded by rock walls, sometimes as a means of war.
View from top of PlazaAt the top of “Sky Palace”View from top of “Sky Palace”This tree is hundreds of years old!
After the tour of Caracol, our group arrived at Las Cuevas Research Station. We took a short hike around the area and observed several epiphytes and ant species. We discussed a bit about the mutualistic relationship between the bull-horned acacia and acacia ants after observing them on the trail. Acacia ants will fight anything that touches the acacia plant in exchange for food and shelter.
It was exciting to see these species in person after learning about them in biology classes in prior years.
We ended the day with dinner (pork, mashed potatoes, bread, and vegetables) and presentations. I am looking forward to exploring Las Cuevas more tomorrow with our first big project! I plan to wake up around 6 to bird watch before breakfast. That’s all for now!
Hi everyone! Guess what?! I’m still alive and am in Belize! So far, the wildlife we have encountered have been incredible and I am enjoying getting to learn more about them and Belize overall. Today was a whirlwind. We left Houston at 6:15 AM, boarded our flight around 10:00, landed around 11:30 (Belize time), rode on a bus for an hour and then another hour and a half to arrive at Crystal Paradise Ecolodge.
Group picture by river near Crystal ParadiseOutside Crystal Paradise Resort
We stopped for lunch at a restaurant called Cheers and I tried a fruit juice called soursop while we were there. I would describe it as a cross between pineapple and mango juice and would highly recommend it to anyone who has never tried it! While we were there, we encountered 3 iguanas, 2 of which dove into a small pond right in front of us. We also noticed a nest with about 7 eggs. We were unable to identify the bird species to which they belonged to.
At the lodge, we encountered a bird through a spotting scope and heard many more around us. The night in Belize is very loud and I certainly heard many species of amphibians. It took until the end of the day to finally see the first amphibian of the trip: a gulf coast toad. I noticed something jump in a bush near the pavement path while walking back from listening to my classmates present their taxon groups and topic lecture in the outdoor dining area. It froze immediately once it was under the flashlight. I will include a picture below. Remarkably, I encountered an angelfish before an amphibian on this trip, which really surprised me because we have not been to the reef yet. The angelfish was a painting on the wall of Belize customs and I identified it as a queen angelfish as it had a distinguishable blue and yellow marking on its head (similar to a crown).
I am looking forward to birding tomorrow morning off the lodge veranda. We will be waking up at 5:00 am (and will be sleeping on the bus later for sure). We will be visiting the Caracol ruins tomorrow and will be stopping to swim before arriving at Las Cuevas. I am looking forward to learning more about Belizean culture tomorrow during the trip to the ruins and observing wildlife from the bus while driving into Las Cuevas. That’s all for now!
Hi everyone! My name is Elise Trenk. I’m an environmental science and economics double-major, and I’m a rising sophomore at Brown. We are now two days out from departing Houston for Belize and I am incredibly excited! So far, I’ve been focused on researching my taxon groups, amphibians (rainforest) and angelfish (reef), and preparing my topic presentation on tropical parasites, diseases, and medicinal plants. I’ve greatly enjoyed the process of researching in these areas thus far and have learned (what I would consider) some pretty interesting facts. Here are a few:
1) There is an amphibian called a caecilian that gets around by feeling with a tentacle region on its head. Its appearance is in between a snake and a worm and it lives in the moist forest undergrowth. I am desperate to find one and I will promise you now that if I do, I will write the longest blog entry you have ever seen about how cool it is.
2) Some of the angelfish species that we may see in Belize (like the gray angelfish) can be up to 2 feet long (60 cm)!
3) Certain species in the plant family Rubiaceae (which encompasses many medicinal plants) can produce products such as quinine and coffee.
I fear I may have made one mistake as a result of spending too much time learning about caecilians and other cool species: I have not focused on packing nearly as much as I should have. The scattered clothes and gear across the floor of my room serve as a testament. Tonight will be a long night, I’m sure…but spending the time learning about caecilians will be worth it (I hope). I leave for Houston tomorrow afternoon and will stay the night before meeting with the group on Friday morning.
Overall, I am most excited to encounter some amazing species while hiking in the rainforest and snorkeling on the reef. I am a bit nervous about the snakes, but I’m sure that we will be fine as long as we stay alert and [leaf] them be : ) I have experience camping through Scouts, but this will be my first time doing field work (outside of the BIOS 213 Intro Lab to Ecology and Evolutionary Biology), snorkeling, and visiting the tropics,. I’m looking forward to learning as I go. I expect that I will return to Houston not only with a better understanding of the complex species relationships that I have only read about in textbooks previously, but with some incredible stories to tell. I hope to learn as much as I can while I’m there and enjoy this adventure of a lifetime!
Sadly, we have neither a reef nor a rainforest back home in New Mexico. Hot showers and a washing machine are nice, but I would rather be back at Glover’s and LCRS. This class was an incredible and once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to explore two of the most diverse regions in the world, both of which were contained in the small country of Belize. The tropics have an unmatched level of macroscopic diversity, and it was amazing to witness this firsthand. Every time I looked in a crack and crevice, high up in the trees, beneath chunks of coral rubble, under logs and leaf litter, there was always interesting life hiding in plain sight. It was truly unlike anything I have ever experienced.
Our lectures and discussions addressed a multitude of factors that ultimately drive this immense diversity of the neotropics. And although the ocean and rainforest seem to be two different extremes of dissimilar environments, surf and turf have several similarities. One similarity that is present in both environments, yet seems counterintuitive is the fact both a reef and a rainforest are essentially nutrient desserts. Both ocean water and forest soil contain low levels of biologically relevant nutrients, and as a result, organisms have developed creative and sometimes symbiotic/mutualistic strategies to thrive in these nutrient-poor environments. The cycle of nutrients is critical in both of these environments, and unfortunately, both of these regions (and in particular my two taxons: stony corals and amphibians) are particularly sensitive to anthropogenic changes. Both of these regions rely on a high level of constancy to thrive. Corals stressed from temperature increases, eutrophication, heavy metal contamination, ocean acidification, and more, are far more vulnerable to disease and degradation. And amphibian populations have seen significant decreases both because of direct absorption of harmful pollutants through their porous skin and the disruptions of the once incredibly predictable weather patterns that their breeding behavior relies on. So sadly, both these regions are particularly vulnerable to human-driven climate change. Yet, both the rainforest and reef are significant contributors/drivers of the global economy. Humans are incredibly reliant on these ecosystems for resources and protection, and our preservation and coexistence with them is critical for the prosperity of us all. Belize has an incredible amount of untouched forest, and to see the contrast between the Belizean hills covered in forest and the decimated ones across the border in Guatemala which were cleared for slash and burn agriculture was alarming.
I was able to interact with many endangered and rare species, and I would say this would be the most memorable part of the course for me. I will never forget the Morelet’s Tree Frog which jumped on my face or finding small hopeful patches of Acropora cervicornis scattered throughout some of the reefs. It’s sad to think why these regions are experiencing such a rapid decline in diversity and population, yet this hands-on experience has further strengthened my love for biology and possibly shifted my future career away from medicine and towards research.
The list of things I learned in this course could go on for pages yet three that come to mind are:
Mutualism/symbiosis is everywhere in these environments and the connections and balance between organisms are unimaginably complex. This also leaves them quite vulnerable to human exploitation, climate change, and invasive species.
The global economy is heavily reliant on these regions in multiple capacities, and the loss of rainforest and reef diversity is not just a loss of cool organisms, but sets in motion cascading instabilities throughout the world both ecologically and economically.
And field research is a whole different animal compared to laboratory work. Things rarely go as planned and it’s critical to be adaptable and flexible. (Also plan to pack light because everything you bring back is wet and heavy haha)
I am truly thankful for this experience and I hope it is not my last time exploring the tropics. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of TFBs and I hope to see you all again soon!
Today we went for a speedy hike to collect the trail cams we set out on day 10. What took us many hours to set up, only took us about an hour and a half to collect. Our ability to navigate the forest terrain has substantially improved, yet there was still some slipping and sliding in the mud. There was a refreshing light rain while we were hiking, but loud and foreboding thunder out in the distance.
Thankfully we made it back before the downpour began. But with all of this rain, we could hear a cacophony of toads out in the distance. It sounded like a swarm of insects, but it was the layered calls of many many Mexican Burrowing Toads (Rhinophrynus dorsalis). We decided to quickly hike down to the frog pond, to check out their activity. Although we did see any, their mating calls surrounded us while we stood by the frog pond. Definitely a cool experience, and a perk of traveling to the forest during the wet season.
While there we were also able to check on the Tree Frog eggs, we had found a few days earlier. Now bellow them sat a substantial puddle of water from all the rain, a perfect place for them to fall into once they hatched. You could see that the tadpoles were further developed and looked more like tadpoles than just dots. Yet, it was still too early for them to hatch. I love exploring the frog pond and it was nice to see it filled with water.
I mentioned earlier that Day 4 was my favorite day and also was sure that title would be given to another day soon. Well, I must say even though every day on this trip has been incredible, today is going to be hard to beat! Not only did I see the toad I hoped to encounter the most, but I was also lucky enough to see and interact with the critically endangered Morelet’s Treefrog. The only word to describe today is simply incredible.
We began actually on a much different note, with Michael’s lecture on the complexities and paradoxical nature of tropical soils, and then proceeded to discuss ways to analyze the abundance of arthropods on the forest floor compared to the canopy. Yet, as a critical component of this test, we needed a solution to place in our traps that is high in the nutrients the forest lacks, like nitrogen. Luckily (or rather unluckily) we had access to a supply produced by 18+ individuals…urine. I wasn’t expecting to be peeing in a conical tube for science, yet here we are. We placed our pitfall traps through the forest and will return to them in the morning to assess our success. While placing them though we happened across first a jumping viper, and then a moment later I spotted the incredibly rare eyelash viper! The station manager at the LCRS said he had yet to see one in his 12 years of working here.
Eyelash Viper
The afternoon and evening are when the fun activities not utilizing bodily fluids took place. We started by excavating a couple of leaf cutter ant nests. We were able to dig until we saw the spongey, grey, honeycomb textured fungus gardens the ant meticulously tend to. But when digging up a larger colony, we came across a wet, gelatinous, black a red blob just below the surface. After some gentle dirt removal, we uncovered the amphibian I hopped to see most, the Mexican Burrowing Toad (Rhinophrynus dorsalis)! He was the cutest little guy (I’m not actually sure about the sex of this particular individual) but these toads break the stereotypical mold of how a toad should look, with a wide gelatinous body and a head but no visible neck. The photo I’ve attached is a far better descriptor than I could possibly provide verbally. I was able to hold him for a couple minutes and to my initial surprise, his hind legs were super strong (which they use to burrow through the ground). This species is primarily active during the wet season and also feeds on ants, so it was definitely a right time right place kind of moment. He did pee on me a few times (a common defense mechanism by toads/frogs) so I guess it’s a common theme between today’s activities.
Burrowing Mexican Toad
Burrowing Mexican Toad
I thought this was the best I was going to do on this trip. I knew we had planned a night hike, yet I have been trying not to keep my hope too high when encountering more than eggs/tadpoles, as frogs and amphibians are quite elusive. However, when hiking towards the location we saw treefrog eggs yesterday (frog pond), we came across a Morelet’s Treefrog among the leaf litter of the forest floor. I crouched down to take a few photos, and moments later he hopped from the ground to my light, to my hand, and then finally landed on my face/head. His body was cool and moist and I could feel the tackiness of its toepads on my face. He made a final resting place on the crown of my head/hair, but after a little nudge from a bug spray-free hand, we convinced the little guy to move onto a nearby tree. This is honestly one of the coolest moments of my life and such an incredible memory.
We then went to check on the eggs we spotted earlier. And there we sadly saw a northern cat eyed snake. These snakes eat frog eggs, and we watch him for several minutes waiting to see if he was on the hunt for a snack. The snake was quite slow at first, but while waiting we happened across another Morelet’s Tree Frog! What are the chances! After another photo session we returned to the snake and to my sadness yet also fascination, he began to feed on some of the eggs. This is one reason amphibians produce utterly massive quantities of eggs, as they make easy snacks without a protective shell or relatively many defenses at all. We watched the snake for probably 20 minutes as he ate a few but not many eggs. I am definitely team tree frog, yet to watch this interaction in nature was truly amazing. I mentioned yesterday how treefrog eggs can hatch early to avoid predation, yet that didn’t happen in this case. They may have not been at the right developmental stage but regardless there was no water below for them to land in anyways. However, as we moved our headlamps we spotted several snakes in the vines around. We counted 7 but I am sure there were many many more!
Today was a real-life nature documentary. I think this was the ideal day I could have had on this trip, and I may have an incredible number of itchy insect bites, but any discomfort has been well worth this once-in-a-lifetime experience! I am saddened by the fact the end is nearing quite quickly. A warm shower sounds nice, but I’ll take the cold cave water showers any day to continue exploring here at Las Cuevas.
