Tag Archives: nitrogen

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Exploring Las Cuevas Cave and the Bird Tower Trail

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Today, our group had the chance to explore Las Cuevas Cave, a fascinating natural site full of surprises. Walking near the edges was a bit nerve-wracking because the ground was slippery, but it was exciting to see the cave’s unique formations. Although the cave itself didn’t have many birds, the surrounding forest was alive with bird songs. It reminded me how important birds are in these ecosystems, even when they aren’t always visible.

During our visit, we collected nitrogen and water samples from both the canopy and the trees below. Birds play a major role in this environment by spreading seeds and nutrients through their droppings. This helps plants grow and supports many other species in the forest. Even if we don’t see them all the time, birds are key players in keeping the ecosystem healthy and balanced.

At about 5pm we faced the Bird Tower Trail, which was by far the toughest hike I’ve ever done. The trail was steep and challenging, pushing me to my limits. But reaching the top was totally worth it because we were rewarded with an incredible sunset and a stunning view of the landscape below. Watching birds fly across the colorful sky as the sun set was a beautiful reminder of their freedom and grace.

One of the most memorable moments of the day was spotting the great potoo perched quietly in the trees. This amazing bird blends perfectly into its surroundings by staying very still, almost like a living branch. It waits patiently at night for insects or small animals to come close so it can catch them. Learning about the potoo’s unique hunting style made me realize just how fascinating and diverse birds really are in this area.

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Day 4: Doing P Tests (kinda)

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Day 4 started by being asked to find the differences in nitrogen limitations on the forest floor and in the canopy. We wanted to make a trap that insects could be attracted to and fall and get stuck in. That means we needed some nitrogenous liquid. One might think finding this is simple, and it was, BUT it’s not pretty. We used our pee in vials, hung them on trees and dug the vials into the ground, and are now waiting to see what is attracted in each location. While it is not a glamorous lab, the look on everyone’s faces when we were told to pee in vials that would be used in the project was hilarious. 

  

(Nitrogen experiment setup diagram)

(Swinging like Tarzan on a water vine!)

After lunch, we set up a second experiment where we tested how the colonization of the cecropia tree with ants vs an uncolonized young cecropia tree varies in defense mechanisms (chemical and physical). Cecropia trees and ants have a mutualistic relationship where ants form their colony in this tree in exchange for protecting the tree from herbivores. We wanted to know if leaves would potentially be thicker, gross, or poisonous before having the ants  colonize the tree. We tested this by collecting herbivorous insects in boxes and adding leaves from colonized and uncolonized trees to see which got eaten more. 

(Inside of colonized cecropia tree; looks like a ant high rise apartment building)

While hiking to collect the insects and leaves, I saw a large brown skink (lizard) that I have not identified yet. It was about 8 inches and had a long tail. I also saw a silky anole while hiking for setting up the nitrogen lab. Both were on the side of the trail in the shade. 

The last two exciting notes about today are potentially the most exciting. First, I got a great look at a toucan in the tree right out front of Las Cuevas! It was not too close, but I used my binoculars and saw the red tail and the large yellow beak very clearly. 

Additionally, I heard something loud making screaming sounds from inside the jungle after it got dark. I have been made aware that one animal is known for making a screaming noise, and that is the puma. Hopefully our camera traps catch a picture of it walking by! 

See yall soon!

Claire C

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Toucans, Pee Tubes, and Ants – A Day in the Forest

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Today’s bird highlight: a toucan! It didn’t stick around for long—just a quick flash of color as it flew off—but still exciting to catch a glimpse of one in the wild. My taxonomic group is birds, so I’m always keeping an eye (and ear) out for them. I’m really hoping to get more chances to go birdwatching soon and see a wider variety of species. Just catching that brief glimpse of the toucan made me want more—I’m especially curious to spot some hummingbirds or maybe a trogon next time.

We tackled two different projects today. The first one focused on how nitrogen availability might affect invertebrates living in the canopy compared to those on the forest floor. To test this, we set up tubes filled with either water or nitrogen (yes, our pee!) both in trees and in the soil, with each station spaced 50 feet apart. Hopefully, this will help us understand if nutrient availability plays a bigger role higher up in the forest.

The second project explored how Cecropia trees protect themselves. In their early stages, they don’t have ants living in them yet, so we’re curious to see how their defenses differ before and after they recruit their ant allies. It’s a fascinating example of mutualism in action.

Fieldwork is full of surprises—some feathered, some scientific. I’m looking forward to the next chance to get out early, binoculars in hand, and see what’s flying through the canopy.

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Caves and Pitfalls

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Life in the canopy is very different from life on the forest floor. There are differences in water, sunlight, vegetation, other organisms, the affects of gravity and access to food and nutrition. Nitrogen is an important nutrient and decomposers on the forest floor are essential parts of the nitrogen cycle. With this in mind we hypothesized that the forest floor would be more nitrogen rich than the canopy. Specifically, that arthropods in the canopy are more nitrogen limited. We tested this using pitfall traps both in the trees and in the ground. We used control traps filled with water and traps full of nitrogen-rich liquid (our own urine). Tomorrow when we collect the traps we expect to find more arthropods in the urine filled traps, and more arthropods in the tree traps than the ground traps.

This afternoon we went spelunking in a cave at Las Cuevas that was used as a ceremonial chamber by the ancient Mayans. The Mayans believed that caves were entrances to the underworld and that at the end of the day the sun turned into a jaguar and entered hell through a cave to battle demons all night until it reached the other side. This cave had nine bottlenecks that represented the nine layers of a hell a Mayan hero fought through in their mythology. We belly-crawled through the mud-guano cave floor to several hard to reach spots. There are many Mayan artifacts in the cave and areas are still being excavated by archaeologists. We found a lot of pottery, but also a human femur and an animal skeleton. Most excitingly, we saw wrinkle-faced bats roosting. Other animal sightings included glow worms and whip scorpions. Of course the formations are almost alive themselves, with huge chambers swallowing you up.

I have been searching for amphibians in damp areas like the cave entrance and inside bromeliads but I haven’t had any luck today. The leaf litter can also shelter cryptic amphibians, like toads, but I haven’t found any so far.

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Sophia Streeter

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