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Wrapping and Reviewing: Thoughts on the TFB Experience

Despite their widely different biomes, the terrestrial tropical rainforest and its lush greenery, compared to the vast ocean and its mysterious creatures, both have developed rich, complex ecosystems. For instance, the forest sustains itself on light and plant matter, reaching different trophic levels and creating microhabitats by temperature and structure to allow biodiverse inhabitants. Similarly, the reefs of the coral reef, fed by billions upon billions of photosynthetic algae, create structural niches for fish and other fauna to reside in, developing hidden habitats as a result. On a greater level, the intense light, heat, and moisture within both systems has become a breeding ground for several producers, enhancing the food web further down levels of prey, mesopredator, predator, and apex predator. 

Personally, I have also noticed that both systems intrinsically propel organismal adaptations (both behaviorally and morphologically) for specialization through competition and symbiotic relationships. For instance, my taxon in the coral reef, the parrotfish, is known for its numerous speciation in the area. Observing their behavior through fish follow studies, we noticed some more adventurous, like the Striped parrotfish, while others like the Redband parrotfish more quickly hiding in reefs. Similarly, the forest’s big cats like pumas often appear at night on the ground while the smaller margay, or tiger cat, hunts its prey on trees despite also being nocturnal. And where there is a will, there is a way. Fungi and insects develop richly on the underside of logs and leaves, in the cracks of tree bark and soil, and atop other living organisms. Inundated with liveliness, neither the ocean nor the forest is ever silent, waiting and adapting with time.

The course far exceeded my expectations. I have been able to pick up so many skills listening and waiting patiently for organism interactions, developing field biology research predictions and methodology, and presenting research. I came in thinking about all the equipment we needed and how unnecessary it probably would be, but I’ve come to value literally every single thing I’ve used in the course, from the thick rubber boots to a tight mask and snorkel. My favorite part of the course is the sheer amount I’ve learned–be it listening to other people’s presentations, or meeting organizers of the various research stations. Another thing that shifted my perspective of both the forest and the reef was witnessing them at night, understanding the enormity of these systems amidst the bright, starry sky. My least favorite part was probably the heat. Traversing the rainforest’s dry season and the atoll’s brutal humidity, I could definitely feel my patience wearing thin at times. Still, it was very character-building. 

Five years from now, I think I’ll still remember a lot about this trip. My favorite, and biggest takeaway: everything can be an ecosystem, especially caves. Caves hold so much geological and biological adaptation, with much continually being explored. Second, ecosystems can be dangerous if you’re not careful. Snorkeling in strong ocean currents or not performing basic stingray (via the stingray shuffle) and snake checks can make or break your life. Thirdly, the more you stare at something, the more life you’ll find. While the reef and forest are not always as dynamic at the macro level, a single leaf can hold colonies upon colonies of lichen. And these relationships are complex, like leafcutter ants with their fungal gardens, adapting for millions and millions of years to form the most astounding dynamics.

Signing off! P.S. some final forest and reef pics 🙂

Day 15: Bye Belize, Hello Houston

The most bittersweet day. We woke up early to pack and aboard the dock, heading on a 3-hour boat ride away from GRRS. I’ll definitely miss the dock, the sun, and the waves. The heat and humidity? Not as much. And definitely not the seasickness (my parting gift on our way back). But still, sailing away across the choppy waters, I could not believe how quickly our reef excursions were wrapping up.

A couple hours later we were at the mainland dock. A bunch of us used the bathroom, which was no longer Clivus. That was also super surreal. And then time to aboard the bus back to the airport.

Bussing to the Belize Airport

And lastly, our flight back home. Before we left, Noelle, Sam, Ian, Dyllan, and I got some really yummy pizza for lunch in the airport. Reminiscing on our time at GRRS and how long ago LCRS seemed, it felt like deja vu that we were taking the same steps back to Houston that we had taken to get to Belize.

Waiting for our ride back at IAH

As we landed in IAH, people began leaving for their connecting flights, until only 8 of the original 14 TFBers were left.

Driving back to the place where it all started

But more to come! Some of us that are still in Houston are trying to meet up, so fingers crossed!

B-roll: Bidding the Belizean breakfast goodbye

Day Fo(u)r-Trash (Fourteen…ok maybe I ran out of ideas but the vision is there): Doing our Part with Waste Pickup and Lionfish Hunts

Our last day at GRRS! And we spent it doing some pretty worthwhile things. We started off in preparation for our final ever TFB poster. And our final ever project together… a trash pickup around the beach! Since we’ve landed here, we’ve definitely noticed the waste pile around different areas of the atoll, including some sites by our dorm and the coral graveyard we visited earlier. 

Our project ended up focusing on different areas of the island, from more protected mangroves to the less protected and more exposed coral graveyard to observe how trash might vary in this spectrum. Unfortunately, no matter where we looked, trash was trash–the island showed definitive coverage via our quadrant methodology. It was a good reminder of how nothing is isolated in the ocean–things can pile up from anywhere and everywhere with consequential impacts.

On a lighter note, we got to do a lionfish dissection from the fish Dr. Evans and Dr. Solomon had hunted earlier. Lionfish are invasive species, which actually makes this a super encouraged practice in the area. We did pretty good with our lionfish even though it was super small, until we had to find these two bulb-like bones in the skull called the otoliths. At which point we gave up and started dissecting the eyes and other parts of our fish that could be salvaged… which also wasn’t much at that point. 

the OG lionfish

This and some yummy coconuts later, we began packing and bid our farewell to the islands. A bunch of us went to the dock one last time, which was super bittersweet. Cannot believe our time is over here, it feels like just yesterday when we were at LCRS… but a final travel day awaits… 

Taxon update! Just the sand that the parrotfish have definitely excreted, but no actual parrotfish 🙁

goodbye for now

Day Thir-sty(teen): Looking for Life in Parched Reefs

Our second-to-last day at the reef! It’s crazy to think about how quickly time has passed since being at GRRS. I think being on the beach has genuinely made time pass differently, but still so worthwhile.

Today, our main project focused on understanding protected zones in the ocean. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are regions of the ocean designated for long-term conservation, maintaining reef flora and fauna in the area. To understand the impact of these zones, we performed some surveys of both MPA areas and non-MPA areas. Which ended up being a bit harder than it sounded. We started by using these quadrants, letting them settle to the ocean floor, and taking pictures of the area. Kinda like this!

Adam and I did really good with the first few quadrants. Unfortunately, as time passed it became harder for me to dive all the way down and retrieve the quadrants, so Adam carried that massively. We even ended up being a bit behind at the end, but we ended up pushing through, and some people saw a dolphin in the extra time we were underwater! (Who are we if not people who create opportunities?)

We ended up making the poster later in the day, which was super fun. Elise cooked with our title. And then it was dock time and watching the sea life. 

Taxon update! A bunch of striped parrotfish in the MPAs, which made me super happy.

#Our last day tomorrow!!

Day Dozin’ (Dozen): Docking Down and Dillydallying Deep

A little break from snorkeling! After the classic eggs, beans, and bread, we went out to the seagrass patch by the doc, adding things into buckets that we could potentially observe under a microscope. Dyllan and I got a pair of tongs each, while Elise and Claire D. got some small fish nets, and other people got buckets or an assortment of the tools. It was so so fun! I clipped up so many different types of seagrass to put in the buckets. I also caught a few hermit crabs and some random insects on the surface of the water. Others were able to catch some really fast larval fish, a lot more hermit crabs, some sea snails, and even some shrimp. Best of all though, Dr. Evans caught this yellow-purple land crab in the mangroves, and Elise caught a box jelly! It was even cooler watching them all under the microscope. I saw black spots on the clear coverings of the larval fish, epiphytes on the various sea grass, and cool miniature structures on some of the algae. 

After that, it was time for the temple of lunch, which was this really yummy fried egg sandwich with lettuce and tomato. Also the softest bread I have ever eaten, it must’ve been homemade. Soon after, it was time for the temple of the dock. Tanning on the pristine dock, listening to folk music and ocean waves, it was such a divine experience.

It was then time for a walk on the coral graveyard, which makes up the perimeter of the GRRS Island, Middle Caye. Walking across these fossilized coral, it was astounding to see just how dust settled atop the dead coral. It was a sea of grey and white, representative of debris and sun bleaching respectively. We identified at least 6-8 different forms of hard coral settled in the area. We also saw some soft coral like the purple sea fan slowly fossilizing, which was interesting because it would consistently retain its structure and color, just drying out to eventually turn into dust. In millions of years, this area will likely become a cave, or something else that may karstify. But if it does, it might have a layer of thin, colorful rock interspersed, composed of the plastic litter within the area. Among the dozens of bottles, slippers, and bags, it was a stark reminder that no matter how isolated the islands seem, the ocean connects all.

In the rocky sea nearby, we got to see and pick up a bunch of purple and red sea urchins! They moved all across my hand, it was crazy. Claire C. also picked up a brittle sea star. Walking down across the rest of the beach, I also noticed the various trees and logs across this area.

Mangroves grew along the coastline, with coconut trees and decomposing logs everywhere. Something interesting about the coconut trees–the coconuts themselves are shallowly attached to the sand, splitting open for tendrils and roots to emerge. I had never realized this before, but makes sense given the poor nutrition and loose texture of the soil. It could be the reason why the coconut is so big and nourishing. Also, the trees grow really really slanted because of the strong sea winds, which I thought was really cool. It’s common across all trees, but the extent is unlike anything I’ve noticed. Another fun fact, there were some really cool bright red shelf fungi on the logs which I’d never seen before. Not my beach taxon, but still really cool.

After a yummy dinner and the classic taxon and topic presentations, it was time for a night fish! This was so so cool. We put some lights into the ocean and watched the jumpy larval fish team around. I was even able to catch a couple! We also caught some shrimp, and Claire D. caught a squid. Eventually, we did try feeding the squid some shrimp. It squirted a bunch of its black ink, changing colors to match the ink, the white bucket, and the speckled nets. Didn’t catch any of the shrimp though, which was kinda lame. But I was a big fan of the night fishing catch otherwise. That’s my first fish ever caught, which is kinda crazy. I did lose a slipper though, so sorry to contribute to that big pile of slippers on the coral graveyard.

Taxon Spotting: Unfortunately I didn’t get to see any parrotfish today. But we saw so much sand across the trails, and 70% of Caribbean sands come from parrotfish excrement. So putting two and two together, we saw a lot of evidence of all of the prominent species across the beach. 

Day Ocean’s Eleven: Chasing Parrotfish

Waking up to the bright sun, fierce sea wind, and palm trees outside the window is definitely a privilege. After a great breakfast of eggs, bread, and beans, it was time to go to the wet lab! Based on our observations from yesterday, we decided to observe more parrotfish. It’s been really fun learning about the taxon in practice–theory can only go so far. But essentially, we decided to understand their feeding behaviors better. Parrotfish are known to eat off the bottom of shallow ocean floors, be it coral reefs or seagrass patches. Based on our observations, this could potentially mean them eating algae off of these patches or eating these things for sustenance specifically. 

So we decided to test it out! We split up into 7 different groups looking for four of the most common species we had spotted, including the Striped Parrotfish, the Stoplight Parrotfish, the Redband Parrotfish, and the Redtail Parrotfish. We then divided up by potential habitats the fish could be grazing in. Adam and I, along with Lily and Sohee, ended up taking seagrass to observe the parrotfish in. We were especially hoping to see the Redtail here, which is distinct in its grey and red coloration in its female, or initial phase. 

Our first site was a patch of seagrass right by the dock. Snorkeling here, we found tons of Striped Parrotfish surprisingly! These fish swam in groups of 6-10, nibbling on algae without any real damage to the material. This indicated them potentially feeding on algae in these areas. We then went closer to the aquarium, the series of shallow reef and seagrass patches interspersed with each other. In our second site, we spotted even more Striped Parrotfish. No redtail in site yet. Finally, our third site rolled around. This time, we also followed Dr. Evans and went closer to the edge of the reef and seagrass, rather than seagrass beds alone. Almost immediately, we saw some Redtail and even a Redband! With their dusky coloration, both were super skittish, grazing on grass before immediately hiding in the reef.

A still from one of my super blurry fish follow videos

Analyzing our videos, Adam and I realized we weren’t going to be expert underwater photographers anytime soon. But the snorkeling was so much fun, made better by a nap on the bench outside my dorm. After, we had some really interesting talks by the manager of GRRS, a marine biologist on board, and some of the coast guards. Hearing about their work in person was super interesting, especially when the coastguard showed us their rifles and discussed their intense training. 

And that was the day! Stay tuned for more tomorrow!

Day inTENse: Rocky Starts and Oceanic Comebacks

Our first day snorkeling! The ocean looked super pristine and calm above water. Jumping in, however, was a whole different story. As soon as I hit the water at 10 am though, I panicked. Mask flooded and fogged, legs weakly kicking back against strong surges of waves, I opted to be on a life raft instead. Tugged around by lifeguards Domenique and Adrian, I followed along, and ended up spotting a  nurse shark, varieties of angelfish, parrotfish, and damselfish, and a plethora of colorful coral. By the end of the session, I was ready to be back in the ocean.

But first, I needed a quick (2 hour) nap on our wet lab’s hammock. Sleeping in the hammock amidst the hot, humid climate was a life altering experience. After that and lunch, it was time for another snorkel at a series of patch reefs at Glover’s Reef Research Station (GRRS) known as the Aquarium. Testing out my phone camera and video, I was able to spot so many parrotfish, as well as a barracuda, some really pretty sea urchin, and beautiful coral. From the fire and maze corals to the purple sea fan, the diversity within singular patches was amazing to see. It really made me realize the reason Belize’s coast is called the largest “living” reef. 

hammocking!

After snorkeling, we analyzed all the images we got. Sam and I spent an especially long time looking at the parrotfish and wrasses around the area. Interestingly, we both saw an initial phase female striped parrotfish transitioning into a male, or terminal phase parrotfish! These are distinct in that the female typically exhibits duller, red-warm colors, while the male is more vibrant, exhibiting blues and greens. Seeing this transition was super cool and definitely a highlight. We also identified a bunch of striped parrotfish and stoplight parrotfish, both in their initial phases. What was most interesting though, was the behavior we saw, from chasing females across territorial boundaries, to grazing and excretion. Fun fact–parrotfish excrete sand!

The transitioning parrotfish!

An exciting, but tiring day for sure. More to come soon!

 

Day CoastNINE (Coastline): We Made it to Glover’s Reef!

A great day for another bus ride, stock up, and move to Glover’s Reef! We got a ferry ride to the atoll, which was so beautiful for the parts I was awake for. Ablaze skies, intense wind, and cool sea mist. And three whole hours of it too! Ian did get a little sunburned though, and Elise and Noelle got great watch tans.

Featuring my hair getting everywhere

As soon as we landed, it was so beach. After a nice tour around the area, a meeting with Clivus, the compost toilet, and dodging the hermit crabs that littered the beach, it was time for dinner! But first, as we unloaded, all of us tried to crack open this old coconut on the beach floor. After a lot of hitting, we finally got some water from it, which was really salty and scrumptious. On top of that, dinner was super yummy, consisting of rice, beans, and vegetables. We then sat on the dock for hours and hours, talking, basking in the setting sun, and taking pictures. 

hermit crab haul!

Finally, it was time for my taxon presentation on parrotfish, as well as two really interesting talks by Zoe and Claire C. on soft coral and parrotfish evolution respectively. Can’t wait to see what we find in the reef tomorrow!

(No parrotfish yet, but definitely tomorrow)

Day Ate (Eight): Yawning Caves and Hungry Cats

A day for the road. We said goodbye to LCRS at 7 am, loading our luggage into the back of our van. On the road for four hours, we drove past the expansive rainforest and the pale pine ridges. And then, it was time to go to Actun Tunkul Macal, one of the most iconic caverns in Belize. 

This was by far one of the most interesting experiences I have ever had. After walking through different rivers (couldn’t part them, unfortunately), we finally made it to what seemed to be a nondescript hole. Yet, characteristic of many caves, the inside was humongous, magnitudes larger than what the entrance showed. We walked through channels upon channels, glittering with alluvial deposits in the form of stalagmites, stalactites, and travertines. Walking around columns and into underground rivers, it was like watching all my research on my topic lecture (Life in Caves) come to life. The limestone caves still dripped mineral, and curtains upon curtains of formations adorned the chambers. Gradients of limestone, from gray to brown, showcased the timeline of formation, and striations marked the water table from seasons before. From flowstone formations and bellholes, to cave windows and precarious rock structures, the caves in and off themselves had much to uncover. Interestingly, iron is highly concentrated in the caves as well, giving areas of rock a distinct red-pink marbling. Researchers are slowly attempting to measure out these iron concentrations, though imaging may take a while given the magnetic methods these techniques utilize. (Spoiler: iron is super magnetic.)

With the various crevices and cracks, life was pretty hard, and pretty fun, to find. Bellholes were surrounded by bat guano, and roosting bats hid across various curtains. We also saw various cave insects and arachnids like spiders and crickets, alongside minnows at the entrance. Some people even saw a cave crab and some catfish–so jealous! And plant saplings grew from bat guano, although given the intense darkness of the caves, who knows how long they will grow for? My favorite evidence of life had to be the ancient Maya pottery and remains though, indicative of a history of rituals. What do people do when they’re desperate? They pray. And as droughts occurred, the Maya retreated further and further into the caves, mapping out areas to perform rituals as evidenced by the remains left over. Seeing these artifacts in their last-used environment definitely added so much more context and depth. Across our tour, Dr. Rafael, our guide, explained so much about the theories that are being used to explain findings around the cave. Having such a knowledgeable guide, who’d worked so much in the cave system really made the experience so much better.

And lastly, another few hours later, we drove to the Belizean Tropical Education Center. We got to see a variety of nocturnal wildlife, including jaguars, tiger cats, pacas, and more. As we went along, we got to see so many interesting things. We even got to feed some of the animals like the Beird’s Tapir, which was really really cute. All animals from the zoo are rescued or unable to return to the wild, making it important that they are taken care of well. It was a testament to the wildlife that remains in Belize, and a reminder of what could be lost if we don’t feed our hungry animals.

Some interesting zoo sites–guess the animal!

Fungi–none today, but we’re transitioning to parrotfish, so stay tuned!

Day S(t)even: Running up That Hill

We ran it back–we went up the Bird Tower Shortcut again at 5 am! Not as early as we would’ve thought though–the sun was already starting to get up (we just wanted to give it a headstart, no other reason). Steve, the ranger at LCRS took me, Elise, Ian, Lily, Sam, and Sohee through the hike. Not going to lie, it felt a bit worse just because we were continuously going up instead of stopping intermittently. However, we were definitely up there much quicker as a result. And it was so worth it. We literally stayed on deck for an hour and it was one of the most peaceful moments on the trip by far. 

Unfortunately, it was time to head back by 6:15, and as we descended the tower, I realized how much I wanted to still explore. The rainforest teems with life, and where else can you find such a vibrant place to stay? Yet, it was time to leave this pristine part of the jungle, and resume our daily activities. With a delicious spread by Ms. Angie, I gained back any calories (if not more) I had lost on the hike. It was then time to collect our camera traps from earlier in the week. Collecting our traps, I noticed my count at 32, which I thought could be very promising! 

After that, we had a series of taxon and topic lectures, including mine on fungi (obviously saving the best of the rainforest taxon for last). Elise also presented her topic lecture on parasites, diseases, and natural medicine in the tropics, featuring a quiz at the end. Based on my track record on it, I don’t know how well I’m surviving the forest next time… 

After some packing and a lot of clothes washing, it was time for dinner. Post-dinner, we reviewed our footage from earlier in the morning. We saw not one, not two, but three instances of pumas! Shout-out Serenity, Adam, and Emily for their crazy finds. There were a lot of really pretty curassows and iridescent turkeys as well. And some really cute pacas. Overall, a beautiful find. As for my camera trap, it was definitely iconic because instead of pictures I accidentally captured video. It was like a little B-roll at the end, if you think about it. Also, the only wildlife I captured was myself, unfortunately, but whatever.

puma!

Finally, we celebrated with a bonfire. Talking for hours and hours around the warm, smoky blaze Steve had set up, it was a beautiful wrap-up of our time in the forest. At some point, I would love to go back to LCRS. The people, the warmth, the wifi-detox, the seasonality, all cumulated to make a greater experience than I could’ve imagined. It’s going to be hard to beat this, but more to come!

farewell bonfire

Fungi Update!
I did see some really fun shelf fungi, including some turkey tail and tree oysters. There were also a couple with interesting pileus shapes, either due to ingestion of the fungi or their natural shape. Regardless, it was very interesting to see various fungal species, across genera and classes, coexisting in the same space. Really makes you wonder what each one’s niche is. So mysterious…