Tag Archives: Summer 2025

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Rainforest and Reef Reflections

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Hey y’all!

After a few days to unwind and reflect on the trip, it has been really cool to think about the rainforest and reef and why they’re both so rich in animal biodiversity. From what I saw, it looked like a big reason that both of these areas had so many different types of animals was of how focused each species was in its lifestyle. Because each animal species has such a specific, narrow place it lives and small range of food it eats, this allows for a lot of animal species to live in the same space.  Another thing that might affect the high number of animal species is the ability of plants and animals to spread across areas with their seeds or eggs/offspring. This lets younger animals and plants move to areas where they would not have to compete with older members of their species for food and living spaces.

I personally noted how, in each ecosystem, you almost never saw the top predators and larger animals of either area on a typical hike or snorkeling trip. Predators of both ecosystems were really good at hiding and tended to mostly if not only hunt at night when it would be even harder for them to be spotted as well as easier for them to catch prey. I also noted how both the reef and rainforests had so many different potential hiding places for the animals that lived there, whether prey or predator.

(Walking through the rainforest at night)

I think that the course exceeded my expectations in almost every way. The hikes were longer than I expected, the projects took more work than I expected, and the pre-trip work (the presentations and taxon ID sheets) required a much higher level of preparation than I ad expected when applying for the course. But I’m glad they were because it helped make the feeling of adventure was even more thrilling and wonderful than I had expected. (Oddly enough, there were not as many encounters with venomous snakes as I had expected based on Dr. Solomon’s stories–not sure if I’m relieved or sad about that…)

(Marking Tape is the new Pink!)

I think my favorite part of the course was getting to see the animals of the taxa I had researched standing, walking, and swimming right in front of me instead of just sitting on the page of a book. The Damselfish in particular were so amazing to see in person, and it was always a lot of fun watching them chase off trespassing fish from their territories!

(Yuca Red Rump Tarantula on top of Caana at Caracol)

(Threespot Damselfish-juvenile)

It’s hard to choose a least favorite part of the course, but if I had to–and I do thanks to the professors–I would say my least favorite part was trying to take photos underwater for blogs and project data! Don’t get me wrong, touch screens are awesome, but really finnicky underwater! I would set my phone to take pictures or videos, but when I went underwater, the phone would sense the motion of the currents and treat said motion like a swipe on the screen. It was often the case where I would go down to video a Damselfish or something else for another project and by the time I tried filming said fish, the video setting would be changed to ‘Blur’ (I still question why that’s even a video setting)!

While there were so many things that I learned from this trip, the following three things really stuck with me:

  1. Conservation work involves more than just one group: In many of the presentations that leaders in conservation groups such as Friends for Conservation and Development and the Wildlife Conservation Society, discussed the work required work with so many people, including patrol personnel such as the Belize Coast Guard and rangers to protect the reserves and enforce the rules.
  2. Threats to wildlife threaten the health of local communities economically (for tourism and the sustainable harvesting of natural resources for trade) and nutritionally (for preserving natural food sources of fish and fruit)
  3. I learned how to look at our projects from another perspective to consider the potential errors and how they could be improved upon in future studies.

(Mr. Kenneth’s Presentation about the Wildlife Conservation Society)

I hope you have enjoyed these blogs as much as I enjoyed writing them and remember: Adventure is out there!

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Wrapping and Reviewing: Thoughts on the TFB Experience

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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 🙂

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Day 15: Bye Belize, Hello Houston

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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
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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

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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

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

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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!!

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

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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. 

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Day Ocean’s Eleven: Chasing Parrotfish

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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!

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Homeward Bound (5/30)

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Hey y’all!

Today’s we set sail (as best you can do in a motorboat), leaving behind the island vibes of Glover’s Reef Station to start our trip home. I felt  a bit sad watching the island disappear from sight, but it was exciting to feel the thrilling speed of the boat as it zoomed across the water!

The plane ride was even more amazing than I remembered and it was amazing to be flying above the world again! It was almost like I was looking down on a miniature play model. Looking at the world through the clouds, I wondered how I would even start to talk to people about my trip. How would I even start?

After touching down in H-town, we hopped on the Rice bus and returned to campus, right where we started this whole adventure exactly two weeks ago. It felt so odd, coming back to school after hiking all around the rainforest and snorkeling along the reefs and I thought about how much I would miss my friends from the class. But I am so glad to be back and I can’t wait to see what adventures lie ahead!

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Island Vibes and Invaders (5/29)

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Hey y’all!

Today’s been a bit more messy than usual. We started our day by coming up with a small study to try and see which side of the island would have more trash on it while we did our island clean up. It was sad to see how much trash gets washed up on the beaches, but it felt pretty good to clean up not just for the island’s sake but especially as a thank you to our gracious hosts at the island’s station.

This afternoon was a huge tropical treat! Our professors have hunted a bunch of lionfish for us to dissect and learn a bit about. Since lionfish are invasive to this side of the world and are almost impossible for native fish to hunt, people are allowed to hunt and eat them.

Speaking of eating them, they made a pretty great snack, not just for us in the ceviche, but also for the fish as the harbor, including a cool Nurse Shark!

Then, we got to speak to some of the gentlemen who work on the island as they were chopping up coconuts and collecting the water inside. They kindly offered us some coconuts to taste, and I personally felt like we were experiencing peak island vibes!

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Protecting the reef (5/28)

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Hey y’all!

This morning, we got to snorkel in both the Marine Protected Areas and nonprotected areas around Glover’s Reef Station to see just how much of a difference protecting a reef makes in the health of a reef. The unprotected reefs had a lot more algae because the fish that ate the algae were overfished. This lets the algae grow out of control and overtake, even kill the coral it grows on.

(Above: Patch of protected reef)

(Above: Patch of unprotected reef)

I did see a lot of Damselfish (Threespot, Longfin, Tricolor, and Beaugregory) on both reefs because they are big eaters of algae, so they do thrive in algae-heavy areas. Unfortunately this algal overgrowth hurts a lot of fish who need healthy corals to eat and live in.

(Beaugregory)

Just as we were leaving one of the protected reefs, we saw a lone dolphin just ten feet away from our boat! It was so awesome! We think he was rooting through the sediment looking for food, but we’re not sure why he was alone. I guess even dolphins need some me time?