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[post_content] => Hola! This is a guest post, as I am normally the lecturer in Tropical Coastal Ecology for the SFS Center for Tropical Island Biodiversity Studies in Bocas del Toro, Panama. I was given the opportunity to visit the TCI campus for two weeks during Summer Session II, and I have had a great time learning from both the faculty and students here – and of course enjoying the beautiful scenery above and below water.
I picked a great week to arrive – the students just received their briefing on how to conduct photo-identification surveys of spotted eagle rays and sea turtles and were gearing up to get into the water. After several days of dive and snorkel surveys, Professors Fran and Ev gave a workshop on how to use the photo identification software I3S and students used this program to annotate the photos and match individuals among sites as well as to a database of individuals identified in past years. These data are currently being used by students to create a poster outlining considerations for either ecotourism or management of eagle ray and sea turtles in South Caicos.
There is never just one thing going on at SFS, so as we wrap up the photo-ID FEX – or Field Exercise – we are also starting to collect data for the BRUV FEX. BRUV stands for baited remote underwater video and is essentially a metal frame with a camera aimed at an arm where a canister of bait can be attached. We are deploying these each day at three sites near campus to obtain data on the abundance of sharks and rays in South Caicos.
I have enjoyed getting to participate in these research projects and also having the chance to observe a new marine ecosystem. Many of the species of corals and fishes I have seen are familiar and we also find in our reefs in Bocas del Toro. However, despite the fact that both sites are tropical islands, they also have some differences. South Caicos receives about 55 cm of rainfall annually; Bocas del Toro receives 345 cm! South Caicos is 370 km from the nearest large body of land (Dominican Republic); Isla Colon is less than 10 from the mainland of Panama. These differences especially affect the nutrient runoff into the area and therefore the types of life it best supports. Turks and Caicos Islands are known for clear, turquoise water that house nutrient-efficient coral reefs, and deep nearby waters that bring megafauna close by. Bocas del Toro on the other hand, has a great mix of habitats: small mangrove islands with roots covered in colorful sponges spot the waterway just inland of our main islands, whereas the ocean-facing sides of islands are more similar to the reefs seen here in TCI.
Just like the ecosystems in which they are located, the centers at TCI and Panama are each unique but serve the same purpose. TCI is the only SFS center that is fully focused on the marine environment, whereas Panama is home to what we lovingly call the “surf-n-turf” program, examining both the coastal and terrestrial ecosystems. Regardless, both programs educate passionate and enthusiastic students about the organisms and habitats in the area, the issues they face, and how to conduct research and conserve what we all love and came here to study. The campuses are set up a little differently, but students all come together in the common areas to work on group assignments or play games in the evenings. Professors and students share stories over group dinners cooked by loving kitchen staff. And of course, everyone’s favorite part of the day is when they get to go out into the field and conduct research!
Photo courtesy of John DeBuysser
I have enjoyed getting to learn from the knowledgeable staff here at TCI and have gotten great ideas to incorporate into my class back in Panama. It is great to be reminded of how many passionate people work for and study with SFS and the larger community that we all belong to when we join the SFS family.
Photo courtesy of John DeBuysser→ Marine Megafauna in the Turks and Caicos Islands
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[post_content] => Hola! This is a guest post, as I am normally the lecturer in Tropical Coastal Ecology for the SFS Center for Tropical Island Biodiversity Studies in Bocas del Toro, Panama. I was given the opportunity to visit the TCI campus for two weeks during Summer Session II, and I have had a great time learning from both the faculty and students here – and of course enjoying the beautiful scenery above and below water.
I picked a great week to arrive – the students just received their briefing on how to conduct photo-identification surveys of spotted eagle rays and sea turtles and were gearing up to get into the water. After several days of dive and snorkel surveys, Professors Fran and Ev gave a workshop on how to use the photo identification software I3S and students used this program to annotate the photos and match individuals among sites as well as to a database of individuals identified in past years. These data are currently being used by students to create a poster outlining considerations for either ecotourism or management of eagle ray and sea turtles in South Caicos.
There is never just one thing going on at SFS, so as we wrap up the photo-ID FEX – or Field Exercise – we are also starting to collect data for the BRUV FEX. BRUV stands for baited remote underwater video and is essentially a metal frame with a camera aimed at an arm where a canister of bait can be attached. We are deploying these each day at three sites near campus to obtain data on the abundance of sharks and rays in South Caicos.
I have enjoyed getting to participate in these research projects and also having the chance to observe a new marine ecosystem. Many of the species of corals and fishes I have seen are familiar and we also find in our reefs in Bocas del Toro. However, despite the fact that both sites are tropical islands, they also have some differences. South Caicos receives about 55 cm of rainfall annually; Bocas del Toro receives 345 cm! South Caicos is 370 km from the nearest large body of land (Dominican Republic); Isla Colon is less than 10 from the mainland of Panama. These differences especially affect the nutrient runoff into the area and therefore the types of life it best supports. Turks and Caicos Islands are known for clear, turquoise water that house nutrient-efficient coral reefs, and deep nearby waters that bring megafauna close by. Bocas del Toro on the other hand, has a great mix of habitats: small mangrove islands with roots covered in colorful sponges spot the waterway just inland of our main islands, whereas the ocean-facing sides of islands are more similar to the reefs seen here in TCI.
Just like the ecosystems in which they are located, the centers at TCI and Panama are each unique but serve the same purpose. TCI is the only SFS center that is fully focused on the marine environment, whereas Panama is home to what we lovingly call the “surf-n-turf” program, examining both the coastal and terrestrial ecosystems. Regardless, both programs educate passionate and enthusiastic students about the organisms and habitats in the area, the issues they face, and how to conduct research and conserve what we all love and came here to study. The campuses are set up a little differently, but students all come together in the common areas to work on group assignments or play games in the evenings. Professors and students share stories over group dinners cooked by loving kitchen staff. And of course, everyone’s favorite part of the day is when they get to go out into the field and conduct research!
Photo courtesy of John DeBuysser
I have enjoyed getting to learn from the knowledgeable staff here at TCI and have gotten great ideas to incorporate into my class back in Panama. It is great to be reminded of how many passionate people work for and study with SFS and the larger community that we all belong to when we join the SFS family.
Photo courtesy of John DeBuysser→ Marine Megafauna in the Turks and Caicos Islands
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[post_content] => Covered in lush rainforests, hundreds of mangrove islands, and coral reefs teeming with diverse marine life, the Bocas del Toro Archipelago serves as a living laboratory for studying tropical biodiversity. This chain of islands is populated by everything from hummingbirds and howler monkeys to stingrays, dolphins, sloths, and brightly colored poison dart frogs. At first glance, Bocas is nothing short of paradise.
However, climate change and increased tourism on the islands have led to ecosystem and natural resource degradation while also threatening Indigenous islanders’ traditional livelihoods. Our research on the environmental impacts of tourism and development on the natural ecosystems in Bocas provides the community with data necessary to support more sustainable policies and protect the beautiful islands so many call home.
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[post_content] => The last four weeks of program at SFS are composed of Directed Research (DR). During this time students work with one of the Center's four professors on a research project specific to that field of study. We have some students working in the rainforest, others conducting interviews for social science research, and two groups in the water with marine projects. As the resident lecturer in Tropical Coastal Ecology, I am leading one of the marine DR groups in a pilot study that is focused on examining growth on pilings and understanding their significance as habitat.
As the human population grows and the desire for seaside property continues to rise, coastal landscapes are being increasingly altered and developed. The destruction of natural habitats for the creation of these structures undoubtedly has negative influences on the ecosystem; however, the addition of new hard structure may also provide artificial habitats. Here in Bocas del Toro, tourism has been growing rapidly over the past 20 years, and as part of this growth the number of restaurants, hotels, and private homes that are built on or over the water on pilings has also increased. Therefore, it is important to understand the role pilings play as an artificial habitat.
Artificial structures are quickly colonized by many species of invertebrates, including oysters, ascidians, and sponges. Research in other areas has shown that although artificial structures may support similar species to nearby natural substrates, the abundance and frequency of those species may differ between the two types of sites. Fish also can be found around pilings, typically using them as a source of shelter. Whether these artificial structures can provide an ecosystem equivalent to a natural structure is still up for debate. Increased fish assemblages around pilings may not be solely the outcome of the presence of structure, but also the result of a supplementary food source when food waste is discarded from private homes or restaurants. Food provisioning can change the abundance, species diversity, and even size classes of fishes found in an area.
The overall aim of our research is to determine whether structures built in and over the water along the coastlines of Bocas del Toro are affecting local marine populations and if they are an effective habitat. The study will investigate invertebrate and fish species present in these habitats, as well as the species diversity and overall organism abundance. Eight students are working as a group on this project, but each has their own research question that they are focusing on, as seen below:
Leslie: Does the material of a piling affect the diversity and assemblage of species that grow on the piling?Madison: How do artificial habitats affect the diversity and abundance of common sponge species?Brooke: Do dock pilings and mangrove roots share similar percent species composition, allowing pilings to act as artificial mangrove communities?Alaina: Do urban and non-urban pilings differ in algal diversity and abundance?Katie: Does proximity of pilings to Bocas Town affect epifaunal species compositions and succession?Raechel: Does piling distance from Bocas Town affect the species density and distribution of sea stars, ascidians, and bivalves?Ella: Does the surrounding environment and human presence influence the abundance and size of fish found near pilings?Sophia: Does fish species composition, abundance, and size vary among pilings near town, pilings near mangroves and reefs, and natural mangrove forests and coral reefs?
We are about halfway through DR and so far it has been going great. It is one of the hardest and definitely one of the most rewarding parts of the SFS program, as students have to not only conduct research but also write a proposal and come up with their own methods for how to collect data. We have another week in the field followed by a week of data analysis and writing, and I know that everyone in our group is excited to see the results that their data and the data of their peers produce!
→ Tropical Island Biodiversity Studies in Panama
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[post_content] => Even though Bocas del Toro is a relatively small island group with an equally small population, it is home to a surprisingly large number of organizations and people that are promoting marine science and other environmental conservation issues. Every semester it seems like we are able to build a connection with another organization, which enhances our curriculum here at the SFS Center for Tropical Island Biodiversity Studies (TIBS) and helps connect us further to the community.
This semester we visited Coral Restoration Panama (CRP) for the first time as part of the Tropical Coastal Ecology course. Coral Restoration Panama is a local organization working to restore the coral reefs in Bocas through the creation of artificial reefs and a coral nursery operation. After spending time in class discussing coral reefs and threats to reefs both worldwide and specifically here in Bocas, we had a chance to snorkel at a couple of our local reefs and see the corals as well as the effects of disease and bleaching firsthand. The following week we headed to Coral Restoration Panama to hear what is being done here in the archipelago. CRP has been putting creating and putting down artificial reefs over the past year, and has recently begun fragmenting corals and growing them on “trees” out in front of their site. The process of fragmenting causes the corals to grow at a much higher rate than they would naturally, and these pieces will then be further fragmented or attached to the new structures the CRP staff have created. It was especially interesting to hear that they were using this process, as we had watched a video in class describing how this technique was just recently discovered and was being utilized in the United States. It was exciting to then snorkel their site and see the growth of some coral fragments that were recently attached to the structures, and I look forward to following their progress when we visit the site with future student groups.
All photos courtesy of Anna Chahuneau
Another organization we have had the opportunity to learn from is the Sea Turtle Conservancy (STC). The STC is the longest-running sea turtle organization worldwide, and they began working in Panama in 2003. There are several beaches in the Bocas del Toro Archipelago that are important nesting sites for hawksbill and leatherback sea turtles, and the STC staff have been working to monitor those beaches, conduct research, and educate locals and tourists and SFS students about sea turtles and the threats they face. In addition to learning about the turtles in Bocas during a guest lecture from Guillermo Lopez-Torrents, the STC Panama outreach coordinator, some of our students have had the opportunity to join in on night patrols for nesting mothers or early morning walks to check nests that are ready to hatch. While one can never guarantee a sighting during these surveys, one group of students got to see a whole nest hatch last fall!
Interacting with these organizations doesn’t only happen during class time. We arrange visits to the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute’s monthly evening presentations for students who are interested. On the weekends, some students and staff have participated in monthly clean up dives that are run by the Bocas Dive Center – a great way for certified divers to get more diving experience while also cleaning up our local marine environment and exposing students to the extent of the trash problem we have here in Bocas.
Speaking of trash, one of the new opportunities I am most excited about is being able to recycle our plastic with Reciplastic, a company that turns plastics into “plastic lumber.” One of our community engagement groups began working with Reciplastic this semester in order to find out more about what they are doing and figure out how we can organize getting plastic from the schools and businesses in Bocas to their center, which is located on the mainland. Prior to Reciplastic opening in the area, there were no options for recycling plastic, which is a big problem for a small island with a growing population. We invited the engineer behind the program to come talk to our class, and a group of local high school students who were interested in the project came and joined us for the lecture as well. While we are just in the beginning stages with this particular project, we are looking forward to more collaborations with the local community, conservation-focused groups in Bocas, and companies such as Reciplastic to not only improve the quality of the experiential education for SFS students but also the environment of Bocas.
→ Tropical Island Biodiversity Studies in Panama
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[post_content] => Hola! This is a guest post, as I am normally the lecturer in Tropical Coastal Ecology for the SFS Center for Tropical Island Biodiversity Studies in Bocas del Toro, Panama. I was given the opportunity to visit the TCI campus for two weeks during Summer Session II, and I have had a great time learning from both the faculty and students here – and of course enjoying the beautiful scenery above and below water.
I picked a great week to arrive – the students just received their briefing on how to conduct photo-identification surveys of spotted eagle rays and sea turtles and were gearing up to get into the water. After several days of dive and snorkel surveys, Professors Fran and Ev gave a workshop on how to use the photo identification software I3S and students used this program to annotate the photos and match individuals among sites as well as to a database of individuals identified in past years. These data are currently being used by students to create a poster outlining considerations for either ecotourism or management of eagle ray and sea turtles in South Caicos.
There is never just one thing going on at SFS, so as we wrap up the photo-ID FEX – or Field Exercise – we are also starting to collect data for the BRUV FEX. BRUV stands for baited remote underwater video and is essentially a metal frame with a camera aimed at an arm where a canister of bait can be attached. We are deploying these each day at three sites near campus to obtain data on the abundance of sharks and rays in South Caicos.
I have enjoyed getting to participate in these research projects and also having the chance to observe a new marine ecosystem. Many of the species of corals and fishes I have seen are familiar and we also find in our reefs in Bocas del Toro. However, despite the fact that both sites are tropical islands, they also have some differences. South Caicos receives about 55 cm of rainfall annually; Bocas del Toro receives 345 cm! South Caicos is 370 km from the nearest large body of land (Dominican Republic); Isla Colon is less than 10 from the mainland of Panama. These differences especially affect the nutrient runoff into the area and therefore the types of life it best supports. Turks and Caicos Islands are known for clear, turquoise water that house nutrient-efficient coral reefs, and deep nearby waters that bring megafauna close by. Bocas del Toro on the other hand, has a great mix of habitats: small mangrove islands with roots covered in colorful sponges spot the waterway just inland of our main islands, whereas the ocean-facing sides of islands are more similar to the reefs seen here in TCI.
Just like the ecosystems in which they are located, the centers at TCI and Panama are each unique but serve the same purpose. TCI is the only SFS center that is fully focused on the marine environment, whereas Panama is home to what we lovingly call the “surf-n-turf” program, examining both the coastal and terrestrial ecosystems. Regardless, both programs educate passionate and enthusiastic students about the organisms and habitats in the area, the issues they face, and how to conduct research and conserve what we all love and came here to study. The campuses are set up a little differently, but students all come together in the common areas to work on group assignments or play games in the evenings. Professors and students share stories over group dinners cooked by loving kitchen staff. And of course, everyone’s favorite part of the day is when they get to go out into the field and conduct research!
Photo courtesy of John DeBuysser
I have enjoyed getting to learn from the knowledgeable staff here at TCI and have gotten great ideas to incorporate into my class back in Panama. It is great to be reminded of how many passionate people work for and study with SFS and the larger community that we all belong to when we join the SFS family.
Photo courtesy of John DeBuysser→ Marine Megafauna in the Turks and Caicos Islands
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NAME
SCHOOL
> MAJOR
SFS PROGRAM
> Summer '19
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[description] => Panama is the great connector between two continents; a corridor that links the natural riches of Central America to South America. Few places on Earth can claim the density of species and ecosystem richness that this isthmus can. Our classroom in Panama is the archipelago of Bocas Del Toro; a place where forest and shore come together and present almost limitless opportunities to study the ecology and conservation of both the marine and terrestrial realms.
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[post_content] => Covered in lush rainforests, hundreds of mangrove islands, and coral reefs teeming with diverse marine life, the Bocas del Toro Archipelago serves as a living laboratory for studying tropical biodiversity. This chain of islands is populated by everything from hummingbirds and howler monkeys to stingrays, dolphins, sloths, and brightly colored poison dart frogs. At first glance, Bocas is nothing short of paradise.
However, climate change and increased tourism on the islands have led to ecosystem and natural resource degradation while also threatening Indigenous islanders’ traditional livelihoods. Our research on the environmental impacts of tourism and development on the natural ecosystems in Bocas provides the community with data necessary to support more sustainable policies and protect the beautiful islands so many call home.
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[post_content] => The last four weeks of program at SFS are composed of Directed Research (DR). During this time students work with one of the Center's four professors on a research project specific to that field of study. We have some students working in the rainforest, others conducting interviews for social science research, and two groups in the water with marine projects. As the resident lecturer in Tropical Coastal Ecology, I am leading one of the marine DR groups in a pilot study that is focused on examining growth on pilings and understanding their significance as habitat.
As the human population grows and the desire for seaside property continues to rise, coastal landscapes are being increasingly altered and developed. The destruction of natural habitats for the creation of these structures undoubtedly has negative influences on the ecosystem; however, the addition of new hard structure may also provide artificial habitats. Here in Bocas del Toro, tourism has been growing rapidly over the past 20 years, and as part of this growth the number of restaurants, hotels, and private homes that are built on or over the water on pilings has also increased. Therefore, it is important to understand the role pilings play as an artificial habitat.
Artificial structures are quickly colonized by many species of invertebrates, including oysters, ascidians, and sponges. Research in other areas has shown that although artificial structures may support similar species to nearby natural substrates, the abundance and frequency of those species may differ between the two types of sites. Fish also can be found around pilings, typically using them as a source of shelter. Whether these artificial structures can provide an ecosystem equivalent to a natural structure is still up for debate. Increased fish assemblages around pilings may not be solely the outcome of the presence of structure, but also the result of a supplementary food source when food waste is discarded from private homes or restaurants. Food provisioning can change the abundance, species diversity, and even size classes of fishes found in an area.
The overall aim of our research is to determine whether structures built in and over the water along the coastlines of Bocas del Toro are affecting local marine populations and if they are an effective habitat. The study will investigate invertebrate and fish species present in these habitats, as well as the species diversity and overall organism abundance. Eight students are working as a group on this project, but each has their own research question that they are focusing on, as seen below:
Leslie: Does the material of a piling affect the diversity and assemblage of species that grow on the piling?Madison: How do artificial habitats affect the diversity and abundance of common sponge species?Brooke: Do dock pilings and mangrove roots share similar percent species composition, allowing pilings to act as artificial mangrove communities?Alaina: Do urban and non-urban pilings differ in algal diversity and abundance?Katie: Does proximity of pilings to Bocas Town affect epifaunal species compositions and succession?Raechel: Does piling distance from Bocas Town affect the species density and distribution of sea stars, ascidians, and bivalves?Ella: Does the surrounding environment and human presence influence the abundance and size of fish found near pilings?Sophia: Does fish species composition, abundance, and size vary among pilings near town, pilings near mangroves and reefs, and natural mangrove forests and coral reefs?
We are about halfway through DR and so far it has been going great. It is one of the hardest and definitely one of the most rewarding parts of the SFS program, as students have to not only conduct research but also write a proposal and come up with their own methods for how to collect data. We have another week in the field followed by a week of data analysis and writing, and I know that everyone in our group is excited to see the results that their data and the data of their peers produce!
→ Tropical Island Biodiversity Studies in Panama
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[post_content] => Even though Bocas del Toro is a relatively small island group with an equally small population, it is home to a surprisingly large number of organizations and people that are promoting marine science and other environmental conservation issues. Every semester it seems like we are able to build a connection with another organization, which enhances our curriculum here at the SFS Center for Tropical Island Biodiversity Studies (TIBS) and helps connect us further to the community.
This semester we visited Coral Restoration Panama (CRP) for the first time as part of the Tropical Coastal Ecology course. Coral Restoration Panama is a local organization working to restore the coral reefs in Bocas through the creation of artificial reefs and a coral nursery operation. After spending time in class discussing coral reefs and threats to reefs both worldwide and specifically here in Bocas, we had a chance to snorkel at a couple of our local reefs and see the corals as well as the effects of disease and bleaching firsthand. The following week we headed to Coral Restoration Panama to hear what is being done here in the archipelago. CRP has been putting creating and putting down artificial reefs over the past year, and has recently begun fragmenting corals and growing them on “trees” out in front of their site. The process of fragmenting causes the corals to grow at a much higher rate than they would naturally, and these pieces will then be further fragmented or attached to the new structures the CRP staff have created. It was especially interesting to hear that they were using this process, as we had watched a video in class describing how this technique was just recently discovered and was being utilized in the United States. It was exciting to then snorkel their site and see the growth of some coral fragments that were recently attached to the structures, and I look forward to following their progress when we visit the site with future student groups.
All photos courtesy of Anna Chahuneau
Another organization we have had the opportunity to learn from is the Sea Turtle Conservancy (STC). The STC is the longest-running sea turtle organization worldwide, and they began working in Panama in 2003. There are several beaches in the Bocas del Toro Archipelago that are important nesting sites for hawksbill and leatherback sea turtles, and the STC staff have been working to monitor those beaches, conduct research, and educate locals and tourists and SFS students about sea turtles and the threats they face. In addition to learning about the turtles in Bocas during a guest lecture from Guillermo Lopez-Torrents, the STC Panama outreach coordinator, some of our students have had the opportunity to join in on night patrols for nesting mothers or early morning walks to check nests that are ready to hatch. While one can never guarantee a sighting during these surveys, one group of students got to see a whole nest hatch last fall!
Interacting with these organizations doesn’t only happen during class time. We arrange visits to the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute’s monthly evening presentations for students who are interested. On the weekends, some students and staff have participated in monthly clean up dives that are run by the Bocas Dive Center – a great way for certified divers to get more diving experience while also cleaning up our local marine environment and exposing students to the extent of the trash problem we have here in Bocas.
Speaking of trash, one of the new opportunities I am most excited about is being able to recycle our plastic with Reciplastic, a company that turns plastics into “plastic lumber.” One of our community engagement groups began working with Reciplastic this semester in order to find out more about what they are doing and figure out how we can organize getting plastic from the schools and businesses in Bocas to their center, which is located on the mainland. Prior to Reciplastic opening in the area, there were no options for recycling plastic, which is a big problem for a small island with a growing population. We invited the engineer behind the program to come talk to our class, and a group of local high school students who were interested in the project came and joined us for the lecture as well. While we are just in the beginning stages with this particular project, we are looking forward to more collaborations with the local community, conservation-focused groups in Bocas, and companies such as Reciplastic to not only improve the quality of the experiential education for SFS students but also the environment of Bocas.
→ Tropical Island Biodiversity Studies in Panama
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[post_content] => Hola! This is a guest post, as I am normally the lecturer in Tropical Coastal Ecology for the SFS Center for Tropical Island Biodiversity Studies in Bocas del Toro, Panama. I was given the opportunity to visit the TCI campus for two weeks during Summer Session II, and I have had a great time learning from both the faculty and students here – and of course enjoying the beautiful scenery above and below water.
I picked a great week to arrive – the students just received their briefing on how to conduct photo-identification surveys of spotted eagle rays and sea turtles and were gearing up to get into the water. After several days of dive and snorkel surveys, Professors Fran and Ev gave a workshop on how to use the photo identification software I3S and students used this program to annotate the photos and match individuals among sites as well as to a database of individuals identified in past years. These data are currently being used by students to create a poster outlining considerations for either ecotourism or management of eagle ray and sea turtles in South Caicos.
There is never just one thing going on at SFS, so as we wrap up the photo-ID FEX – or Field Exercise – we are also starting to collect data for the BRUV FEX. BRUV stands for baited remote underwater video and is essentially a metal frame with a camera aimed at an arm where a canister of bait can be attached. We are deploying these each day at three sites near campus to obtain data on the abundance of sharks and rays in South Caicos.
I have enjoyed getting to participate in these research projects and also having the chance to observe a new marine ecosystem. Many of the species of corals and fishes I have seen are familiar and we also find in our reefs in Bocas del Toro. However, despite the fact that both sites are tropical islands, they also have some differences. South Caicos receives about 55 cm of rainfall annually; Bocas del Toro receives 345 cm! South Caicos is 370 km from the nearest large body of land (Dominican Republic); Isla Colon is less than 10 from the mainland of Panama. These differences especially affect the nutrient runoff into the area and therefore the types of life it best supports. Turks and Caicos Islands are known for clear, turquoise water that house nutrient-efficient coral reefs, and deep nearby waters that bring megafauna close by. Bocas del Toro on the other hand, has a great mix of habitats: small mangrove islands with roots covered in colorful sponges spot the waterway just inland of our main islands, whereas the ocean-facing sides of islands are more similar to the reefs seen here in TCI.
Just like the ecosystems in which they are located, the centers at TCI and Panama are each unique but serve the same purpose. TCI is the only SFS center that is fully focused on the marine environment, whereas Panama is home to what we lovingly call the “surf-n-turf” program, examining both the coastal and terrestrial ecosystems. Regardless, both programs educate passionate and enthusiastic students about the organisms and habitats in the area, the issues they face, and how to conduct research and conserve what we all love and came here to study. The campuses are set up a little differently, but students all come together in the common areas to work on group assignments or play games in the evenings. Professors and students share stories over group dinners cooked by loving kitchen staff. And of course, everyone’s favorite part of the day is when they get to go out into the field and conduct research!
Photo courtesy of John DeBuysser
I have enjoyed getting to learn from the knowledgeable staff here at TCI and have gotten great ideas to incorporate into my class back in Panama. It is great to be reminded of how many passionate people work for and study with SFS and the larger community that we all belong to when we join the SFS family.
Photo courtesy of John DeBuysser→ Marine Megafauna in the Turks and Caicos Islands
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[post_content] => Covered in lush rainforests, hundreds of mangrove islands, and coral reefs teeming with diverse marine life, the Bocas del Toro Archipelago serves as a living laboratory for studying tropical biodiversity. This chain of islands is populated by everything from hummingbirds and howler monkeys to stingrays, dolphins, sloths, and brightly colored poison dart frogs. At first glance, Bocas is nothing short of paradise.
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[post_content] => The last four weeks of program at SFS are composed of Directed Research (DR). During this time students work with one of the Center's four professors on a research project specific to that field of study. We have some students working in the rainforest, others conducting interviews for social science research, and two groups in the water with marine projects. As the resident lecturer in Tropical Coastal Ecology, I am leading one of the marine DR groups in a pilot study that is focused on examining growth on pilings and understanding their significance as habitat.
As the human population grows and the desire for seaside property continues to rise, coastal landscapes are being increasingly altered and developed. The destruction of natural habitats for the creation of these structures undoubtedly has negative influences on the ecosystem; however, the addition of new hard structure may also provide artificial habitats. Here in Bocas del Toro, tourism has been growing rapidly over the past 20 years, and as part of this growth the number of restaurants, hotels, and private homes that are built on or over the water on pilings has also increased. Therefore, it is important to understand the role pilings play as an artificial habitat.
Artificial structures are quickly colonized by many species of invertebrates, including oysters, ascidians, and sponges. Research in other areas has shown that although artificial structures may support similar species to nearby natural substrates, the abundance and frequency of those species may differ between the two types of sites. Fish also can be found around pilings, typically using them as a source of shelter. Whether these artificial structures can provide an ecosystem equivalent to a natural structure is still up for debate. Increased fish assemblages around pilings may not be solely the outcome of the presence of structure, but also the result of a supplementary food source when food waste is discarded from private homes or restaurants. Food provisioning can change the abundance, species diversity, and even size classes of fishes found in an area.
The overall aim of our research is to determine whether structures built in and over the water along the coastlines of Bocas del Toro are affecting local marine populations and if they are an effective habitat. The study will investigate invertebrate and fish species present in these habitats, as well as the species diversity and overall organism abundance. Eight students are working as a group on this project, but each has their own research question that they are focusing on, as seen below:
Leslie: Does the material of a piling affect the diversity and assemblage of species that grow on the piling?Madison: How do artificial habitats affect the diversity and abundance of common sponge species?Brooke: Do dock pilings and mangrove roots share similar percent species composition, allowing pilings to act as artificial mangrove communities?Alaina: Do urban and non-urban pilings differ in algal diversity and abundance?Katie: Does proximity of pilings to Bocas Town affect epifaunal species compositions and succession?Raechel: Does piling distance from Bocas Town affect the species density and distribution of sea stars, ascidians, and bivalves?Ella: Does the surrounding environment and human presence influence the abundance and size of fish found near pilings?Sophia: Does fish species composition, abundance, and size vary among pilings near town, pilings near mangroves and reefs, and natural mangrove forests and coral reefs?
We are about halfway through DR and so far it has been going great. It is one of the hardest and definitely one of the most rewarding parts of the SFS program, as students have to not only conduct research but also write a proposal and come up with their own methods for how to collect data. We have another week in the field followed by a week of data analysis and writing, and I know that everyone in our group is excited to see the results that their data and the data of their peers produce!
→ Tropical Island Biodiversity Studies in Panama
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[post_content] => Even though Bocas del Toro is a relatively small island group with an equally small population, it is home to a surprisingly large number of organizations and people that are promoting marine science and other environmental conservation issues. Every semester it seems like we are able to build a connection with another organization, which enhances our curriculum here at the SFS Center for Tropical Island Biodiversity Studies (TIBS) and helps connect us further to the community.
This semester we visited Coral Restoration Panama (CRP) for the first time as part of the Tropical Coastal Ecology course. Coral Restoration Panama is a local organization working to restore the coral reefs in Bocas through the creation of artificial reefs and a coral nursery operation. After spending time in class discussing coral reefs and threats to reefs both worldwide and specifically here in Bocas, we had a chance to snorkel at a couple of our local reefs and see the corals as well as the effects of disease and bleaching firsthand. The following week we headed to Coral Restoration Panama to hear what is being done here in the archipelago. CRP has been putting creating and putting down artificial reefs over the past year, and has recently begun fragmenting corals and growing them on “trees” out in front of their site. The process of fragmenting causes the corals to grow at a much higher rate than they would naturally, and these pieces will then be further fragmented or attached to the new structures the CRP staff have created. It was especially interesting to hear that they were using this process, as we had watched a video in class describing how this technique was just recently discovered and was being utilized in the United States. It was exciting to then snorkel their site and see the growth of some coral fragments that were recently attached to the structures, and I look forward to following their progress when we visit the site with future student groups.
All photos courtesy of Anna Chahuneau
Another organization we have had the opportunity to learn from is the Sea Turtle Conservancy (STC). The STC is the longest-running sea turtle organization worldwide, and they began working in Panama in 2003. There are several beaches in the Bocas del Toro Archipelago that are important nesting sites for hawksbill and leatherback sea turtles, and the STC staff have been working to monitor those beaches, conduct research, and educate locals and tourists and SFS students about sea turtles and the threats they face. In addition to learning about the turtles in Bocas during a guest lecture from Guillermo Lopez-Torrents, the STC Panama outreach coordinator, some of our students have had the opportunity to join in on night patrols for nesting mothers or early morning walks to check nests that are ready to hatch. While one can never guarantee a sighting during these surveys, one group of students got to see a whole nest hatch last fall!
Interacting with these organizations doesn’t only happen during class time. We arrange visits to the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute’s monthly evening presentations for students who are interested. On the weekends, some students and staff have participated in monthly clean up dives that are run by the Bocas Dive Center – a great way for certified divers to get more diving experience while also cleaning up our local marine environment and exposing students to the extent of the trash problem we have here in Bocas.
Speaking of trash, one of the new opportunities I am most excited about is being able to recycle our plastic with Reciplastic, a company that turns plastics into “plastic lumber.” One of our community engagement groups began working with Reciplastic this semester in order to find out more about what they are doing and figure out how we can organize getting plastic from the schools and businesses in Bocas to their center, which is located on the mainland. Prior to Reciplastic opening in the area, there were no options for recycling plastic, which is a big problem for a small island with a growing population. We invited the engineer behind the program to come talk to our class, and a group of local high school students who were interested in the project came and joined us for the lecture as well. While we are just in the beginning stages with this particular project, we are looking forward to more collaborations with the local community, conservation-focused groups in Bocas, and companies such as Reciplastic to not only improve the quality of the experiential education for SFS students but also the environment of Bocas.
→ Tropical Island Biodiversity Studies in Panama
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[post_content] => Hola! This is a guest post, as I am normally the lecturer in Tropical Coastal Ecology for the SFS Center for Tropical Island Biodiversity Studies in Bocas del Toro, Panama. I was given the opportunity to visit the TCI campus for two weeks during Summer Session II, and I have had a great time learning from both the faculty and students here – and of course enjoying the beautiful scenery above and below water.
I picked a great week to arrive – the students just received their briefing on how to conduct photo-identification surveys of spotted eagle rays and sea turtles and were gearing up to get into the water. After several days of dive and snorkel surveys, Professors Fran and Ev gave a workshop on how to use the photo identification software I3S and students used this program to annotate the photos and match individuals among sites as well as to a database of individuals identified in past years. These data are currently being used by students to create a poster outlining considerations for either ecotourism or management of eagle ray and sea turtles in South Caicos.
There is never just one thing going on at SFS, so as we wrap up the photo-ID FEX – or Field Exercise – we are also starting to collect data for the BRUV FEX. BRUV stands for baited remote underwater video and is essentially a metal frame with a camera aimed at an arm where a canister of bait can be attached. We are deploying these each day at three sites near campus to obtain data on the abundance of sharks and rays in South Caicos.
I have enjoyed getting to participate in these research projects and also having the chance to observe a new marine ecosystem. Many of the species of corals and fishes I have seen are familiar and we also find in our reefs in Bocas del Toro. However, despite the fact that both sites are tropical islands, they also have some differences. South Caicos receives about 55 cm of rainfall annually; Bocas del Toro receives 345 cm! South Caicos is 370 km from the nearest large body of land (Dominican Republic); Isla Colon is less than 10 from the mainland of Panama. These differences especially affect the nutrient runoff into the area and therefore the types of life it best supports. Turks and Caicos Islands are known for clear, turquoise water that house nutrient-efficient coral reefs, and deep nearby waters that bring megafauna close by. Bocas del Toro on the other hand, has a great mix of habitats: small mangrove islands with roots covered in colorful sponges spot the waterway just inland of our main islands, whereas the ocean-facing sides of islands are more similar to the reefs seen here in TCI.
Just like the ecosystems in which they are located, the centers at TCI and Panama are each unique but serve the same purpose. TCI is the only SFS center that is fully focused on the marine environment, whereas Panama is home to what we lovingly call the “surf-n-turf” program, examining both the coastal and terrestrial ecosystems. Regardless, both programs educate passionate and enthusiastic students about the organisms and habitats in the area, the issues they face, and how to conduct research and conserve what we all love and came here to study. The campuses are set up a little differently, but students all come together in the common areas to work on group assignments or play games in the evenings. Professors and students share stories over group dinners cooked by loving kitchen staff. And of course, everyone’s favorite part of the day is when they get to go out into the field and conduct research!
Photo courtesy of John DeBuysser
I have enjoyed getting to learn from the knowledgeable staff here at TCI and have gotten great ideas to incorporate into my class back in Panama. It is great to be reminded of how many passionate people work for and study with SFS and the larger community that we all belong to when we join the SFS family.
Photo courtesy of John DeBuysser→ Marine Megafauna in the Turks and Caicos Islands
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NAME
SCHOOL
> MAJOR
SFS PROGRAM
> Summer '19
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[post_title] => Carolyn Kovacs, M.S.
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[description] => Panama is the great connector between two continents; a corridor that links the natural riches of Central America to South America. Few places on Earth can claim the density of species and ecosystem richness that this isthmus can. Our classroom in Panama is the archipelago of Bocas Del Toro; a place where forest and shore come together and present almost limitless opportunities to study the ecology and conservation of both the marine and terrestrial realms.
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[post_content] => Covered in lush rainforests, hundreds of mangrove islands, and coral reefs teeming with diverse marine life, the Bocas del Toro Archipelago serves as a living laboratory for studying tropical biodiversity. This chain of islands is populated by everything from hummingbirds and howler monkeys to stingrays, dolphins, sloths, and brightly colored poison dart frogs. At first glance, Bocas is nothing short of paradise.
However, climate change and increased tourism on the islands have led to ecosystem and natural resource degradation while also threatening Indigenous islanders’ traditional livelihoods. Our research on the environmental impacts of tourism and development on the natural ecosystems in Bocas provides the community with data necessary to support more sustainable policies and protect the beautiful islands so many call home.
[post_title] => Center for Tropical Island Biodiversity Studies
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[post_content] => The last four weeks of program at SFS are composed of Directed Research (DR). During this time students work with one of the Center's four professors on a research project specific to that field of study. We have some students working in the rainforest, others conducting interviews for social science research, and two groups in the water with marine projects. As the resident lecturer in Tropical Coastal Ecology, I am leading one of the marine DR groups in a pilot study that is focused on examining growth on pilings and understanding their significance as habitat.
As the human population grows and the desire for seaside property continues to rise, coastal landscapes are being increasingly altered and developed. The destruction of natural habitats for the creation of these structures undoubtedly has negative influences on the ecosystem; however, the addition of new hard structure may also provide artificial habitats. Here in Bocas del Toro, tourism has been growing rapidly over the past 20 years, and as part of this growth the number of restaurants, hotels, and private homes that are built on or over the water on pilings has also increased. Therefore, it is important to understand the role pilings play as an artificial habitat.
Artificial structures are quickly colonized by many species of invertebrates, including oysters, ascidians, and sponges. Research in other areas has shown that although artificial structures may support similar species to nearby natural substrates, the abundance and frequency of those species may differ between the two types of sites. Fish also can be found around pilings, typically using them as a source of shelter. Whether these artificial structures can provide an ecosystem equivalent to a natural structure is still up for debate. Increased fish assemblages around pilings may not be solely the outcome of the presence of structure, but also the result of a supplementary food source when food waste is discarded from private homes or restaurants. Food provisioning can change the abundance, species diversity, and even size classes of fishes found in an area.
The overall aim of our research is to determine whether structures built in and over the water along the coastlines of Bocas del Toro are affecting local marine populations and if they are an effective habitat. The study will investigate invertebrate and fish species present in these habitats, as well as the species diversity and overall organism abundance. Eight students are working as a group on this project, but each has their own research question that they are focusing on, as seen below:
Leslie: Does the material of a piling affect the diversity and assemblage of species that grow on the piling?Madison: How do artificial habitats affect the diversity and abundance of common sponge species?Brooke: Do dock pilings and mangrove roots share similar percent species composition, allowing pilings to act as artificial mangrove communities?Alaina: Do urban and non-urban pilings differ in algal diversity and abundance?Katie: Does proximity of pilings to Bocas Town affect epifaunal species compositions and succession?Raechel: Does piling distance from Bocas Town affect the species density and distribution of sea stars, ascidians, and bivalves?Ella: Does the surrounding environment and human presence influence the abundance and size of fish found near pilings?Sophia: Does fish species composition, abundance, and size vary among pilings near town, pilings near mangroves and reefs, and natural mangrove forests and coral reefs?
We are about halfway through DR and so far it has been going great. It is one of the hardest and definitely one of the most rewarding parts of the SFS program, as students have to not only conduct research but also write a proposal and come up with their own methods for how to collect data. We have another week in the field followed by a week of data analysis and writing, and I know that everyone in our group is excited to see the results that their data and the data of their peers produce!
→ Tropical Island Biodiversity Studies in Panama
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[post_content] => Even though Bocas del Toro is a relatively small island group with an equally small population, it is home to a surprisingly large number of organizations and people that are promoting marine science and other environmental conservation issues. Every semester it seems like we are able to build a connection with another organization, which enhances our curriculum here at the SFS Center for Tropical Island Biodiversity Studies (TIBS) and helps connect us further to the community.
This semester we visited Coral Restoration Panama (CRP) for the first time as part of the Tropical Coastal Ecology course. Coral Restoration Panama is a local organization working to restore the coral reefs in Bocas through the creation of artificial reefs and a coral nursery operation. After spending time in class discussing coral reefs and threats to reefs both worldwide and specifically here in Bocas, we had a chance to snorkel at a couple of our local reefs and see the corals as well as the effects of disease and bleaching firsthand. The following week we headed to Coral Restoration Panama to hear what is being done here in the archipelago. CRP has been putting creating and putting down artificial reefs over the past year, and has recently begun fragmenting corals and growing them on “trees” out in front of their site. The process of fragmenting causes the corals to grow at a much higher rate than they would naturally, and these pieces will then be further fragmented or attached to the new structures the CRP staff have created. It was especially interesting to hear that they were using this process, as we had watched a video in class describing how this technique was just recently discovered and was being utilized in the United States. It was exciting to then snorkel their site and see the growth of some coral fragments that were recently attached to the structures, and I look forward to following their progress when we visit the site with future student groups.
All photos courtesy of Anna Chahuneau
Another organization we have had the opportunity to learn from is the Sea Turtle Conservancy (STC). The STC is the longest-running sea turtle organization worldwide, and they began working in Panama in 2003. There are several beaches in the Bocas del Toro Archipelago that are important nesting sites for hawksbill and leatherback sea turtles, and the STC staff have been working to monitor those beaches, conduct research, and educate locals and tourists and SFS students about sea turtles and the threats they face. In addition to learning about the turtles in Bocas during a guest lecture from Guillermo Lopez-Torrents, the STC Panama outreach coordinator, some of our students have had the opportunity to join in on night patrols for nesting mothers or early morning walks to check nests that are ready to hatch. While one can never guarantee a sighting during these surveys, one group of students got to see a whole nest hatch last fall!
Interacting with these organizations doesn’t only happen during class time. We arrange visits to the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute’s monthly evening presentations for students who are interested. On the weekends, some students and staff have participated in monthly clean up dives that are run by the Bocas Dive Center – a great way for certified divers to get more diving experience while also cleaning up our local marine environment and exposing students to the extent of the trash problem we have here in Bocas.
Speaking of trash, one of the new opportunities I am most excited about is being able to recycle our plastic with Reciplastic, a company that turns plastics into “plastic lumber.” One of our community engagement groups began working with Reciplastic this semester in order to find out more about what they are doing and figure out how we can organize getting plastic from the schools and businesses in Bocas to their center, which is located on the mainland. Prior to Reciplastic opening in the area, there were no options for recycling plastic, which is a big problem for a small island with a growing population. We invited the engineer behind the program to come talk to our class, and a group of local high school students who were interested in the project came and joined us for the lecture as well. While we are just in the beginning stages with this particular project, we are looking forward to more collaborations with the local community, conservation-focused groups in Bocas, and companies such as Reciplastic to not only improve the quality of the experiential education for SFS students but also the environment of Bocas.
→ Tropical Island Biodiversity Studies in Panama
[post_title] => Making Connections
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[post_date] => 2019-07-30 16:24:19
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[post_content] => Hola! This is a guest post, as I am normally the lecturer in Tropical Coastal Ecology for the SFS Center for Tropical Island Biodiversity Studies in Bocas del Toro, Panama. I was given the opportunity to visit the TCI campus for two weeks during Summer Session II, and I have had a great time learning from both the faculty and students here – and of course enjoying the beautiful scenery above and below water.
I picked a great week to arrive – the students just received their briefing on how to conduct photo-identification surveys of spotted eagle rays and sea turtles and were gearing up to get into the water. After several days of dive and snorkel surveys, Professors Fran and Ev gave a workshop on how to use the photo identification software I3S and students used this program to annotate the photos and match individuals among sites as well as to a database of individuals identified in past years. These data are currently being used by students to create a poster outlining considerations for either ecotourism or management of eagle ray and sea turtles in South Caicos.
There is never just one thing going on at SFS, so as we wrap up the photo-ID FEX – or Field Exercise – we are also starting to collect data for the BRUV FEX. BRUV stands for baited remote underwater video and is essentially a metal frame with a camera aimed at an arm where a canister of bait can be attached. We are deploying these each day at three sites near campus to obtain data on the abundance of sharks and rays in South Caicos.
I have enjoyed getting to participate in these research projects and also having the chance to observe a new marine ecosystem. Many of the species of corals and fishes I have seen are familiar and we also find in our reefs in Bocas del Toro. However, despite the fact that both sites are tropical islands, they also have some differences. South Caicos receives about 55 cm of rainfall annually; Bocas del Toro receives 345 cm! South Caicos is 370 km from the nearest large body of land (Dominican Republic); Isla Colon is less than 10 from the mainland of Panama. These differences especially affect the nutrient runoff into the area and therefore the types of life it best supports. Turks and Caicos Islands are known for clear, turquoise water that house nutrient-efficient coral reefs, and deep nearby waters that bring megafauna close by. Bocas del Toro on the other hand, has a great mix of habitats: small mangrove islands with roots covered in colorful sponges spot the waterway just inland of our main islands, whereas the ocean-facing sides of islands are more similar to the reefs seen here in TCI.
Just like the ecosystems in which they are located, the centers at TCI and Panama are each unique but serve the same purpose. TCI is the only SFS center that is fully focused on the marine environment, whereas Panama is home to what we lovingly call the “surf-n-turf” program, examining both the coastal and terrestrial ecosystems. Regardless, both programs educate passionate and enthusiastic students about the organisms and habitats in the area, the issues they face, and how to conduct research and conserve what we all love and came here to study. The campuses are set up a little differently, but students all come together in the common areas to work on group assignments or play games in the evenings. Professors and students share stories over group dinners cooked by loving kitchen staff. And of course, everyone’s favorite part of the day is when they get to go out into the field and conduct research!
Photo courtesy of John DeBuysser
I have enjoyed getting to learn from the knowledgeable staff here at TCI and have gotten great ideas to incorporate into my class back in Panama. It is great to be reminded of how many passionate people work for and study with SFS and the larger community that we all belong to when we join the SFS family.
Photo courtesy of John DeBuysser→ Marine Megafauna in the Turks and Caicos Islands
[post_title] => SFS Panama in TCI!
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Hola! This is a guest post, as I am normally the lecturer in Tropical Coastal Ecology for the SFS Center for Tropical Island Biodiversity Studies in Bocas del Toro, Panama. I was given the opportunity to visit the TCI campus for two weeks during Summer Session II, and I have had a great time learning from both the faculty and students here – and of course enjoying the beautiful scenery above and below water.
I picked a great week to arrive – the students just received their briefing on how to conduct photo-identification surveys of spotted eagle rays and sea turtles and were gearing up to get into the water. After several days of dive and snorkel surveys, Professors Fran and Ev gave a workshop on how to use the photo identification software I3S and students used this program to annotate the photos and match individuals among sites as well as to a database of individuals identified in past years. These data are currently being used by students to create a poster outlining considerations for either ecotourism or management of eagle ray and sea turtles in South Caicos.
There is never just one thing going on at SFS, so as we wrap up the photo-ID FEX – or Field Exercise – we are also starting to collect data for the BRUV FEX. BRUV stands for baited remote underwater video and is essentially a metal frame with a camera aimed at an arm where a canister of bait can be attached. We are deploying these each day at three sites near campus to obtain data on the abundance of sharks and rays in South Caicos.
I have enjoyed getting to participate in these research projects and also having the chance to observe a new marine ecosystem. Many of the species of corals and fishes I have seen are familiar and we also find in our reefs in Bocas del Toro. However, despite the fact that both sites are tropical islands, they also have some differences. South Caicos receives about 55 cm of rainfall annually; Bocas del Toro receives 345 cm! South Caicos is 370 km from the nearest large body of land (Dominican Republic); Isla Colon is less than 10 from the mainland of Panama. These differences especially affect the nutrient runoff into the area and therefore the types of life it best supports. Turks and Caicos Islands are known for clear, turquoise water that house nutrient-efficient coral reefs, and deep nearby waters that bring megafauna close by. Bocas del Toro on the other hand, has a great mix of habitats: small mangrove islands with roots covered in colorful sponges spot the waterway just inland of our main islands, whereas the ocean-facing sides of islands are more similar to the reefs seen here in TCI.
Just like the ecosystems in which they are located, the centers at TCI and Panama are each unique but serve the same purpose. TCI is the only SFS center that is fully focused on the marine environment, whereas Panama is home to what we lovingly call the “surf-n-turf” program, examining both the coastal and terrestrial ecosystems. Regardless, both programs educate passionate and enthusiastic students about the organisms and habitats in the area, the issues they face, and how to conduct research and conserve what we all love and came here to study. The campuses are set up a little differently, but students all come together in the common areas to work on group assignments or play games in the evenings. Professors and students share stories over group dinners cooked by loving kitchen staff. And of course, everyone’s favorite part of the day is when they get to go out into the field and conduct research!
Photo courtesy of John DeBuysser
I have enjoyed getting to learn from the knowledgeable staff here at TCI and have gotten great ideas to incorporate into my class back in Panama. It is great to be reminded of how many passionate people work for and study with SFS and the larger community that we all belong to when we join the SFS family.