Continuing Azteca Adventures- Kate

Hello again!  My name is Kate Henderson, and I'm a rising junior at Villanova University.  I posted here to introduce my project back at the beginning of the summer, but I thought I would follow it up with another post now that I have most of my data.  As you may remember, I study Azteca trigona ants and how they impact species distribution and ant behavior in the forests of Barro Colorado Island.

View of an Azteca nest

My work this summer has focused on Azteca refuse, and the variety of impacts that it has on life in the forest.  Now, you might question why I would chose to spend the summer studying ant poop.  But it actually plays some very important roles in the ecosystem.  The refuse is enriched in a wide variety of nutrients, which can be important for different plants.  Since the nutrient-rich refuse accumulates close to the nests, it helps to drive habitat heterogeneity on the forest floor (an important factor for invertebrate diversity).  It's normally difficult to study the impacts of insect waste since it is so diffuse; however, Azteca make the perfect study subject since waste will accumulate under their long-lasting nests.  Azteca refuse contains lots of chemicals and pheromones, which other organisms might respond to.  Azteca are very aggressive ants (I can attest that they are not happy to have interns hovering around their nests), so my mentor and I had hypothesized that other ant species would avoid their refuse.

The first part of my project examined how Azteca impact plant growth and herbivory.  At the beginning of the summer, I collected Ochroma (balsa) seeds, cleaned them, and planted them. Once the plants were around a centimeter in height, we placed them in the field. I had 80 pots out- half of them under Azteca nests (where the seedlings received nutrients from the refuse and potentially protection), and the other half ten meters from the nests. Once a week I hiked out to measure and photograph all the seedlings.  After six weeks, I collected and weighed them.  Grand conclusion: lots of organisms like to eat Ochroma seedlings.  Of the 80 I planted, only 3 survived.  Despite our initial hypothesis, there was no difference in growth or survival based on proximity to Azteca nests.  This is actually a super interesting result, since there was a major difference in growth when seedlings were treated with refuse in the greenhouses last year.  We're trying to figure out what caused this difference (it could be that Azteca prune away the seedlings by their nests, or it could be that survival is just so low in the forest that the nutrients from the refuse make no difference.)  Either way, it's good for the Azteca nest's host tree- it gets the benefit of nutrients from the refuse without facing additional competition from seedlings.

For the second part of my study, I set out Azteca refuse, Azteca nest material, and sterilized soil (as a control) in front of Atta leafcutter ants and Eciton army ants, and filmed their reactions.  Azteca attack both of these species, so I had expected them to avoid the refuse and nest material.  The army ants did indeed avoid them (important, since army ants attack lots of species.  If Azteca keep the army ants away, many insects that Azteca don't attack will live in those trees).  Leafcutter ants, on the other hand, removed the refuse and nest material, likely because they keep their foraging trails and nests clear of any waste to prevent disease.  This project involved lots of videos of ants!  Tripods aren't well suited for pointing a camera straight down, so I created the lovely camera array above out of two plastic dog food containers, PVC pipe, liberal amounts of duct tape, and a GoPro.  Do I count as a real field scientist now?  This project was my absolute favorite to work on, since it involved lots of hours wandering Barro Colorado's beautiful forests in search of leafcutter and army ants.

I've had a fantastic time with STRI this summer, and have grown as a scientist and as a person.  I'm so thankful to have had the opportunity to spend months working on Barro Colorado Island, meeting scientists there, and experiencing some of Panama.  I'm lucky to have been a part of the Kaspari lab, and Jane Lucas has been an incredible graduate mentor!  I'm very grateful for STRI and the REU program for giving me this wonderful opportunity.

Sunrise on the island

The REU interns on Barro Colorado Island- me, Dan, Annika, and Lynn.  They're amazing people!

Annika and I were super excited to see this sloth

The beautiful island Taboga, where we spent a day off

Spider monkey!

Barro Colorado Island has really incredible forests

when you have to let him(s) go... -emily

Hi. I'm Emily, and I'm from Boston-ish. I'm a rising third-year at Cornell University, which sits in Ithaca, NY, David's hometown. Speaking of David, please pardon that fact that I'm sort of just copying his blog's format. I'm a Biology & Society major, which encourages you to not only do science but also examine the history, ethics, and social implications of the biological sciences. 

I'm interested in relationships, especially friendship. Why do animals, from humans to vampire bats, establish complex and cooperative social bonds when it seems like we'd gain the most from only helping ourselves and family? Is human friendship simply just an extremely nuanced form of what scientists call "reciprocity"? 

This brings me to my REU project and STRI mentor, Gerry Carter. Gerry is an often socially clueless human man who studies social bonds in non-humans (specifically, vampire bats). On a day to day basis, I help Gerry keep our vampire bat colony alive as well as analyze videos of cooperation in vampire bats.

Our Tolé female vampires. They are currently part of an experiment where we're seeing if they'll hang out with the bats that they previously were forced to live with in smaller cages. This would answer questions on how friendships form amongst the bats.

The keys to keeping vampire bats alive: 1) don't let the blood go bad and 2) don't let the blood go bad.

This past weekend, we went to Tolé, which is in Chiriquí, to release the male vampire bats back to their home roost. The roost is in this giant tree in the middle of some random farm field. Apparently some bat aficionado stumbled upon this giant tree in the middle of a farm field, where he found thousands of vampire bats, because hey, there's nothing like stumbling per chance on some random tree in a random field when you want to discover the largest vampire bat roost in Panama! 

We drove for 5 hours to this farm field, where we proceeded to get out of the truck, put on rubber boots and headlamps, and slosh through this lovely and deep mixture of cow poop and mud to get to the holy grail of vampire roosts. It was 9pm and dark, so when we stumbled upon the cows, their eyes were creepy and bulging from our headlamps' light. I won't lie: having these creepy night cows run unpredictably back and forth in front of you, muttering cow gurgles, as you make your way to this one tree is surprisingly terrifying. Any-moo, we make our way to the tree with the 15 male vampire bats in a cage and then start releasing them back into the roost. It was bittersweet. Bitter, because the males are petty and endearing creatures, but also because the roost emits this disgusting, bitter ammonia smell caused the large pool of digested-blood-poo that has accumulated from thousands of years of thousands of vampire bats living in the tree. All the males seemed happy to return home to the roost tree, but it's still hard to let him(s) go. (Side note: apparently, sometimes captive bats aren't accepted back to the home roost).

We're smiling for the camera, but our hearts were broken. You can see the triangular roost entrance.

Identifying the cute, fuzzy bat before letting him go off and fulfill his destiny of increasing inclusive fitness.

This is bat-unrelated, but the next morning, we woke up bright and early to go to the beach and kayak. I highly recommend any and all of you to go to Las Lajas beach at sunrise. The water is warm, and the sunlight is like liquid gold.

Las Lajas beach, where we went to qualm our sorrows at 6am over letting the beloved male bats go

The sand reminded us that although things can be rough, they can also be good and soft, too

And the continuous ebb and flow of the tides let us know that time is continuous and the bats we love must come and go

The following blurb of text is about vampire bats and their awesomeness, so if you're bored already and/or think that your organism is, like, way better, you can stop here. You have my permission.

Here's a secret (that I try to shove down other peoples' ears if they'll give me the chance): vampire bats are THE model system for studying cooperation and social bonds. Monkeys are cool and everything, but they're too hard of an animal system to manipulate. And if you can't manipulate a system, how can you test cooperative bonds? Humans exhibit cooperative behaviors, too, but I don't think the IRB would be cool with researchers purposely forcing stable friendships among people and then purposely ruining those friendships to examine the evolutionary design of social cognition. 

Cooperative behaviors in vampire bats can be induced and manipulated. I previously mentioned food sharing in vampire bats. Regurgitated food sharing occurs when a vampire fails to feed one night. This is really really bad, because vampires can't store fat energy by consuming blood. Feeding every night is important; if you're a vampire bat and fail to feed one night, you'll have less energy to feed every consecutive night and most likely starve to death. Thus, vampire bats that fail to feed will beg to their roost-mates. And oftentimes, these other vampires will regurgitate blood to feed the begging, starving individual. It's like a momma bird throwing up half-digested-worm to a baby chick, but this is a bunch of adult bats voluntarily throwing up to feed each other. What's more incredible is that previous relationships among bats predict this powerful act of cooperation and reciprocity.

It's not just a bunch of kin feeding each other; it's a bunch of bat friends looking out for each other in times of need.

And here is a reward for all you readers who made it to end of my long long long blog post:

Here's a vampire bat giving birth. I like to call these videos Bat Reality TV.

Butterflies, Sweat, & Beans - David

Hey y’all,

My name is David, and I hail from Ithaca, NY. I am a rising senior at Swarthmore College, which is just on the outskirts of Philadelphia, majoring in biology and minoring in history. My interests include stamp collecting and basketball but in terms of biology, I am interested in molecular ecology and using genomic and molecular techniques to obtain a deeper understanding of the mechanisms behind broader fundamental environmental and ecological questions.

¡Bienvenidos a Panamá!

As a STRI intern this summer, I have been working with Owen McMillan and focusing on Heleconius butterflies, an excellent model system for answering research questions that encompass genetics, development, and behavior. More specifically, I am pinpointing the specific genes that control for certain wing pattern colorations by using CRISPR/Cas9 to create specific gene knockouts. I would tell you more about how CRISPR/Cas9 works, but it’s pretty complicated and would take forever, and honestly I don’t even completely understand all of the different biochemical mechanisms and interactions at play. Don’t tell Owen.

Butterflies gobbling up pollen

What I can tell you is that I work with the legendary CRISPR team, which is held together by Carolina, who thankfully speaks English, French, and Spanish fluently. The team also includes Oscar, an ever cheerful guy that loves construction and always hits you up with an “¿Hola, qué tal?” every morning; Colin, a dude that sprained his foot on a subway (still not sure how that works) and uses the lab truck as his personal vehicle; Clement (affectionately known as Clementine), who doesn’t share chocolate but has improving English; and Manu, a guy that relies on the food truck for daily nourishment and can’t really cook, but is being taught to do so by Clementine. Clearly, from the beginning, we were a responsible group destined for success.  

It’s a great group to work with because everyone is serious about the research, but at the same time we are all laid-back and like to have fun with each other. Especially at Potting Party, which is always a blast where we scrub floors, weed plants, and sweat in close proximity to each other. Some days I go to Naos to do molecular work. Other days, I stay in Gamboa and play zookeeper, cleaning out caterpillar poop and feeding them to satisfy their voracious appetites. From time to time I also glue eggs to plates and then poke them with a long needle and squirt solutions into them. It’s a good time. The nice thing is that the zookeeping and the injections take place in air-conditioned rooms, but nevertheless I still end up sweating like a squeezed sponge.

5th instar caterpillar ready to pupate, other brethren in cups waiting to be fed in the background

I didn’t quite know what to expect when I first came to Panama other than the heat, but I have to say it’s been a fascinating experience. For example, being in a Spanish speaking country has forced me to sometimes navigate through uncomfortable situations where I have no idea what is going on and I have to mime things. I’ve eaten more beans in the past month than I have my entire life. I've grown accustomed to light beers. I harvest nearby mangoes, avocados, and coconuts. Time isn't really a serious rigid concept here; things are just early or late but it's just accepted and everyone gets along just fine. 

Life is definitely different here and it has changed me, but I haven’t really had too much time to reflect on how yet. I’m just trying to enjoy it as it lasts. But most of all, the people have been great and a lot of fun to meet. Shout out to the roommates Michael, Nick, & Lewis, aka "The Poor Kids of the One Room in 253 Without AC).

Michael - formerly known as Tarzan. Gives good haircuts. Enjoys frozen grapes as a snack. 

Nick - want to know something about a plant? He'll tell you along with 10x more than you ever wanted to hear. Lover of walks and apples. Perfect date? - probably taking a tour through an apple orchard.

Lewis - Stoic. Impermeable to heat/sweat. Mechanic. Swimming Beginner. Dumpster Diver Connoisseur. Massive consumer of grains. 

Although the research has obviously been the focus, this REU has also allowed for the opportunity to travel around and explore, whether it's to roof top bars in Casco Viejo, weekends on Taboga, or a hike up Volcán Báru (coming up this weekend)!

Casco Viejo

Taboga, with Panama City in the background

SOS

 Update as of 13/7/16, 23:11: Still no AC.

Dates are also written in an unconventional way here. 

I just typed this up at the resort cause the wifi is down at 253. Again. Struggles. 

Cheers,

David

Vampire Bats at Gamboa- Yeli

Hi friends,

Welcome to Gamboa! 

My name is Yeli (short for Yelitza). I am a rising Environmental Biology and Outdoor Education senior at Earlham College, a private liberal arts college in Richmond, Indiana. This summer, I was honored with the opportunity to work with the STRI bat lab at Gamboa.

Gerry working away on his next Nature and Science publications. 

I have a passion for animal behavior. I plan to keep producing research that will hopefully contribute in meaningful ways to the ongoing discussions of vertebrate cooperation and sociality. That is why I will be forever grateful for the opportunity to work at such a wonderful lab that explores many of the same questions I am interested in. AKA, the Gamboa Bat Lab! On a daily basis, I interact with a beautiful and driven group of people who have the same passions. The bat lab is made up of many other interns, graduate students, post-docs, and our Staff Scientist, Rachel Page. My mentor is Gerry Carter. He is a post-doc at the bat lab working on the social and sensory ecology of vampire bats. He is a creative, passionate and driven scientist and a great person all around. I was scared to meet him before coming to Panama, but since getting here, I have had a blast getting to know him and working for the vampire bat project. 

This is the other vampire project REU intern, Emily. She is also my roommate, collaborator and my closest friend here. I couldn't be more grateful to work with someone so sweet and wonderful! 

This is my bucket of feeders full of bovine blood.
 Lovely isn't it?

This is the maternity roost. Pictured are 4 moms and 4 pups!

My work at the lab is two things: "chores," and my own research. A typical day will usually consist of around 3 hours of chores, such as cleaning the bat feeders, feeding the bats, scoring videos of food sharing, and an entire day of experiments, running trials and statistical analyses for my research. I am currently interested in social dominance and aggressive behavior in vampire bats and chemical cues as a sensory bias for roost finding. 

This is a great stripe-faced bat, and the first bat
 I untangled from a mist net. 

Some days, I get to go mist netting with other interns or graduate students for bats. Mist nets are long, thin nets that form little pockets that bats fly into and get tangled. We untangle, process and either let the bats go or keep for studies. It's a really cool process, and probably one of my favorite things to do (because I get to pet the bats).

This is Deadpool. He was echolocating when I took this picture!

Look at this adorableness. Unbanded pup. 

People enjoying the Tangaras and Trachops station! 

This week in particular was special because July 3rd was Gamboa Bat Night! On the first Sunday of every month, the bat lab invites the public to come over to learn about bats and the research we have going on, and interact with bats in real time! This month, we had 3 stations: vampire bats (the best), the Tungara frogs and Trachops, and a mist netting station. It was amazing to see so many different people interested in bats and making the time to come out and learn about them! 

This sign was A+. 

Gerry killing it at bat night. 

It has only been a month since I have arrived at Gamboa, but it already holds special place in my heart. I still cannot believe I am here, getting to do the work I love the most and sharing with so many people who have similar passions and aspirations. I can't wait to see what the rest of the summer holds!

Thank you for reading about my journey at Gamboa.

Love and light, 

Yeli 

Dan's time on Barro Colorado Island

Hello! My name is Dan, and I’m from the Chicago suburbs. I am entering my senior year at Augustana College, a small liberal arts school on the border of Illinois and Iowa. Although my majors(M) and minors(m) are Biology(M), Environmental studies(M), psychology(m), and geography(m), my focus is on animal behavior. While I am in Panama I am studying group decision making and nourishment-based learning in the white faced capuchin monkey. Rather than keeping a written blog, I keep a video blog of my experiences (If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video must be worth millions!). So this is actually the first time I am writing about my experiences here. I wrote an eloquent and nearly poetic narrative of my time here thus far, but realized that (apparently) that's not what blogs are like.  So instead, I offer some pictures and brief descriptions of my amazing time here thus far. 

Every morning I am greeted by this breath taking sunrise. And although I've never been a fan of rising with the sun, the view softens the blow. 

Shortly after the sun peaks over the canal we go out in search of the monkeys. We typically stay with them for between five to six hours. It is a blast watching them interact with one another all day!

Just because we're looking for monkeys doesn't mean we don't see anything else in the forest. We are often distracted by other incredible forms of life.

On Tuesdays we go into Panama City for professional development and an educational seminar. After the academic side of the visit we typically go out for dinner, drinks, and to buy groceries and snacks. 

So far I've really enjoyed my time here. It's hard to believe that I'm already in my fourth week here. I see new things every day, and am hoping this trend continues until the day I leave. The island is full of life, and it is a privilege to be a part of it. 

My experience in the REU program - Nilka

(This is me. My first day in the REU program.)

 

Hello, my name is Nilka Gissette Gondola; I am Panamanian and the third year of study Environmental Biology at the University of Panama. This year I am participating in the REU program. I'm working with gastropods in the laboratory of Dr. Andrew Altieri and his team.

 

 

 

(Rocky shore, of the Pacific of Panama)

 

During my project, I will visit some rocky areas of the Pacific coast of Panama to look for a specific genre of gastropods. Currently I do not have all the pictures of what I've been doing, but I hope to share son.

 

(Welcome dinner)

It has been a wonderful experience to meet students from other countries and share with them. I hope that the stay in Panama of all participants in the REU program rewarding and enriching.
Thanks for reading me!

Azteca Ants - Annika

Hi! My name is Annika Salzberg and I, along with Kate (from the first blog post), am working in Dr. Kaspari's lab with his PhD student Jane Lucas on Azteca ants. I'm a rising sophomore at Haverford College, majoring in Biology - with plans to become an entomologist. I'll be telling you a bit about life on Barro Colorado Island and show you some of the cool stuff Kate and I have been doing!

This is our lab space, where we meet every morning before going out in the field.

The view upon arrival on BCI

A crocodile swimming past the BCI dock

When you arrive on the island, the first buildings you pass as you walk up from the dock are the two labs. There, you'll find offices and labs equipped with everything we need for our indoor experiments.  

The space I use when I need to work with chemicals

Though I've been working a lot with all the various projects the lab is running right now, I've been focused on looking at the effect of antibiotics on various invertebrates. We're examining how the elimination of fungus or bacteria affects creatures like millipedes, isopods, termites, and cockroaches. A the moment, I'm monitoring 120 millipedes!

The lab buildings, with the dock behind them

The cafeteria where everyone on the island has their meals

An average day for our group generally consists of field work in the morning, and lab work in the afternoon. Weather-wise, this is pretty convenient, since it rains more often than not in the afternoon - though the few times we've been caught out in a thunderstorm have been pretty fun! 

Above pictured are Jane Lucas, Kate, and myself, all working on various projects. Today, we went on a long hike to find 30 Azteca nests for Kate's project. We placed seedlings both underneath the nests (resulting in us all being bitten many, many times) and 10 meters away. Kate will be returning to all the seedlings once a week to check on their growth.

Lastly, here are some creatures I've photographed around the island! One of the most exciting parts about being in the tropics is the incredibly biodiversity one finds, even on such a small island. Click on the images to enlarge them!

Cane Toad

Yellow-headed gecko

The cafeteria windows at night attract many insects

A late-night visitor outside my dorm

Pseudoscorpion

Tungara frog

Passing around a giant cockroach

Sphinx moth found on a night hike

A tarantula discovered on a night hike

This grasshopper was about 5 or 6  inches long!

Thanks for reading!