OIMB Goes to Panama
Wednesday, September 18, 2024
Last Day in Panama
Tuesday, September 17, 2024
Day 11: Crunch Time
Today is Day 11 of our time here in Bocas, nearing our travel home on the 19th. With the end of our snorkel trips yesterday, teams have spent most of today finalizing graphs and posters for the presentations tonight. There was a quick break for lunch of baked chicken, pimento rice, and assorted vegetables by Desuze. One of the highlights of this trip, as seen by past entries, is his cooking. One of my favorite dishes he makes is the fried plantains. They will certainly be missed. Theres not a whole lot of action here at the station to report but below are a couple images of teams hard at work editing and revising before presenting.
Luuan of the Sea (Luke and Owen) |
The Urchinators (Hannah and Bennett) |
Cool Boa found by Maya S. and Owen |
The Brittle Boys |
The Rhiz Lads |
The Urchinators |
Luuan of the Sea |
Funky Roots |
Le Pez Hermanos |
Monday, September 16, 2024
Day 10: Ocean fun comes to a close
As the dive wrapped up, we saw one more small nurse shark to add to our surprisingly large list of shark encounters during our dives. This final shark was as if the reef was saying goodbye to all of us and giving us one last gift.
Overall the day was successful as we were able to say our final goodbyes to the waters of Bocas Del Toro. Even though there is still work ahead our time here is coming to a close, and today made me think about how lucky I am to be here. Thank you Bocas, we'll miss you.
Sunday, September 15, 2024
Day 9: Island Fevers
Today, the island fever hit -- well more like "fevers". If you've never heard of island fever, it's the anxious, almost sickly feeling that people get when they move away from the mainland to an isolated island. For us University of Oregonians, this is definitely much more isolated than Eugene or even Coos Bay. Unfortunately, this mental plague came with physical symptoms too. Along with the shared feeling of homesickness amongst us, a few of us have been feeling pretty under the weather today. We are so lucky to have our chef Desuze who kindly made some soup to help make them feel better. That kindness was today's motif.
Jackson working hard ✎ᝰ.ᐟ⋆⑅˚ |
This morning started with project time. Most of us are onto analyzing our data, but some of us still needed to do some data collection in the field. Since some of us weren't feeling so well, the rest of us were quick to help each other out -- applying aloe to another's sunburns, joining another team to let the sick partner rest, and gently checking-in on everyone's wellbeing. Later on in the day, a few of us even took off on the boat to help out Lainie and Alex with their ophiuroid project at Hospital Point.
Laine before heading out to Hospital Point 𓇼.ೃ࿔*:・ |
We all reunited for dinner with another amazing meal, special soups, and sweet desserts from Desuze and Omar. This is where Hannah J., Jack, Bennett, and I made the plan to head into Bocas Town to get some medication and electrolyte drinks for our sick friends. We made our way out shortly after, though Bennett had to stay behind after stubbing his toe (photo not included). We struggled to hail a cab there and back due to La Feria del Mar being in full swing. Although we were tired and sweaty at first, I'd say the adventure was worth it. It allowed us to slow down; chatting and joking the whole way and getting to experience the liveliness of the fair. We returned with a bonus too -- pizzas for all of us in the lab to share. The night ended with Disney movies, sports streaming, and brighter spirits than we started the day with.
Live picture of La Feria del Mar ✧˚ ༘ ⋆。˚
Traveling can be tough, especially with hot and humid conditions, a language barrier, and the general feeling of isolation. Though at the Smithsonian with the OIMB-crew, I don't feel so alone. We're all here to help each other and make sure we all have fun. We may not have come to this trip as close friends, some of us may not have even considered each other as friends at all. I can confidently say that's not the case anymore. I know that people have my back; I feel safe, heard, and valued by all of my friends here, new and old.
ᯓᡣ𐭩 Maya Selesnick
Saturday, September 14, 2024
Day 8: It was a good day
On the eighth day of Panama my mentors gave to me…an all day boat trip on the sea. Today was an eventful and slightly exhausting day packed with snorkeling pleasures and false strawberry ice-cream treasures.
The classes headed out to Isla Zapatillas (Parque Bastimentos) roughly around 8:30 am. On half hour boat ride over, I sat and watched as the frigate birds sailed above. Trying my best to recall all the information I could from my marine birds and mammals class and as I sat in my bird and mammal mode I was greeted by- A FLUKE! Some bottlenose dolphins had briefly interrupted our trip to the island.During our first two snorkels, we were treated to some lovely Elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) as well as a plethora of other corals (which would cost me another 4 years to truly learn). As I watch the fish dart in and our of their hiding holes, I can’t help but to feel like a giant watching over a city. A city filled with bustling workers (damsel, tangs, and parrotfish), and- of course- urchins. While I floated over these colorful reefs, I couldn't help but to find myself focusing on the plankton. I watched as countless ctenophores drifted by me paddles shimmering in the sunlight. Tiny siphonophores jetted by in colonies, and chaetognaths twitched and thrashed as they attacked their tiny prey.
Lunch was had in true marine biologist fashion. A sandwich on the beach: soaking wet and sunburnt (and I wouldn’t want it any other way). We all shared loud cheer after finding ripe pineapple packed in the strawberry ice cream tub. After lunch we played like young children in the shallow water of the white sand beach. The clear blue green water reminiscent of a tropical flavored Jell-O. We played sports with sticks and coconuts, roughhoused with one another, and begged and whined for more time when told we had 10 minutes left to play. Alas, we gathered our goods and headed out to the last two sites.
Tired, fed, and somehow MORE sunburnt than before, we hopped into our last two sites. Eels, 10-foot sharks, green turtles, and jellyfish fields had become our classroom once more. And while I wish I could give you the detailed in words- these photos will have to be worth the couple thousand. I don’t believe the most imaginative artists on earth could create the art that is the reefs I have witnessed. In the words of Maya Watts, “It was a good day".
Over and Out. RandiFriday, September 13, 2024
Day 7: Progress on Projects
Day 7 of being in Panama was spent almost entirely working on our projects. Lainie and I (the Brittle Boys) spent the morning using different methods of making agar with brittle star tissue because our first batch came out too mushy (see our failure batch in the picture below). It took a while to find a method that worked, but eventually we found that using twice the amount of agar powder would give our samples the consistency we wanted and thus, our crisis was averted! Once we had a much more solid batch, we headed out to the dock in the afternoon to see if any fish would eat the jellified brittle stars, spending almost two full hours sitting in the hot sun collecting data and getting sun burned.
Once the hard work was done, some of us went back into town in hopes a gift shop we saw yesterday would be open because we all really wanted to go on our day off, but the shop was unfortunately closed all day. The shop, The Black Cat, was definitely worth the wait. Inside were all kinds of beautiful artworks from paintings to wood carvings to painted dragon heads hung on the walls. There were also tons of really great shirts that we were all excited to look through. Then, we went out for ice cream to cool off from the hot sun. Here are some pics from our trip into town and the gift shop! We're all very excited for our all-day boat trip tomorrow after such a productive and fun day today!
Thursday, September 12, 2024
Day 6: A Day of Fun in Bocas Town
Day 6: Exploring Bocas Del Toro
The sixth day of our time at the Smithsonian Tropical
Research Institute (STRI) on Bocas Del Toro began a little later than usual, as
today was our only off day during our stay at the Bocas Del Toro research
institute. We started our day at 8 am with a meal from Desuze that consisted of
eggs, toast, fruit (today was mango), and fruit juice.
Following breakfast, we were free to do whatever we
wanted. Our group split up and went to different places on the island:
Picture of Bocas Town |
- Bocas Town: One group explored the area, visiting many stores and looking at different wares. These shops included ones with hats, clothes, and other memorabilia from the island.
One of the many fun signs that tells tourists where to go in Bocas Town |
Photo of the wildlife seen by the group while preparing to on the SCUBA trip |
Panoramic shot of the boat docks at STRI. To the left front is Mangrove Island, to the center is STRI Point, and to the right is House Reef. |
Leafcutter Ant Observation
Over by the walkway that connects the lab to the dorms,
I found a trail of leafcutter ants moving across the path. These ants were
transporting leaves from the forested side of the path to the open clearing.
While the species of these leafcutter ants is difficult to determine without
close examination, I believe they may be Acromyrmex
octospinosus, as these are typically found in Panama.
Example of one of the many paths that the Leafcutter ants take to gather leaves for their fungus gardens |
I observed two of the four major caste groups within
the leafcutter ant colony:
- Mediae
(foragers): These ants were moving back and forth, gathering leaves and
other supplies. They followed a trail that crossed the path back into
another set of trees past the open clearing.
Mediae moving a leaf back to the colony - Majors
(warriors): These larger ants guarded the path used by the mediae. They
lined up on the path's edges and checked the mediae and other workers
moving along the line. This behavior likely passes on information through
pheromones or ensures the workers are from the correct colony.
Major patrolling and protecting the mediae while they forage. Majors are easily distinguished from the rest of the workers with their big heads.
The castes can be distinguished due to polymorphism
(different forms/types within a species) between the castes.
Ant-Fungus Mutualism
Leafcutter ants are fascinating as they are one of the
few ant species that actively farm. These ants cultivate fungus in their
colonies as one of their primary food sources. This form of mutualism, often
called "ant-fungus mutualism," involves a colony of ants (including
leafcutter ants) and a species of fungus from the genera Leucocoprineae.
In this relationship:
●
The ants care for the fungus by providing it with food
(leaves) and maintaining essential environmental factors to allow the fungus to
grow and thrive.
●
The fungus, in turn, provides essential nutrients for
the ants' larvae, while the adult ants feed on the sap from the leaves.
Ecological Importance
These ants exhibit the remarkable species diversity
here in Panama and demonstrate what we can discover when we look at the more
minor details rather than just the bigger picture. For example, these ants
fulfill a small but crucial niche within the rainforest and tropical
ecosystems:
●
Several ant species rely on leafcutter ants for food.
For instance, some species from the genera Megalomyrmex hunt exclusively for
the fungal gardens or may even remove the original leafcutter ant colony and
use the fungus for themselves.
● Larger animals, like anteaters, utilize ants for food and are often essential for controlling insect populations in the surrounding areas.
If you are interested in learning more about the Leafcutter ants you can look at these two videos that help explain their behaviors and colony structure.
1. My Dream Ant Farm: Leafcutter Ants (youtube.com)
Following this eventful day we
went to the Coco Fastronomy which had many different dishes including Jamaican Chicken, Fish and Chips,
and other types of seafood and traditional meals.
I have long wanted to see these ants in their natural
habitat. This trip to Panama has been very enjoyable so far, and I'm excited to
see what else Panama has in store for us during the rest of the week.
-Fox