MCZ AR 2011-12 Final

rich diversity of Neotropical birds, improved fellows, Ben Ewen-Campen STUDENTS EXPERIENCE TROPICAL their abilities to locate and identify birds and Gisele Kawauchi. in the field and exposed them to a new IODIVERSITY IRSTHAND Each day, the group traveled B F array of habitats and a different culture. by boat to a variety of habitats Professor Scott V. Edwards was assisted by Whether netting birds in Panama, searching out reptiles in Costa Rica or diving that included coral reefs, two teaching fellows—Dr. Frank Rheindt mangroves, muddy sediment, for sea stars, the 2012 spring break took students into the field to experience and Maude Baldwin—and Euclides Campos, sandy-bottom habitats and a Panamanian expert bird guide. Rheindt what they could never learn through textbooks and museum specimens alone. rock walls. Students, equipped and Campos showed the group an incredible with full-body wetsuits and Three classes from the Organismic and number of species—more than 200—over of Costa Rica. Professors James Hanken and snorkels, experienced a Evolutionary Biology department—taught the course of the trip. Jonathan B. Losos led the trip, assisted by dizzying array of animal life largely by MCZ faculty-curators—offered teaching fellow Alexis Harrison and Losos Days typically began with the pre-sunrise in marine habitats covered Gonzalo Giribet all-expense-paid trips for their undergraduate lab members Martha Muñoz, Ambika “dawn chorus” when bird activity is highest. in live sponges, corals, brittle and graduate students. For some, it was their Kamath and Katie Boronow. Students continued birding throughout the stars, sea urchins and other species too Amanda Lu first journey out of the country. For most, day, experiencing the Canal Zone rainforest, numerous to mention. it was their initial exposure to the diverse mid- and high-elevation cloudforest, environments of the Neotropical region— Students were initially introduced to the most savannah and coastal wetlands. During rainforest, cloudforest, savannah, coastal abundant and charismatic of the marine periods of lower bird activity, the class toured wetlands—or distinctive marine habitats like invertebrates—enormous sea stars, brightly research facilities; observed and assisted in mangrove forests and coral reefs. colored sea anemones and coral reef species— mist-netting, the primary method of catching and then tried to identify as many organisms Even though specimens from the MCZ birds in ornithological research; and visited as possible from different invertebrate phyla, collections are studied in classroom settings, nearby towns. Species sighted included the Gonzalo Giribet including the small and the difficult-to-classify. observing a live animal’s behavior in its Connie Lee spectacular Resplendent Queztal, a large bird During the week they spent hours collecting natural habitat is an entirely different with a metallic green back and extremely live animals to examine at the well-equipped experience. Seeing species alive and up close long tail streamers; antbirds; toucans; Before departing for Costa Rica, Professors laboratory facilities at the Smithsonian facilitates the learning process, bringing hummingbirds; and the Three-wattled Hanken and Losos charged their students Tropical Research Institute in Bocas del Toro. scientific terms and phylogenetic groups Bellbird. The students were treated to a rare with the task of becoming “resident experts” Students especially liked the incredible out- figuratively and literally to life. occurrence in field research when they were in specific reptile and amphibian species. of-this-world plankton creatures, consisting able to observe the Bellbirds courting and Experiences in the field also engender a On daily hikes, students shared information largely of larval forms of many animals that mating in the wild. deeper understanding of—and sense of awe about their organisms once they were look nothing like the final forms of the adults. encountered in the field. Sightings of for—these rapidly disappearing ecosystems. “Witnessing the diversity of the Neotropics crocodiles, caiman and sea turtles were “Observing invertebrate phyla in their natural The spring field trips will convince some is an eye-opening experience for many especially prized, but so were rare species of habitat revealed behavior, distribution and students to choose an OEB concentration, biologists,” says Maude Baldwin. “Viewing frogs, snakes and lizards such as Corytophanes, beauty in a way that a fact sheet never could,” attend graduate school in some area of the region’s diversity through the lens of its a hard-to-find arboreal lizard. says Inanna Carter, Class of 2014. “Being comparative biology, or become committed avifauna, under the guidance of some of the out in the field gave us passion and energy environmentalists. Regardless of their future most knowledgeable people in the world “The herpetological diversity of Costa Rica for dissecting career paths, these trips imbue students with is astonishing, and even in a week, we were on Panamanian birds, was an incredible Gonzalo Giribet specimens in the respect for the planet’s biodiversity and ignite experience for the students and teaching able to see an enormous variety of reptiles lab and learning their conservation ethic. staff alike.” and amphibians,” says Prof. Losos. “Students about them in had varying opinions about what constituted Observing Amphibians and Collecting Invertebrates in Panama the classroom. the highlight, but the nesting sea turtles seem Reptiles in Costa Rica The goal for OEB 51: Biology and Evolution Our enthusiasm to have made a deep impression on many, OEB 167: Herpetology took 21 students to of Invertebrate Animals was to show the 14 followed us back and most loved the arboreal herpetological Costa Rica’s La Selva Biological Station, students the sheer abundance and diversity to Harvard, and prospecting by zipline.” operated by the Organization of Tropical of invertebrate animals in the wild and even spread to Studies; Veragua Rainforest Station, an Birding in Panama how these animals function and behave in my other classes ecotourist educational facility; and Pacuare This experience introduced 12 students of their natural settings. Professor Gonzalo and experience of Harvard as Thomas Dai Nature Reserve on the northeastern coast OEB 190: Biology and Diversity of Birds to the Giribet and Associate Professor Cassandra G. Extavour led the trip, assisted by two teaching a whole.” Glenna Clifton 2 MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY ANNUAL REPORT 2011–2012 3.

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