MEMBERS OF THE DARTMOUTH BIOLOGY FSP 2011 FACULTY RYAN G. CALSBEEK DAVID R. PEART BRAD W. TAYLOR LAB COORDINATOR CRAIG D. LAYNE GRADUATE ASSISTANTS M. C. DURYEA GILLIAN L. MORITZ SPECIAL ASSISTANT AND COPY EDITOR SARAH E. WENGERT UNDERGRADUATES KELLY S. AHO JENNIFER A. FREISE MARIELLE F. BATTISTONI SUZANNE J. KELSON ELIN C. BECK EMILY KYKER-SNOWMAN LARRY L. BOWMAN, JR. ANDREW N. MERTENS ROHAN N. CHAUDHARY REBECCA M. NIEMIEC ZACHARY J. CLARE-SALZLER SARA E. REMSEN IAN D. ENGLER FRANCES M. WANG KATHERINE L. FITZGERALD i Dartmouth Studies in Tropical Ecology, Vol. 21 Dartmouth College runs an annual 9-10 week ecological field research program in Costa Rica and the Caribbean. Manuscripts from the research projects in this program have been published in the annual volume “Dartmouth Studies in Tropical Ecology” since 1989. Copies are held in the Dartmouth library and in Costa Rica at the San Jose office of the Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS/OET), at the OTS field stations at Palo Verde, Las Cruces and La Selva, at the Cuerici Biological Station, at the Sirena Station of the Corcovado National Park (through 2010), and at the Monteverde Biological Station. On Little Cayman Island, there are copies at the Little Cayman Research Center. Dartmouth faculty from the Department of Biological Sciences, along with two Ph.D. students from Dartmouth’s Environmental and Evolutionary Biology graduate program, advise ca. 15 advanced undergraduate students on this program. The first few projects are designed by the advisors, but undergraduates soon begin conceiving and designing their own projects. The order of authorship on each paper was chosen randomly, in keeping with the style of the program, which emphasizes a cooperative and egalitarian relationship among undergraduates in each project. Where faculty or graduate student mentors have pre-designed a project, this is indicated after the author listing at the head of the paper. For each paper there is a faculty editor (also indicated after the author listing), who takes responsibility for defining the required revisions, and decides on the acceptability of manuscripts for publication. On each paper, at least one faculty member and one graduate student are heavily involved as mentors at every stage, from project design to final manuscript. However, it is our policy that faculty and graduate students are not included as authors for undergraduate projects. Our annual books do include a few exceptions, i.e. projects initiated and conducted by graduate students; these tend to be rare, due to the heavy research advising commitments of Ph.D. students on the program. We thank the Costa Rican Ministry of the Environment and Energy (MINAE) for permission to conduct research in Costa Rica’s extraordinary national parks. The Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS/OET) has provided essential support for our program for over 30 years, taking care of most of our logistical needs in Costa Rica, always to high standards of quality and reliability. We thank OTS staff at the Palo Verde and La Selva Biological Stations, and at the Wilson Botanical Garden at Las Cruces, for all their services rendered efficiently, politely and in good spirit. Staff at the Santa Rosa and Corcovado National Parks have also been gracious in accommodating and assisting us. We thank Carlos Solano at the Cuerici Biological Station for his depth of knowledge and inspiration. We are grateful to the staff of the Monteverde Biological Station for access to their facilities, and for making us so comfortable when we arrive late, dirty, hungry and tired from Santa Rosa. On Little Cayman Island, the Little Cayman Research Center (LCRC), operated by the Central Caribbean Marine Institute, is our base for the entire coral reef ecology segment of the program. Expert LCRC staff run the lab, provide accommodations and food, operate research vessels and take care of SCUBA diving logistics and safety. On the Dartmouth campus, the Off Campus Programs Office, under the Associate Dean of International and Interdisciplinary Studies, deals with administration and emergency services and provides an essential lifeline to remote locations in rare times of need. We acknowledge the generous financial support of Dorothy Hobbs Kroenlein. ii If you have questions about this volume or the program, contact the Biological Sciences Department at Dartmouth College, Hanover New Hampshire, USA. Currently, the Biology Foreign Studies Program Director is David Peart at [email protected] and the administrative assistant is Mary Poulson at [email protected]. All volumes in this series can be found online at http://www.dartmouth.edu/~biofsp/Publications.html David Peart Hanover NH, USA 15 March 2011 iii SCHEDULE FOR DARTMOUTH TROPICAL BIOLOGY PGM - COSTA RICA, W 2011 Morning Afternoon Evening 5 Jan We To San Jose Travel Travel Arrive in evening 6 Jan In San Jose OTS, InBIO free: shopping etc. Group dinner in SJ 7 Jan To Palo Verde Travel Orientationa Lec: Intro CR ecol (RC) 8 Jan At Palo Verde Orientation Lec: Primate Ecol (GM). Res. Qs. Lec: Herp Ecol (KD) 9 Jan Su At Palo Verde FPb-1 (ant-acacia) Stat lab (KD/GM) Data analysis/synthesis 10 Jan At Palo Verde FP-2 ArthLab(GM/RC)Lec:Behav(RC) FP-1 seminars. Writing. 11 Jan At Palo Verde FP-2 VertLab(RC/GM)Lec:DivCoex(RC) Writing. FP1 ms due 12 Jan At Palo Verde SIFPc plan/proposals Plant lab (KD) * Data Anal/Writ. FP-2 seminars. Writing 13 Jan At Palo Verde SIFP-1 SIFP-1 Writing. FP-2 ms due. 14 Jan At Palo Verde SIFP-1 SIFP-1/analysis. Revisions. SIFP-1/anal. Revs. 15 Jan At Palo Verde River trip SIFP seminars. Writing. Writing: SIFP-1 ms due 16 Jan Su To Santa Rosa Travel/walk Orientation. Lec:Turtles(GM) Field: Sea turtle nesting 17 Jan At Santa Rosa Lec: Mngrv(KD) *d Exploratione Field: Sea turtle nesting 18 Jan To Monteverde Walk/Trav [lnch MV2pm] Orientation Writing (revisions) 19 Jan At Monteverde Orientation SIFP-2 planning Lec: Amphibs (A Pounds) 20 Jan At Monteverde SIFP-2 pilot /props SIFP-2 Lec:His/Orig (RC) 21 Jan At Monteverde SIFP-2 SIFP-2 Analysis.Writing (rev.) 22 Jan At Monteverde SIFP-2 Analysis/synthesis * SIFP-2 seminars 23 Jan Su At Monteverde Writing Writing SIFP-2 ms due. Bat Jgl Writing 24 Jan At Monteverde Writing. Mist netting Writing; plant quiz Writing 25 Jan At MV Writing. All fin. mss thru MV due Exploration (DP arr. SJ) Free 26 Jan To Cuerici Travel Travel/Orientation Lec: Coevol (RC) 27 Jan At Cuerici Orientation Orient. SIFP-3 plan Lec: Av. Ecol (DP). Metadata 28 Jan At Cuerici Trip to paramo SIFP-3 planning/pilot (RC dep.) SIFP-3 final propos. Corc plans 29 Jan At Cuerici SIFP-3 SIFP-3 * Lec: ForConsMgmt (DP) 30 Jan Su At Cuerici SIFP-3 SIFP-3 Analysis.Corc .plans. 31 Jan At Cuerici Anaysis, Synthesis SIFP-3 seminars. Writing Writing SIFP-3 ms due 1 Feb At Cuerici/travel Explor. 10am dep. Travel to La Palma Prep for Corcovado 2 Feb To Corcovado Truck. Hike LP trail Los Patos Trail to Sirena Discussion, night walk 3 Feb At Corcovado Nat. hist. of Corc Nat. hist. of Corc Crit(IE) Walk. Nat his review 4 Feb At Corcovado Nat. hist. of Corc Nat. hist. of Corc Crit(FW) Walk. Nat his review 5 Feb To Las Cruces Coast trail to Carate Travel to Las Cruces Crit LB).Rev Corc nat. his. 6 Feb Su At Las Cruces Self-study pl. fams. Plant lab/walk Lec:Cons.(Z Zahawi).Revisions 7 Feb At Las Cruces Revisions Plant quiz. Revisions Lec: ForDyn(DP). Writing. 8 Feb To La Selva To San Jose To La Selva Discussion.* Night walk. 9 Feb At La Selva Orientation Biodiversity group walks Crit. (EB). SIFP ideas 10 Feb At La Selva SIFP-4 plan/props. SIFP-4 pilot studies Fmt w/shop. Writing. 11 Feb At La Selva SIFP-4 pilot SIFP4 pilot SIFP-4 proposals/decisions 12 Feb At La Selva SIFP-4 SIFP-4 Writing 13 Feb Su At La Selva SIFP-4 SIFP-4 Writing. Final SIFP-3 ms due 14 Feb At La Selva SIFP-4 Analysis Writ.Disc. SIFP4 seminars 15 Feb At La Selva Writing Writing. SIFP-4 ms due Free 16 Feb At La Selva Copy editing. Writing. All metadata due Writing 17 Feb At La Selva Writ.FinalSIFP4due * Choc.tour Copy editing. 18 Feb At La Selva, to SJ Exploration Travel to SJ ca. 1pm. Group dinner in SJ 19 Feb Sa Depart for Little Cayman, leave LC 12 Mar aOrientation = learning new site/ecosystem/organisms b FP = field problems (staff initiated) e SIFP = student initiated field problems d * = Group meeting times (schedule may change) e Exploration = Time to explore site [Initials after lectures = faculty or TA] iv CORAL REEF ECOLOGY (BIO 57) - LITTLE CAYMAN – SCHEDULE * = scheduled lecture Date Morning Afternoon Evening 19 Feb - Sat Arrive from 13 people arrive 5:40 pm Dinner, brief orientation, unpack CR 20 Feb - Sun Arrive from 5 people arrive 8:20 am Unpack *Morgan’s Lionfish presentation CR Main orientation and Discussion about program to date safety information – and everyone’s expectations for Rob, Brad and Perry LC segment. Schedule overview 21 Feb - Mon *Coral biology lecture Snorkel to see coral Critique: Kelly & Andrew (BT) & *Reef followed by *Invertebrates lecture (KD) morphology (BT) Natural history Assign expert discussion before dinner taxonomic groups Unpack equipment Get BCD and regulator from Lowell 22 Feb - Tue SCUBA –shore dive at *Algae lecture & lab Critique: Zak & Katie Cumber’s Cave (check (BT) Snorkel to see *Herbivory & Food webs (BT) dive) invertebrates and collect algae followed by Natural history discussion before dinner 23 Feb - Wed SCUBA – Sailfin and *Zooplankton lecture Critique: Suzanne & Fran Meadows (GM) & *Fish ecology *Zooplankton lab (GM) & night lecture (BT) sampling (BT) 24