1. Juan E Maldonado Weng July 5th, 2012
Biol. 3009 (RISE)
My Personal Opinion: Ecosystems of Puerto Rico
As we, the students of RISE, traveled through the wilderness of the two of the
most known forests of Puerto Rico, I realized that what I was experiencing an amazing
wilderness in, what would basically be, my own backyard. I have seem to have grown a
bigger sense of value towards this island and towards the natural beauty that surrounds
me. A pride that makes me glad to have been born here and to have been able to explore
beautiful scenery without traveling far.
With the valuable information given by Dr. Ricart and Prof. Velázquez, the trips
were even more meaningful. I was able to see diversity and unity within the flora.
Although all trees tend to give a beautiful sight, they all have a unique characteristic that
either helps themselves survive in the blistering heat or helps them obtain water even
with the massive amounts of suffocating humidity. Even the leaves in Guánica have an
important job for survival, which is to maintain a good balance by closing their stomas,
by turning positions to avoid too much sun concentration and by growing thorns to avoid
unwanted consumers. It all has a meaningful purpose when it comes to surviving in
these untamed forests.
Another enjoyed aspect of both trips were the final stops. While going through
the Yunque, the final visit was on top of a tower on top of a mountain, where "the whole
island could had been seen". In Guánica, our last stop was on a beautifully sunny beach.
In this beach, we all shared and laughed like a big family having "fun in the sun". These

2. were few of the many aspects of the trips I enjoyed. I hope to one day be able to do all of
it again with my newly formed family.