This document outlines the itinerary and activities for a tropical field biology course in Costa Rica. Over 3 weeks, 13 students and 5 instructors visited different sites in Costa Rica, including the Osa Biodiversity Center, Monteverde Cloud Forest, and Refugio Eladio. At each site, the group conducted ecology labs measuring temperatures, collected samples for an ant diversity project, and students developed independent research projects. Activities included hiking, a farm tour, catching bats, and final presentations of independent project findings. The expedition exposed students to the unique biodiversity and ecosystems of Costa Rica through hands-on field experiences.

1. 1
Biology 5325 - - Tropical Field Biology - - Summer 2014
Biodiversity on Steroids! Muddy Boots Ecology! Explore Costa Rican Rainforest!
1. Theo Sumnicht. 2. Jack Longino. 3. Cozette Gillespie. 4. Alex Gregorcy. 5. David Flocken. 6. Amber
Cook. 7. Lydia Wallace. 8. Spencer LeBard. 9. Spencer Monnett. 10. Jordan Flocken. 11. Sean Studstill.
12. Hanna Kim. 13. Alyssa Hales.

2. 2
Itinerary
3-May-14 Saturday Arrival San José
4-May-14 Sunday Transport to Osa Biodiversity Center
5-May-14 Monday Osa: orientation walks
6-May-14 Tuesday Osa: Ant diversity project
7-May-14 Wednesday Osa: faculty-led field project and oral report
8-May-14 Thursday Osa: student-originated field projects
9-May-14 Friday Osa: student-originated field projects
10-May-14 Saturday Transport Osa - Monteverde, Midterm evaluation
11-May-14 Sunday MV: Cloud forest biology
12-May-14 Monday MV: San Luis farm tour
13-May-14 Tuesday MV: Ant diversity project
14-May-14 Wednesday Hike from Monteverde to Refugio Eladio
15-May-14 Thursday Refugio Eladio: orientation
16-May-14 Friday Refugio Eladio: independent projects
17-May-14 Saturday Refugio Eladio: independent projects
18-May-14 Sunday Hike to Monteverde/Ant diversity project
19-May-14 Monday MV: sample processing/independent projects
20-May-14 Tuesday MV: sample processing/independent projects
21-May-14 Wednesday MV: sample processing/independent projects
22-May-14 Thursday MV: presentations, final exam, reviews, final banquet
23-May-14 Friday Transport to San José
24-May-14 Saturday Return
Esteban Méndez, our intrepid Course Coordinator from the
Monteverde Institute, made everything go smoothly.

3. 3
Cerro de la Muerte: The First Lecture
Osa Biodiversity Center, Piro Station
We dove right in to
tropical biology at Osa
Conservation's Piro
Biological Station. Some
of the best old-growth
lowland rainforest in the
world can be found here,
as well as undeveloped
Pacific beach. Howler
monkeys wake us up at
dawn. Scarlet macaws
squawk overhead.

4. 4
We did a field lab measuring temperatures in the forest and out in the lawn of the station. We measured
ambient temperature in the shade, at 10cm depth in the soil, under a leaf on the forest floor, on top of the
same leaf, and on a nearby live leaf. The buffering effect of the soil was obvious, but it was also
interesting that soil temperature remained high through the night. So ants that nest below ground
experience high temperatures all the time. Ants that nest in the leaf litter enjoy the cooler early morning
temperatures. The figure below show the temperature trajectories. Means ± 1 s.e. are plotted. n = 5 for
ambient temperatures, 50 for others.
The graph below shows similar results for the lawn. n = 1 for ambient, 10 for others.

5. 5
Finally, this graph compares forest to lawn. Lawn soil temperatures are higher than forest soil
temperatures, but also quite buffered and not approaching the extreme high temperatures on the surface.
For the dead leaf on the lawn, you can see the short-term effects of passing clouds.
A student
independent
project reveals a
sharp mid-day
peak in river
water
temperatures.

6. 6
The Winkler Project goes perfectly. By the end of the day, 60 sifted litter samples have been taken from
the forest plot and hung in extraction bags. It will be interesting to see how the results compare with
previous years.

7. 7
San Luis/Monteverde
Next stop is the University of Georgia field station in San Luis, near Monteverde. Alyssa falls in love
with epiphytes on the cloud forest canopy walkways. We learn how coffee is grown and processed. We
catch bats!
Rich LaVal, bat man extraordinaire, shows us how
to mistnet and handle bats.

8. 8
Peñas Blancas
We hike in to the remote Peñas Blancas valley. Eladio Cruz, an early settler in the region and a champion
for its conservation, is our guide.
One at a time over this
bridge!
Eladio's porch, where tired professors go to recover.

9. 9
Getting to field sites can be a challenge.

10. 10
The Last Days
Back at the University of Georgia station, it's Independent Project Time!
Our final symposium of 12-minute talks:
1:00 Species distribution and accumulation in response to human feces. Spencer LeBard
1:12 Beetle abundance in Cecropia leaf petioles. Jordan Flocken
1:24 Arthropod abundance and diversity as a function of height in bryophyte mats. Alyssa Hales
1:36 Bugs in a jug: Atta cephalotes response to major worker disturbance. Hanna Kim
1:48 Break
2:00 Moth sizes through the night. Lydia Wallace
2:12 Diurnal bird activity at the University of Georgia field station. Amber Cook
2:24 Red vs. black as potential seed dispersal attractants. Spencer Monnet
2:36 Differences in microclimates with change in elevation. Cozette Gillespie
2:48 Break
3:00 Temperature effect on paper wasp activity. David Flocken
3:12 The effects of microclimate on stomate density. Alex Gregorcy
Alas, our time is nearly up. The last group picture before we head back to San José and go our separate
ways.

11. 11
But none of us will be the same. Once you get a Utahn in the rainforest, Watch Out!