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For the Tropical Marine Botany course we (two professors Dr. Jamie Steichen and Dr. Philip Matich both marine biology faculty at TAMUG) and nine undergraduate students...see their introductions below) will be heading down to La Parguera, Puerto Rico for an in the field experience. We have 9 students in our first cohort that will start the class next week on May 13th! Wow what an experience it has been during this process of developing a new course and then figuring out how to do it 1915 miles away. Here we go!
See details below with daily updates on our adventure! Enjoy!
Tropical Marine Botany Blog - Summer 2024 -
Tropical Marine Botany Blog - Summer 2024 -
Thank you for visiting our blog page for this course! Each day there will be instructors and/or student posts added to this page. We will be in the classroom at Texas A&M University at Galveston (TAMUG) from from May 13-17 and then we head down to La Parguera, Puerto Rico on May 19th-June 1st. After our field component of the course we will reconvene back at TAMUG where we will wrap up the data analysis and have our final presentations. We will be using this page to share updates, fun stories and some of the cool science sampling we will be doing during this course. Enjoy and thank you for your interest! This course is going to be taught alongside Tropical Marine Food Webs (taught by Phil Matich).
Day 13: Friday 05/31 - Check out of UPR-Magueyes, leave La Parguera and head back to San Juan
Day 13: Friday 05/31 - Check out of UPR-Magueyes, leave La Parguera and head back to San Juan
We are all packed up and ready to go home however we have one last day in San Juan to enjoy. After traveling for two hours, we finally made it to our air bnb where we unpacked and got ready for night out on the town in old San Juan. Once it got there it was still light out so we walked around and went shopping at all the little shops we could find while also getting some street food before dinner. After we met up with the group, we enjoyed an amazing dinner at a restaurant that I can’t remember the name of. Once we were finished it was finally dark out and the sun wasn’t beating down on us, but it was still very hot and humid. The night life was beautiful on almost every street there were bands playing music and clubs with people doing traditional Puerto Rican dances. After all the fun ended we were all tired and ready to go back home. -Avery
Today was our last full day in Puerto Rico. We said goodbye to La Parguera and drove up to San Juan, where we'll catch our flight back to Texas tomorrow. Along the way, we stopped in Ponce for lunch by the sea. It was a beautiful break! In San Juan, we got ready for a fun night out. I tried conch, which was something I really wanted to try while being here. It was delicious! McKeni and I danced in the city square to a local band and had a lot of fun walking around. Old San Juan looked amazing with its old buildings and architecture. And finally, we heard the coqui frogs singing! Yay! Our last night in Puerto Rico was great. We're sad to leave, but we're grateful for all the memories we made. Puerto Rico will always have a special place in our hearts. We'll miss it! Until next time, Puerto Rico. Goodbye for now! - Caroline
Today we had a sendoff from Isla Magueyes. We all loved learning on campus and many of us want to come back! After we fed the “dogs”, took a picture with our flag, and took our last Botero selfie, we started heading for San Juan. We stopped at a public picnic area at a beach in Ponce and fed the “dogs” again and had our lunches. We continued to San Juan and got checked into our Airbnb after an absurd amount of traffic and found ourselves in pretty tight quarters. Putting that aside, we all got ready to go explore old San Juan. We split into little groups that switched around a lot as we found one another and split up again. We saw the old doors, many little tourist shops, parts of the fort, and found some great food places. We all had a blast on this night and many of us found souvenirs and gifts for family. By the time we got back, we were all not only tired from our exploring but the hard past two weeks, so the house got quiet very quickly as everyone settled into bed. -Sam
Today, we had breakfast and got right to packing. I made sure all my little trinkets and souvenirs were carefully packed to survive being tossed around in baggage, all my clothes were packed, and that I wasn’t leaving anything, then locked up my little loft for the last time. Before loading up, we went back to Isla Magueyes to finish some business, check we weren’t forgetting anything, and feed some of our leftover food to the tarpons and iguanas.
We got back, loaded our luggage into the cars, and were off. We stopped at a lovely beach-side park for lunch in Ponce before getting into the long stretch to San Juan. I was in the very back row with some luggage, and my seat was leaned forward slightly so the suitcases behind me would fit, but I managed to keep my sanity somewhat intact on the drive.
We arrived at our airbnb in San Juan, dropped our bags off inside, and loaded into some Ubers to go into town for dinner. We had some time before we wanted to sleep, and Dr. Matich and I didn’t want to go shopping, so we decided to walk to the old fort, Castillo San Felipe del Morro, and look around there. We got there too late to go into the fort, but we found a long path around the outside of the fort walls along the water. Walking it got us back into town just in time for dinner, with a little extra wandering time.
Dinner was great, with several people agreeing I got one of the best plates of grouper in a coconut sauce with sweet plantains on the side. After we ate, we went to different shops, bought souvenirs to bring home, and wandered the city some more. We split up, then met back up with another group to go check out the fort lit up at night. We didn’t make it all the way there, but we stopped to check out the graveyard. It wasn’t scary because of ghosts, gravestones, or spooky noises; no, it was scary because there was a around-thirty-foot-deep moat between us and the graveyard and it was dark.
After that last adventure, we met back up with everyone to ride back to the Airbnb and call it a night. We were walking down a little street with restaurant tables, loud music, and a couple dancing under strings of lights, when I realized I might never see this beautiful city again. That I might never see any place we saw on this trip again. This trip was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience; to experience the sights, research, and places we got to, all in just two short weeks, and at this point of our college experience. It was truly an honor. I hope that wasn’t the last time I see it all. -Kendall
Today was awesome, we spent our day packing up and getting ready for the drive to San Juan. After a celebration at La Parguera we headed out shortly afterwards where we arrived at a beach in Ponce, had lunch and enjoyed a nice relaxing time at the beach. Then we went on a 1 hour 45 minute drive to San Juan where we enjoyed a relaxing car ride through the mountains of Puerto Rico. After about 2 hours we arrived in San Juan where we put our bags at the Airbnb and prepared for a night on the town. After a fun night exploring Old San Juan we settled down for the night and prepared for the flight the next day. - Joseph
For our final day in Puerto Rico, we all loaded up the cars and drove up to spend the night San Juan. On our way to the city, we further discussed the final projects for the tropical marine botany and food webs courses and what was expected from us to create a research topic and facilitate a discussion on it. In doing so, we all had a much better understanding and idea of what our research ideas can be and ways to narrow down a topic within it. Now, needless to say, San Juan is a unique city that has a lot of historical significance and tourist attractions. For instance, while walking around the city, I came across various local vendors that sold items you can only find in Puerto Rico. Furthermore, on the coast of San Juan, there lies a massive stone fort called “Castillo San Felipe del Morro”. This fort is well known in Puerto Rico since it was originally built in the 1600s and has been a defensive structure from foreign attacks for countless generations. Finally, our time spent in Puerto Rico has been amazing and exciting, and I sincerely hope that Dr. Steichen and Dr. Matich are able to continue this invaluable experience for future students. -Hayden
Day 12: Thursday 05/30 - Enrique south and Bioluminscent Bay!
Day 12: Thursday 05/30 - Enrique south and Bioluminscent Bay!
Today marked our final field day here in La Parguera, and the bittersweet emotions hit! It feels like just yesterday we arrived but time zoomed by faster than we expected. Time truly flies when you're having fun! Our day began with visits to two benthic survey sites: Media Luna and Cayo Enrique, our final surveys. Today also marked our last boat ride with our wonderful and knowledgeable, Captain Frank My excitement of enjoying our final day took a dive when I got sick from slurping too much saltwater, not exactly a blast, I enjoyed our boat rides together! After packing up our lab gear for good, we hit the highlight of the day that evening: a tour of the Bioluminescent Bay. Swimming in the glowing water was like being in a dream. Seriously, it's something everyone should see at least once. To cap off the day, we gathered for our last home-cooked “family” dinner and shared our highs and lows of the trip with one another! I can’t help but feel grateful for the experiences, the laughter, and the bonds forged during our time here. La Parguera, you'll forever hold a special place in our hearts. Until we meet again, adiós. -Caroline
Today is our last day on the water. We went to two different locations, Media Luna and Enrique, meaning that we did lots of benthic surveys! My partner Caroline and I have been able to get faster at conducting our benthic surveys, which is something we had been working on throughout the trip! Apart from the benthic surveys, we also got more seagrass cores and put the BRUVs in the water. For our last boat ride, we had to say our goodbyes to the best boat captain ever! WE LOVE YOU FRANK! When we were back at the lab, it was time to analyze our seagrass data. Oh man, I have been so lucky with the people on this trip! Caroline accidentally drank too much sea water and was not feeling well. So, when analyzing the seagrass data, Ali and Hayden both pitched in to help because they saw how much manatee grass was on my tray! The more seagrass you have, the more that needs to be examined and recorded. After cleaning up the lab and saying our last goodbyes to Isla Magueyes, we went back to the house to get ready for our bioluminescent bay tour! Seeing the Pyrodinium bahamense in real life was SO COOL!!! That was one of the most magical experiences! I also got to invite one of the University of Puerto Rico Masters students to tag along with us! I have enjoyed making so many wonderful memories and new lovely friends along the way! - McKeni
After two short weeks we finally made to the end of our trip. The morning started off early like usual, we went on our final snorkels to finish up the rest of the data collection. After we processed the data back in the lab we started to pack up and head back to the house. The real fun started later that afternoon when we went on our bio bay tour. A couple of the grad students from upr happened to be on the trip and it was nice to hang out with them in a less formal manner. We spent the sunset swimming near one of the cayos and it was amazing, but it still didn’t compare to a Texas sunset. After the sunset we rode over to the bio ay where it was almost completely pitch black until we jumped in the water. It glowed this beautiful soft blue color with every movement we made. -Avery
Thursday, May 30th (aka the best day ever)...
Today was our last day in the field and we went out to sites we had already visited, Media Luna and Enrique. While we were reeling in the tape for our second transect at Media Luna, my group swam with a nurse shark. This was by far one of the coolest experiences I’ve ever had with an animal, and I wish I could experience it again.
The second reason why today was my favorite day of the trip was the bioluminescent bay tour we had in the evening. I had not been expecting to see much in the water, but to everyone’s surprise (even the tour guides) the water was so bright! The combination of a high concentration of the bioluminescent dinoflagellates and it being a very dark night led to an amazing experience in the water. I wish there was a way to capture what it was like in the water, it was like my whole body was sparkling. It was cool to move fast and have everybody make a big stir of light, but my favorite part was moving slowly and seeing the individual sparkles of light as they moved over my arms or trickled down my hands. And like the nurse shark, if I could experience this again, I would in a heartbeat. - Sam
Our last day in La Paguera was a big success. We started out in the field, as always, and went to both Enrique and Media Luna. There were lots of interesting critter sitings today including, nurse sharks, sting rays, flounders, and puffer fish.
We conducted our usual benthic surveys, collected seagrass cores, and deployed the BRUVs. While setting them up in the water, one of the BRUVs actually fell apart, but we were still able to make it work. The duct tape we used to secure the junctions on the PVC did not hold up to the salt water.
Back in the lab, we were on a time crunch. We had around 20 seagrass cores to process by separating, weighing, and measuring each of the blades. Additionally, we had to measure and weigh the leaves we managed to collect during the mangrove leaf litter surveys. Once those tasks were completed, we had to pack up all of our gear and clean up the lab to bring it home. It was sad saying goodbye to the space we've spent so much time in.
We had a brief break at the house for data entry before heading out to the bioluminescent bay tour. It was an amazing experience! Swimming with the bioluminescent dinoflagellates was like swimming through stardust. It was so beautiful and unlike anything I’d ever done before.
Our stay in La Paguera has been all-around amazing! This has been such a unique opportunity and I am so thankful for the time I got to spend here! -Ali
During our last day here in La Parguera, we conducted our final transect surveys at Media Luna and Enrique. During the surveys, we all became much more organized and efficient in our ability to handle the tools and responsibilities given to us. Looking back, I see a drastic change in the way I perceive what is expected of a marine scientist in both the lab and the field. Especially since scientists must have the ability to gather sufficient data to further their research, On a different note, I learned that many of the faculty and professors at Isla Magueyes have close connections with some of the professors found at TAMUG1 Now knowing this, it is crucial to maintain connections with people you meet and interact with to further your reach in the scientific community. Now, back to our day in La Parguera, my team and I were lucky enough to observe a 6-foot nurse shark and we were excited to see that key predators are still present in these ecosystems. Finally, once the day began to come to a close, we all went on a bioluminescent bay tour, which was very exciting and ended up shedding some light on the phytoplankton that are responsible for this natural phenomenon. During the tour, we saw the exceptionally faint light blue that these magnificent creatures expel to either confuse or scare potential predators. By the end of the tour, it became clear that the marine environments found in Puerto Rico are truly special and hold great importance to the functioning and productivity of neighboring marine and terrestrial ecosystems. -Hayden
The past 2 days have been a blast. We spent the past 2 days revisiting our first few sites if Caracoles, Enrique, and Media Luna. At Caracoles we blazed through the transect surveys and had time to free snorkel and explore all of the Cayo and see cool flora and fauna living in the mangrove prop roots. After that we met with Luis who runs the aquaculture macroalgae farm near Media Luna. Where he talked about the process his group took to make the aquaculture farm. We even got to taste some of the algae, it was pretty good it tasted like a sweet/salty cabbage. After that we conducted our seagrass core and productivity surveys. On Thursday 5/30/24 we conducted 3 transects surveys at Media Luna and Enrique. Conditions at Media Luna were rough but we completed it in a timely manner. After media Luna we conducted very quick surveys at the North side of Enrique and headed back to campus for data analysis. At campus we conducted our seagrass productivity and core analysis followed up by our Mangrove litter survey to complete the analysis required in the lab. We packed up our things and headed to the house for database entering and preparing for our bio bay tour. After entering the data we headed to La Parguera to get on the boat for the bioluminescent bay tour. We spent 40 minutes chilling in Caracoles until sundown when we headed to Bioluminescent Bay to see the Bioluminescent Phytoplankton. It was amazing, it felt like swimming through stardust with every movement in the water looking like a miniature fireworks display. I felt like I was Iron Man shooting lasers of light in the water. Overall the Bioluminescent Bay was an amazing way to end our experience in La Parguera and hope to return in the future. Friday we leave and head out to San Juan to spend the day there and enjoy the last bit of our time in Puerto Rico. - Joseph
Day 11: Wednesday 05/29 - Caracoles and Revisit Mata de la Gata to retrieve mangrove leaf litter trap
Day 11: Wednesday 05/29 - Caracoles and Revisit Mata de la Gata to retrieve mangrove leaf litter trap
Today, we went back to Caracoles (my favorite site!!) to conduct another benthic survey and to gather seagrass cores. It was cool to see how much the accuracy and level of comfortability had improved since the beginning of the trip. After our surveys, we got to have a long free snorkel! It was nice to be able to take in the beauty of the site and I found a lot of pretty seashells! Once we left Caracoles, we headed over to Mata La Gata and Isla Magueyes to collect our mangrove leaf litter traps. Turns out, some of the tourists over the memorial day weekend decided to tear down both of our litter traps at Mata La Gata. This left us with one litter trap to collect data from. Next, we went back to the lab to prepare for our guest speaker. He talked about algal farming in Puerto Rico and we even got to taste some of the algae they are growing! After that, we went to analyze our seagrass cores and input data from the day and look at more phytoplankton cell counts. It was a great day!! -McKeni
Today, we returned to Caracoles to further refine our benthic surveying skills while also having the opportunity to snorkel freely throughout the site. In doing so, I saw dozens of juvenile barracuda and watched as they sit almost completely still in the prop roots of the mangroves to camouflage themselves from predators. Furthermore, once we got back to the lab, we began prepping for our daily guest speakers, who were exceptionally excited to reveal their efforts and research to bring a larger aquaculture market of macroalgae. As it turns out, Puerto Rico does not have very many sites dedicated to growing macroalgae in a controlled environment. Whereas most of the Caribbean has an immense presence of this kind of aquatic activity. Moreover, the guest speakers wanted to point out that macroalgae serves as a sufficient economic and environmental resource for both humans and marine organisms. After hearing this, I began thinking as to why exactly Puerto Rico does not have a foothold in this blue resource, considering that many of the marine ecosystems found here could be in dire need of an efficient tool for gas exchange, flora, and habitat. -Hayden
We returned to Caracoles today to conduct another benthic survey and collect seagrass cores. It was exciting to return to the first place we visited because we were able to enjoy it more this time around. The first day we were out here, all of us were still getting used to snorkeling and conducting benthic surveys, so we didn’t get to properly explore the scenery. Now that we’ve had a week of practice with these surveys, we were able to finish in under an hour, leaving two hours of free snorkel time.
I spent most of my free time watching the scenes on the drop roots of the mangroves. They hosted a variety of organisms like tube worms, nudibranchs, urchins, anemones, snails, crabs, and all kinds of fish (both juveniles and adults). There were so many juvenile barracudas; they are significantly less scary when they’re smaller than my pinky finger. I could sit and watch the mangrove environments for days on end and never get bored. This may even be what I go on to study in grad school!
After we wrapped up at Caracoles, we went to Mata La Gata to collect our leaf litter traps. Sadly they had been a bit torn down so we didn’t collect the data that we were hoping for, but the traps on Isla Magueyes were intact so we will still be able to analyze some data.
Today we had a guest speaker talk about the new efforts for algal farming in PR. Algae hugely combat climate change by filtering water, creating carbon sinks, hosting environments to restore depleted areas, and can even serve as biofuel! It was a really interesting topic to delve into.
At the lab we examined more phytoplankton samples and analyzed seagrass biomass from Caracoles. As interesting as it is, the seagrass smells really bad! We powered through the smell and finished our second-to-last seagrass analysis.
Back at home, we calculated diet metrics based on the fish dissections from last week. It was really cool learning about the different ways to assess the contents of a fish’s stomach in relation to its size and to other fish. I really despised math growing up, but now I have a love for biostatistics. We wrapped up our day with data entry and a swim in the pool.
Tomorrow is our last day in La Paguera, I can't believe we’re almost done. I could stay here forever. -Ali
Our day was relaxing for the most part, we got to go back to some of the first sites that we went to last week. The water was clam and the surveys we did were much easier to do since the waves weren’t crashing over our heads. Even though it was easy to do I think everyone is starting to feel the drain from trip, but in some ways that’s a good thing and it means we worked hard and put the effort in for the classes. -Avery
Day 10: Tuesday 05/28 - Cayo San Cristobal
Day 10: Tuesday 05/28 - Cayo San Cristobal
It was back to work today with an early morning. The first thing we had to do was eat breakfast, it was the usual bacon and egg with some tortillas. After we ate and packed up the cars, we headed to campus to go snorkeling at laurel West. The water was rough at the top, but the coral and sea life were amazing it was the most divers that I have ever seen it in the past week. After swallowing a ton of seawater, we were ready to go in. our ride back was bumpy and wet with waves crashing over the bow of the boat. Once we finally made it back to dry land, we got to clean ourselves off and change. Our guest speakers today were some graduate students from the ecology lab. They talked a lot about what being a graduate student is like and how it is never too late to go to school. Once the speech was over, we packed our things and came back to the house. All of us seem pretty tried even with such a short day but the sun, salt and sand never fail to drain us. – Avery
Today I woke up in a bit of pain. On our adventure to Cabo Rojo, I got a pretty bad sunburn, so I was feeling it today. I was very thankful to get out into the water and see some beautiful corals as they seem to become more beautiful and complex every day, but man was I pooped after our dive. I would have loved to do the fun dive, but I had no energy left (peep my boat nap). I did get to see some beautiful fish as well. The yellowtail was damselfish (which was dark blue and had super bright blue spots) and then grunts that were behaving in a very weird manner.
Whenever you have to sit still for a prolonged period of time, you usually notice things about your surroundings that you usually don’t. one of these things was the behavior of the grunts in between feeding. I first noticed the grunts when they were swimming in a school, or rather floating. They were floating vertically and looked like seagrass! I thought this was strange and then I watched them all at the same time turn horizontal to graze on a patch of algae. When they were done, they again at the same time turned and then started floating vertically.
Schooling fish are very finely tuned to one another which is why this behavior made sense, they were blending into their surroundings! And if many fish are moving in the same motion at the same time, it is harder for predators to pick one out.
(Included is a picture of a trumpet fish showing this behavior, but it was not a trumpet fish that I saw!) -Sam
We were excited for today; the location had been really hyped up since last week. There was a little confusion on getting to the cayo, but we got to San Cristobal and hopped in the water. If we thought previous sites were beautiful, this spot was absolutely gorgeous. This was what you think of when you hear “coral reef.” A lot of the coral was dead, dying, or sick, but it was still one of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever seen.
We did our transects, but Dr. Matich wanted us to do another. A lot of us weren’t feeling well and weren’t up to doing a third, so we sat on the boat while the people that did went. I felt well enough after a little rest to get back in the water for a fun snorkel, and had an awesome time freediving around the coral. We found a bunch of conch shells, but all the ones I found still had live snails in them.
We went back for lunch and a talk from some of the school’s grad students. They told us about their research projects, their journeys to grad school, and answered questions we had. After, we went back to our Airbnb, entered some data, and I got some mango topping prepared to make breakfast the next morning. -Kendall
Today marked Day 9 of our fieldwork activities, and we ventured to a new spot, Cayo San Cristobal, for more benthic surveys. Despite seeing the aftermath of last year's thermal bleaching event with significant die-off, the reef was still quite active! Snorkeling and observing the marine life here was an absolute thriller after finding conch shells to take home as souvenirs! Post-lunch, we had the privilege of hearing from graduate students of Dr. Travis Courtney's BERG lab. They shed light on what grad school entails and the work done within the lab, focusing on marine biogeochemistry and ecology, particularly in Puerto Rico's coastal systems. We wrapped up the day with some data entry before enjoying a homemade feast of grilled chicken and our infamous mangoes with coconut whip cream. Another memorable day in Puerto Rico as an aspiring marine biologist! -Caroline
After a refreshing weekend, we are back in the field conducting benthic surveys! Today we went to San Cristobal. This was by far the deepest spot we have been to. The depth has helped me get more comfortable with free diving. There were so many beautiful corals and fish in the area, I could not help keeping my head under the water! There was also a large abundance of comb jellies (jellyfish are my favorite)! I’ve been hoping to spot an upside-down jellyfish, fingers crossed! The ocean conditions were quite rough today, but we powered through it. Hayden and Dr. Matich put the BRUVs out in the water to see if we could catch anything cool on the cameras. Dr. Steichen, Avery and I conducted another phytoplankton tow for about fifteen minutes and read the water temperature, salinity, and pH for the area.
After a big morning on the water, we headed back to the lab to prepare for our guest speaker. The Biology and Ecology research lab graduate students came to talk to us about their individual experiences and their thesis topics. They also gave great advice on finding a good graduate program, including finding an advisor and exploring our interests to specialize in a topic. There was also talk of being open to change and getting out of our comfort zones to experience new things we may have never known we liked! Whether going straight to graduate school or going into the field, we are given opportunities either way. The stories shared with us were nice to hear and eye-opening to a lot of us undergraduates! It has been cool getting to hear from different guest speakers in our field throughout the week. Each person has a different path, but they are all happy to be right where they are! - McKeni
At San Cristobal, our newest snorkeling site, we observed and recorded a much wider range of pelagic and benthic organisms. Also, we documented a sizeable portion of the dead and bleaching corals found here and we were able to understand just how much damage has been caused to the reefs in La Parguera from changing oceanic and coastal conditions. Furthermore, as many of the guest speakers have already pointed out, 2023 was there biggest coral bleaching event ever recorded and is the primary reason for most of the dead and bleaching corals found throughout the keys in La Parguera and even all throughout the coastal waters of Puerto Rico. It’s a very tragic event, but sometimes you can see small patches of juvenile corals that are trying to cope with the rapid changes occurring in their environment. On another note, the fish populations seem to be on the healthier side considering that many herbivorous and carnivorous species are fulfilling their environmental roles or niches. Especially when discussing the herbivorous species, since they provide constant algae clean up service that corals and other benthic organisms depend on, greatly. Such as the “French angelfish” which is a massive and beautiful animal that I was fortunate enough to observe during our surveys. Later that day, we turned our attention towards seagrasses and their overall growth. We did this by gathering small portions of seagrasses, with their underground structures still intact, and took them back to the lab where we measured individual portions of each seagrass. For example, measurements were taken for the roots, rhizomes, shoots, and blades. All of which give us an idea as to the general health and productivity of these coastal seagrasses. - Hayden
We were back in the field bright and early today. We headed to San Cristobal for another day of benthic surveys. This site had the most corals of any other site we’ve seen. Sadly, a lot of the corals were dead due to a massive bleaching event from last year including huge staghorn coral stands. Despite the destruction, there were still some beautiful corals and lots of different fish. While running the transects I found a huge sand dollar and a gorgeous conch shell that I am happy to add to my treasure collection from this trip. It was a beautiful site and I hope to see the reefscape recover over the years with the efforts of the researchers at the University of Puerto Rico.
After returning to the lab, we had a guest presentation by a few graduate students from the Biogeochemistry and Ecology Research Group (BERG Lab). They talked to us about their research projects and the grad school experience. It was so valuable to hear about their stories and what brought them to the position they are in today.
As always, we ended the day with data entry and a delicious dinner of leftovers. We have only a few days left of fieldwork here in PR, so we all are resting up to make the most of it! - Ali
Day 9: Monday 05/27 - Free day!
Day 9: Monday 05/27 - Free day!
After all the excitement we had our first week, and the fun day we had yesterday, a day with no plans but to rest is just what we needed. I got up late and made myself some pancakes, then grabbed my knitting to work on in the common area. The guys had already left for town earlier in the morning, and the girls were also planning on going, but I didn’t feel like walking around or going out. I decided to stay behind, hold down the fort while everyone else went into town, and have a quiet day to myself.
I went up to my loft to get my laptop and lay down, when I saw some ants on my pillow. I found the corner they were climbing up onto my bed from, and squished them as they came for a while, before going downstairs and checking the pantry cabinet. The ants had gotten into some bags of chips, and were crawling straight up, right where my bed is, looking for more food.
I got rid of the ant’s food, went back to my room, got a little work done, and watched a movie while sitting on the floor and squishing more ants. Everyone came back eventually, and we had a nice evening before we have to get back to work tomorrow. -Kendall
We had a totally free day today. Anything we decided to do was totally up to the students and we got to determine the timing. I didn't get out of bed until about 10 which was very nice after a week of waking up at 6.
After we got up, we went into downtown La Paguera for a day on the town. We started off with lunch at the cutest little restaurant where I had the best chicken tacos I have ever had. Afterward, we stopped by a couple of stores in town were a few of us girls picked out new dresses. Our plan is to wear them on Friday for our trip to San Juan.
We walked a loop around the town and stopped at several little kiosks on the way back. Each one featured a local artist selling jewelry, wood carvings, etc. It was really cool getting to see the town alive on the long weekend. We ended our trip into town with smoothies made from fresh mangoes and headed back to the house.
I spent the rest of the evening laying inside soaking up some AC before another week of fieldwork. - Ali
It was our first and only day to do whatever we wanted to. The boys and I decided to get some breakfast in town at the bakery, but unfortunately the line was out the door, so we decided to walk down the street to get some fresh made empanadilla. They were tasty; the shrimp was my favorite, but the lobster was a close runner up. After having a not so healthy breakfast we walked the streets and went into different shops till the rest of the group decided to join us. After about 3 hours they finally showed up and we got lunch, I’m not sure about the rest of the group but I had the carnitas that were good. After lunch ended Kyle and I came back to the house to relax in the A/C which rounded out our day till we ate dinner and finished up our data entry. – Avery
Day 8: Sunday 05/26 - Cabo Rojo: Salt ponds, cliff views, snorkeling and dinner
Day 8: Sunday 05/26 - Cabo Rojo: Salt ponds, cliff views, snorkeling and dinner
Today was our first free day of the trip! We tapped into our inner tourists and went to Cabo Rojo for some hiking and snorkeling. This was my favorite day of the trip because we all finally got to let loose after 2 weeks of near nonstop work. From reading numerous scientific papers to our dozens of hours spent doing benthic surveys and lab work, it was great for everyone to just relax and have fun doing what they want in such a beautiful location! - Kyle
Today we had an excursion outside of our 7 square mile town, Parguera and ventured into Cabo Rojo. This was by far the most beautiful landscape I have seen thus far in Puerto Rico! We began by stopping at the salt flats which turned into a muddy adventure for me as I attempted to taste the salt pond but ended up getting sunk into the stinky mud. Next we hiked to the Faro Los Morrillos lighthouse in Cabo Rojo, the cliffs were high but the views were amazing! We ate lunch on the beach, followed by an optional hike or beach swim. I opted in the hike, and I am so happy I did so because the views got even better. Dr. Matich, Hayden, Joe, Kyle and I ventured further into Cabo Rojo and got to swim in a tidal pool, which ended up being such a fun, rewarding and cooling experience after the hike in the sun. The day continued with a snorkel where we were able to see a lionfish! After burning in the sun all day, we stopped for a cool treat on the side of the road where a man was selling homemade ice cream, quite possibly the most tasty coconut ice cream I have had! It was the perfect Puerto Rican tourist experience! We ended our day at a fun dinner spot where I was finally able to try a local dish, Mofongo with octopus. It was delicious! The day was filled with thrills and adventure, which made a perfect ending to our first week in Puerto Rico! -Caroline
This weekend has been a blast, we've enjoyed a lot of relaxation and fun. On Friday we went to the eastside of Cayo Laurel and did a transect survey, we saw a lot of cool coral and seagrass beds. My highlight of the day was seeing a nurse shark by the BRUV which was near my transect. Afterwards we met with Juan Jose Cruz-Motta who gave us a lecture on marine ecology and later we joined him at a party for his graduate students. The next day we did mangrove surveys on Isla Magueyes and shortly afterwards conducted a seagrass productivity survey and fish stomach content dissection. Then we ended the day early and had fun making some burgers. The next day we woke up late than usual for our day off. After a chill morning we went to Cabo Rojo for a sightseeing tour. After exploring the lighthouse area we went down to the beach and had a relaxing lunch there. Then half of the group including me went in a hike around most of the area. We saw all sorts of unique rock formations and even found a small wading pool we took a break in. Finally on Monday, it was Memorial Day so we took another day off and visited the town and went souvenir shopping to close of the weekend of relaxation. Overall these past few days have been fun and exciting for everyone and we're ready to enter the second half of the trip. -Joseph
Today was pure fun! We didn’t have any assignments or surveys to do today, so we were all able to sleep in a bit. We headed out around 9 am to Cabo Rojo to see the salt flats. The areas with more salt were a marvelous pink color thanks to the Dinalliella. We spent some time exploring the flats and collecting salt crystals before heading to the lighthouse where we saw the most beautiful view I’ve ever seen. We hiked up to the lighthouse and stood over the cliffs. To the horizon was blue water. It was so peaceful watching the waves crash onto the cliffside.
After we had our fill of standing at the edge of the world, we hiked down to a white sand beach between the cliffs. We ate lunch on the beach and went for a swim. The water felt amazing- minus the occasional clump of macroalgae floating across our feet. The group split into two groups, one continued hiking, and my group reveled in the clear water for a few hours. It was exactly what I needed after a long, science-filled week.
Once the second half of the group returned, we trekked to the far side of the island for some free snorkeling. It was such a cool place to see. The sea floor quickly shifted between seagrass beds, white sand, and patch reefs. This side of the island was subject to decent wave action so we were getting tossed around along with the sediment, making it a bit harder to see than in some of our other snorkel spots. The decrease in visibility and increase in water depth definitely made me nervous, but it was such a rewarding snorkel. We saw beautiful coral colonies, dense seagrass beds, and a plethora of fish. There were sergeant majors, snappers, and even lionfish and lobsters!
We ended the day with a trip to a local spot outside of La Paguera. It was a collection of several restaurants complete with a playground and lots of karaoke! We treated ourselves to (virgin) Pina Coladas that were to die for and we all tried the most amazing new food. I had Mufongo de Pollo which is a chicken dish of mashed plantains and tomato sauce. I am typically not the most adventurous eater so I was nervous to try, but the mufonga was amazing! It might even be my new favorite food. It was a great experience and the best end to a long week. -Ali
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Day 7: Saturday 05/25 - Isla Magueyes: Mangroves, Seagrass productivity and Fish dissections
Day 7: Saturday 05/25 - Isla Magueyes: Mangroves, Seagrass productivity and Fish dissections
The weekend is the boat captains’ days off, so we were landlocked today, but not enough to not get to Isla Magueyes. In the morning, we went and surveyed a portion of the mangroves around the island. We measured trees, counted seedlings and crab holes, and tried to ignore the giant termite nest a few feet away from us.
To cool down after climbing through roots and mud in the heat and humidity, we came inside to measure seagrass biomass and growth. Earlier this week, we poked holes in the base of blades of seagrass in the boat basin, and let them grow for a few days. We measured how much they had grown and can extrapolate their growth rate by how long they had to grow. We also scraped them and looked at the epiphytes that were growing on them.
We took a break for lunch, and then got right into the fish dissections. We cut open ballyhoo first, cut their stomachs out, and looked at the contents. Mine had only eaten some green algae, but I heard that some others had gotten fish that had eaten red algae; very cool stuff. After the ballyhoo, we dissected some snapper. Some of them had some awesome things in their stomachs, like crustaceans and even a small shrimp eel. In my snappers, however, their stomachs were empty.
After our time at the Isla Magueyes lab, we came back to our Airbnb. We entered some data, hung out, and then headed out to town for our ice cream social. I managed to snag the last of the brownies for a brownie sundae, and put cappuccino ice cream over them. It was delicious.
We went and got coconut soda after and came back. Since we couldn’t go snorkeling today, we decided to swim in the pool; after so much swimming every day, we couldn’t go a day without being in the water.
Lastly, we finished the day off with burgers from our grill master for dinner. - Kendall
Today, Dr. Steichen and Dr. Matich organized a fish dissection and had us find and remove the stomach from the fish itself. Then they had us empty the stomach and identify the contents using sample microscopes. To be honest, this was the highlight of the day since this allowed me to practice the appropriate procedures of how to cut into and locate specific internal structures within an animal. Also, the fish themselves were of course smelly, but in a good way. Furthermore, the final projects that we are to complete have been in my mind for a while now and I believe I have narrowed down what my projects will cover. For example, for tropical marine botany, I would like to outline the effects of eutrophication on seagrass beds in La Parguera and how this can change their species distribution throughout the region. This question has been in my mind since our first day in the water because I noticed that the density of distinct species of seagrasses can vary from one location to another and I would like to find out why that is. As for tropical marine food webs, I am very much interested in figuring out what type of herbivorous fishes are key for the reef’s survival, and what kind of environmental pressures may be further diminishing the reefs in La Parguera. This includes anthropogenic causes that are partly responsible for the lowering of ecological “baselines” and what we may see in the years to come. -Hayden
We stayed on Isla Magueyes today for our work. We started near the boat basin doing another mangrove survey. This section of mangroves was less dense than the mangrove forest from the other day at Mata La Gata. The trees here, however, were bigger and there were more White mangroves. My lab partner and I had a great time climbing through the trees. It rained yesterday, so the group was wet and slippery. At one point I sunk to my knees in mud while trying to get through the trees.
After surveying the mangroves, we headed back into the lab to process some of our seagrass samples. At the beginning of the week, we marked some seagrass beds for processing with flags. In those beds, we used needles to poke holes in the base of at lease five shoots of grass. After collecting those shoots, we were able to measure the distance between the ground and the pinhole that we created so that we could estimate the seagrass growth rate. In addition to this, we collected some shoots to look for epiphytes and measure above and below-ground biomass.
We took our usual break for lunch and a few of us decided to sit outside. This proved to be a mistake. As soon as we sat on the sidewalk to enjoy our sandwiches, three iguanas swarmed us to try and get our food! They were surprisingly scary when approaching us so quickly. One even came up and bit me in an attempt to eat my sandwich! Needless to say, we decided it was best to eat safely indoors.
To end our day in the lab, we dissected Lane Snapper and Ballyhoo. We were extracting their stomachs to examine what and how much they were eating. It was interesting to examine the stomach contents, but it made the lab smell disgusting. The ballyhoo seemed to have diets consisting of green algae. Most of the lane snappers had “stomach goop” AKA undiscernable digested material… and it was extremely stinky.
To end off the day, we returned home to enter all of our data and attempt to shower off the fish smell. We went out for ice cream to celebrate the end of a successful week of research and the rest of the night is pure relaxation time! - Ali
Look closely to see Ali back deep in the red mangroves! She is in her element in there!
Day 6: Friday 05/24 - Cayo Laurel (East end)
Day 6: Friday 05/24 - Cayo Laurel (East end)
It’s finally Friday! After a week of long hours and taxing field work, we were ready to get started on today so we could relax over the weekend. We went to my second favorite location of the trip, and went with the daily work of benthic surveys, leading into a fun free dive if we had time, and we did! This was the deepest spot we had yet, and it was so great being able to swim freely without worrying about hitting corals or disturbing any of the seagrasses. - Kyle
While we did our transects today, we deployed our BRUVS (Baited Remote Underwater Video Systems) for the first time. Along with this came some learning curves, the largest of which is how close/far they should be deployed from our transects. The first thing I noticed was our classmate Joseph calling out about how nurse sharks were swimming near him and the BRUVS. This reminded me that I should always be alert when in the water, so I continued to scan the water while I was holding my transect tape for my team.
I first noticed the barracuda looking at me just at the edge of my field of view. This startled me simply because he blended in, and I barely saw him and did not expect it to be there. The barracuda swam out of my field of view, but it came back and did the same thing, watching me right at the edge of my field of view. I didn’t care for this, so I swam in my tape a little and kept watching. A little while passed of scanning and seeing nothing and then suddenly the barracuda was swimming toward my head on, so I proceeded to swim away (yes, pee myself) and get to my teammates.
In reality, I was fine, but the adrenaline rush did cause me to freak out for a minute and delay our transect, but hey, I survived. -Sam
For today, we surveyed the east side of “Laurel,” which happens to have numerous small reefs and a variety of fish species and organisms. While doing so, we were working in depths of about 10 or 15 feet deep, which sort of got us a little further out of our comfort zone to get us more acquainted with the methods and what to expect from working in a less controlled environment. I should note that because of this experience, I gained more confidence in my ability to dive down to the ocean bottom to handle and even retrieve equipment. Moreover, the types of organisms that you’re able to observe on the ocean bottom are astounding since you can see their true colors when you’re up close! For example, my group and I found a small reef patch that housed several butterfly fish, wrasses, parrotfish, soft corals, and sea urchins. Many of which had very sophisticated and complex colorations and patterns. Later that day, I got the opportunity to observe and count zooplankton and phytoplankton cells under a microscope, which I enjoyed deeply, and I look forward to our fish dissection tomorrow! -Hayden
We may have done so many cool things this past week, but I would be surprised if there was a day to top the time we had today. It started with some downs, jellyfish stings and some nerve-wracking barracuda encounters, but it was only up from there.
In the morning, we went out to the east side of Cayo Laurel, an area with some very nice seagrass beds and sandy areas with scattered coral and sponge cover. Some parts got a little deep, but that just gave us a chance to practice our free diving.
We took our benthic surveys of some areas, and got through the work portion fast enough to have a little fun. We explored, saw massive corals the size of boulders, gatherings of urchins, squid, and such a wide variety of different fish you’d only expect to see in an exotic aquarium.
When we got back for the afternoon, we had a guest speaker, J.J. Cruz Motta, come and talk to us about marine ecology, and about what ecology really means. Then, we did phytoplankton counts, counting how many there were in different sampling areas.
Finally, we stopped at the Airbnb to cut up a pineapple and process some data, before heading to a party for three of the graduate students who defended their thesis. They appreciated the pineapple, and we spent a few hours socializing with the students and staff of the Magueyes campus. It started pouring rain at one point, but everyone either pulled on rain coats, huddled under umbrellas, or got soaked, and kept having a good time. I even met a beekeeper who raises bees in the area, where they collect nectar and pollen from the mangroves, and sells their honey. Needless to say, I got a bottle from him to bring home.
At the end of the day, we were all tired, but we had such a good time that nobody was in a bad mood. We had a quick dinner when we got back and went right to bed. It was such an excitement filled day, it’ll be pretty hard to beat. - Kendall
Today was even better than yesterday! We headed out to the east end of Cayo Laurel where there was an expansive seagrass bed and a beautiful patch reef. We swam all around the reef and saw more fish than any other day so far. There were butterfly fish, grunts, damselfish, and snapper, and some people even saw needlefish, barracuda, sting rays, and nurse sharks!
In addition to the usual benthic surveys, today we deployed BRUV (Baited underwater videos). These were GoPros attached to PVC pip rigs with various types of bait secured in front of the cameras. We deployed 2 BRUVs, one with just snapper, and one with three bait options (snapper, squid, and ballyhoo). This weekend, we are going to analyze the videos to determine what kind of organisms approach the bait which will allow us to see if they have a preference for specific types of food.
In the afternoon, we were processing plankton tows. We put each sample under the microscope and worked to identify what was present. Our goal was to count 200 individuals from the samples for each location. The individuals we were looking for fell into 4 categories: phytoplankton, zooplankton, mollusk larvae, and forams.
At the end of the day, we joined some of the students and faculty from the University of Puerto Rico to celebrate graduate students who recently defended their theses. They introduced us to some local appetizers which were absolutely delicious. It was a great opportunity to learn about the opportunities available to us as we approach grad school.
All in all, it was another great day in PR.-Ali
For today, we surveyed the east side of “Laurel,” which happens to have numerous small reefs and a variety of fish species and organisms. While doing so, we were working in depths of about 10 or 15 feet deep, which sort of got us a little further out of our comfort zone to get us more acquainted with the methods and what to expect from working in a less controlled environment. I should note that because of this experience, I gained more confidence in my ability to dive down to the ocean bottom to handle and even retrieve equipment. Moreover, the types of organisms that you’re able to observe on the ocean bottom are astounding since you can see their true colors when you’re up close! For example, my group and I found a small reef patch that housed several butterfly fish, wrasses, parrotfish, soft corals, and sea urchins. Many of which had very sophisticated and complex colorations and patterns. Later that day, I got the opportunity to observe and count zooplankton and phytoplankton cells under a microscope, which I enjoyed deeply, and I look forward to our fish dissection tomorrow! - Hayden
Day 5: Thursday 05/23 - Media Luna - Benthic surveys
Day 5: Thursday 05/23 - Media Luna - Benthic surveys
Today we went to Cayo Media Luna and it was so beautiful here. We did more benthic surveys and it was so much nicer being in deeper waters. I was able to practice on my free diving skills and I felt so free when swimming around beneath the waves. Being in the ocean, under the water, is one of my favorite places to be on Earth. The surveys went well today so everyone was in a good mood today, and it was just fun all around! - Kyle
Today was our first attempt at conducting our routine benthic surveys with the addition of computing software to analyze the photos of the numerous reefs we encountered. While doing so, I became more familiar with the software itself and how to envision how the quality of the photos greatly dictates the smoothness and ease of working with the software. Also, after snorkeling and lunch, we all had the opportunity to talk to Dr. Weil who is the director of the campus on Isla Magueyes. In doing so, Dr. Weil was exceptionally passionate and informative of what it’s like conducting research in this area of the world. Furthermore, he gave us insight into what kind of environmental conditions and factors that are greatly impacting the local marine ecosystems and what they expect in the near future. Unfortunately, the marine environments here are in a slow decline, but Dr. Weil is still hopeful for the health and wellbeing of these crucial environments. In all, it was an amazing experience to converse with someone who was so knowledgeable and dedicated to their scientific field and I absolutely look forward to meeting more of the faculty at Isla Magueyes! - Hayden
We started our day bright and early at Media Luna for a snorkel sesh and to conduct benthic surveys. The water was clear, and the sun was shining, so we knew it was going to be a wonderful day! There were a lot of soft corals, beautiful fish swimming around and some brown calcareous macroalgae. Before leaving Media Luna, we conducted a five minute phytoplankton tow. Then, we conducted another one at Enrique for about fifteen minutes. On our way back to Isla Magueyes, Frank (our boat captain) took us to see a buoy that NOAA deployed. The buoy took in a multitude of information including the pH, water salinity and temperature and more! He also told us that the data collected is being transmitted immediately into their system. Once we were back at the lab, we ate some sandwiches for lunch in preparation for our next activity. The director of the University of Puerto Rico Institute of Marine Biology, Ernesto Weil, came to talk to us about the program and the specific concentrations offered. The program is only for master's and PhD students with concentrations in biological, chemical, physical, and geological oceanography. He also spoke about the facilities and communities on the Natural Reserve of La Parguera. This includes a main dock with diving equipment, an applied ecology modeling-chemistry lab, a coral ecology and evolution lab, a geology lab, on land coral cultures, seagrass beds, and mangroves. There are also lots of opportunities for volunteers on the island! To finish our day of work, we attempted to complete some phytoplankton cell counts in the lab. However, it did not end up in our favor due to the low number of phytoplankton caught in the tows. To conclude the day, we cooked a delicious dinner including chicken, vegetables, and rice to recharge our bodies and our minds! -McKeni
Thursday marked the fourth day of the trip and wow what a day! The morning started as usual with some pancakes and scrambled eggs as I finally remembered to bring everything. We got to the campus early and spent our time preparing for the 4 hour snorkel ahead of us. We headed out to Media Luna which is known for being a Lemon Shark nursery and bird rookery. It was the furthest and deepest area we have snorkeled in so far. This location contained a wide variety of soft corals and hard corals with most of the substrate being old coral skeletons that were degraded by storms overtime, allowing large amounts of Macroalgae and turf algae to thrive. My lab partner Avery and I conducted our benthic surveys in addition to taking pictures of the quadrats with our cameras. While I was holding the transect tape I saw a juvenile Lemon Shark! It was a highlight of the day for me. After completing our transects half of the group went on a free dive and saw some awesome gorgonians and boulder corals. Once we concluded our dive we performed 2 phytoplankton tows at Media Luna and Enrique and I decided it would be super awesome to take off my gear and get super sunburnt. After the tows we went back to the campus and met with Ernesto Weil, the director of the Marine Science department and the University of Puerto Rico. He discussed the logistics and operations of the university and the current issues at hand with climate change and diseases on coral populations. After our discussion we looked at the phytoplankton samples and found them to have such a low amount that we could not perform a cell count successfully. So we created a new plan for the phytoplankton count to collect concentrated samples. Afterwards we collected our pictures and ran them through our coral point count software and ate dinner to finish the day. Overall Thursday was one of my favorites so far and I hope that Friday keeps up in the excitement and fun. - Joseph
Today was my favorite day so far, we went to Cayo Media Luna for another benthic survey and it was absolutely gorgeous! The water was so clear and there were so many corals! Corals truly have my heart, aside from wetlands, they are my absolute favorite marine ecosystem. It was breathtaking to see it all in person for the first time.
The winds were stronger today so everyone was getting tossed around a bit more than in previous days. Like before, we each had a section of the transect to follow and place a quadrat every 2 meters. My particular site was about 7 feet deep meaning that for each quadrat I had to free dive down to place it, take the photos, and identify the organisms present. Prior to this trip, I had never snorkeled before, but this was so much fun! It was a bit rough at first, especially because of the waves. Plus, I have pretty sensitive ears so I had to equalize often which was made difficult by all of the gear I had to hold. After a few stops along the transect, I got into a rhythm and had a lot of fun practicing my free diving.
By the time I completed my transect, I was pretty tired from fighting the waves, but after my partner finished his, we had time for a fun snorkel. We got to see so many beautiful coral clusters. There were huge fan and brain corals that left me speechless. Some of the soft corals seemed about as tall as I am and watching them gently ripple in the waves was so soothing. Without the gear needed for research, free diving became much easier! I had the time of my life diving from the surface down to the bottom and swimming along the sea floor. A few times I dove down and flipped on my back just to look up at the surface from below. I do not have the words to describe that feeling but it makes my heart so full. There is nothing quite as freeing as being beneath the waves.
After we finished our snorkeling trip we returned to the lab for a presentation by guest speaker, Ernesto Weil. He is an amazing marine biologist who is driven by his love and passion for coral reefs. He emphasized the importance of educating others on the threats facing our oceans, especially younger people. The uncomfortable truth is that we are reaching an environmental crisis and if something doesn’t change we are going to experience a mass extinction. Dr. Weil pointed out that it really is up to younger generations to be the change we need, we are the ones entering adulthood with an understanding of the oceans and the threats they face. By using our knowledge and voices we can be part of the solution. More than anything, we must continue to teach kids about the ocean. If they don’t know about and have a love and respect for the seas, they will not have the drive to protect them. There is so much beauty to be preserved in our seas. Thank you to Dr. Weil for sharing his time and insights.
Once again, our day ended with data entry, but today there was a bit more to do. We took photos of each quadrat so we had to upload them to a program called CPCe where 25 random points across the picture were generated and we had to view each one and identify what it was marking. I love data science so learning to use a program like this made my heart happy. All in all, it was another amazing day of experiences in Puerto Rico! - Ali Bell
Day 4: Wednesday 05/22 - Mangrove surveys at Cayo Mata de la Gata and snorkeling benthic surveys Cayo Enrique
Day 4: Wednesday 05/22 - Mangrove surveys at Cayo Mata de la Gata and snorkeling benthic surveys Cayo Enrique
Today we started off with a good time conducting mangrove surveys at Cayo Mata de la Gata. Everyone was ready to roll and we all got to work once we got there. We lucked out with the weather being cloudy and slightly rainy in the morning, because it can get real hot in those mangroves without any breeze. After the mangrove surveys we did some benthic surveys at Cayo Enrique, and I had a great time snorkeling there. Though, to be fair, I don’t think I really needed all the snorkel gear for the area I was surveying… It was shallower than I had bargained for. - Kyle
For our 3rd day in La Parguera, we tracked through mangrove canopies to measure the height, diameter, and productivity of mangrove seedlings and root structures. The canopies there were extremely dense since I had to lie down on my stomach to gather measurements, which was a blast! Furthermore, I was unaware of just how many crabs burrow in the anoxic soil of the mangrove patches. Also, at the key of “Enrique,” we conducted our quadrate surveys across a shallow channel between two mangrove patchs. I was responsible for swimming out with the transect tape until its max distance of 30 meters was reached. Once there, I waited for my team to finish the benthic surveys in very shallow water next to one of the mangrove patches. While there, I was able to quietly view numerous schools of fish and I managed to get harassed by a damselfish next to the one of the prop roots of the mangroves. Despite this, I was able to calmly observe and appreciate the incredible marine habitats at “Enrique.” Lastly, on our way back to the house, I was surprised of how the people here are so interconnected and are so communal in which they throw celebration parties in the downtown area next to Isla Mayaguez. Which I thought was quite rare especially since many cities and communities in the U.S. don’t have that kind of companionship and communal outreach. - Hayden
Today we went back to our mangrove stand on Mata La Gata and started to measure the mangroves that we measured our transect for yesterday. A transect is a set area of land/water that we measure ahead of time and then we look at everything that is living (and non-living) within the area to gather more information about the ecosystem, its interactions, and its productivity. With our transect already set, today we measured the saplings, adult trees, and even crab burrows within our section of the transect. Because our section was so dense, we had to find unique ways to be able to measure our mangrove trees because they were hard to access. This included maneuvering our quadrat around branches and trees to be able to set our working area and crawling in to get close! - Sam...continued below
After our Mangrove work, we got into some magnificent waters at Enrique. The depth was variable, but for most of our transect, we were almost crawling to survey our benthic habitat. When we survey the bottom, we move our PVC quadrat across our transect tape and estimate what we see within it. We have practiced doing this by eye the past two days but tomorrow we will practice both by eye and by taking photos of our quadrats. When we take photos of our quadrats, we put the photo into a program that calculates the coverage of different algae, seagrass, and corals for us (which is a much more efficient method). But, in instances like today where we were essentially crawling in the sand to observe our entire transect, a camera would not be able to effectively capture what is in the water so we must be able to attempt the calculation by eye. -Sam
Our marine adventure in Puerto Rico has been an exhilarating journey filled with discovery and wonder. Despite the initial challenge of early mornings, the anticipation of what awaited us made every moment worthwhile. Our expedition kicked off with a splash as we tested snorkel gear at the Isla Magueyes Boat Basin on day one, immersing ourselves in the vibrant Caribbean underwater world. Carefully, we poked needle holes in seagrass beds, contributing to growth assessments for a learning experience. Day two introduced us to Noel from the Iser Caribe non-profit, shedding light on the vital work of reviving sea urchin populations. Setting up traps for mangrove leaf litter on Cayo Mata La Gata and conducting benthic surveys at Caracoles, we marveled at the sea life we don’t get to see in Galveston, catching glimpses of barracuda swimming past us. The benthic surveys conducted unveiled a rich marine ecosystem, adorned with algae, seagrass, and other organisms scattered across the ocean floor. Day three we ventured further, assessing mangrove forests at Cayo Mata La Gata and exploring a new area, Cayo Enrique, where we conducted benthic surveys alongside plankton tows teeming with radiolarians, phytoplankton, zooplankton, and mollusk veliger for examinations under the microscope.
Reflecting on these first few days, I am filled with gratitude for the incredible people and experiences that have marked our adventure thus far. Each moment has been a testament to the beauty and fragility of our marine ecosystems, fueling my passion for conservation and discovery. With anticipation building for the days ahead, I am eager to dive deeper into these seascapes. What a fun and fulfilling start to our Caribbean expedition – the best is yet to come! - Caroline
blogday1-3_caroline.MOVToday is day three in PR and the exhaustion seems to have caught up with all of us. The combination of early mornings and constant hard work in the field is definitely showing. We all seemed to need a little extra coffee this morning and by mid-afternoon, it seemed that we were all ready for bed. Despite the tiredness, we’re still having a blast!
Our morning started with mangrove surveys. We returned to Cayo Mata La Gata and were paired up and assigned a section of our 50m transect. Each pair had to place PVC quadrats and count the number of seedlings and crab burrows. This part was pretty quick and easy. There were so many little mangrove seedlings! The second part of the survey required us to find the main trunk of all the mangroves in our section of the transect (listing the stats for up to 20 trees). This included measuring their height, diameter of the main trunk, and leaf canopy width and length.
The section assigned to my partner and me was thick with mangroves. Across our 12.5 meter section, however, we only ended up with 20 trees exactly. The thick brush was created by hundreds of prop roots that were established years ago as indicated by their size. There was one particular white mangrove that had a canopy width of almost 8 meters and it had prop roots stretching from the tree’s base at the start of our transect all the way to the 10 meter mark! There were four huge red mangrove clusters that turned out to all be part of one enormous tree. I had a great time climbing through the trees to get all of our measurements. I guess my years of climbing trees as a kid finally paid off.
The fieldwork was rounded off with a phytoplankton tow and another snorkeling benthic survey at Cayo Enrique. This site was filled with all kinds of life including huge sea cucumbers, Diadema sea urchins, schoolmaster snappers, anchovies, several types of damselfish, a whole lot of turtle grass, and even some corals. We were snorkeling for what felt like only 30 minutes but what had actually been two hours, and before we knew it, it was already time for lunch.
Back at the lab, we prepared microscope slides of the plankton we collected, and all took turns finding various plankton on the microscopes and identifying what we found. Afterward, we practiced with the underwater cameras for tomorrow's surveys.
After we made it back to the house we all fell into a slump from the exhaustion. Most of us took showers and laid down for a bit before entering all of the day’s data, but the guys set up a game of pool. After a while, we reconvened to discuss the day's activities and begin dinner. Another amazing day in the field is done!
-Ali
For our second day in La Parguera, Puerto Rico, we surveyed a couple of the keys located just off “Isla Magueyes.” First, we used a small boat to reach the islands of “Caracoles” and “Mata La Gata,” where we surveyed the surrounding waters and internal mangrove forests. Later that day, we were lucky enough to have a guest speaker from a non-profit organization called “Iser Caribe,” in which we were informed on the numerous marine conservation projects that take place on the university campus of “Isla Magueyes.” I should also note that when we are walking around the campus, we’re able to see researchers conducting scientific studies and they were very excited to explain the key points of what their research implies at an extremely knowledgeable and critical level. During the evening, we all came together to input and record our findings, which happened to be very interesting because I figured out just how much time and effort must be applied to finalize such a small amount of data. Looking back on this, I now have a deeper understanding of what kind of mistakes a researcher can make in the field and how that affects this process. - Hayden
Today we went out to our second and third survey sites of the trip, Caracoles and Mata La Gata, cayos off the southwest coast of PR.
The water here was even more beautiful than the waters off of Isla Magueyes that we practiced in yesterday. The water was cooler, clearer, and full of life. There were Porgys, Damselfish, Needlefish, Barracudas, Tarpon, Anchovies, and even barracuda! We also saw a few Diadema Sea Urchins, tube worms, and a lot of macro algae, mostly brown and green. The Caracoles cayo had a patch of seagrass containing all three of our target species for this trip: Turtle Grass, Manatee Grass, and Paddle Grass!
We did our first real snorkeling survey. For this, we laid out a 30m transect along which we stopped at each odd-numbered meter marker to place a quadrat to designate our survey area. Within each quadrat, we had to identify any benthic species present and estimate their percent cover.
At Mata de La Gata we placed PVC quadrats equipped with mesh nets beneath red and white mangroves to catch leaf litter that will later help us estimate mangrove productivity. This cayo used to be a popular tourist spot before it was hit by hurricane Maria. Now, the small island is left alone with its dilapidated structures allowing the flora and fauna to thrive. The mangroves were huge and some were so old that you could hardly identify their main trunk because of how large their prop roots have grown over the years. The banks of the Cayo were made up entirely of dead coral. Off the windward side of the island, there is a reef, and as pieces die or break off, they get washed onto the shores leaving behind some of the most beautiful pieces of substrate.
Before heading back to our home away from home, we toured the campus of the University of Puerto Rico with a master's student and member of Iser Caribe (a non-profit that is working to restore the ecosystems in PR). We learned so much about the small community on Isla Magueyes and all of the amazing research that is being conducted there.
Back at the house, we recorded all of the day's data into spreadsheets to use later and got some practice with underwater cameras! We were all exhausted by this point, but thankfully, the end of the day had arrived and it was finally dinner time. In all, day two in PR was a huge success! - Ali
Day 2: Monday 05/20/2024 - First ful day in La Parguera and Isla Magueyes.
Day 2: Monday 05/20/2024 - First ful day in La Parguera and Isla Magueyes.
Here we are, our first full day in Puerto Rico! I can’t even begin to explain how excited and happy I am to finally be back in an area where the visibility is longer than my arm’s length. First we hiked around Isla Magueyes and went to Tsunami Peak and some amazing views of the surrounding area. After that, we spent time in the boat basin learning how to snorkel, but for me, I was shaking off the 10 or so years of rust I gained after moving from Florida to Texas. It was such a great experience being able to snorkel and free dive again, while also learning how to use all the equipment. Everyone is getting along great and I can’t wait to see what the rest of the trip has in store for us! - Kyle
Our first full day in PR was eventful, to say the least. After our affectionately named “Family Breakfast,” we jumped right into prepping for the week. One group set off on a mission to buy groceries while another ventured over to Isla Magueyes to set up our lab materials. We reconvened at the house to make lunch and a game plan and headed back to Isla Magueyes for snorkeling practice.
Isla Magueyes is a tiny island just a 2-minute boat ride away and it is absolutely crawling with iguanas! They are everywhere and, frankly, they’re pretty annoyed that we keep interrupting their naps in the sun. In our defense, it seems that the iguanas’ favorite place to nap is right in the middle of the sidewalk.
Before getting in the water, we took a walk around the island and hiked up a gravel mountainside to Tsunami Peak (aptly named, as it is the meeting place in case of a tsunami). From the peak, you could see the foliage down the mountain and the sparkling waters below dotted with cayos and reefs. I have never seen water so blue. The waters ranged from light blue to a striking turquoise color and it absolutely took my breath away.
Snorkeling time was upon us, and I could not have been more excited. I haven’t done much snorkeling so it was all new to me, but it was wonderful. The water felt amazing and you could actually see the bottom! The seafloor was adorned with Turtle Grass (Thalassia) and various macroalgae: Padina, Mermaids Fan, and Dictyota. My critter count included Upsidedown Jellyfish (Cassiopea), Tarpon, Sergent Major, and Anchovies.
The day ended with “Family Dinner”, card games, and some of the sweetest fruit I’ve ever had. One of the strangest things about the trip thus far is that after 48 hours, all of us have become so close even though many of us had never even met before this trip. I could not have asked for a better group for a research trip like this! - Ali
Day 1: Sunday 05/19 - We made it to La Parguera, Puerto Rico!!
We got to our AirBnb, had our first group grocery store trip and cooked our first meal together! We have settled in beautifully to our home away from home for the next few weeks and we are all so happy to be here! The science starts tomorrow! -Jamie
INTRODUCTIONS
INTRODUCTIONS
Kyle Gardner
Kyle Gardner
Howdy! My name is Kyle Gardner and I’m a senior at Texas A&M Galveston. I love conducting field work and am so happy to be able to be trained and to work in a real-world environment to get a taste of the future that lies ahead of me. I have been so excited for this opportunity since I found out about it last fall, and I couldn’t be more in love with Puerto Rico, the culture, and all the marine life that knows this island as their home.
Caroline Artmire
Caroline Artmire
Howdy! My name is Caroline, I am a senior at TAMUG majoring in Marine Biology and Marine Fisheries Management with a Minor in Coastal Environmental Science. My love for marine science is as deep as the ocean itself! It’s a field of work that involves something new everyday which is so thrilling to me. I am particularly fascinated by the complexity of marine ecosystems and how they play a major role in our planet’s health and balance. There are so many aspects of this research trip to Puerto Rico that are captivating to me but studying and surveying Mangroves are at the top of my list. As mangroves are one of the many vital ecosystems within our coastal environment that are underrated and unappreciated! I am so excited to be on this journey with my fellow Sea Aggies and so thankful Dr. Steichen and Dr. Matich put this trip together to allow for such an immersive experience!!
Samantha Kloppe
Samantha Kloppe
Howdy! My name is Samantha (Sam) Kloppe, and I am a senior in Marine Biology at TAMUG. I have been looking for a way to get experience in the field so as you can imagine, I have been very excited about this trip. I hope that by getting some experience in the water, I will learn which types of research I enjoy and am most fascinated by so I can shape my career path based on what I love! I have also never been to the Caribbean, seen a mangrove, or seen a coral reef in person so I am very excited to have the opportunity to do so. I cannot wait to share with others my experiences from this trip because one of my passions is teaching others about the ocean and I plan to write some in my future about the things I see (and if you couldn’t tell a great inspiration of mine is Rachel Carson).
Joseph Michalsky
Joseph Michalsky
Howdy! My name is Joseph Michalsky and I am a senior at Texas A&M University - Galveston studying Marine Biology and Marine Fisheries. My passions in Marine Biology include Data Science and Trophic Ecology. I'm making this post on Tuesday 5/21/2024 and my favorite thing so far has been seeing all the unique fauna and how they interact with their environment. I am grateful for this opportunity to further my experience in collecting data, snorkeling, and identifying species in the field.
At the beginning of today, we went back to Mata La Gata to conduct our mangrove surveys. Avery and I were assigned to the first section of the transect on the windward side. It was interesting to see the contrast as the windward side contained an overwhelming majority of juvenile Red Mangroves in contrast to the leeward side which contained predominantly large White Mangroves mixed with large Red Mangroves. Our Quadrats we set up contained a total of 2 white mangrove seedlings and 2 crab burrows which was significantly lower than that of the other sections. Avery and I got into the motions of recording the mangrove data and finished very quickly so we had free time to explore the island. We found Sea Urchin skeletons in our transect section and various species of macroalgae along the water's edge. After that, we packed up and conducted phytoplankton tows for cell counts later in the week.
After we concluded at Mata La Gata we conducted our second benthic survey at Cayo Enrique where we got into teams of 2 and 3. The survey went over smoothly and we successfully collected all the data we needed to conduct calculations for seagrass biomass. On our trip, I saw mainly Turtle grass with a few patches of Brown Calcareous Macroalgae and Calcareous Green Algae. Occasionally we saw some species of sponge and Diadema urchins. Additionally, we saw Tarpons and Barracuda around the boats.
Once we returned from Enrique, we cleaned up and then went to the lab where we practiced using the cameras and microscopes. Finally, we went back to the house for data analysis of our mangrove and benthic surveys. Now we are all tired and ready for the next day, where we will use the cameras to record data for the benthic surveys.
Avery Williams
Avery Williams
Howdy, my name Is Avery Williams I am senior marine biology student at Texas A&M University Galveston. I have a huge passion for field work and exploring tropical places. This study abroad will help me do both of those things, while also giving me an opportunity to gain some credits for my degree.
Kendall Bluhm
Kendall Bluhm
Howdy! I’m Kendall Bluhm, and I’m a marine biology major entering my junior year at A&M Galveston. I want to go into marine animal husbandry when I graduate, and I’m so happy for this opportunity to observe natural habitats and species of animals I hope to care for one day. While learning different research methods, I’ll also gain a deeper understanding of the conditions organisms live in, what they need to survive and thrive, and the way our world is changing to influence these factors.
Ali Bell
Ali Bell
Howdy! My name is Ali Bell and I am a senior marine biology student at Texas A&M University at Galveston. I love marine botany and coastal ecology, and hope to continue in this field after graduation. This class is an amazing opportunity for me to expand my field research, snorkeling, and data processing skills.
Hayden Sorsby
Hayden Sorsby
Howdy! My name is Hayden Sorsby, and I am a senior at TAMUG currently taking part in this extraordinary and exciting experience for which I’m grateful to be a part of. Today, we’ve conducted a few practice seagrass surveys and we managed to set up a “mangrove leaf trap,” which is commonly used to assess mangrove growth by observing the quantity of leaves that are periodically released during growth and development. Moreover, during our snorkeling session, we practiced evaluating seagrass growth, which, to be honest, is surprisingly difficult but an invaluable skill to have. Also, I managed to see a foot long sea cucumber! Lastly, being in Puerto Rico so far has been amazing and I am looking forward to what comes next.
McKeni Adkins
McKeni Adkins
Hi! My name is McKeni Adkins and I am a senior at Texas A&M University at Galveston! I am majoring in Marine Biology and minoring in Coastal Environmental Science and Society. I am excited to be on this amazing trip to be able to gain experience in my field with other like-minded students.
Today was our first field day of the trip: we had a large grocery store trip to feed 11 people for the week, climbed up to tsunami point on Isla Magueyes, established an adequate place for our mangrove litter leaf trap, set up our lab equipment, and went snorkeling in the Isla Magueyes boat basin. While in the water, we practiced a multitude of things including using transect tape to measure our survey area, maneuvering quadrats, carrying equipment while snorkeling, how to free dive properly, and how to measure the growth of seagrass by using a syringe. A lot of these techniques are very new to me and were a little nerve-racking at first. It was good to get out of my comfort zone and I do enjoy trying new things! Stay tuned for more fun things to come!
Saturday 05/18 - The last free/preparation day before we leave out on Sunday!
Saturday 05/18 - The last free/preparation day before we leave out on Sunday!
The Galveston community came together to support our Aggie Family and some folks donated tickets to Moody Gardens! Some of the students were able to unwind and go enjoy the day before we headed out on Sunday! Thank you for being awesome Galveston Sea Aggie Family!! -Jamie
Friday 05/17 – Last day of class before we head to Puerto Rico!!
Friday 05/17 – Last day of class before we head to Puerto Rico!!
Dr. Matich found a great conference room at the Rosenberg Library in Galveston for us to use so we met there for our last day of class before we fly out Sunday!! Those that were in person went out for lunch at La Estacion and then headed back into the classroom for the afternoon. Class and discussions went really well and the folks at the library were extremely accommodating. Thank you to all the Rosenberg Library staff!! -Jamie
Thursday 05/16 - The show must go on!
Thursday 05/16 - The show must go on!
These students are dedicated!! On Thursday, Dr. Matich held his class on Zoom as we had some student that made their way off the island and headed home to Spring and Conroe. The remaining 7 students were on Galveston Island. Some folks stayed at hotel rooms, some stayed with friends and others stayed at the rental property of friends.
That afternoon for my class, I decided to have the class in my living room for those in the area and we Zoomed in our remote students. We were still able to cover material, have paper discussions and they had our two dogs and cats to snuggle with as our mascots! Ha!
At the end of another long day, we ordered pizza and sat around and chatted about the weeks adventures and the fun times we had ahead! - Jamie
Wednesday 05/15 - Barge struck bridge
Wednesday 05/15 - Barge struck bridge
Wed morning started out like a normal day until about 10am when the power went out on the Texas A&M University at Galveston campus. Weather was clear but there is some construction happening on campus, so we thought maybe they hit something. Shortly we found out that barge had struck the bridge and had knocked out power and now the bridge was closed to traffic both on and off of Pelican Island where TAMUG is located (just directly north of Galveston Island).
Pelican Island Bridge
Power was restored to campus after a fairly short amount of time but the bridge was closed to both directions of traffic (this is the only way on/off the Pelican Island). Since we are between spring and summer semesters, the cafeteria is currently closed. Now the scramble began to figure out how everyone was going to get some lunch since there are really no other food options on Pelican Island. The incredible staff at TAMUG pulled together and the cafeteria was going to be opening for lunch for those that needed it! For our courses, we knew we needed to have everything prepped and ready to go by Sunday….now we were realizing that if we were able to drive off the island on Wed…we needed to have all of our gear loaded up and ready to go in case we couldn’t come back to campus before we flew out! By mid-day we are moving very diligently (not quite a panic) to get everything done. I start teaching at 1pm and then I start thinking about the importance of what needed to be done if the bridge opened up. I decided to let the students that live on Pelican Island go to their dorms/university apartments so they could get packed up and ready to go if/when the bridge reopens. The information was already starting to circulate that we may not be allowed back on campus before we leave on Sunday. Urgency starts creeping in….at 2:20pm we are notified that the bridge is open temporarily for traffic to leave the island. Now everyone needs to leave Pelican Island ASAP….. Urgency increases even more….Dr. Matich and I begin getting all the gear we need into my car and we will take care of the final preparations at home because we have to get off the island while we can. We raced to get everything loaded up and off we went.
The drive home from TAMUG is typically about 10-15 minutes but today took over a 1.5 hours as they let one car at a time over the bridge at slow rates of speed, but we made it off the island!!! The effort and comradery to get everyone a bed to sleep in and off Pelican Island was incredible. Operation “Get Kendall off Pelican Island” was a late-night success on Wed with the help of Sam!! - Jamie
Monday 05/13 and Tuesday 05/14 – Excitement is in the air as we finally get class started!
Monday 05/13 and Tuesday 05/14 – Excitement is in the air as we finally get class started!
We were all very excited to get class started as we get closer to our travel date! Mon and Tues we were off to a great start to our week of lectures before we headed down to La Parguera, Puerto Rico! We had the students meeting for lectures this week and in the morning, they would meet with Dr. Matich for Tropical Marine Food Webs and then in the afternoons they would meet with me for Tropical Marine Botany. The course material consisted of some lectures along with student led scientific paper discussions. We were also able to help get the students involved in preparing and building some of the equipment that we are going to be using in our snorkel surveys in PR. We knew this was going to be a full week of learning and everyone was onboard and really excited to get started! -Jamie
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