Tropical Field Ecology in Panama

two-toed sloth (Choloepus hoffmanni). Photo by Gerry Carter

EEOB 4420H

Syllabus here

Tropical Field Ecology in Panama is an intensive field course on ecology in Panama, a country renowned for its biological and cultural diversity. After a few on-campus class meetings in May, we will travel to Panama from May 30 - June 13 for a hands-on learning experience, with much of the time spent in rainforests. We will be based at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), one of the world’s leading research stations for studying neotropical ecology located at the narrow isthmus connecting Central and South America. We will travel to several different tropical habitats, gain experiences with common field biology methods, read and discuss research findings, talk with ecologists and evolutionary biologists at the field station, and work together on a group research project.

CLICK HERE FOR SYLLABUS

Above are an orange-chinned parakeet, a coati, and a collared aracari. Unless otherwise noted, all photos taken by course instructor, Gerry Carter, at the location of the course.

Course goals

Appreciate tropical diversity
Understand key fundamental principles in behavioral and evolutionary ecology
Understand deep principles of scientific research
Practice scientific communication: writing, speaking, discussion, and giving/receiving feedback
Learn practical skills in field biology

Topics

Here are a few examples of topics and questions we will discuss:

Why are the tropics so diverse?
How does natural selection lead to the appearance of design?
What key ecological factors shape the evolution of behavior?
Why do some species live fast and die young while other take the slow road?
Why does natural selection lead to altruism?
How do members of different species regulate cooperation and conflict?
How do we reconstruct the evolutionary tree of life?
What are the biological impacts of habitat fragmentation and climate change?
How can science help us protect the natural world?

Photo by Phil Hoenle from Antwiki

Group research project: fungus-growing ants

We will investigate a puzzling behavior in a mysterious fungus-farming ant. Unlike other fungus-farming species, the tiny ant Cyphomyrmex costatus (left) not only grows fungus as food in their nest, but they also gather the decapitated heads of other larger ants, and place them along the nest walls. Nobody knows why! This species was first described 100 years ago, but there is much to learn about their ecology and behavior. As a class, we will review the scientific literature, then design a group research project that can shed light on this species and its unusual behavior. We will use a collaborative approach that identifies the strengths of each student to help everyone contribute. Our aim is to write and publish a scientific article in a peer-reviewed journal.