Research Projects

Ecuador is one of the most biologically diverse places on the planet.  Moths as a group play an important role as pollinators as adults and are a critical food resource in most ecosystems Using two light traps and a sheet, this nocturnal  research team (led by Mason, Frank, Annika, and Lauren) will compare abundance and moth diversity at Sumak - our remote field station and in Mera which has much more human impact.  Their research project will entail multiple surveys over a 4 day period.

 With over 1657 bird species, Ecuador is literally BURSTING with bird biodiversity.  In Jan 2024, our early rising birding team (led by students Lang & Finn) conducted 30 minute surveys of bird biodiversity. Repeat surveys in the same locations allowed us to look at how species number was related to  human disturbance as well as habitat complexity.  The 2025 bird biodiversity team (led by students Anna K and Mack A) will repeat these surveys looking for similarities and differences in biodiversity patterns across the years.   

Our human perspectives on the environment team led by TiShawn Wellington, has designed an online survey which we will distribute through social media in both the US (English online survey) and Ecuador (Spanish version).  We hope to gain a better understanding of the relationship between peoples connection with nature and perspectives on environmental and economic concerns.  This survey follows a project led by Naomi Gakusi in 2023 which investigated the top environmental concerns and the potential impacts these concerns might have on lives, health, and the future.  It is our hope to develop a richer understanding of the diversity of perspectives in the world and to relate how these perspectives may differ between countries and different levels of connectedness to nature.