Day 6: Leave for ACTS walkway
By Hannah Cotten
July 30, 2017
We left Explornapo with a few pairs of clothes and the basics to then walk to ACTS and stay there for 2 nights. According to Explorama staff, "Amazon Conservatory of Tropical Studies (ACTS) Station opened in 1993. ACTS provides a research station for scientists in the rainforest and an opportunity for layman to share in their discovery." ACTS is the longest canopy walkway in the world. For more information about ACTS, you can visit their website:
https://actsperu.wordpress.com/canopy-walkway/
Once we arrived we started our assent right away. We couldn't wait to see up above. 80% of life lives in the canopy in the rainforest, and yet it is very under-researched. They are now calling the canopies of rainforests the eighth continent. There is so much we don't know and so many species out there that have yet to be identified. This canopy walkway and others like it help scientists have easy access to research the canopy. These walkways also bring ecotourism, and supply income for locals. Both of our guides used to be in a tribe. Basillio was in a tribe, and started playing the guitar and singing at one of the lodges. He realized that guides made decent money and they got to explore the whole day. So he started to follow a guide around and taught himself English. Now, he and his family are well taken care of and provided for, and Basillio has gone to school for science and is one of the most knoweldgable people I have met. The canopy walkways and the eco-tourism lodges provide revenue and income for the locals of the rainforest.
Now to the amazing part- the first climb! There are 12 platforms that are connected by suspension bridges. The bridges look like ladders with boards on top, and then netting surrounding the boards. Each step you take, there is a little creeking sound, and a slight sway of the bridge. This is not the best activity for someone afraid of heights. However, I love a thrill and thoroughly enjoyed swinging and climbing from tree to tree. The walkways are very narrow, and some are quite long. At each platform we would spot different birds, or see a rustle in the trees. We could easily reach out and touch leaves from the trees and peer down into the bromeliad tanks.
The sixth platform is by far the coolest, because its at the highest point, with two short stair cases climbing up even past the canopy. On this emergent tree, you can see a 360 degree view of the whole canopy and surrounding forest. The view was incredible.
One of my favorite parts about this hike was actually the people that I was hiking with. Dr. Meg Lowman, or Meg, was walking just ahead of me, and just behind me was Heather Lang, a children book author. She was writing a piece on Meg and this was apart of her research. It was awesome to make a connection with a book author who could talk with my students about the writing process. I really enjoyed getting to know Heather.
In addition, as I mentioned above, Meg was walking with me. I was like a sponge, absorbing everything I could from her. She is so intelligent and experienced, but also approachable. I could ask any questions and she was an open book. She was so enthusiastic, a delight to be around. It is inspiring to hear her story and how much she has done for the locals of the Amazon and the plants of the rainforest. She is a big reason why most canopy walkways are built around the world. For example, many tribes were in need of money to build elementary schools. Loggers would approach them, offering to pay them to cut down their trees for timber, usually exported to the Unites States. Meg came in, and instead offered the locals to build a canopy walkway that would bring revenue for the locals, but also protect the rainforest. Meg is always thinking of how to help educate the public and the locals, while also enriching their lives and conserving the rainforest. She's a delight to work with and learn from.
On my way back from our first hike along the canopy walkway, I came across a giant earth worm! I was brave and actually held the thing! It was so scary because the little feet it uses to move around with on it's skin are so small, you can't see them with your naked eye, but I could certainly feel them! It felt very weird.
July 30, 2017
We left Explornapo with a few pairs of clothes and the basics to then walk to ACTS and stay there for 2 nights. According to Explorama staff, "Amazon Conservatory of Tropical Studies (ACTS) Station opened in 1993. ACTS provides a research station for scientists in the rainforest and an opportunity for layman to share in their discovery." ACTS is the longest canopy walkway in the world. For more information about ACTS, you can visit their website:
https://actsperu.wordpress.com/canopy-walkway/
Once we arrived we started our assent right away. We couldn't wait to see up above. 80% of life lives in the canopy in the rainforest, and yet it is very under-researched. They are now calling the canopies of rainforests the eighth continent. There is so much we don't know and so many species out there that have yet to be identified. This canopy walkway and others like it help scientists have easy access to research the canopy. These walkways also bring ecotourism, and supply income for locals. Both of our guides used to be in a tribe. Basillio was in a tribe, and started playing the guitar and singing at one of the lodges. He realized that guides made decent money and they got to explore the whole day. So he started to follow a guide around and taught himself English. Now, he and his family are well taken care of and provided for, and Basillio has gone to school for science and is one of the most knoweldgable people I have met. The canopy walkways and the eco-tourism lodges provide revenue and income for the locals of the rainforest.
Now to the amazing part- the first climb! There are 12 platforms that are connected by suspension bridges. The bridges look like ladders with boards on top, and then netting surrounding the boards. Each step you take, there is a little creeking sound, and a slight sway of the bridge. This is not the best activity for someone afraid of heights. However, I love a thrill and thoroughly enjoyed swinging and climbing from tree to tree. The walkways are very narrow, and some are quite long. At each platform we would spot different birds, or see a rustle in the trees. We could easily reach out and touch leaves from the trees and peer down into the bromeliad tanks.
The sixth platform is by far the coolest, because its at the highest point, with two short stair cases climbing up even past the canopy. On this emergent tree, you can see a 360 degree view of the whole canopy and surrounding forest. The view was incredible.
One of my favorite parts about this hike was actually the people that I was hiking with. Dr. Meg Lowman, or Meg, was walking just ahead of me, and just behind me was Heather Lang, a children book author. She was writing a piece on Meg and this was apart of her research. It was awesome to make a connection with a book author who could talk with my students about the writing process. I really enjoyed getting to know Heather.
In addition, as I mentioned above, Meg was walking with me. I was like a sponge, absorbing everything I could from her. She is so intelligent and experienced, but also approachable. I could ask any questions and she was an open book. She was so enthusiastic, a delight to be around. It is inspiring to hear her story and how much she has done for the locals of the Amazon and the plants of the rainforest. She is a big reason why most canopy walkways are built around the world. For example, many tribes were in need of money to build elementary schools. Loggers would approach them, offering to pay them to cut down their trees for timber, usually exported to the Unites States. Meg came in, and instead offered the locals to build a canopy walkway that would bring revenue for the locals, but also protect the rainforest. Meg is always thinking of how to help educate the public and the locals, while also enriching their lives and conserving the rainforest. She's a delight to work with and learn from.
On my way back from our first hike along the canopy walkway, I came across a giant earth worm! I was brave and actually held the thing! It was so scary because the little feet it uses to move around with on it's skin are so small, you can't see them with your naked eye, but I could certainly feel them! It felt very weird.
There were two scientific studies we conducted throughout our entire expedition:
1) sampling leaves in the understory and canopy in search of unscathed leaves (untouched from insects, i.e. no bite marks, no mining)
2) herbivory and mining percentages of different leaf species
Herbivory is the eating of plants, and usually focuses on live plants. Meg wants to know how many plants are eaten by insects and how many aren't and those that aren't, how are they defending themselves? The study of plant adaptations to defend itself are often crucial in medicine.
For the sampling of how many perfect leaves, we would walk 50 paces and then count the first 10 leaves we saw, also noting how many of those leaves had no evidence of insect harm. Then we would walk another 50 paces and count another 10 leaves. We would collect our data by the 100 leaves. All of the people on our expedition were surveying the leaves like this. Meg deemed me her research assistant--- SO COOL-- and so I anazlyed our data and discovered that we found an average of 13% perfect leaves on the forest floor, and only 6% perfect leaves in the canopy. We think this could be due to the abundance of insects living in the canopy, or the time of the year that we are collecting this data. Regardless we would love to know if our data is correct and more plants are affected by insects in the canopy.
For our herbivory study, we collected 30 leaves from each different type of species. Then each group would focus on their specific species. We traced the leaf on graph paper, including any absence of the leaf ( bitten off parts, wholes). They we figured out the area of the leaf before being eaten, and then now. They we using our impressive math skills to figure out the percentage of herbivory and percentage of mining. We wanted to see what is the common percentage of the plant leaf that was affected by insects. Our speicies, must have good defenses because we only had about 3 out of the 30 leaves that had 20% or more herbivory. The rest of the leaves, were rather unscathed, with only 1-3% herbivory. Different defenses could include poison in the leaves or thorns. There were no thorns on our leaf. In order for us to study if there are toxins in the leaf, we would need to take the leaf sample back to the lab. Meg has a scanner where she can directly scan the leaf itself. However, it's large and since we are in the rainforest, we didn't have that luxury. So that's why we were hand tracing the leaves. This would be a great study to do with my students! I'll have to give it a try this year!
After working on our herbivory study, we made our way back to the canopy walkway for a sunset viewing. Wow. It was breathtaking. No one talked for 5 minutes so that we could really absorb the sights and sounds surrounding us.
1) sampling leaves in the understory and canopy in search of unscathed leaves (untouched from insects, i.e. no bite marks, no mining)
2) herbivory and mining percentages of different leaf species
Herbivory is the eating of plants, and usually focuses on live plants. Meg wants to know how many plants are eaten by insects and how many aren't and those that aren't, how are they defending themselves? The study of plant adaptations to defend itself are often crucial in medicine.
For the sampling of how many perfect leaves, we would walk 50 paces and then count the first 10 leaves we saw, also noting how many of those leaves had no evidence of insect harm. Then we would walk another 50 paces and count another 10 leaves. We would collect our data by the 100 leaves. All of the people on our expedition were surveying the leaves like this. Meg deemed me her research assistant--- SO COOL-- and so I anazlyed our data and discovered that we found an average of 13% perfect leaves on the forest floor, and only 6% perfect leaves in the canopy. We think this could be due to the abundance of insects living in the canopy, or the time of the year that we are collecting this data. Regardless we would love to know if our data is correct and more plants are affected by insects in the canopy.
For our herbivory study, we collected 30 leaves from each different type of species. Then each group would focus on their specific species. We traced the leaf on graph paper, including any absence of the leaf ( bitten off parts, wholes). They we figured out the area of the leaf before being eaten, and then now. They we using our impressive math skills to figure out the percentage of herbivory and percentage of mining. We wanted to see what is the common percentage of the plant leaf that was affected by insects. Our speicies, must have good defenses because we only had about 3 out of the 30 leaves that had 20% or more herbivory. The rest of the leaves, were rather unscathed, with only 1-3% herbivory. Different defenses could include poison in the leaves or thorns. There were no thorns on our leaf. In order for us to study if there are toxins in the leaf, we would need to take the leaf sample back to the lab. Meg has a scanner where she can directly scan the leaf itself. However, it's large and since we are in the rainforest, we didn't have that luxury. So that's why we were hand tracing the leaves. This would be a great study to do with my students! I'll have to give it a try this year!
After working on our herbivory study, we made our way back to the canopy walkway for a sunset viewing. Wow. It was breathtaking. No one talked for 5 minutes so that we could really absorb the sights and sounds surrounding us.
While walking along the ropes, cables, leaves, birds, and shining sun, we spotted a number of wildlife. The morning and the evening are the active times of the rainforest. It was so fun being a detective, bird watcher, ecologist, biologist and tourist all at the same time.
We were slowly pulled away from the canopy walkway, I didn't want to leave, but we would be back again tomorrow. Once we climbed back down to the forest floor, we ate dinner, enjoyed the hammocks and conversation, and then headed out on a night hike again. This time, we saw something extra special: bioluminescent fungi! Our guide stopped us on the pathway, then told us to look up at the sky and find the stars. |
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We looked up, and didn't see any stars, as the trees were overhead. Then he told us to look down on the ground, and there they were! Leaves lightly painted with glow in the dark highlighter yellow were sprinkled all at the foot of a tree. Apparently the fungi grows on only certain types of trees in just the right condition. They can't get too much sun, or the leaves are too dry to grow fungi. But if it's damp, dark, and the right tree, this fungi grows. I collected as many leaves as I could in my hand to make a glowing stack full. It was like a scene from Avatar. Magical and beyond this world. And yet, it was this world. Bioluminescent life is dying all around the world, due to pollution and human activities, so whenever you have the opportunity to experience it, do it!
How Bioluminescence Works
About Bioluminescence
15 Places to see Bioluminescence
When I was in Puerto Rico, we went kayaking in a bioluminescent bay. In certain bays in Puerto Rico, there are bioluminescent dinoflagellates. These microscopic organisms respond to movement in the water by glowing. As we paddled our oars in the water, it started to glow around our oar. The more the oar moved, the more the water started to glow. The local guide let my sister and I jump in the water. We splashed the water on each other, dripping glowing droplets of water down our faces. We made glow angles in the water, as we floated on our backs. It was incredible.
Peruvian Amazon Bioluminescent Life
Over the years, the population of bioluminescent dinoflagellates has decreased. Studies prove that lotions, sprays, and other toxins on human bodies as well as pollution has killed the dinoflagellates. If you ever get to do something like this, either don't swim in the water with these amazing organisms, or like me, don't wear any bug spray, hair spray, perfume or make up. It's important to try to protect these incredible creatures. The fungi in the amazon was only the second time that I had first hand seen bioluminescent life. It was just as amazing.
workationing.com/puerto-rico-bioluminescent-bay/
vieques.com/island-bioluminescent-bay/
In addition to the glowing fungi, we saw a lot of different critters along our night hike. Take a look at these creepy crawlers! So cool! ( I didn't get any pictures of the bioluminescent fungi. It's nearly impossible to photography bioluminescent life because it is such a dim light. You can't use a flash, but it's usually too dark to be caught on film.)
How Bioluminescence Works
About Bioluminescence
15 Places to see Bioluminescence
When I was in Puerto Rico, we went kayaking in a bioluminescent bay. In certain bays in Puerto Rico, there are bioluminescent dinoflagellates. These microscopic organisms respond to movement in the water by glowing. As we paddled our oars in the water, it started to glow around our oar. The more the oar moved, the more the water started to glow. The local guide let my sister and I jump in the water. We splashed the water on each other, dripping glowing droplets of water down our faces. We made glow angles in the water, as we floated on our backs. It was incredible.
Peruvian Amazon Bioluminescent Life
Over the years, the population of bioluminescent dinoflagellates has decreased. Studies prove that lotions, sprays, and other toxins on human bodies as well as pollution has killed the dinoflagellates. If you ever get to do something like this, either don't swim in the water with these amazing organisms, or like me, don't wear any bug spray, hair spray, perfume or make up. It's important to try to protect these incredible creatures. The fungi in the amazon was only the second time that I had first hand seen bioluminescent life. It was just as amazing.
workationing.com/puerto-rico-bioluminescent-bay/
vieques.com/island-bioluminescent-bay/
In addition to the glowing fungi, we saw a lot of different critters along our night hike. Take a look at these creepy crawlers! So cool! ( I didn't get any pictures of the bioluminescent fungi. It's nearly impossible to photography bioluminescent life because it is such a dim light. You can't use a flash, but it's usually too dark to be caught on film.)
Day 7: Leaf Species, Herbivory, conservation and canopy walkway
By Hannah Cotten
July 31, 2017
Yay, another morning with an early rise bird watching hike, only this time, along the canopy walkway, at SUNRISE! This was extra special. We were able to do laps on the canopy walkway. I liked getting away, and being alone on a platform, soaking in the rays. The birds and monkeys were quite active this morning! We saw so many different species.
July 31, 2017
Yay, another morning with an early rise bird watching hike, only this time, along the canopy walkway, at SUNRISE! This was extra special. We were able to do laps on the canopy walkway. I liked getting away, and being alone on a platform, soaking in the rays. The birds and monkeys were quite active this morning! We saw so many different species.
After our sunrise hike along the canopy walkway, we ate breakfast, only to make our way back to the walkway- yay! We were able to go up to the walkway several times a day. This allowed us to experience the walkway different times throughout the day, and spot different animals and plants. We also continued our studies and surveys of perfect leaves and percentage of herbivory and mining. In addition, we used nets, a pooter, and a kite-shaped apperatus to collect insects in the canopy. The nets are like ones you would go fishing with, only lighter. The pooter was a sucking device with tubs and a container. You would suck in the bugs and they would be pulled into the container. We used the kite-shaped device to collect insects as we shook the branches above.
Hammock time after that! yay for hammock time! We also worked on our leaf tracing and math. We needed to finish up before we left! The clock was ticking!
Next up- a hike, to identify medicinal plants. This hike was about 3 hours, so by the time we were finished, I was tuckered out. We spotted some interesting plant varieties.
Hammock time after that! yay for hammock time! We also worked on our leaf tracing and math. We needed to finish up before we left! The clock was ticking!
Next up- a hike, to identify medicinal plants. This hike was about 3 hours, so by the time we were finished, I was tuckered out. We spotted some interesting plant varieties.
Rainforest facts and vocabulary
After our hike, we had a seminar with Meg about vocabulary, plant species, and conservation.
Here's a list of vocabulary words:
Drip Tip- tip of leaf to allow water to trickle off, prevent moisture collection and then fungi growth
Thorns, spines, and chemical - defenses of a plant
Leaflet- small part of a big leaf
Elliptical- common shape of leaf
Early successional- plants that start to grow when young forest
Late successional- plants that wait to grow once the forest is developed
Parts of Forest- layers: Forest floor, understory, canopy, emergent layer
Forests:
Primary Forest- never been cleared, damaged, or destroyed, comprised of thicker, older trees, ancient
Secondary forest- cut down original forest to then grow a second one, comprised of skinnier younger trees, but may still be tall
Plantation- planted forest for crops
There are only 3% of primary forests left in America!
Semiepiphytes- lives in a host tree, like an air plant (epiphyte), but also grows roots down to the forest floor for additional nutrients and water; ex: strangling fig (only tree to start growing from the top down)
Epiphylly- fungus and life on leaf
mycorrhizae- fungal partners
30 % of our earth is covered with forests
80% is gone (primary forests)
32 million acres/ year are cut down (a football field of trees is cut down every 7 seconds) (primary forests)
14 million acres/ year are cut down (secondary forests)
Madagascar and Ethiopia have lost 95% of their forests- TRAGIC LOSS- due to lack of regulation and restriction of logging
French Guyana and Surinam have ONLY LOST 5% of their forests- AMAZING
In the Amazon, 18% of the rainforest is degraded. If we lose just 2% more, it won't be able to recover.
Here's a list of vocabulary words:
Drip Tip- tip of leaf to allow water to trickle off, prevent moisture collection and then fungi growth
Thorns, spines, and chemical - defenses of a plant
Leaflet- small part of a big leaf
Elliptical- common shape of leaf
Early successional- plants that start to grow when young forest
Late successional- plants that wait to grow once the forest is developed
Parts of Forest- layers: Forest floor, understory, canopy, emergent layer
Forests:
Primary Forest- never been cleared, damaged, or destroyed, comprised of thicker, older trees, ancient
Secondary forest- cut down original forest to then grow a second one, comprised of skinnier younger trees, but may still be tall
Plantation- planted forest for crops
There are only 3% of primary forests left in America!
Semiepiphytes- lives in a host tree, like an air plant (epiphyte), but also grows roots down to the forest floor for additional nutrients and water; ex: strangling fig (only tree to start growing from the top down)
Epiphylly- fungus and life on leaf
mycorrhizae- fungal partners
30 % of our earth is covered with forests
80% is gone (primary forests)
32 million acres/ year are cut down (a football field of trees is cut down every 7 seconds) (primary forests)
14 million acres/ year are cut down (secondary forests)
Madagascar and Ethiopia have lost 95% of their forests- TRAGIC LOSS- due to lack of regulation and restriction of logging
French Guyana and Surinam have ONLY LOST 5% of their forests- AMAZING
In the Amazon, 18% of the rainforest is degraded. If we lose just 2% more, it won't be able to recover.
Day 8: Leaving Acts and down the Napo river to Ceiba Tops
By Hannah Cotten
August 1, 2017
We woke up at 5am again, and it's amazing how easy it is to wake up early, when you're waking up to go see the sunrise or go birdwatching in the Amazon. It's a little different than waking up to go to work or do laundry and chores! On our bird watching hike, we saw an amazing sunrise with birds chirping and monkeys swinging in the trees searching from fruit to eat. I watched a Woodcreeper do just that, creep up some wood, looking for insects to much on. I also spotted a Kingfisher and some beautiful hummingbrids, just to name a few of the many birds we saw. Then came breakfast and then we headed back to Napo with Meg, Dave, Heather and Puja. Heather Lang is a children book author. She has written several books about women in the sciences who are unkwown. She was researching Meg for an upcoming book she's writing about Meg. I was so great to meet Heather, and her husband Dave. We really hit it off. She shared her manuscript with you and I got to give her some notes. How cool is that! She talked to me about the writing method and what it's like to be an author. Here's a little interview I had with her and Meg while walking back to the lodge:
Dr. Meg Lowman and Author Heather Lang
I also was privledged enough to enjoy the hike with Dr. Meg Lowman. It was so wonderful absorbing everything I possibly could from her. I was like a sponge! Her spunk and enthusasm, matched with her knowledge, experience and fervor for science and conversation are contagious and illuminating! Listen to some of her one-minute spiels as we walking through the rainforest:
Dr. Meg Lowman- Advice for future Scientists
Dr. Meg Lowman- Water bears!
Dr. Meg Lowman- Giant Philodendron
Dr. Meg Lowman- Thatch Roofs in the Amazon
Dr. Meg Lowman- Rainforests are in trouble
Dr. Meg Lowman - How to be a good consumer and help the rainforest
Dr. Meg Lowman- Need for Women in Science
Dr. Meg Lowman- Leaf Cutter Evidence
Dr. Meg Lowman- Primary vs. Secondary Forests
Dr. Meg Lowman- Ants on the forest floor
Dr. Meg Lowman- Buttresses
Dr. Meg Lowman- What's on that plant?
Dr. Meg Lowman- Herbivory Explained
Dr. Meg Lowman- in the Amazon
Puja is a film major student in Florida and she is making a documentary about Meg. It was really neat to watch her capture different aspects of the expedition and interview Meg. Puja interviewed me as well, to get to know a teacher who has been changed for the better by Meg's influence. I will post the documentary when she's finished with it! It could be awhile. I'm sure it'll take a long time for her to go through all the footage and edit it!
I was certainly going to miss that beautiful canopy! Bye canopy walkway! Until we meet again! I know I'll be back to show my friends and family!
August 1, 2017
We woke up at 5am again, and it's amazing how easy it is to wake up early, when you're waking up to go see the sunrise or go birdwatching in the Amazon. It's a little different than waking up to go to work or do laundry and chores! On our bird watching hike, we saw an amazing sunrise with birds chirping and monkeys swinging in the trees searching from fruit to eat. I watched a Woodcreeper do just that, creep up some wood, looking for insects to much on. I also spotted a Kingfisher and some beautiful hummingbrids, just to name a few of the many birds we saw. Then came breakfast and then we headed back to Napo with Meg, Dave, Heather and Puja. Heather Lang is a children book author. She has written several books about women in the sciences who are unkwown. She was researching Meg for an upcoming book she's writing about Meg. I was so great to meet Heather, and her husband Dave. We really hit it off. She shared her manuscript with you and I got to give her some notes. How cool is that! She talked to me about the writing method and what it's like to be an author. Here's a little interview I had with her and Meg while walking back to the lodge:
Dr. Meg Lowman and Author Heather Lang
I also was privledged enough to enjoy the hike with Dr. Meg Lowman. It was so wonderful absorbing everything I possibly could from her. I was like a sponge! Her spunk and enthusasm, matched with her knowledge, experience and fervor for science and conversation are contagious and illuminating! Listen to some of her one-minute spiels as we walking through the rainforest:
Dr. Meg Lowman- Advice for future Scientists
Dr. Meg Lowman- Water bears!
Dr. Meg Lowman- Giant Philodendron
Dr. Meg Lowman- Thatch Roofs in the Amazon
Dr. Meg Lowman- Rainforests are in trouble
Dr. Meg Lowman - How to be a good consumer and help the rainforest
Dr. Meg Lowman- Need for Women in Science
Dr. Meg Lowman- Leaf Cutter Evidence
Dr. Meg Lowman- Primary vs. Secondary Forests
Dr. Meg Lowman- Ants on the forest floor
Dr. Meg Lowman- Buttresses
Dr. Meg Lowman- What's on that plant?
Dr. Meg Lowman- Herbivory Explained
Dr. Meg Lowman- in the Amazon
Puja is a film major student in Florida and she is making a documentary about Meg. It was really neat to watch her capture different aspects of the expedition and interview Meg. Puja interviewed me as well, to get to know a teacher who has been changed for the better by Meg's influence. I will post the documentary when she's finished with it! It could be awhile. I'm sure it'll take a long time for her to go through all the footage and edit it!
I was certainly going to miss that beautiful canopy! Bye canopy walkway! Until we meet again! I know I'll be back to show my friends and family!