(this project is not available as a summer research project)

The tropics are home to some of the most species-rich ecosystems on the planet. They are also some of the most heavily impacted by anthropogenic activities. Deforestation rates have reached staggering numbers, and there is no indication that they will slow in the near future. My research will be performed at Laguna de Cube, an internationally recognized wetland, in Northwestern Ecuador. The primary goal of this research is to compare the distribution of plants and herpetofauna within pristine and impacted (i.e., plantation) forests. To accomplish this, I will create six permanent sampling stations within the Laguna de Cube wetland and surrounding upland forests. In addition to presence/absence data for the taxa of interest, a suite of abiotic factors such as soil hydrology, temperature, rainfall, etc. will also be measured within each station.

For the GK-12 project, I will apply the science used in Ecuador to the wetlands and forests of Horry County, SC. One exercise that comes to mind is a sort of condensed Bio-Blitz. This would involve taking the students to the field, possibly to a Carolina Bay, and having them gather some botanical specimens. These would then be sorted by species and tallied. As a comparison, I could then explain to the students about how this was similar or different to my research and the number of specimens collected in Ecuador. This exercise may be used to introduce or reinforce concepts such as biodiversity (tropical forests vs. temperate forests) and the scientific method. With some guidance from the regular classroom teacher, I believe that all of the required South Carolina educational standards and indicators can be related to my research in this manner .