Research on Ecotourism

Hola from Isla Santa Cruz!

Nugget of knowledge for the day – There are over 9,000 species of plants and animals that inhabit the Galapagos archipelago, hundreds of which live nowhere else on the planet.

Ecotourism – The Good and the Bad

One of the over 9,000 stunning
organisms found on the Galapagos. 

Ecotourism is seen as a double-edged sword for many scientists who study ecosystems protected and shared under the umbrella of the tourist industry. On one hand, ecotourism can play a vital role in conservation awareness and the development of local economies. It can bring global attention to previously unknown ecological problem and success stories, and can help people from across the world become exposed to extraordinary plant life, wildlife, and geological systems. It allows people just like us to develop appreciation for protected lands and its inhabitants, all while informing us all of the many relationships that can be seen first hand while travelling through some of the most beautiful places on earth. However, when people establish themselves anywhere on the planet, changes to those areas are bound to take place eventually – the Galapagos is no exception.

Ecotourism is also considered a mild disturbance, and as research in this particular field continues to expand, it is becoming increasingly clear that ecotourism is not completely harmless to the wildlife it aims to promote. Using the Galapagos as an example, just last year, the Ecuadorian tourism industry brought in over a million visitors to these islands; this is a stark contrast to only ten short years ago when roughly 60,000 people travelled to see the Galapagos! 

One of the many marine iguanas seen
on our way to Tortuga Bay on Isle Santa Cruz.

Currently, people have access to only 3% of the Galapagos, yet tour boats, water taxis, fishing boats, and tankers occupy much of the ocean space around the islands. Increasing traffic to the islands means increasing demands for land vehicles to transport people and goods, as well as increased airplane traffic into and out of the islands. Increasing populations necessitates increased infrastructure in local towns, while demands made by tourists, scientists, local governments, and anyone looking to gain success here, increases seemingly every day.

A view blocked by tour boats
for this marine iguana. 

While this all ensures a chance at prosperity and excitement for people on the Galapagos, we must begin to think about how these disturbances impact the islands and its original inhabitants – the plant and wildlife communities. 

This is one of our goals as scientists!

What We Know Already

Tourist sites are regularly visited by hundreds of people daily, yet there are adjacent non-tourist sites that are protected Federal Reserve lands, and are never visited. Since the Galapagos is isolated and human activity is closely monitored in almost every area, we can accurately assess human impacts on populations of marine iguanas. In 2010, Dr. French and her colleagues published a study in the scientific journal Hormones and Behavior that looked at how human disturbances alters immune responses in marine iguanas ⁽¹⁾. Specifically, she looked at the hormone Corticosterone (CORT) and the ability of marine iguanas to perform immune responses. Our trip to the Galapagos was meant to build upon this research.

A male marine iguana along the shoreline.

To help you better understand what we’re looking at, think of a shark attacking a marine iguana along the shore of the Galapagos Islands; this is a very plausible scenario, since adult marine iguanas forage for algae in the ocean. The first hormones released by the marine iguana during the attack are the fight or flight hormones (if you’ve ever been startled or scared by something, you know what this feels like!). If this iguana survives the attack, it may be injured and need to heal. This is where the hormone CORT comes into play. Within a few minutes, CORT is distributed throughout the body in the bloodstream, and begins acting like a military general, activating and directing immune cells and energy to important parts of the body.

**This is why we were bleeding the animals within 3 minutes of capture (baseline bleed), and again at 30 minutes after capture (stress bleed). The baseline bleed is a snapshot of their CORT levels before we captured them, while the bleed 30 minutes later allows us to see CORT levels after a stressful event.**

One of our marked marine iguanas
overlooking a crowded, tourist beach.

Dr. French and her colleagues have previously shown that ecotourism affects the ability of marine iguanas to respond to stress, particularly showing that marine iguanas exposed to ecotourism have increased CORT levels. Their bodies have, over time, become hypersensitive to stressful events. Another scientist, Dr. Martin Wikelski, found that too much exposure to, and production of CORT might limit reproductive success and long-term survival in marine iguanas ⁽²⁾.

Since CORT is the body’s general after a stressful event, it is a really important hormone, but too much can be a bad thing!

Look at this figure to help you better understand how this works.

What Does This All Mean!?

So CORT, as the general that directs energy and immune cells throughout the body, is good for the animal during and after stressful events. Yet, Dr. French has shown that prolonged exposure to stressful events like ecotourism increases CORT (FIGURE 1), and therefore may limit the ability of marine iguanas to properly respond to stressful events. She has also found that tourism negatively affects the ability for marine iguanas to heal from wounds (FIGURE 2). Dr. Wilkelski has also shown that prolonged exposure to CORT is harmful to marine iguanas.

Increased CORT from repeated stressful events (ecotourism) = decreased immune function, and increase of potential harm to marine iguanas.

 

Students, This is Where You Come In

One of our marked females watching the sunset.

As learning scientists, what does this data mean to you? Think critically about what this means for the iguanas, the tourism industry, for us as scientists, for the Park Service who monitors the land, and for you in Cache Valley. Really push yourselves to think about the potential for conflict here. I have given you all some potential benefits and costs of a quickly growing tourism industry on the Galapagos, as well as data that suggests marine iguanas may be at risk. What does this mean for populations in the Galapagos? What does this mean, for example, for populations of wildlife in Yellowstone National Park, another place where ecotourism is very popular? Think about the relationships your families have with your own environment, and the costs and benefits these relationships have on the ecosystems. Really try to make a sound connection!

If you are struggling to start, here are some potential questions for you to answer and think about. If there is something else that you may think of, or if you come up with more questions, please feel free to ask and discuss it! I'll be trying to get back to all of you!

There is no right or wrong answer, but be creative, thinking logically, and think critically!

Answer the following questions or ask and discuss new questions in this comment section for successful completion of your assignment. Think about the research, what the data may be suggesting, and what potential inferences you can make from it.

Your responses, questions, or both must be 50 words or more to get full credit.

1.) What impacts do you think this may have for the park service and how it treats the tourism industry? Should something be done? Can anything realistically be done?

2.) What does this data mean for marine iguana populations?

3.)  Since we did something very similar during this trip (just more expansive), what kind of results do you think we will find this time? Will they change? How will they be more refined?

4.) What could this information mean for other areas of life for marine iguanas?

5.) How can we better balance the tourism and the protection of wildlife? Does this data suggest this needs to happen?

 Literature Cited

1.) French, S. S., DeNardo, D. F., Greives, T. J., Strand, C. R. & Demas, G. E. Human disturbance alters endocrine and immune responses in the Galapagos marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus). Hormones and Behavior 58, 792-799 (2010).

2.) Romero, L. M. & Wikelski, M. Stress physiology as a predictor of survival in Galapagos marine iguanas. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 277, 3157-3162, doi:10.1098/rspb.2010.0678 (2010).

Science and Culture

Hola from Isla Santa Cruz!

Nugget of knowledge for the day – The Galapagos, early in its history, harbored its very own Robinson Crusoe. He was an Irishman by the name of Patrick Watkins. Thought to have been marooned in 1807 on Isla Floreana by his crewmembers, he spent the next two years on the island surviving, growing vegetables, and trading those vegetables to whalers for rum. In 1809, he hijacked a longboat from a whaling ship, and with 5 prisoners, set sail for the Ecuadorian mainland. Only Watkins reached the mainland alive.

A Hard, Digestive Experience

A great new sign for me on the bathroom
door, courtesy of the distinguished
scientist, Dr. Dale Denardo.

I’m sorry for the delay in updating this blog with a new post. For the past two days, I’ve spent more time in a particular room in our cabin than I have in quite some time, from which I am left exhausted, dehydrated, and frustrated. Today is the first day in which my progress in getting through this is actually visible; I’m taking full advantage of it by…staying here at the research center. My contributions to the research will be much more valuable on Wednesday, so I’m taking today off, spending the day doing all I can to rid myself of whatever microscopic invader is ailing me. Trying to look at the brighter side of things, I have had the great pleasure of watching birds, insects, lizards, and more visit my room throughout the day. In particular, I can happily say that worse things have woken me up than a Mockingbird watching me sleep while perched upon my bare foot. 

A sea lion sleeping,
which looks arguably, just like
me over these past few days.

In addition to catching up on my sleep, being confined to the science cabins at the Charles Darwin Fundacion has also allowed me to become more aware of my limited surroundings, which has, consequently, taught me that my surroundings are not as limited as I thought. As field researchers, we’ve spent a lot of time focusing on techniques, time, and potential for conflict as we progress through our project. Sitting here has opened my eyes to the idea that this space is much more than just a bedroom, but is also a temporary space for life that spans across different kingdoms, and I am merely a part of the party – now where did that gecko travel off to?

Navigating Culture is Essential to Navigating Science

Our field assistant, Erik. He goes to school
here and hopes to become a tour guide.
He has been invaluable in the field and with
helping us communicate with the park service.

When a group of scientists travels abroad for research, they may become immersed in a different and sometimes distinctive, new culture. Whether scientists are conducting that research inside or outside of their home country, chances are high that they will experience new people, new ways of thinking, and new ways of being. Time may be different than what they’re used to, as may be the sense of urgency. The food, hospitality, manners, language, customs, and values may be different. The environment, ecosystems, wildlife, plant life, and trends in biotic and abiotic factors may also be different. Even the final location for where you put your used toilet paper may be different! As guests and temporary residents in the Galapagos, we’ve experienced these differences and much more, all while adapting to, and learning about, the culture along the way. Be flexible and willing to compromise – this has been the mantra we’ve learned from the start. Trying to understand scientific relationships is virtually impossible without building relationships with locals and the powers that govern the area. For you as learning scientists and for us as researchers, this is a critical lesson to remember, especially since not everything will always go as smoothly as planned.

Locals – The Good, The Bad, and the Hilarious

Locals in front of a tienda
on Isla Isabela.

In addition to conducting field research, we’ve travelled from many locations on the island of Santa Cruz to different locations on several other islands in search of our field sites. We’ve had to go into local towns to get groceries, eat dinner, explore the countryside, and connect to the Internet. We’ve needed to acquire fresh water, do our laundry, ask, “donde esta el baño?” (a paramount question in any language) and get money to pay for most of the aforementioned. To succeed, we’ve had to speak with many of the locals in Spanish, a language that is not native or fluent to any of us. We’ve had to put a lot of time into learning how to speak Spanish more efficiently, and have all made progress in talking to the locals one-on-one in a language with which we’re not familiar. This is all part of traveling and conducting science in a foreign country!

Relocated field work.
Marine iguanas in our hostel room! 

Although we’ve had mostly positive experiences here, we’ve also had a select few negative experiences with local human and non-human populations. On the whole, most people here have been extraordinarily kind to us. However, while some treat us just as they do the locals, others have made sure to add an extra “tax” onto the price of our food and groceries. While some people have been very willing to pick us up in a cab, others have looked at us and sped off in the other direction. In some restaurants, we’ve been given delicious, filling dinners as cheap as $3.00, yet have also been immediately charged $9.00 for two accidentally broken containers of olives. And just as some people have supported our ability to conduct research, others weren’t fond of allowing us to be seen by tourists or locals, and required us to relocate quickly at the expense of our research. As guests here in the Galapagos, we must push to understand that, at its core, the differences in cultural normality from our own is driving these discrepancies, and we must accept and navigate those differences.

Dr. Susannah French, and one
of the many cabs we've taken
throughout our travels.

Just as certain people have been at odds with their acceptance of us, the local groups of wildlife have done just the same. We’ve interacted with sea lions as they’ve relaxed on the docks and swam in the water – cute and cuddly, they say! – yet, we’ve also met one particular adult male who adamantly chased members of our team across the beach away from his territory (a lesson learned to always have my camera ready…). We’ve had most of the marine iguanas go through the sampling process without any problems, while one may still be laughing with her friends about the chunk of skin she removed from my thumb. We’ve watched beautiful birds flying overhead and fluttering in front of us, while we’ve also narrowly dodged an attempted drive-by pooping by a local lava gull.

All in a day’s…what day is now?...work in field research.

Tiendas

Typical meal on the Galapagos.
Rice, meat (octopus shown here),
and a small selection of veggies. 

When travelling around to different towns, it’s difficult not to think about the United States and all the things we’ve become accustomed to. Each town supports different stores (tiendas), which are roughly the size of one large aisle in any major grocery store. Since the Galapagos is an archipelago 600 miles off the mainland, everything must be shipped in, grown locally, or caught locally; because of this, there isn’t a vast selection of goods from which we can choose. There are no Walmarts, there are no Targets, and there aren’t any malls. The population, however, continues to grow. With the surrounding area designated as a National Park, the increasing population on the islands will eventually conflict with a lack of space designated by the government for people to live. As a result, most of the tiendas we’ve seen look to be small, family owned shops and are no larger than the size of an average school classroom. 

Buenas noches from the Galapagos.

Most stores don’t sell bread, but instead, there is a bread shop for that (panaderia). Most stores don’t sell much fruit or vegetable products; you must head to the frutateria to find a decent selection. If you want seafood, walk no further than the heart of the port (puerto) to find fresh-caught local tuna, whitefish, and more. And if you want a homemade meal with soup (sopa), juice (jugo), meat (carne), and rice (arroz), walk a few paces farther to the kioskos that serve meriendas and cenas (different variations of homemade dinner) at very affordable prices. All these places with all this character seem to be very normal here, and we couldn’t be happier experiencing it. In addition to conducting our research, we are also living here for an extended period of time, and therefore must learn to navigate and acquire necessities and amenities that can sustain us throughout our trip, all in a culture that is vastly different from our own. Field research in a foreign country is an exciting component of science, yet it is still only a portion of the entire experience!

Final Words

I believe that science has a great capacity to change our existence for the better (as it has already done). Yet at the same time, we must be sensitive to other cultures and parts of the world who may value science differently than we do. What we may think is rational in thought, may be intrusive and culturally insensitive to others. For us to be successful patrons of better understanding our world, I believe we should support educational outreach, well-formed arguments and open conversation, as well as critical thinking and radical openness; these are all ingredients that compose great scientists. As learning scientists, challenge yourselves to really think about these points and push yourself to generate meaningful and rich explanations of what makes a good scientist in your eyes.

I hope you're all enjoying the week! As always, keep your insightful comments flowing!

Natural History of the Marine Iguana

Hola from Isla Isabela!

Nugget of knowledge for the day – Marine iguanas are the only known sea-faring lizards on the planet.  

Research Connection

When engaging in any research that utilizes a particular model organism, it is critical to know as much about it as you can. This not only furthers one's own personal wealth of knowledge, but it also allows researchers to conduct better science and make appropriate and informed decisions about the methodology of the study, the interactions with the animals, and how to best educate the public!

The Marine Iguana (Amblyrhyncus cristatus)

Closeup of a male marine iguana eye.

"The rocks on the coast abounded with great black lizards between three and four feet long; ...It is a hideous-looking creature, of a dirty black color, stupid, and sluggish in its movements." (Darwin, 1845).

As you can see, Charles Darwin had very little appreciate for these animals; beauty, however, is all in the eye of the beholder. In my mind, there is no doubt that these animals are absolutely magnificent. Incredibly well adapted to their equatorial, island environment, marine iguanas are found only on the Galapagos Islands and nowhere else on earth. Upon immediate glance, one may see what looks like a modernized dinosaur, or possibly something that reminds them of a smaller, quadrupedal version of Godzilla. With their stout faces, tough scales, sharp spines and claws, long tail, and powerful legs, they really are something fiercely special and undoubtedly unique.

Physical Description

A male marine iguana at
Station Beach, Santa Cruz.

Physically, they seem to be perfect masters of their domain. They have evolved blunt noses for effective foraging of algae, strong limbs and sharp claws for climbing volcanic rock, tough scales to keep them well protected from the elements, and laterally flattened tails to aid in propulsion under the water. Starting at the front (anterior), you immediately notice their blunt noses, sharp teeth, and heavily scaled head. When scraping algal blooms off the ocean floor or feeding on seaweed (which is algae too), these valuable adaptations allow them to be as efficient as possible when foraging. They also have nasal glands that help them excrete ingested salt, in what usually looks like a rather impolite sneeze (no consideration for neighbors…or us…). Moving along the body, you notice that they can balloon themselves up with air to aid in buoyancy. They also have sharp spines along the top (dorsal) side of their body, both behind the neck and along the vertebrae. The scales over much of their bodies are hardened, pointed, and toughened from the demanding lives they lead; truth be told, if one happens to be a successful marine iguana, one also happens to be a tough, hardy marine iguana. They tend to be grey or black in color, which helps them blend well into the volcanic rock on which they live and forage, although adult males may have green, red, cooper, and/or whitish coloration to them; it’s thought that this particular pattern may result from the algae on which they forage. They say you are what you eat! If you move towards to outer ends on the animal (distally), you’ll also notice their incredibly sharp claws (my hands and arms can attest to this...) as well as the powerful limbs and digits on which these sharp claws sit (my hands and arms can also attest to this...). When scaling lava rock for a living, it would make sense that claws and powerful limbs become valuable assets to the daily grind! As you continue down to the back portion of the animal (posterior), you’ll finally notice their long, horizontally (laterally) flattened tails. These make the animal very adept at swimming and navigating the ocean, particularly when they tuck their legs into their body and laterally ungulate though the water, effectively moving like a snake.

A male marine iguana at
Station Beach, Santa Cruz

Ecology

Marine iguanas spend much of their time both on land and in the ocean. They are found most often spending the daytime in colonies on craggy, bouldered, volcanic rock near the ocean; as the sun is setting, they venture inward towards the shrubs, forbs, and trees to sleep for the night. Much of their time is either spent basking in the sun, foraging, sleeping, or defending their territory (if said lizard happens to be an adult male). They are powerful and elegant swimmers, which come in handy when diving (sometimes greater than 10 meters!) for algae in the ocean. Since their body temperature can fall rapidly in the cooler ocean, they must utilize their foraging time wisely and then make it out safely to sun themselves ( I always think of them recharging their internal temperature batteries while sunning, and then draining that charge while foraging). The adults are primarily the individuals who forage in the ocean, while juveniles feed in the intertidal zones during low tide.  

Life History

One of the females we released.
The beads will help identify her for recapture in the future

When looking at the differences in sex, males are generally considerably larger than females (although we have seen extreme and non-extreme variations of this depending on the island). Adult males tend to both weigh more and be longer than females, while male dorsal spines are both taller and more pronounced than those of females. Males have more variable and colorful patterning to them as well. Juveniles generally look very similar to each other, and are dark grey to black. Breeding usually occurs annually over the course of a three-month timeframe. During this time (anywhere from December to April) males defend their territories from other males with head bobbing, arching their back, or physically driving off competing males through biting or pushing. Since these types of defensive actions take a lot of energy, male marine iguanas tend to bluff and rely on less energetically expensive means of telling other males to “keep off their lawn”.

**Interesting Fact** There is also an additional adaptation found in certain males (who are called satellite males) where they look almost identical to the females, and don’t display the same physical features (phenotypes) as do typical adult males. This way, instead of investing time and energy into getting large and defending a territory, they are sneakier and more subtle, mating with a female while the larger males are busy; hopefully they don’t get caught! Females will usually carry anywhere from 1-6 eggs - our current findings agree with these measures since the most we’ve found so far is 6 - and will bury them in sand to incubate for around 100 days. Mom may guard the nest for a few days, but she will leave the nest to fend for itself.

Conservation

Male and female marine iguanas.

The marine iguana is completely protected here on the Galapagos. Tourists and locals are not allowed to touch or come in contact with these animals unless they have the proper scientific permits issued by the park service. Detailed conservation and research programs have been developed (including ours!) to help us better understand the ecology and environment of the Galapagos, including the marine iguana. Although their populations range in the many thousands across all the islands of the Galapagos, there are several threats to marine iguana that pose many significant risk factors. Feral animals including dogs, cats, and rats will readily eat iguana eggs and juveniles, as will certain natural predators like the Galapagos hawk and potentially sharks. Environmental conditions, primarily from El Nino, can negatively impact marine iguana populations, as may continued increases in global temperatures. Finally, humans are additional primary drivers of marine iguana struggles. From oil spills, pollution, harassment, tourism, boating, and other negative interactions, we have unfortunately done our part in harming marine iguana populations over the years. However, with the park service, the Ecuadorian government, environmentalists, and scientists all pooling resources together in favor of marine iguanas, their future is looking bright.

Just like the habitat in which they live, marine iguanas are uniquely amazing in many ways. If you ever have the chance, I would highly recommend visiting these islands to get a chance at watching them up close. It’s very challenging to write a substitute for that, but I hope you now have a better picture of the model organism for our research!

The Science Behind the Science - Immunity and Reproduction

Hola from Galapagos!

A marine iguana 5 minutes away from our cabins

Nugget of Knowledge for the Day – The Galapagos acquired its name from the word galápago, the Spanish word for a cleated saddle. The Spanish named these islands "Galapagos" around 1600 due to the famed giant tortoises and their shells that resembled a cleated saddle.

Research Interests

Our research is really taking off! We have been in the field for the past several days, and are looking forward to continuing through it again this week. To recap, we are here assessing the effects of ecotourism and its potential impacts on the marine iguana populations. Specifically, we’re looking at the balance of energy between immunity and reproduction. Take a brief moment to think about this - how would you address the impacts of tourism on a population of animals? What types of things would you look for and what kinds of questions would you ask? How many animals would you need for your study? Would you need to sample these animals from locations with and without tourists? For us, we are taking a multi-faceted approach to try and answer our question. I’ll share a bit of insight into how we’re doing this.

Field science = lots of field stuff

First, there was a need for research that was originally identified by the head scientist on this project, Dr. Susannah French. Dr. French is a physiologist at Utah State University and focuses on how certain organisms balance energy demands between immunity and reproduction. Animals in the wild – and many populations of people as well – have limited amounts of necessary resources (e.g. food, water, shelter, and space). They must take action based on the potential for risk and success, life and death, and how much energy is worth expending for a particular task. She looks at how animals balance the limited amounts of energy they gain from some of these resources, primarily in terms of immunity and reproductive success…here is why.

Massing marine iguanas and recording
data in the field

First, if an animal doesn’t have a well-supported immune system, they may easily get sick, potentially catch an infection, and may not be able to ward off those microscopic invaders. Similarly for you, if you are stressed out, not getting enough to eat or drink, or are having consistent stressful events occur in your life, what tends to happen? You get sick! Secondly, if an animal cannot be reproductively successful given their environmental constraints, their genes will not be passed on to the next generation – and that’s the name of the life game. 

Without the necessary energy to support these two life functions, or with the presence of something that negatively impacts the ability to perform or allocate energy to these life functions, many animals would simply not make it, while others would be forced to adapt. It is this last piece of the puzzle that our team is interested in; does ecotourism impact the ability of marine iguanas to have an effective immune system and successfully reproduce? Are these animals evolutionarily adapting to potential stressors caused by the ecotourism industry? Do these adaptations have other potential effects?

We have constructed our hypotheses based on strong previous evidence. Once more, our hypotheses are (1) increasing intensities of ecotourism will result in increasing effects on immunity and reproduction, and (2) detrimental effects on immunity and reproduction are in part a result of altered energy acquisition and energy state.

Take a second to think about these two measures. How would you measure the success of an animal’s immune system? How would you work towards addressing how reproductively successful an animal is and if it has changed due to a potential stressor? How could you test these questions in the field and in a lab? I’ll have more insight to this in the coming days!

As I mentioned above, our research has finally been under way. For the first two days (Saturday and Sunday) the science and fieldwork went much better than expected. However, the first day was a bit tough. As with most scientific field research, our team had to get into the groove by assigning specific tasks to people and figuring out the best flow and order for those tasks - especially when we all haven't worked together as a team before this trip. To help you get a better picture of what kind of work we are doing in the field, here is a layout of the tasks being done every morning.

Buenas noches from Galapagos

Our jobs were a) iguana capturer and first round bleeder (these people captured the iguana, took the initial, pre-stress blood sample from the base of the tail, and put it in a bag for 30 minutes) b) timer and note-taker (this person kept everyone on track, ensured that everyone was doing the correct tasks on time, and also recorded field data) c) biopsy-taker and marker (these people took a small skin punch from each lizard and sewed a unique string of beads to the base of one spine) d) second round bleeders (these people took a final, post-stress blood sample from the base of the tail) e) ultrasound technician and tick checker (these people used a field ultrasound to check for the presence and number of eggs, as well as counted the number of ticks on the each animal's body) and f) iguana releaser (this individual walked the lizards back to their place of capture and released them). Between the 5-6 of us, the excitement of working with these amazing lizards and the pressure of time, we became a well-oiled machine in no time.

We are all sunburned, tired, travelling constantly, and have no end in sight – but we are more excited than ever. Looking forward to sharing more with you in the days to come! As always, leave comments and ask questions!

The Day for Research (El Dia De Investigación)

Hola mis estudiantes!

The morning view from our back porch.

Today is the day for research (el dia de investigación) - finally! Currently, our ability to do science and conduct our research has been severely hindered by the park service. We have met many great and helpful people here, but our scientific work thus far in the Galapagos has been thick with red tape. As I sit here watching a gecko scurry around on our cereal box, as well as several baby ants exploring my computer screen, I’m constantly reminded of how lucky we are to be here, despite the many setbacks we’ve experienced. There is no doubt that the park service means well, but they do not share the same feeling of urgency held by our team. As any well-meaning park service does, they have the best interests of the wildlife and land at heart. But it seems that it may be challenging to also balance the idea that our research could provide broader impact-based information that could be used to better monitor and protect the wildlife on these islands. To put it into perspective, we have been here since Tuesday, and will just be starting our research as of today. A strong lesson here for us all is that science (or anything in life) can be very frustrating and ridden with roadblocks and hurdles. As long as we continue to work steadily towards our goals (as our team continues to do here) the likelihood for success and achieving what we set out to do will remain high.

Small Ground Finch on our porch
(Geospiza fuliginosa)

However! Due to our lack of research involvement thus far, we have had time to explore and adventure into much of what the Galapagos has to offer. I want to share a few spectacular examples with you all.

Galapagos Gecko on our porch
(Phyllodactylus spp.)

Two nights ago, while falling asleep to the ocean breeze and the crashing surf, we heard a strange chirping sound outside our window. Thinking nothing of it, we fell asleep, woke up to our ocean view and morning breakfast partner (this Small Ground Finch, Geospiza fuliginosa, another endemic species to the islands), continued through our day, and before we knew it we were ready for bed once more. During our stay here, we have noticed that the life that roams at night is quite different than what we see during the day. Thinking of your own backyard, you may be able to easily relate to this. When the lights go out here on the islands, instead of roaming marine iguanas, soaring and fluttering birds, and noisy sea lions, we start to see wandering geckos, creeping and elegant spiders, and twittering insect life. On this particular night while exploring our back porch, I heard a strange chirping coming from the wall. We grabbed the flashlight, and as we shined it against the stucco, four small geckos scattered about the walls. However, there seemed to be more to it…they weren’t just scurrying away from the light, but were instead being chased away by one particularly gecko, one who may have been defending his territory. These geckos (Phyllodactylus spp.) were chirping while chasing after each other, getting seemingly more aggressive as they scurried about. This seemingly calm, cozy back porch was really quite a bit more for these geckos, as each lizard seemed to be vying for a position on this wall. I’ll make sure to keep my eyes and ears open as best I can for the rest of the trip after this!

Mating Pacific Green Sea Turtles in Tortuga Bay
(Chelonia mydas)

You may be thinking to yourself…Mr. K., this looks like an underwater picture of a mating pair of wild Pacific Green Sea Turtles (Chelonia mydas) taken by your bride-to-be; if you were indeed thinking this, you couldn’t be more correct. While snorkeling in Tortuga Bay (Turtle Bay) on the island of Santa Cruz, two members of our research team happened upon this fearless couple mating amongst a pristine cove no deeper than six feet. Turtles (particularly sea turtles) are incredible, docile, yet very threatened animals with a body plan that has remained virtually unchanged for at least 200 million years. Females sea turtles will lay their eggs on sandy beaches, and both males and females spend the majority of their time (if not all of it) in the open ocean. We had the great opportunity to swim with this pair for almost 20 minutes, being ever vigilant not to disturb them.

Students – science is all about relationships, and more-so, understanding these relationships. When we start to think of our earth as a collection of micro and macro systems - animals, plants, chemicals, reactions, geology, geography, and much, much more – we start to think like scientists.  Trying to understand these relationships is important not only for conservation, but for improving our own personal growth trends and understanding of where we fit into these earth systems.

Since our research will focus on the impacts of tourism on populations of marine iguanas, begin thinking of questions about which you may be curious; begin to think about potential causes and effects of sharing parts of the Galapagos with the entire world. What happens when people come to these shores? How do they get here? Are there any costs? Are there any benefits? It’s time we start to think like scientists. I hope you all have a great weekend and I look forward to reading your posts and comments! 

Starting Research on the Galapagos

Hola mis estudiantes,

Thank you all for taking the time to tune into my blog! I’m looking forward to sharing all of my scientific research experiences with you here on this webpage.

The Galapagos Islands

The Galapagos Islands – truly a beautiful and exciting place to explore – is an ecological paradise that I wish I could share with each of you. A stunning, vast, volcanic archipelago located 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador, these islands are home to numerous endemic plants and animals (flora and fauna found only here on the islands) as well as plants and animals that have made their way to the islands from all across the world.  The islands themselves sit at the cross-section of several major oceanic currents, each contributing to the unique equatorial and ecological climate of the islands. In addition to the famous Galapagos tortoises found throughout the islands, and the beautiful and elegant finches that bounce and fly seemingly everywhere, there are also Marine iguanas (Amblyrhynchus cristatus). These reptiles are the only lizards known to frequently swim in the ocean and will be the model organism (our study organism) on which we (and you!) will focus our research efforts throughout our stay here. Here is a photo of a Marine iguana sunning itself on the shoreline lava rock next to a Lava Gull (taken by Lori Neuman-Lee).

 

People and the Islands

In addition to all the beautiful flora, fauna, and scenery that surround these islands, there is also another component of the ecology that is very apparent and continues to grow every year: people. The earliest known people thought to visit the islands were the Incans, followed thereafter in 1535 by a Panamanian Bishop named Fray Tomás de Berlanga. Between then and now, whaling fleets, pirates, explorers, researchers, fishermen, and many other people have visited the shores of the Galapagos; it is hard to ignore human presence in the progression of the islands. After years of hardship placed here by humans, the Galapagos Islands were granted protection by the Ecuadorian government, and its status as a National Park was set in place.

Although the islands are protected as a National Park, a bustling ecotourism industry lives strong (and continues to grow) on certain parts of the islands. In addition, there are native Galapagans and people who live here full-time that produce a stable economy on the main islands.  Despite the fact that ecotourism plays a vital role in conservation awareness and many local economies, it is also considered a mild disturbance, and it is increasingly clear that these activities are not without consequences to local wildlife. People from all over the world travel here to explore the islands and its inhabitants, and  these people often come into contact with the wildlife that shares the islands, particularly the Marine iguanas; this is where we as researchers come into the picture.

Research

Our research aims to address the impacts of the ecotourism industry on populations of Marine iguanas. We are looking at the effects of ecotourism and its potential impacts on the balance of energy between survival and reproduction, which are both important to animal health and population stability! We will test the hypotheses that (1) increasing intensities of ecotourism will result in increasing effects on survival and reproduction, and (2) that detrimental effects on survival and reproduction are in part a result of altered energy acquisition and energy state.

Please post comments and ask questions and I will do the best I can do respond quickly! Thanks again to all of you and I look forward to sharing and talking with you more about this research!