Saturday, June 2, 2012

Nights and Days at La Selva

Authors: Aaron, Erin, Rachael, Rob Collins

Word of the day:

 Stipule- A leaf like appendage usually found at the base on leaf petioles, typically born in pairs and derived from the meristematic tissues of the plant.

Today's Science:

Last night, our group went on a night hike into the rain forest to seek out some nocturnal organisms. We saw many creatures like the red eyed tree frog, vine snake, annulated tree boa,  Fer-de-Lance viper, spectacled caiman, fishing spider and many other species of frogs and toad. We even saw one of the fishing spiders eating a frog in the swamp! The guide pointed out a particular type of cactus that flowers nocturnally so it can be pollinated by bats.

Rob and Rob setting up titrations

The groups today spent more time analyzing and organizing data. Some groups were in the lab titrating, preforming weight loss on ignition of soils, and measuring nitrates, ammonium, calcium and pH of the soils as well. Other groups spent time identifying plant and animal species and organizing data into excel sheets. We even had a botanist come in and help some of the groups identify plant characteristics and narrow them down into their respective family classifications.

Vine Snake


Red-eyed Tree Frog
Fishing Spider eating frog in the swamp






















Question of the day:

 Why do some plants have the adaptation for flowering just at night and not during the day too?


Night blooming cactus

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