Category Archives: Ben

Ben, Blog, Kathleen, Research Summary

Songs of the Forest: deciphering changes in species richness from the forest edge

Ben and Kathleen with a camera trap in a clearing where they spotted an ocelot
Ben and Kathleen with a camera trap in a clearing where they spotted an ocelot

As the quarter comes to a close, we reflect on the work that has gone into our research projects during this eye-opening field biology quarter. We have had an irreplaceable time in the field, and brought home some interesting observations from both our studies! Our conservation project tried to determine how the number of bird and mammal species change as the distance from the forest edge increases. We focused on mammals and birds as they are easy to detect and identify. Additionally, we attempted to identify frugivorous birds, or fruit eaters, and characterize their richness in relation to the forest edge-interior gradient. Frugivores are key species as both animals and trees depend on their role in the rainforest ecosystem as vital seed dispersers.

For our survey, we chose three zones of different distances from the edge of the forest as study sites. These three zones represented the edge, intermediate, and interior forest habitats. Every morning and evening, we recorded birdcalls at each point and set up motion sensor cameras to record mammals. At each point, we also recorded various qualities of the habitat, such as temperature, humidity and wind speeds. It was definitely an enjoyable process collecting data!

In total, we catalogued 117 different birds, identified 18 frugivorous bird species, and even spotted an ocelot! Overall, we didn’t find any solid differences when we compared the total number of species found in the three zones. The intermediate zone always had the highest number of birds and mammals out of the three, but not by much. This may be due to the presence of fresh logging sites near the edge and interior zone that caused a change in the forest dynamics. Therefore, the intermediate zone was most similar to primary undisturbed rainforest in terms of habitat characteristics, having the highest percentage of canopy cover and little human disturbances.

When we broke the data down to the time of day however, we found that there were differences in the number of species found in the mornings as compared to the evenings. These differences were only found in the intermediate and interior zones – which may point to the presence of more specialist species compared to the edge zone – even though all three zones had roughly the same number of species. This was supported by the fact that the interior zone had the highest number of frugivorous species of the three.

With the recent ground breaking of the Nicaraguan transcontinental canal it is vital the developers take into account how human disturbance and infrastructure will influence forest dynamics. The frugivorous birds will definitely be affected by the fragmentation of the forest. To maintain the diversity of species present in the rainforest, developers must acknowledge the importance of a buffer zone between the canal and even proximate regions of the forest.

Ben, Blog, Final Thoughts

Concrete Jungle

Ben practices a headstand at Refugio Bartola
Ben practices a headstand at Refugio Bartola

As I transition back home to Los Angeles and UCLA I’m already missing Refugio Bartola. Waking up each morning to a serene Rio San Juan, a flock of birds singing, fresh squeezed juices, and a day of data collection in the rainforest. Overall, the trip exceeded my previous expectations and changed my outlook on field biology. As someone who has past experience in a wet lab environment, the necessity to constantly readjust my field experiments (because a lack of an item) was new to me and difficult. Challenges of not having a heat lamp readily available, for example, really made us think out of the box, literally. To address the confounding variable of not being able to control for temperature we instead performed our behavior trials at the same time each day and in the shade.

While in Nicaragua what surprised me the most was how people, myself included, handled the stress surrounding their projects and various situations. Being able to push through during the middle of the trip and wake up for early 5am hikes days on end was exhausting both mentally and physically. But, like most challenges in life it is how you respond that determines your eventual success and even happiness (both during the trip and after in my opinion). I personally like experiencing moments of exhaustion like the middle of the trip because it makes me realize what I’m truly capable of. For me especially I handled the stress by always trying to stay positive and keeping my day balanced (literally and figuratively!)­­––by sleeping enough, allocating time to work out and socialize with my peers.

The rainforest is an incredible, almost magical place that I will never forget. I can’t overstate how grateful I am for the FBQ and my eye opening experience. By far my favorite moment was hiking up to the end of one of the trails to a creek, then trekking through the water for another kilometer or so. Under tree falls and over waterfalls, with Blue Morpho butterflies flying around everywhere I turned, it was unreal and adrenaline inducing.

Ben, from the field, Week 3

21 Lessons

Although the days are very long here in Nicaragua, the last 3 weeks have come and gone quite fast. While I’ve traveled a good amount in the last couple years, this experience was like none of the others. Below is a list of 21 things I’ve learned during my time here.

  1. I am no longer a member of the arachnophobia club
  2. Hammocks are a great idea until you fall asleep in them at night and mosquitoes attack you
  3. Never ever say no to leftovers
  4. Bring a light source into the bathroom at night, as the generator may and probably will turn off during a shower
  5. Embrace the humidity and mud of the rainforest and the trails
  6. A compass and knee high boots were the best investment I’ve ever made
  7. Anti-malaria pills will induce strange, eerie nightmares
  8. Positivity will go a long way and is contagious
  9. Spiders back at home are quite small and harmless
  10. Having no phone around is freedom
  11. Bring an extra mp3 player, as you never know when yours will break the second you get on the plane
  12. Bring lots and lots of trail mix and a big jar of peanut butter next time you travel
  13. A giant toad is probably hiding in the scary crevice you’re searching, and you will definitely think it’s a leaf
  14. The under story is thick with vegetation beyond imagination
  15. Canoe rides down the Rio Bartola at night are always a good idea
  16. Time management is key to a field research project
  17. Seeing a sloth in the wild is a dream come true
  18. I know very little about how natural behaviors actually function
  19. Identifying birds is fun
  20. I can successfully wake up from my watch beeping while wearing ear plugs
  21. If you see a bullet ant nest, start running

The rainforest is an incredible place, and any words I have will not do it justice, but these lessons learned I will bring back home. I’m very grateful for such a life changing experience in such a location full of life and serenity.

Ben, from the field, Week 2

Bird Songs and Bullet Ants

This past week has been very productive at Refugio Bartola. Kathleen and I finished our final bird call recording session this morning. Our conservation project is focused on how bird and mammal diversity is affected by the distance from the edge of the forest. We mapped out three zones that include the edge, intermediate, and interior areas in the rainforest. Each zone is 200m in length and has two sites in different locations. Each site has 5 points 50m apart where we perform our data collection, which involves recording bird songs for 8 minutes and setting up camera traps to take pictures of small animals passing by throughout the day and night. We hypothesize that there will be a difference in bird and mammal diversity in relation to the edge to interior gradient. Specifically, we predict the interior zone to have a greater diversity of animals and more specialist species.

Our camera traps (pictures) have been very successful so far. We have documented multiple cute agouti, an armadillo, and skunk. While performing our point observations we have also spotted spider monkeys and playful white faced capuchins. One early morning while we were far off trail collecting data we heard a peculiar rustling and grunting nearby. Unbelievably, a beautifully patterned ocelot walked within 3m of where I stood and gave a nonchalant look our way.

Finally, yesterday I had quite the memorable experience. While collecting harvestmen in the crevices of trees for our animal behavior project I stumbled upon an angry nest of bullet ants. These ants have a reputation of biting and stinging, releasing a very painful toxin. Well, it turns out I was the lucky soul thus far in the group and while walking away from the nest felt an extreme pain on my hand. A bullet ant had somehow fallen on my hand and bit through my thin cotton glove. Three hours of intense piercing and throbbing pain passed slowly but thankfully by night the pain was gone.

Ben, from the field, Week 1

Pirates of the Rio San Juan

Planes, a bus, riverboat and 15 hours later we finally made it to Refugio Bartola and the neotropical rainforest along the Rio San Juan, Nicaragua. The amount of abundant wildlife and astonishing biodiversity I’ve encountered in the last three days is almost indescribable. To get a picture, at night time while sloshing along one of the countless muddy trails the ground glistens with the eyes of the largest spiders and unidentifiable insects I’ve ever encountered. Whether it is the chirping red Strawberry Poison Dart frogs, the rambunctious White Faced Capuchin swinging from branch to branch 30m in the air, or the venomous Coral Snake slithering among the leaf litter (I’m wearing calf high boots Mom it’s all good!) I have yet to feel that I’m not actually in a Planet Earth documentary on National Geographic, but actually experiencing the real thing.

In terms of the research aspect of the trip I’m currently in the beginning stages of developing and working on two projects. My partner (Kathleen) and I are working on an animal behavior study aimed at understanding interspecific competition among ground dwelling spiders, while our conservation study is looking at the effects of distance from edge environments on bird and mammal species richness.

So far it’s been quite a surreal experience. Having such an incredible opportunity in the rainforest is both a daunting and humbling experience. And maybe, just hopefully, I’ll stop having vivid images of spiders crawling all over me every time I close my eyes in the next couple days.

Ben, Starting Out

From Lab Bench to Rainforest

My name is Ben Schoenberg and I’m a Senior undergraduate student at UCLA, majoring in Biology with a minor in Biomedical Research. This Winter quarter I’ve been selected to participate in a glorious opportunity which involves traveling to Nicaragua and performing field biology research.

Future sports medicine physician or world-traveling biologist? I hope to answer this question at the end of my field biology quarter experience. I’m excited to gain a better understanding of research in a field environment after spending 1.5 years in a stem cell lab on campus. But almost more than that—I can’t wait for the day in and day out activities in Nicaragua. Canoeing up the local river, searching for slippery frogs of all shapes and sizes, and really getting my hands dirty. A venomous snake experience would be very cool too, although at a distance of about 10 meters of course. I’m also looking forward to being part of this trip with a group and communicating our stories and discoveries to each other. I’ve never traveled to such a remote part of the world, especially one that’s a biodiversity hotspot and can only imagine the mysterious creatures I’m going to encounter. Furthermore, getting off the grid and truly disconnecting from social media and email is definitely something I’m looking forward too.

In terms of academic goals I aspire to come back with a new dedication towards conservation biology, with the goal of making a positive impact in the field. Whether that involves direct research, increased public awareness, or spreading cute pictures of spider monkeys playing. Finally, I’m looking forward to gaining practical skills in developing experiments to test and recording results. I’ve never used the statistical software “R” before and feel it could be a useful tool in analyzing data.