Project Overview
Ecological features of reforestation sites at Leaves and Lizards Arenal Volcano Cabin Retreat, Costa Rica
The project is a part of the University of Dallas Field Ecology class and includes one week of field research.
Purpose of the Study
Assess the ecological features of a habitat restoration site to provide baseline data to aid landowners in meeting their goals of environmental protection, preservation, and renewal.
About the study
This study is a focused ecological examination of a reforestation program on a former agricultural site in the Tilaran Cordillera of Costa Rica, with emphasis on the relations between the abiotic and biotic factors that characterize and shape the region. The goal is to understand techniques used in ecological studies and apply them to a research-based experience in a field environment.
The 2008 field season focused on three different projects:
Project 1
Produce an online map to illustrate ecological features, water availability/quality, data collection sites, and generate reproducible photo points to demonstrate successional change as a result of habitat restoration efforts.
Project 2
Assess bird species diversity, and correlate trophic and taxonomic diversity of bird species with the ecological and habitat features of the study site.
Project 3
Measure plant diversity and abundance along established transects to determine importance values and species-area relationships of large tree species, and assess the relationship between successional stage and plant composition within reforested, intact, and highly disturbed vegetation areas.
The 2009 and 2010 Field Seasons
An insect study that specialized in ants replaced the online map for the 2009 field season. The 2010 field season will start to look at differences in micro-climate between areas of pasture, old trees, and new plantations.
EcoMap Costa Rica
The EcoMap Costa Rica website has been created to document the 2008 field season. The site will cover future field seasons, using maps and panoramic photographs to document the recovery of the rain forest in the study area.
| Collaborators | ||
|---|---|---|
| Research Director | Dr. Marcy Brown Marsden Biology Department University of Dallas |
|
| Collaborators | Richard Marsden Winwaed Software Technology LLC Irving, Texas |
|
| Geovanni Bogarin | ||
| Univ. Dallas BIO 2416/3416 students | ||
| Leaves and Lizards | ||
