Panama Mangroves

Welcome! I (Dr. Maggie Toscano, Geologist) am about to embark on a field excursion to the Bocas del Toro province of Panama with several scientists interested in the mangrove environment and how it functions.

We will be investigating how mangroves grow and develop in the presence or absence of certain key nutrients, how mangrove crabs and other species use the mangrove trees, roots, and the peat they form as their habitat, and how mangroves respond to sea-level and climate changes over long periods of time (thousands of years).

We will be staying at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Bocas del Toro. Stay tuned for news, science and photos over the next two weeks!

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Thursday - a day to rest, work on samples and blogs


Thursday Nov. 11 – Happy Veterans Day. We are working at the lab today to process samples and take a rest from the field and give our muscles and scratches, bruises and insect bites a chance to recover. There have not been many bugs, thank goodness, but insect repellent is still a must.  So is sunscreen – you can feel charred and crispy despite conscientious re-application.  It is nice to write this in an air-conditioned lab. 
Today we are sorting through mangrove litter (leaves, wood and other muck scooped from the base of the trees) for small critters (crabs, amphipods, isopods).  While doing this I am learning to identify peat components that I might find deeper in core samples.  Back to work!
Small crabs found in the mangrove leaf litter.
Here are some photos of the STRI lab at Bocas del Toro. You can also look at the STRI website mentioned in Tuesday's post.
The main lab building.


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