Tuesday, November 29, 2011
We are still at Sarapiqui. Today we are volunteering to either remove invasive plant species or transplant ornamental native species of plants. For a moment, this seems like a roadblock event choice on the "Amazing Race."
The sun has made a brief appearance and I am struck by two thoughts: my sunscreen is on the bus and I will have to cross another suspension bridge. The young biologist assigned to our group is adamant that I need to go back for sunscreen. I clearly am not from a warm tropical climate and need to figure out how to (1) not burst into flames in the sun and (2) not be mosquito bait. Decisions, decisions- should the sunscreen go under the insect repellent or over the insect repellent.
After a brief orientation to the two types of jobs we will be doing, I join the transplant team. Armed with a shovel, cart, and plant tags we set out to learn how to separate shoots from the mother plant. The tuberous roots are thick and difficult at times to sever, but we must be careful to remove enough of the roots that our transplants will take in a new location.
Susan Tate, a grade 8 science teacher from Michigan with a specimen for transplantation.
The purpose of the project is to demonstrate how native plants can be used for ornamental landscaping instead of nonnative species. Too often nonnative landscaping plants become invasive or provide no benefit to the organisms in ecosystem. 
Heliconia flowers
The native tropical plants are attractive to the human eye and in many cases provide food, water, and shelter to birds and insects. One such plant is the heliconia. The cuplike flowers capture rainwater and produce a sweet nectar. Hummingbirds and insects are attracted to the bright red flowers and benefit from the water and food provided by the flowers. The plants in turn benefit from pollination. Berries of the heliconia are eaten by birds and the seeds are dispersed as digestive waste.Our other team of teachers has the backbreaking task of removing coffee robustus plants, a crop plant that failed to be commercially viable. Without consumers or parasites or other natural curbs on growth, these plants have successfully crowded out native species. Moving in a deliberate path of destruction, the volunteer team painstakingly removes one plant at a time making sure that no root, shoot, or seed remains to regenerate.
The Ah-Ha Moment
As the transplant team waits for the invasive species removal team to return, I marvel at the leafcutter ants. Hour after hour, this highly organized society of ants travels along a well defined trail carrying leaf bits back the the nest.
The ants will use the leaves to farm a fungus needed for nutrition. The leafcutter ant queen mates once and produces eggs as needed for up to 20 years. When she dies, the colony dies. A few survivors will harvest the fungus and move on to form a new learcutter colony.
The entire hill is one leafcutter ant colony with one queen and thousands of ants.
Watching the parade of ants, it occurs to me that this is the very place where E.O. Wilson began his research. This is the place that inspired his passion for preserving biodiversity. I am now in this place marveling at the wondrous complexity of the biological systems just on a single tree.
I am struck by the realization that the biodiversity of a single tree in this forest far exceeds the diversity of an acre of suburban New Jersey. It was an ah-ha moment of why what we did today matters and why we need to find ways to preserve the natural habitats that remain back in our home states. I am inspired to find ways to engage students in this discovery.
Listen to E.O. Wilson talk about his early research at La Selva.
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Read The Diversity of Life (Google Books)
Consider the following:
How is the "residency" status of a plant determined?
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