It is coming to a close...

7-23-2012

     On what was supposed to be our last night doing the big grid, we ran into some complications.  A storm rolled in and the lightning caused us to quit when we were less than half way finished (Safety First).  It was interesting to be in the forest during an intense down-pour, but getting back to the station was a relieve.
     The next day, we did what is known as Plant Apparency.  We broke off into two groups of three and took readings on the entire big grid during the day.  It was much easier to navigate during the day, but it was an intimidating task.  Finishing was very rewarding; it was the first time that study had been done on the entire big grid in one day.  There were a number of things we checked for.  Plant habitat architecture, canopy gap, number of rocks/leaf litter/dead wood/ etc. were all quantified for comparison of each plot.  This allows for cross referencing with snail data to see which plots have higher biodiversity and suggests reasons why.
     The next day we went to a place that goes by many names, one being "Cloud Forest".  It was quite a hike, but it was worth it.  It looked like a place right out of "Lord of the Rings".  Although it had an almost eerie look, it was very relaxing and comfortable (when we were not hiking up hill).  That night we finished up the big grid that was postponed due to the storm.
    Today has been all about data entry and setting up another experiment that will determine the decay rate of snail shells and their impact on the decay rate of surround plant material.