II. "Trip" Presentations and Programs *
- to be attended by all participants throughout the trip component, reading handouts will be given to you when necessary. Presentations will be given by field researchers at conservations sites visited, Dr. McLaughlin and her staff, Costa Rican government officials, all 497 students and all pre-service and in-service teachers selected to participate in this program.

The following topics, and many others related to specific environmental issues will be covered:

• Biogeography of Costa Rica
• Biodiversity and speciation
• Species richness and abundance
• Rainforest structure and stability
• Identifying the variety of life (flora and fauna) that exists in the varied rainforests of Costa Rica
• Species interactions
• Evolutionary adaptations and niche selection of rainforest organisms
• Importance of biodiversity and threats (required reading, The Future of Life, E.O. Wilson)
• Costa Rica’s conservation efforts
• Threatened, endangered and extinct species in Costa Rica and throughout the world
• The plight of the Chelonia mydas (Atlantic Green) and the Dermochelys coriacea (Leatherback) sea turtles (required reading, The Windward Road, Archie Carr)
• HIPPO (Habitat distruction, Invasive Species, Population explosion, Pollution, Overharvesting)
• Global Warming (required reading, An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore)
• Ecological and economic challenges of the 21st century
• Environmental sustainability
• Global water supply
• NGO's and their work in conservation
• Biodiversity of the world biomes
• Conservation and hands-on research efforts of the Carribean Conservation Corporation (CCC), the Asociacion ANAI, and La Selva Biological Station (Organization of Tropical Studies)

After your trip you will be asked to write a short summary for each day of travel. Your entries may also be quoted in various newspaper, magazine, and journal publications given your permission.

After your trip you will be required to answer the following questions. It is suggested that you keep them in mind and write some of your answers throughout your travels.

• In general, what impressed you the most about Costa Rica's biodiversity?
• What impressed you most about Costa Rica's environmental polices to protect biodiversity?
• Overall, what were your best and worst experiences in Costa Rica?
• What was the most challenging (physical and/or emotional) experience that you accomplished in Costa Rica?
• Any surprises or disappointments throughout the trip?
• What was the most significant thing that you learned while in La Selva doing research with a selected REU (or for Erika, while in the arboretum)?
• How have human activities impacted the natural habitats of Costa Rica? Be specific.
• What are your opinions on the future of Costa Rica's biodiversity?
• What are your opinions on the future of biodiversity in the United States?
• What problems concerning conservation biology on a global scale did you uncover during CHANCE? And are there solutions?
• From what you have experienced either directly or indirectly in the field, and through your extraneous use of textbooks and other resources to understand basic environmental science and ecology concepts, elaborate on three of the following items being as thorough as possible:
  (a) a example of a keystone specie(s) exerting strong controls on community structure in La Selva [you have to think about this one. I will be happy to verify your choice(s)]
  (b) the affects of abiotic factors on Leatherback hatchling success in Gandoca (you may want to carry out the "Plight of the Leatherback" module for guidance here)
  (c) the affects of climate and local geography on the distribution of lowland tropical, pre-montane, cloud forest, and paramo (alpine forest) in Costa Rica
  (d) what is meant by ecological succession seen in the primary rainforest of La Selva following a natural disturbance
  (e) the dynamic biological processes affecting the population of Leaf-Cutter Ants in La Selva
  (f) the species diversity (species richness and relative abundance) of the lowland land tropical rainforest vs. the northeastern deciduous forest (re: E. O. Wilson's Latitude Density Model).

IV. "Trip" Species Assignments
- to be completed throughout the trip component and upon return to the mainland

Students taking the Biology 297 credits are required to thoroughly research a selected Costa Rican plant or animal species. Students taking Biology 497 credits and CHANCE high school teachers are required to thoroughly research two selected Costa Rican plant or animal species.

During your trip you should try to find out as much as possible about your selected organism(s) by asking questions, talking with expert naturalist field guides, your professor and other biologists on the trip, using field guide books, etc. Upon your return you may wish to research your organism(s)in more depth.

You will need to answer these questions in detail:

• What is the scientific name of the species? Common name?
• Where was the organism spotted (if at all; if not spotted, where could we have seen it)?
• What is the range and habitat of the species?
• What is its evolutionary history? (origin, relatives etc.)
• What role does it play in its environment (niche)? Is it a keystone species?
• Any unique adaptations?
• Any unique behavioral characteristics?
• Any unique interspecific interactions like competition, predation, and commensalism?
• Elaborate on the species food chain.
• Is it an endemic species to Costa Rica? If not, where else is it found?
• What are the threats to its survival?
• What conservation efforts, if any, are presently being undertaken to protect this organism's survival?

Field Based Research for Biology 497 Students and CHANCE Pennsylvania High School Teachers
- to be completed during the trip component and upon your return to the mainland

Based on actual field based research activities in Costa Rica, you are required to complete two research summaries as part of your scientific inquiry-based training in environmental science and ecology. Each summary will document your research objectives, methods, data analysis, data itself, data interpretation, conclusions, and summary. Each summary must be approved and signed by the field scientist you are assigned to work with. A scientific report will be due as part of your post-trip assignment and will include objectives, methods, data analysis and interpretation, conclusions, and literature review.

Overview | Description | Requirements | Outline | Itinerary | Cost | Application | Instructor

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This site was last updated on October 10, 2006.
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