Atlantis and Turner Hall

So today the group had decided to take a tour in this tourist attraction called the Atlantis submarine. It was a lot of fun, and the captain and commentators were very entertaining. One of the guys managed to get one of the commentators to mention that there was a DNA code outside the portside. It's fun being a nerd!

Afterwards, we went to Turner Hall. Getting there was a bit of an adventure, as the maps we had were not the most accurate things in the world, but Bridget led the way and we got to Turner Hall. Turner Hall is apparently one of the least affected areas in Barbados, meaning it what we were seeing was basically how its been for a long time. Audrey and I, through leaf sifting, managed to find a pseudoscorpian that made Dr. Buddle so happy, he's keeping it for his personal collection. We actually managed to find two since I managed to drop the first one on the ground before it was in a collection vial, and these things are about the size of a period, font 7!

Gay's Cove and Welshman Hall

So, the internet in Barbados is a little temperamental, so I apologize for the delay in getting these up. I haven't quite figured out the template of this blog either, so I apologize for funny margins and obscured text. I hope everyone can still at least sort of read it.

Since we finished the module rotations, the next few days have been spent discovering Barbados and its ecology. This day, we first went to Gay's Cove. After a bumpy ride through a cow grazing area, we were treated to a spectacular cliff over looking the east coast of Barbados. We found a bees nest and some very cool spiders and other little critters. We got to walk down the cliffside to the waters edge and walked up and down the pebble beach there as well.

We then headed to Welshman Hall for a picnic lunch. A local tour guide showed us some of the flora in the gully, telling us what some of the plants were used for in traditional medicine and other purposes. We figure she must have thought we were crazy because we kept running off and chasing insects. Dr. Buddle found an ant lion - a predatory insect that makes burrows and waits for ants to fall in. They only walk backwards and are incredibly tiny. Fun stuff!

B-Ball

So today was the fish module, but my camera for my underwater casing chose a convenient time to simply not work on me, so I don't really have anything to show. Etienne decided to be lazy in his hammock, and was so lazy he didn't bother taking off his wader boots.

There is a basketball course right next to the research institute. A basketball was found in the computer room. Thanks to whoever left it!

Day 4: Entomology

So today was the entomology section for my group. I never knew bugs could be so much fun! I've known about the ecological significance of insects, but today, we went out in the field and learned bug collecting techniques, how to mount (pin) them, and how to separate them based on their morphological features. Rachel and I went out hunting and turned over a huge rock and found this very cool millipede under it. We didn't need it for our purposes, but the prof let me bring it back to take some pictures of. We went twice, once in the afternoon and once at dusk. The second time there was the cattle egret in the water logged areas, so I snapped a couple of pictures. I wish I had my telephoto, but I'm sure there will be a time and place to get some more shots of these guys.

I have a new found respect for insects, and my mild phobia of them has disappeared upon realizing the vast majority are harmless. The second time out, I took a sweeper net and focused on butterflies and flies, and got some specimens the prof was happy with. We learned how to mount butterflies and moths as well. I may go out and get a sweeper net and start a small collection of Quebec butterflies. Of course, I have many other projects I would like to do as well, so we shall see if this one comes to fruition!

Day 3: Molecular Ecology Module

Yesterday was a sort of orientation day. We went snorkling over the reef, and we spotted a flying gurnard - a very cool, large fish that has huge fins that it uses to scare up little critters like shrimp to eat.

Today my group did the molecular ecology module. We were introduced to DNA barcoding, a technique that molecular biologists have developed that can potentially have huge implications to the ecological field. It's a constantly changing area that some cool possibilities in the future - we'll see how things develop. Then we learned how to isolate DNA sequences, PCR (polymerase chain reaction), and gel electrophoresis. We used insects we collected yesterday on a walk we talk around the immediate area. We all used various parts of various insects, and were mostly successful in isolating the targetted DNA sequence and amplifying it with PCR.

The food here is great, today was BBQ chicken and mac and cheese, and yesterday was mahi mahi. YUM!

Thanks to Emily and Bassel for letting me post their pictures. The bird is a black grackle on our compound.

Barbados - Official Start

So, today was the official first day of the Tropical Ecology course that I am taking. I also got to take the first of many sunset pictures. Today we went snorkling and saw lots of parrotfish and damselfish. My friends saw a turtle, but I somehow managed to miss it. We did see some cuttlefish, which I've never seen before so that was really cool. This course sounds very exciting. We went for pizza and got to meet the other students and the profs as well. So, hopefully I'll be able to post every few days or so, or even more. Cheers!