Climate Change and Caterpillars in… (trip)
Climate Change and Caterpillars in Ecuador
- Volunteer Vacations
11 Days, from $2,350* per person. July.
Accommodations: Simple. Exertion level: 3 (7 is most strenuous)
Overview of Climate Change and Caterpillars in Ecuador
Perched on the eastern slope of the Andes above the Amazon basin, the cloud forest of Ecuador hosts thousands of different caterpillar species, and an equally impressive diversity of plants. Caterpillars in Ecuador and elsewhere have a variety of strategies designed to break through plant defenses and protect against parasites and predators. Whether they grow stinging "hairs," develop immunity to specific plant toxins, or frantically wiggle their way to freedom, caterpillars must figure out how to keep the food coming without becoming food. At Yanayacu, you can help Dr. Lee Dyer study how the survival strategies of caterpillars, plants, and parasites are affected by a changing climate. Data from this site will be compared with data from sites in Costa Rica, Arizona, and New Orleans, painting an ecological picture that spans the hemisphere.
Operated by Earthwatch Institute.
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Locations visited/nearby
Yanayacu Biological Station , Ecuador , Andes , Amazon , cloud forest , caterpillar , caterpillars , laboratory , earthwatch , Hunting for Caterpillars in the Andes
0 testimonials about this trip.
1 testimonial about the provider, Earthwatch Institute:
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Reviewer: L. Reifschneider
located in
St. Louis,
MO
USA
Elephant conservation is what drives my travel destinations. However, I always come home counting the blessings of new friends and an understanding of a culture and way of life I possibly would otherwise have never been introduced to. Through the Earthwatch projects I participate in, I am learning just how big and wonderful this world is.
Disclaimers
*Travel product and pricing information are the travel provider’s base estimates, published here as a convenience to TravelDragon users without verification by TravelDragon. Your actual price will vary depending upon length of trip, travel dates, number of traveling guests, transportation (e.g. airfare, rail passes, etc.), and optional service features such as room categories or individualized food requirements. This base price estimate may or may not include all necessary fees, taxes, government-imposed surcharges. Be sure to confirm availability, total price and trip details with the travel provider using the contact information provided here.
Max group size: 12
Itinerary
You'll work with Principal Investigator Dr. Lee Dyer and a team of researchers to find and collect caterpillars and their host plants. In the open-air laboratory, you'll help raise caterpillars at all stages of their life cycles and record their relationships with plants and parasites. When you're not unrolling leaves in search of telltale caterpillar signs or labeling specimens in the lab, you can enjoy striking views of the cloud-covered Andes, scan the trees in the neighboring Antisana Reserve for some of Ecuador's over 1,550 bird species, or chat with other researchers staying at the station.
Biological diversity is very high in Ecuador. In fact, due to the variety of its ecosystems and species, it is one of the few countries on Earth labeled “megadiverse,” with 320 known species of mammals, 350 species of reptiles, over 375 species of amphibians, more than 1,550 species of birds, and between 22,000 and 25,000 species of plants. Insect diversity is also extremely high but not well studied; butterfly inventories in specific regions of Ecuador have revealed remarkable species diversity.
Yanayacu Biological Station is on the eastern slope of the Andes at about 2,200 meters above sea level, in the Napo Province near the town of Cosanga. Large tracts of good forest here (each 1,000 hectares) and a lot of secondary growth along roadsides make perfect conditions for collecting caterpillars, especially because huge Yanayacu does not have extreme inclines. Behind the private reserve is the Antisana Reserve, an immense wildlife refuge that goes all the way over the Paramo.
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