Live! From the Field- Forest Catepillars of New Orleans

Finishing Up Our Work in the Lab

Fri, 27 Oct 2006 18:42:00 GMT

I can hardly believe our expedition is ending! We've had a very fruitful week, learned a lot , and made many new friends (in the human and insect worlds). Today we worked together to coordinate all of our web pages and had a "wrap-up" of sorts with Dr. Dyer. Being in a university setting like this is exciting. We've met a number of other research scientists here that have told us about their various projects around the world. I hope to look into other opportunities to go on other study expeditions.
In response to your question, Philipp, I am not bringing back any butterflies. If I am not stopped at the airport, I will try and bring back a caterpillar- a wooly bear caterpillar. I am told that this kind of caterpillar is a "generalist", that is, it eats a variety of plant food. If a caterpillar only eats one kind of specific plant, it is called a "specialist". Which kind of caterpillar, generalist or specialist, do you think has a better chance of survival if weateher conditions wipe out their special plant that they eat?
I'm not sure why the butterflies have died, Hannah, but my best guess is that their life span is quite short- often times only one to two weeks. Have you noticed whether or not they have laid any eggs yet? Yes, Emma and Natalie, I am having a great time and have collected dozens of varieties of caterpillars. I am looking forward to seeing you on Monday!!!

Measuring Caterpillars

Thu, 26 Oct 2006 18:19:00 GMT

In the morning, Meg and I "cooked" up a few batches of caterpillar "food". We carefully measured out the ingredients for 3 different recipes before heating them up in beakers, then letting them harden in the refrigerator. Angela, a doctoral student here has created a project to determine how diet affects caterpillar's immune systems .Each batch of food has variable levels of toxins. She is trying to find out how much "energy" the caterpillars use to ward off pathogens, such as disease, or "invasions", such as when parasitoids deposit eggs inside of them. For this later part of her experiment, she is depositting fake silicone parasitoid "eggs' in the caterpillars. After 24 hours, she disects them and looks for evidence of their immune response. In addition to making the food, we also worked in the lab measuring the caterpillars body weight. First we measured the weight of a plastic cup, then measured the weight of the caterpillar in it. The computer calculated the difference and entered into a spreadsheet. Next we measured how much "food" it had eaten overnight. We also took accurate measurements of how much new food we were putting into their cups. After that we weighed their poop, known as "frass" in the caterpillar world. We also noted whether or not the caterpillar had a change in their "instar" developmental level.
I had my first video conference with my students this morning! After a rough start, with the help and patience of parent Steve Tanner, we were able to conference. The quality wasn't as good as I had hoped, but it was a valuable experience (and experiment), nonetheless. I enjoyed answering questions, and students enjoyed talking to Dr. Dyer and Mark Tobler, head of the lab here. I also got to talk with a 7th grade classroom in Maine- a conference set up by Meg, one of my colleagues here from Earthwatch.
Later today we're expecting a visit from Brian Rosborough, the founder of Earthwatch and a current board member, who happens to be in New Orleans right now!

Finishing up in the Lab

Wed, 25 Oct 2006 21:44:00 GMT

We spent much of the day collecting more caterpillars. We drove through St. Bernard's Parish- quite a shock, considering it's been more than a year since the hurricane. Thousand of homes still remain uninhabitable. In this section of town you can see the water mark on many of the homes where they sat in water for more than 2 weeks. Most of the homes also have a spray painted identification on them- remnant from when rescuers came in and searched the homes for inhabitants- human and animal, and whether or not they had survived. It's very humbling seeing all of this.
At our first "plot" area, we found just what we were looking for! We collected more than 50 "Automeris io" caterpillars from the Saturnidae family. They were in various stages of their development, and we sorted them accordingly. Most caterpillars go through several stages, called "in-star" stages. As they eat and grow, they shed their exoskeletons five (sometimes more) times. The ones we collected today which will eventually become Cecropia moths, are very spiny and they sting!!! We had to be very careful as we collected them. Apparently they will sting through clothes, too.
This is the variety of caterpillar that the scientists we are working with suspect that may be "outbreaking", because many of their predators were wiped out as a result of the hurricane. Based on the numbers that we collected, I am not surprised about their hypothesis. In a few short hours we had collected hundreds!
Back in the lab we carefully entered each one into a data base- giving them an identification number, and entering the local where we found them. We placed lots of "host" food (mostly crape myrtle) in the bag, and hung them up on a big rack. Scientists working on the project will watch them as they develop.
More lab work tomorrow!!!

Check out this web connection of other from Wendy Gorton, another teacher on the team!

Tue, 24 Oct 2006 23:05:00 GMT

http://web.mac.com/missgorton/iweb/Earthwatch/In%20the%20Lab%21.html

Honey Island Swamp

Tue, 24 Oct 2006 22:36:00 GMT

We spent much of the day in Honey Island Swamp, a part of the Pearl River Wildlife area, about a 45 minute drive from the university. Grant Gentry, a senior research fellow here, was our tour guide and showed us how he colleccts caterpillar samples to bring back to their laboratory to study. Another undergraduate student, Brittany, came with us, too. She would "mark" the 10 meter by 10 meter area that Grant wanted us to look in, and we would set about searching. We had to look so carefully, because they didn't want to be found. Many of them wrapped themselves up in a leaf. Some of them blended into the leaves they were munching on. You have to have a lot of patience looking for these elusive creatures. We put the caterpillars we found into plastic bags along with plenty of plant material for them to eat during their stay in the labs for "rearing". By days end we had collected more than 50 caterpillars! Tomorrow we'll have another adventure in a different area of New Orleans.Tonight we're going out to listen to some Cajun music and eat some Cajun food!

Tulane University

Mon, 23 Oct 2006 22:54:00 GMT

I am happy to be finally here at Tulane! I spent today traveling to Pascagoula, Mississippi. Another Earthwatch team member, Mike April,and I visited Cherokee Elementary school that was hard hit by Hurricane Katrina. It is astonishing to witness the devastation it caused. A year later, there are still huge sections of the cities and towns that have been destroyed or wiped out completely. We traveled down stretches of road, mile after mile, with only concrete slabs and piles of rubble, as witness to former living. Nonetheless, most of the people we've met are very upbeat. As one man we met explained, "We're all in this together. It kinda makes more sense to face each day with hope, rather than without it."
We've just had our "briefing". Dr. Lee Dyer, the chief scientist on this Earthwatch project gave us a tour of the labs that we will be working in here at Tulane University, and gave us a mini lecture on the incredible work that he and several teams in Ecuador and Costa Rica have been doing. They are studying not only the diversity of species in these areas, but the diversity of interactions, as well. He explained the idea of "tritrophic interactions" and the importance of their balance. These ecosystems that he studies include plants (the primary producers), herbivores (the secondary consumers, in this case the thousands of species of caterpillars that he studies), and the third trophic level, the enemies of the herbivores, parasitoids, in this case parasitic wasps and flies. His research has confirmed that, in areas off extreme weather events, there are fewer parasitoids and therefore, greater caterpillar populations. What does this mean for the future? There is great speculation. I hope to learn lots more this week and to share it with my students.
Next stop: Catepillar collecting- tomorrow in the swamp!!!

Butterfly Pictures

Mon, 23 Oct 2006 14:33:00 GMT

Please click on the image tag to view.

Early Morning, Did I forget anything?

Sat, 21 Oct 2006 11:14:00 GMT

Well, if I did forget anything, I'll have to do with out it, or find another solution! By the end of the day yesterday, my students and I counted 28 newly hatched painted lady butterflies. I probably should have phoned Dr. Dyer, the scientist that our team will be working with at Tulane University, to ask him how to care for them - perhaps I will later today or tomorrow. I am hopeful that the children will be able to release the butterflies on Monday or Tuesday. I am especially curious as to whether or not they will lay eggs, since I was not able to find their favorite host plant, malva. I wonder if they like verbena or calendula, plants that are inside the habitat.

The Birth of Our Painted Lady Butterflies!!!

Fri, 20 Oct 2006 13:05:00 GMT

Our butterflies are emerging!! With a warm afternoon yesterday, our butterflies began their journey from chrysalis to butterfly! We watched several of them, as they worked their way through their birth. Some took their time, waiting until they were ready to pump blood through their wings. We are scrambling to figure out how to keep them nourished and alive before we release them. We searched, in vain, for a malva plant (common mallow), so that they could continue their life cycle and lay eggs before their release. I am still (unsuccesfully) trying to post pictures on this blog site. Maybe later today.....

Our School Butterfly Habitat

Tue, 17 Oct 2006 13:16:00 GMT

We've been witnessing, first hand, the butterfly Life Cycle. Our painted lady butterflies are getting ready to emerge! We ordered the larvae from Insectlore, and crafted, with the help of a couple of moms, a very cool habitat out of a wooden garage shelf. When all of the caterpillars had formed their chryslises, we attached them to the top of the habitat with some gorilla tape.