Field work: from the Amazon to the Andes

This past summer was filled with many new and exciting experiences. In order to prepare for my thesis research I traveled to Ecuador to gather preliminary data, and get a better understanding for the ecosystems I’ll be working in. My research focuses on how the network structure of spiders changes along an elevation gradient. I’m gathering data from the cloud forests of the Andes down to the lower reaches of the Amazon. Each location has a unique catalog of flora and fauna, and I am eager to explore it all!

Photos from the cloud forest:

A caecilian, I think it’s of the species Caecilia buckleyi

A trail in one of the natural regions of the highlands.

Photos from the Amazon region:

Dense vegetation of the Amazon Rainforest!

A tree frog found on one of our night walks through the jungle.