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Working in Suriname, South America:
A Student Perspective on Field Work

By Elisa Livengood, SNRE M.S. Student

Carrie Vath, an SNRE Masters student, balks at the idea of no more monkey business. In fact, the business of primates, birds, jaguars, tapirs, peccaries, and other large vertebrates is exactly what concerns her most. By measuring habitat heterogeneity, plant productivity, plant species diversity, and seasonality, Carrie hopes to grasp potential key indicators to vertebrate species richness in the Central Suriname Nature Reserve in South America. From this work, Carrie hopes to make some broader applications for the conservation in the Guianan shield. "Guiana, French Guiana, and Suriname compose part of the Guianan Shield, and these areas have been relatively understudied by scientists," claims Carrie.

"With this research we hope to take our findings and establish a baseline for similar forest ecosystems and potential application of conservation measures in the other countries," she explains.

Due to the nature of Carrie's research question, extensive fieldwork for data collection is required. However, working in the field can present many challenges to a researcher, whether it is communicating with the locals or dealing with logistics of a site. Carrie takes the time to share the insights, experiences, and lessons learned from the field.

Expect the unexpected in the field

Working in the field can lead to some great experiences with the natural flora and fauna of the area. In-field researchers will often witness events rarely documented outside of these wild habitats. Carrie Vath also had the opportunity to experience the many unpredictable events that can occur when working in the field with wild animals. "One the most intense things I have witnessed was a 'take over' or change in the social structure of a troop of brown capuchin monkeys. The alpha female, Julia*, was attacked by the third ranking female Gina and another subadult female, Banana. These two monkeys removed the alpha female and reduced her to the lowest ranking individual in the troop. This event was very unnerving with the troop reacting in a cacophony of screams," Carrie described.

Monkeys are social animals, and these social hierarchies within a troop determine eating order, amount available for consumption, and their health. The alpha male or female of a troop also leads that troop to food areas. "It was very hard to watch this once competent female be reduced to having to eat meals last and constantly being harassed by the other higher-ranking females. However, to witness something of this nature can give insights into animal behaviors that are rarely seen," explained Carrie.

Incorporate Community Involvement

One important aspect of working in another country is how you can contribute to local communities and cooperate with them to enrich your study. "I think it is so important to communicate and bring back whatever you are finding to that home country and that you include the people that have helped you. For example, the Qwinti Indians of Suriname were able to provide local ecological information with regard to plant identification, flowering seasons, and insight into the forest species interactions. They were so helpful and integral to the success of this study," Carrie exclaimed.

Embrace a holistic approach to field work

The interdisciplinary nature of Carrie's research also required her to pull from many fields of study. "During those situations that required 'thinking outside the box' I had to rely on the training I am receiving through my degree program in interdisciplinary ecology. SNRE continues to promote in their programs of study, the idea of different thinking caps and works towards training scientists to think and communicate on many different levels," says Carrie. "With regards to my work, I had to pull from the field of botany for identification of plant species, and I never before considered myself a botanist! As it turns out, I love figuring out the plants, fruits, and flowers, as part of determining species richness."

The lessons learned from fieldwork can be both informative and rewarding often influencing the careers of students and scientists. The knowledge gained from such experiences can also contribute to conservation measures and policies. Carrie hopes that through her study they can provide nations of the Guianan Shield critical information on the current state of their ecosystems, as they face changes from development.

* Names are those assigned to the brown capuchin monkeys monitored in a troop in the Central Suriname Reserve.

Carrie has returned to the States to finish writing her thesis on the Suriname research and currently works as the Coordinator for the Teaching and Learning Center. For more information on current projects in Suriname and field research possibilities contact:

Sue Boinski at boinski@ufl.edu or visit her website at http://www.clas.ufl.edu/~boinski.