GARY
BUCCIARELLI
Ecologist
Evolutionary Biologist
AMPHIBIAN BEHAVIOR
Amphibian behavior in response to increased ultraviolet radiation
This was a project I worked on in Costa Rica with Andy Blaustein, Barbara Han, and Lee Kats. I studied the calling behavior of male strawberry poison dart frogs (Dendrobates pumilio) in response to increased ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Ambient radiation is known to harm amphibians, yet this species of frog is diurnal and spends most of the day actively calling. The study examined whether males would abandon calling site locations sooner if UV levels were increased. The study led to my mentoring undergraduates on research projects further related to UV and amphibians in Costa Rica.
Strawberry poison dart frogs
Males like this one are often heard calling as you walk through the forest. They usually call from exposed locations, where UV would be relatively high, but often take cover under vegetation where UV is lower.
Experimentally manipulating and measuring UV levels
I mentored Nicholas on this project, along with a handful of other undergraduates. Here we're attempting to reduce UV levels with filters to test if calling males will call longer when UV is reduced.
Cloud forest team
Working with Alan Pounds and undergraduates in Monteverde to understand amphibian declines at high elevation sites.
Measuring UV
Helping undergraduates with a research project that involved quantify the amount of UV that red-eyed tree frog eggs experience in a swamp at La Selva Preserve in Costa Rica.
The Sarapiqui River
The end of a long day of field work on a number of great undergraduate student projects.
A night hike
Always a must after a hard day of field work. We found a sock headed snake, along with a ton of other herps!