Thickly vegetated headwaters streams scar the mountain-sides in the primary forest at Las Alturas.  Currently, not much research is being conducted at the station, but a couple of mentors are interested in setting up i-buttons (remote temperature and humidity monitors) to collect data on an elevational gradient within the forest.  This is of interest given some dramatic shifts in forest communities elevation changes (hence, the microclimate of the mountain-side changes), and climate change forecasts in the region.  As the regional climate changes, these forest communities are expected to shift up or down in elevation, but communities may disappear if they can’t compensate (e.g., the community at the top of the mountain may have nowhere to go).  I think monitoring streams is of interest as well.  For instance, alterations in precipitation, which are also predicted by climate change, can lead to altered hydrological regimes within these streams, which could lead to stream community and ecosystem change.  Simply picking up a few rocks, I observed hundreds of Simuliids (blackfly larvae), some psephenids (water penny beetles), mayflies, and damselfly larvae.

Perhaps this is a good enough reason for me to visit, and stay, again…