conservation
When a Giant Falls: Tracking New Growth in Amazon Tree Fall Gaps
What happens in the rainforest when a giant tree comes crashing down? Through the Amazon Research Initiative for Educators (ARIE), K-12 teachers stepped into the role of field scientists at the Amazon Conservatory of Tropical Studies
Read MoreAre Amazon forests ghosting us?
[From the Director] As we watch the rapid disappearance of forests around the world, it’s hard to ignore the growing phenomenon of “ghost forests”—areas once humming with biodiversity, now falling…
Read MoreA Tree Falls in the Amazon: What happens next?
[ARIE 2024] Sunlight is critical to plant survival, accounting for the aggressive growth after a tree fall, fighting for the light available through the canopy gap. Seeds lie dormant underground, ready for rapid growth to take over the opening. Since rainforests store about half of the world’s carbon, understanding the new growth in a tree plot extends our knowledge of rain forest dynamics and carbon absorption that help us address climate changes in other ecosystems. Measuring changes in plant life, organisms and light density over time provides insight into how tropical rainforests evolve as carbon sinks for the world.
Read MoreTiger Beetles on the Move: Teachers Develop New Monitoring Protocol
[ARIE 2024] Our teacher research team conducted the first study of tiger beetles in the Napo-Sucusari Biological Reserve in northeastern Peru. They used mark-recapture methods to estimate their population size, applying a technique called the Lincoln-Petersen Index. They also tagged beetles to track their movements using GPS and looked for mites that attach to them. These mites could help us learn more about how the beetles age and when different sexes and species emerge.
Read MoreLife After the Fall: Teachers Explore Tropical Forest Canopy Gaps
[ARIE 2023] In this long-term study, teacher researchers are tracking how a forest changes over time after a tree falls and creates an opening in the canopy. We’re looking at how the types and numbers of plants and animals in the area shift as the forest naturally grows and develops. The study is designed to help us better understand how communities of plants and animals change over time and how life cycles are affected.
Read MoreThe Rainforest is My Teacher
So, what did I learn, and continue to learn from the Rainforest? So much more than the trees, birds, monkeys, dolphins, fish, or the things that glow in the dark.…
Read MoreWhy Morpho?
by Dr. Kelly Keena, Board President We sat in the green and white wooden Explorama boat nosed into the bank of a small tributary stream. The dense branches had a…
Read MoreThe Power of Partnerships in the Amazon
by Dr. Nancy Trautmann, founding board member of the Morpho Institute As an environmental scientist and educator, my career has centered on helping educators reach beyond lectures and textbooks to…
Read MoreWe are listening
Black Lives Matter. Black Voices Matter. Dear Morpho Community, The past few months we’ve weathered the heart-wrenching news of loved ones lost to a global virus disproportionately affecting Communities of Color…
Read MoreWhat a difference a month can make
One month ago. We were finalizing the roster for our 2020 Educator Academy in the Amazon. We were celebrating a fruitful collaboration with our conservation partners.We were hatching plans for…
Read More