Who Is Doing the Research?
Lee Dyer, Ph.D., is an ecologist with a B.S. in Biochemistry and English from the University of California at Santa Barbara. His Ph.D. thesis work examined interactions between plants, herbivores, and their natural enemies and included work in Costa Rica, Colorado, and California. Dr. Dyer has been a faculty member in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department at Tulane University since 2001.
What Impacts Could Climate Change Have on Caterpillars?
We don't know. Dr. Dyer is trying to determine how the survival strategies of caterpillars, plants, and parasites are affected by a changing climate. Perched on the eastern slope of the Andes above the Amazon basin, the cloud forest of Ecuador hosts thousands of different caterpillar species, and an equally impressive diversity of plants. Caterpillars in Ecuador and elsewhere have a variety of strategies designed to break through plant defenses and protect against parasites and predators. Whether they grow stinging "hairs," develop immunity to specific plant toxins, or frantically wiggle their way to freedom, caterpillars must figure out how to keep the food coming without becoming food. Warming temperatures might impact caterpillar behaviors, or change the toxicity of plants.
Where Do Volunteers Do the Field Work?
Volunteers work at the Yanayacu Biological Station, on the eastern slope of the Andes at about 2,200 meters above sea level. Large tracts of good forest (each 1,000 hectares) and a lot of secondary growth along roadsides make perfect conditions for collecting caterpillars, especially because huge Yanayacu does not have extreme inclines. Behind the private reserve is the Antisana Reserve, an immense wildlife refuge that goes all the way over the Paramo.
How Can I Learn More about the Climate Change and Caterpillars Expedition?
Visit the Climate Change and Caterpillars in Ecuador page on the Earthwatch site to find out how to volunteer, when the next team fields, and to see photos from the project.
