Hear scientist Greg Goldsmith explaining his study of tropical montane cloud forests, especially Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve in Costa Rica
Hear scientist Greg Goldsmith explaining his study of tropical montane cloud forests, especially Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve in Costa Rica
A discussion of tropical montane cloud forests, particularly Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve, Costa Rica.
Displayed by permission of The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved. (A Britannica Publishing Partner)
Transcript
GREG GOLDSMITH: In Monteverde, Costa Rica, where I do most of my research, there are literally hundreds of species of birds and 750 different species of trees. And that's as many as occur in the whole of the United States.
My name is Greg Goldsmith, and I'm a fifth-year doctoral student in the department of integrative biology here at UC Berkeley. I study tropical montane cloud forests. These are a very rare type of ecosystem that occurs all over the tropics. They're only in mountains, and they're constantly covered in clouds. These forests capture a lot of cloud moisture, and the plants and animals that live in the forests depend on them for their survival. They're also a source of fresh water for much of the population.
I'm really interested in how changes in water, whether it's dry or wet, affects plants. My research has shown that plants actually respond very dramatically when it starts to dry out. One of the major predictions is that it's going to get drier and that the clouds are going to disappear.
I think these forests are a really interesting test case for climate change, because they seem to be so sensitive to even small changes in weather. The research that I'm doing makes me concerned about the future of this forest, whether this ecosystem will survive in the next 50 or 100 years.
As a scientist, I've always believed that we have a responsibility to communicate our science to a broader audience. For me I was really interested in doing that in a fun and educational way. Canopy in the Clouds is a Web site that allows students and the general public to explore the cloud forest. The Web site has a series of panoramic photos that allow students to actually navigate around the forest. And within those panoramic photos are links to all kinds of videos and text and photos where students can learn more about that particular place.
Welcome to the canopy here in the elfin forest.
We use a series of lesson plans that allow teachers to teach students different concepts that fit with curriculum that they are already using in their classroom. One of my favorite features on the Web site is the Ask an Expert section. And that's where students, or really anyone in the general public, can write in to ask one of our experts a question about the Web site or about tropical ecology in general. Canopy in the Clouds is available both in English as well as in Spanish, and that's because we felt really strongly that we wanted to have this tool available to people that had this ecosystem right in their backyard.
For me biology is a lens onto the world. We need to give our students the power to ask questions, to look for answers, and to make informed decisions about the world that's around them.
My name is Greg Goldsmith, and I'm a fifth-year doctoral student in the department of integrative biology here at UC Berkeley. I study tropical montane cloud forests. These are a very rare type of ecosystem that occurs all over the tropics. They're only in mountains, and they're constantly covered in clouds. These forests capture a lot of cloud moisture, and the plants and animals that live in the forests depend on them for their survival. They're also a source of fresh water for much of the population.
I'm really interested in how changes in water, whether it's dry or wet, affects plants. My research has shown that plants actually respond very dramatically when it starts to dry out. One of the major predictions is that it's going to get drier and that the clouds are going to disappear.
I think these forests are a really interesting test case for climate change, because they seem to be so sensitive to even small changes in weather. The research that I'm doing makes me concerned about the future of this forest, whether this ecosystem will survive in the next 50 or 100 years.
As a scientist, I've always believed that we have a responsibility to communicate our science to a broader audience. For me I was really interested in doing that in a fun and educational way. Canopy in the Clouds is a Web site that allows students and the general public to explore the cloud forest. The Web site has a series of panoramic photos that allow students to actually navigate around the forest. And within those panoramic photos are links to all kinds of videos and text and photos where students can learn more about that particular place.
Welcome to the canopy here in the elfin forest.
We use a series of lesson plans that allow teachers to teach students different concepts that fit with curriculum that they are already using in their classroom. One of my favorite features on the Web site is the Ask an Expert section. And that's where students, or really anyone in the general public, can write in to ask one of our experts a question about the Web site or about tropical ecology in general. Canopy in the Clouds is available both in English as well as in Spanish, and that's because we felt really strongly that we wanted to have this tool available to people that had this ecosystem right in their backyard.
For me biology is a lens onto the world. We need to give our students the power to ask questions, to look for answers, and to make informed decisions about the world that's around them.