This extension opens up doors to many possibilities that would have otherwise been out of reach, so I am very grateful to all involved within US Forest Service, International Institute of Tropical Forestry (IITF), and Hispanic Access Foundation that made this extension happen.
Looking forward to 2025 will be a busy time, with new projects and activities on the horizon. I will finalize the current research projects I am working, evaluating the timing and magnitude of leaf litter inputs to streams. This incoming leaf litter is an important energy source for biota in the streams. I will also be working on a second part to this study assessing the chemistry of the leaf litter and how it influences the aquatic food web as the differences in leaf chemistry might make it more palatable to certain organisms but not others. The outcome of these two research projects will be published in scientific articles, presented in scientific conferences, and also translating certain aspects to be published in Spanish scientific outlets to make the findings available to broader audience.
Other activities I am looking forward to are exploring long-term data sets that have been collected by IITF in partnership with the Luquillo Long-Term Ecological Research program. Such data sets include stream chemistry, weather data, and sediments data from 1980’s – 2020 in the Bisley Experimental Watersheds which are three small headwater streams within the Río Mameyes Watershed. These sorts of data that are collected for long periods of time help us to better understand how streams and the forest function because they allow us to see windows into specific events or recoveries from hurricanes and droughts that would otherwise be obscured by sporadic sampling efforts. There is also an opportunity to conduct research in other properties the belong to IITF that contain intermittent streams, which are streams that only run for short periods of time in the year when it rains. These ecosystems are interesting because they pose many questions on their functioning of what is happening in the stream bed when it is dry and what happens in the stream bed and water when water starts flowing again. Do biological processes differ? Are organisms affected in a positive or negative way? Once the streams are flowing, do their characteristics stay the same all the time? Amongst many other interesting and novel questions.
Beyond scientific research, in 2025 I will have the opportunity to participate in an initiative organized y CienciaPR called Sembrando Semillas where researchers are paired with schools to present on a given topic. I was paired with a school in Maunabo, in southeastern Puerto Rico, for the week of Water! I will be able to present my career trajectory and summary of what my current job entails, a glimpse into the life of an aquatic scientist. We will also conduct hands-on activities related to the topic, so students have a better appreciation of water and ultimately freshwater ecosystems.
With so many activities looming in the near future, I am looking forward to all the new and exciting possibilities the extension and 2025 will have to offer!