Collaborative Research: Track 1, IRES sites: International Research Experience for Students in Freshwater Ecosystems at the Epicenter of Neotropical Biodiversity, Guiana Shield

This International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) project provides a unique opportunity for US undergraduate students to learn multidisciplinary approaches in freshwater ecology and biodiversity research in a tropical region facing serious and immediate environmental challenges. The project will immerse two cohorts of undergraduate students from Stephen F.

Austin State University and Texas A&M University in research on Neotropical biodiversity, instruction in ecological principles and methods, and application of research findings to address human impacts on ecosystem services in Guyana, a biodiverse and developing country in South America. Through both field and laboratory research, students will collaborate with US and Guyanese scientists to fill significant knowledge gaps regarding tropical freshwater biodiversity and environmental conditions within streams, rivers and floodplain habitats in the Essequibo River Basin.

The project builds upon ongoing research collaborations between US PIs and researchers at University of Guyana. In addition to developing students’ technical skills and advancing scientific knowledge, these collaborations will foster professional relationships and contribute to a new generation of internationally engaged scientists.

The Guiana Shield ecoregion in north-eastern South America (extending across countries of Guyana, Brazil, Suriname, French Guiana and Venezuela) is known for exceptional aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity, including high levels of species endemism. Even so, this region remains poorly explored, and early indications are that hundreds of species remain undescribed.

Most surveys have been conducted regions with relatively easy access, which severely limits understanding of ecology and biogeography as well as the ability to set conservation priorities. In Guyana, gold mining, logging, agriculture expansion, and petroleum extraction are increasing with impacts to freshwater ecosystems and biota. Gold mining is a particularly serious concern because it contaminates rivers and streams with mercury, which enters food webs and ultimately affects human health, especially in rural communities that depend heavily on inland fisheries.

During each of two years, six students will participate in a 5-week summer fieldtrip in Guyana. Students will employ methods for collection of environmental data, survey of aquatic biota (e.g., fishes, amphibians, aquatic macroinvertebrates and plants), taxonomy, and ecology within the Mazaruni and Rupununi rivers and associated tributaries and wetlands.

Students will participate in collaborative projects with local mentors and students from University of Guyana as well as the US PIs. Field and lab activities will teach students about collaborative international research and allow them to understand how their contributions can influence conservation of freshwater biodiversity and management in support of important ecosystem services provided by aquatic ecosystems in the tropics. This project is funded by the Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE).

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.