In March I visited Gabon,
a small tropical country with a rich and diverse mix of cultures.
A paradise for biologists: known for vast
expanses of tropical forests, dense mangrove swamps, rich bird life and annual
visits from breeding humpback whales and nesting turtles. Sounds just like Panama!
Panama and Gabon do have a lot in common.
Smithsonian researchers are working to understand tropical biodiversity in both countries:
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The SI lab in Gamba, Gabon. It's not that different
from the old lab in Gamboa, Panama
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| Black mangrove forest near Gamba, Gabon |
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| Mangroves in Panama don't have hippos lurking offshore and hippo trails cutting through the mangroves stems. |
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| Red mangroves near Libreville, Gabon |
Upwelling and mangrove swamps support productive fisheries:
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| A trawler working near Libreville, Gabon. Trawlers in Panama look similar but are usually slightly smaller and made of wood. |
As well as some large differences….
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| A forest elephant. Yes it was big and close. |
Why was a Marine
Biologist watching elephants and hippos? - Well here’s the backstory.
Permanent Forest
Plots - SIGEO. Just like Panama, Gabon is the site
of a Smithsonian Global Earth Observatory (SIGEO). These sites are part of a global network of
permanent forest plots in which every tree is identified, tagged and followed
through time, using standard methods. Through this network an international team of
forest scientists seek to answer questions about how tropical forest diversity
is generated and maintained; how the world’s forests act to store Carbon; how
human activities impact forest ecosystems.
Gabon’s site in Rabi is one of the newest plots and Panama’s site on Barro Colorado Island is the original plot.
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| With a "big tree" in Gabon 2013 |
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| With a "big tree" in Panama 2007 |
Unfortunately, as marine biologists we didn’t have the chance
to visit Rabi, but we did get to see some very big trees in the forest around
the Smithsonian base in Gamba. Just like home.
Permanent Marine
Observatories – MarineGEO
The Smithsonian Institution is
launching a network of sites dedicated to understanding the marine realm. Based on the SIGEO concept, this global
network will apply standardized methodologies to questions about the
biodiversity of marine ecosystems (reefs, mangroves, saltmarshes, etc.) and the health and resilience of these ecosystems. The
network will expand rapidly from the initial Tennenbaum Marine Observatories
run by the Smithsonian Institution in Maryland, Florida, Belize and
Panama.
My colleague, Pat Megonigal,
and I visited Gabon to determine how we could extend the existing in-country collaborations to support an expansion of MarineGEO network to Africa.
Peat and blue carbon:
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Pat checking out the sediment in the mangroves. Some of the
mangroves were associated with extensive peat deposits.
The weirdest thing was.... there were no mosquitos!
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These pink rocks are actually living red algae. We found
beds of rhodoliths in the intertidal of Gabon, similar to the
extensive subtidal beds in the Bay of Panama.
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A nerite snail laying eggs:
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This nerite snails has laid white egg capsules just outside this
small pool just north of Libreville. In Panama nerites
deposit their eggs in the pools.
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Beaches and sunsets:
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| Beach near Cap Esterias, Gabon |
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| Sunset over Cap Esterias, Gabon |
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| Beach flat at Cap Esterias, Gabon |
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| Sunset over Libreville, Gabon |
Check out this Gabon blog by David Korte to learn more about natural history, Smithsonian research, and life in Gamba.
