Tropical Woods and the Fungi That Love Them
WSE 581 / ART 581
Instructor: Sara Robinson; ; 7-4233
Office Hours: TBD
TA: Sarath Vega;
Office Hours: TBD
Prerequisites: none
Course Outline
Course Credits: This is a 6 credit summer course that will run the first two weeks after spring term finals. Course will take place in Peru, South America.
Required Text: Identifying Wood. Accurate Results with Simple Tools by R. Bruce Hoadley (any edition).
Required Equipment: Hand lens (10x or greater); hatchet, multi-tool, or hand blade; leech socks; write-in-the-rain paper or notebook; camera (camera phone ok); laptop or tablet; camping equipment (sleeping bag, tent (optional, but recommended), water bottle), your vaccination card that shows you had the yellow fever vaccine, several pencils, something in blaze orange (like a cruising vest)
Highly Suggested Equipment: solid leather boots with Gor-Tex liner (like the Vasque Sundowner), rain coat with field cruising pockets, quick-dry pants, quick dry long sleeved shirts, mosquito jacket with hood, scratch-resistant sunglasses, wide brimmed hat (like a Tilly hat), bug spray with MINIMUM 25% DEET – the 100% stuff is the best, compass, binoculars, cruising vest. If you don’t know where to get this stuff, try benmeadows.com
Application: Interested students must complete the OSU GO application (http://international.oregonstate.edu/education-abroad/programs/peru/osu-peru-tropical-woods-and-fungi-love-them). In addition, all student applicants will be interviewed by the program leaders as the final step in the application process. Applicants will be individually contacted for interviews.
Fees: As this is a study abroad class, there are associated fees. The program fee is $2650 and covers tuition, accomodation, transportation in Peru, group meals during the program, and all entrance fees. The program fee does NOT cover: airfare to/from Peru, individual meals on the program, entertainment, personal expenses (phone/internet, toiletries, etc). Students are advised to budget:
$1200 – airfare
$100 – additional meals
$100 – personal expenses
$100 – recreation / local travel
$90 – daily transportation in Lima
The TOTAL estimated program cost is $3890.
Course Overview: This course explores tropical wood anatomy, as well as the interactions of non-fruiting body fungi on the anatomical structures of downed woody debris. The content is applicable to graduate students in the sciences and the arts, and the coursework is broken into two tracks to accommodate diverse learning objectives.
This course is divided into two parts. Part I will take place in Lima, Peru, where students will engage with the students and faculty of UNALM and work within the wood xylarium learning to do hand lens and microscopi identification of many of the common Peruvian tree species. Students will be given their own xylotec of Peruvian wood species on which to practice, which may be brought back to the USA. Part II will take place at a field station near Puerto Maldonado, owned by the NGO InkaTerra. Here, students will cruise the Amazon rainforest, learning to identify downed trees via hand lens and either photographing / illustrating, or collecting samples of fungi growing on said trees. Students will be able to culture the fungi, identify them, and learn about fungal/host interactions in rainforests. Throughout the course, students will develop a fundamental understanding of wood anatomy, fungal anatomy, wood identification, field photography and illustration, and fungal growth requirements. Class instruction will be entirely laboratory based, with all instruction at InkaTerra taking place within the Amazon rainforest.
Student Learning Outcomes
Identify different wood species with both a hand lens and microscope
Identify fungal species in the wild by pigment production
Assess reasons for fungal growth under different growing conditions
Perform field data collection, field cataloguing, field sample preparation, field photography / illustration, and / or field culturing
Write field reports concisely and effectively
Present pictoral representations of fungi and infected wood in an engaging and educational manner
Integrate and analyze information about wood and fungal species provided by Amazonian natives with data collected from the field
Present information gathered in a clear manner to field based non-professionals
Evaluation of Student Performance
50% - participation
20% - sample work and preparation in Lima
20% - sample work and preparation at InkaTerra
10% - presentation to field guides and visitors of InkaTerra
Participation is defined as contribution to group discussions and attendance during all days at UNALM and during field cruising at InkaTerra.
Performance while in Lima is broken down as follows:
Making slides and identifying key characteristics from wood species within the provided xylotec OR learning to accurately photograph microscopic images OR turning microscopic images into realistic scientific illustrations … 75%
Comparing two tropical species to two North American species microscopically, either through direct slide work, photography, or illustration
… 25%
Performance while at InkaTerra is broken down as follows:
Wood sample collection … 20%
Fungi sample collection … 20%
Fungal culturing / presentation … 20%
Cataloguing / data collection … 20%
Field reports … 20%
Statement Regarding Students with Disabilities
Accomodations are collaborative efforts between students, faculty, and Disability Access Services (DAS). Students with accomodations approved through DAS are responsible for contacting the faculty member in charge of the course prior to or during the first week of the term to discuss accomodations. Students who believe they are eligible for accomodations but who have not yet obtained approval through DAS should contact DAS immediately at 737-4098.
Statement of Expectations for Student Conduct
can be found at: http://oregonstate.edu/studentconduct/regulations/index.php
Course Content
Day 0 - Sunday
Arrive in Lima, settle into hotel, class meeting in the evening to discuss plans for the next day
Day 1 - Monday
Full day at UNALM.
9:30am - welcome from the college dean to OSU students (college octagon)
10:00am – 4:00pm visit to wood anatomy laboratory. Get xylotec, learn slide preparation and basics of microscopic photography, make and / or photograph / illustrate slides of all three planes of all species in xylotec and begin identifying key ID characteristics.
Lunch – group lunch at the university
Day 2 - Tuesday
Full day at UNALM.
9:00am – 12:00pm: lecture on conifer wood anatomy with Peruvian students.
1:00pm - 4:00pm: finish microscopic work (if necessary), learn hand lens identification of key tropical species to be encountered at InkaTerra
Lunch – on your own
Day 3 – Wednesday
Full day at UNALM
9:00am – 12:00pm: hardwood anatomy lecture by Manuel Chavesta, with Peruvian students
2:00pm – 4:00pm: tropical hardwoods lab II (wood anatomy laboratory)
Assignment: comparison of tropical macroanatomy to temperate macroanatomy lab report and discussion (due at 4:00pm to Dr. Robinson)
Lunch – on your own
Day 4 - Thursday
Flight to Puerto Maldonado and travel by boat to InkaTerra, settle into field station, field trip to canopy walk and woodshop
Day 5 - Friday
Cruise trails of InkaTerra and collect wood samples / images and fungi-pigmented wood samples / images, sample preparation, data collection, fungal culturing, image maniplulation
Day 6 - Saturday
Cruise trails of InkaTerra and collect wood samples / images and fungi-pigmented wood samples / images, sample preparation, data collection, fungal culturing, image maniplulation
Day 7 - Sunday
Cruise trails of InkaTerra and collect wood samples / images and fungi-pigmented wood samples / images, sample preparation, data collection, fungal culturing, image maniplulation
Day 8-9 – Monday - Tuesday
Field trip to native village for dancing and cultural exchange, camping overnight near lake, piranha fishing
Day 10 - Wednesday
Data and pictorial analysis, additional cruising if needed, fungal analysis
Day 11 - Thursday
Finish field reports, begin work on presentation(s); Assignment: field report on fungi/wood interactions
Day 12 - Friday
Morning: Work on presentation(s) for InkaTerra guides and visitors
Assignment: presentation during the day for InkaTerra visitors
Assignment: presentation in the evening for InkaTerra staff
Day 13 - Saturday
Travel back to Lima
Day 14 - Sunday
Tour of ruins in/near Lima
Day 14 - Monday
Return to USA
NOTE: presentations will be collaborative by the entire class and will integrate the scientific data analysis with the photographs and illustrations done while in the rainforest. This will allow for the greatest dissemination of knowledge to the visitors and staff through visual and data-type reporting.