This past summer, EEB Ph.D. Candidates Juan Albornoz-Garzón and Benjamin Nicholas spent two weeks in Peru conducting field work and collecting specimens.

As a key part of Albornoz-Garzón’s dissertation research, he proposed an expedition to Peru to collect samples at the type localities of several fish species from the family Stevardiidae, and obtain genetic data. Nicholas went along to assist with the trip and to also collect for the museum.

“The area we visited is not one frequently collected from withinPeru,” said Nicholas. “Those specimens really don't exist inmany other museums in North America, so it's an incredibleopportunity to collect really interesting biodiversity.” Planning forthe expedition began more than a year in advance as AlbornozGarzón worked to coordinate with in-country partners in Peru.“We spent a lot of time in meetings to think through the details,the schedule, and the potential challenges we may face so wewere well-prepared before we left,” he said.

Nicholas says he was there to help with the logistics and whereneeded. “I was also in charge of all of the photography for thespecimens, as well as the habitats,” he said.

Green Terror (Andinoacara stalsbergi), courtesy of Ben Nicholas

 

When they arrived, Albornoz-Garzón and Nicholas collected a few different things, such as habitat data, the water quality, and they also drew maps and wrote descriptions of the area. Then, they collected the specimens. “This was my first real chance to lead the photography,” said Nicholas. “We want to photograph the specimens to capture the live coloration. Once we fix them and put them in ethanol, they lose a lot of the really bright and vibrant colors over time. So it was definitely nerve-wracking during the first few days, but we got the hang of it pretty quickly and photographed 24 collections in 14 days. It was a lot of fun.”

The physical challenges of field work presented themselves in dramatic elevation and temperature changes. The team started in Lima with two trucks, which drove more than 4,000 km over the 14 days down towards the Bolivian border through the Andes. “We were going up to 15,000 feet and then down to like 2,000 feet or 3,000 feet to sample, and then driving back up, so that was physically pretty jarring,” said Nicholas. He says they never really climatized and instead coped by limiting strenuous work at high altitude.

Apurimac River, courtesy of Juan Albornoz-Garzón

The temperature swings were also intense. “One day we started breakfast at 12,000 feet of elevation and it was -6°C, or about 22°F, and then we went down into the jungle valley to go sampling and it was 99°F,” said Nicholas. The habitats reflected the different climates. “It was really wild, we got to see snow-capped mountains, high up in the Andes, and then we’d go all the way down to the headwaters of the Amazon jungle, and see unique plants and habitats of wider, slower rivers. Then, later that day, we went up to barren grasslands with alpacas. It was incredible because the landscapes were just striking and expansive.” Both Albornoz-Garzón and Nicholas reiterate the invaluable local expertise they appreciated from the eight Peruvian researchers from the Fish Department of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (MUSNM). “It was super cool to work with scientists who grew up in these habitats, unlike me who has only seen most of these fish in aquariums or by image,” said Nicholas. “For them, it was just a normal day, and for me, I was like a tourist amazed by all the sights.”

Working with a local team helped Albornoz-Garzón and Nicholas overcome challenges or situations that while unfamiliar to them, were nonissues for the local experts. “Having their inputs or their insights about the logistic was a crucial part of our success,” said Albornoz-Garzón.

“Also, we had around 10 people altogether, including some undergrads, which was a huge help in terms of bodies – more hands to help!” The local team taught them how to sample in the rivers with strong rapids using a net downstream and conducting electroshocking with a backpack device upstream. “It temporarily stuns the fish and the current will take it down into the net,” said Nicholas. “It’s something I hadn't really done before, but these rivers were so strong, you couldn't really do any other kind of sampling.”

The long days, waking at 5 am and working until midnight, produced quality work. Albornoz-Garzón and Nicholas had a list of 30 species they hoped to obtain for Albornoz-Garzón’s research and they obtained 29, and may have the one specimen potentially missing. “It was a wildly successful trip,” said Nicholas. “One of the benefits of collaborating with a local team is that we found some new specimens for them, too. We'd pull out a specimen and they would say, ‘oh, we don't know what that is, that's definitely new!’ And it’s exciting to think we helped contribute to their collections as well.”

When reflecting on the expedition, AlbornozGarzón thinks of three main highlights. “I didn’t realize until our Associate Chair for Collections López-Fernández pointed it out, but we were sampling right in the very headwaters of the Amazon river, which was the first highlight,” he said. “Secondly, doing fieldwork with your boots in the water is always incredible. And lastly, the support of our team here at the department and the museums, and our fish collection specifically. It’s still hard work! But made all the moresuccessful because of the support and the team we have here."