Where the tropics speak and stories grow – from canopy to community.
Welcome to the Tropical Studies Blog that takes you behind the scenes of OTS fieldwork, told by students, researchers, staff, and communities on the front lines of discovery.
In News
OTS on the Move: Science, Students, and Strategy at 2025 Conferences
OTS on the Move: Science, Students, and Strategy at 2025 Conferences Section by Elizabeth Braker. OTS CEO. June was a busy time for OTS Academic staff, with three scientific congresses in the books. Dr. Laurence Kruger (OTS Director of South...
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Refugio 2000: Hidden Ally Supporting Tropical research
Refugio 2000: Hidden Ally Supporting Tropical research By Orlando Vargas, Sofía Rodriguez and the OTS Editorial Team. The hidden shelter at 2,000 m a.s.l. in Braulio Carrillo National Park “Refugio 2000” is more than just a rustic shelter; it is a...
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Joyous Experiences with OTS
Joyous Experiences with OTS By: Joy Schochet, OTS Experiences Alumni Class of 2024 and 2025 I had the good fortune to grow up in a village on a lake in northern Minnesota. I waited eagerly for spring, when chipmunks emerged from...
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Wandering with Wonder: A First-Time Explorer’s OTS Experience
Wandering with Wonder: A First-Time Explorer’s OTS Experience By Nancy Bilello It is still hard to put into words all the amazing sights, sounds, and experiences of my first trip to Costa Rica. Unlike most of my fellow travelers, I...
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Our secret Wild neighbors
Our secret Wild neighbors By Alexia Pereira-Casal When you ask, most people will say that they love nature and animals and that they enjoy a walk in the woods, observing birds, and the thrill of a close encounter with a...
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Science at OTS
Science at OTS Section by Elizabeth Braker. OTS CEO. Why do large groups of harvestmen bob more frequently and longer than small groups? Aggregations of harvestmen (arachnids in order Opiolones) are often spotted on a branch or between tree buttresses...
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Data Rescue: from degraded pasture to model system
Guest Essay by Dr. Eugenio González, Director, The Soltis Center for Research and Education in Costa Rica, Texas A&M University. Preface by Dr. Deedra McClearn, scientific advisor to OTS. Research projects often expand in new and unanticipated ways. That has...
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Beyond Endangered: A New Look at the “Guayacán Real”
Beyond Endangered: A New Look at the “Guayacán Real” By Orlando Jimenez. GIS OTS team. Some trees are impossible to overlook—not because of their size or color, but because of the feeling they leave behind. During a walk with undergraduate...
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¿Le interesa la conservación y el ambiente a las comunidades urbanas?
¿Le interesa la conservación y el ambiente a las comunidades urbanas? Escrito por Jossy Esteban Calvo. English version. Costa Rica ha sido, por varias décadas, un exponente mundial en la conservación de la biodiversidad y de áreas silvestres protegidas, sin embargo, a nuestras ciudades casi siempre debemos excluirlas...
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De estudiante a Coordinador: una historia de transformación vivida en OET
De estudiante a Coordinador: una historia de transformación vivida en OET Escrito por Pablo Muñoz. Hace ya 8 años y 5 meses, mi profesora de ecología nos comentó a mí y a Georgia que la OET daba cursos de campo...