the backs of my eyes hum

megan k sullivan

[meganksullivan]

Toussaint, who works as an ecoguard in Gabon, is just one of the many knowledgeable people that I have gotten to work with in the field. 

Monts de Cristal NP, Gabon, 2017

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Treefall gaps in the forest understory are quickly taken over by fast-growing herbs and trees, creating a green carpet close to the ground.

Monts de Cristal region, Gabon, 2017

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Movengui (Distemonanthus benthamianus) is one of my favorite trees. It’s gingery-colored bark is hard to miss against the jewel-green backdrop of the forest foliage.

Monts de Cristal region, Gabon, 2017

[meganksullivan]

Red new leaves on a tree growing in the understory. The red color of new leaves is hypothesized to have a few functions: red can camouflage leaves and protect them from herbivores, and the chemicals that make a leaf red have properties that protect cells from sun damage. 

Monts de Cristal region, Gabon, 2017

[meganksullivan]

Identification numbers stamped into the stump of a cut okoumé

Logging concession in Woleu-Ntem, Gabon, 2017

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Seedlings-eye view from a tree-fall gap

Logging concession in Woleu-Ntem, Gabon 2017

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Umbrella tree at dusk

Ipassa field station, Makokou, Gabon, 2015

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Visitors on the river

Ivindo River, Gabon, 2015

[meganksullivan]

Some fruits and seeds are targeted for use by animals and humans alike. This wild bush mango (Irvingia gabonensis) is eaten by gorillas and elephants, who will eat the sweet, fleshy fruit and swallow the seed whole. Others, like wild bush pigs, will chew up and eat the seeds. The mangoes taste nice on their own - but I prefer the brown, nutty sauce served with fish or other meat that nearly every Gabonese cook knows how to make from the seeds . 

[meganksullivan]

The understory of a tropical forest is usually very dark and humid. Trees that germinate and regrow are constantly competing for light - some seeds sprout & grow quickly when they do get lucky enough to land on an area where light peaks through the canopy, but likely don’t germinate or die if they land in the shade. Other seeds grow very slowly in shaded areas and try to make the most of the ambient light that is in the understory. Logging changes forests by letting in more light - thus giving an advantage to some of these light-loving species where they were not able to grow before. 

[meganksullivan]

Marciel lights up a cigarette and chats with Toussaint (back left) while waiting for me to count and measure some seedlings in a logging gap in a forest in Northwestern Gabon. These guys were my trusty field team for my summer field research season. I am setting up seedling plots to compare tree regeneration in logged and unlogged areas to assess how logging will change forests.

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Jenna - all rise and all smile

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Dirtbag digs

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Home is here

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[meganksullivan]