Connor Casey
Pronouns: he/him
Research Mentor(s): Jennifer Flores
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology / LSA
Program:
Authors: Connor Casey, Jennifer Flores
Session: Session 5: 2:40 pm – 3:30 pm
Poster: 84
Abstract
As the growing field of agroecology has spread around the world, novel ecosystems have emerged in previously barren agricultural areas. In Puerto Rico and Hawaii the agroecology of coffee plantations has not been fully studied, and the novel ecosystem created by the intersection of native plants and animals with the introduced coffee plants (genus Coffea) and pests remains largely unexplored. This project aims to understand more about the unique food webs that exist in these ecosystems through analysis of the diet of the common coqui (E. coqui), which is commonly found on coffee farms in these territories. Additionally, we aim to investigate how the impact of coqui frogs on the ecosystem may differ between Puerto Rico, where they are native, and Hawaii, where they are an introduced species. (Hypothesis: Coqui frogs negatively impact the ecosystem in Hawaii due to being an invasive species). In order to collect data about the diets of coquis, I analyzed over 600 samples of coqui stomach contents, collected from 15 farms in Puerto Rico and Hawaii, and categorized their contents by taxonomic division and quantity. This research could challenge our overarching societal beliefs around the concept of ‘invasive species’, and could spread awareness about the true niche of coqui frogs in Hawaii’s ecosystems. Additionally, this information can help coffee farmers understand more about the ecosystems their farms sustain, and could lay the groundwork for future research into biological pest management.
