Two days post-Africa and I am deep in the grips of jet lag. Today, I returned to my lab position and nearly fell asleep at the bench. Despite my sleepiness, I can’t stop reminiscing on my time in Tanzania.
Throughout the course, we had the opportunity to explore first-hand the behaviors of various wildlife. I observed animals coexisting peacefully even when they weren’t related, even with locals, and even in the presence of some predators. The most common coexistence I noticed was that between herbivores – hippos and flamingoes sharing a pond; wildebeest and gazelles feeding upon the same field; giraffes and zebras existing aside the same trees. This suggested to me low-levels of competition among herbivores. Perhaps when grasses are abundant, these species share their common resources.
I was impressed with the coexistence of people and surrounding wildlife. Maasai knew how to protect themselves against large predators and were even hired at Olduvai to protect against such animals; on our hike, the elephants feeding upon the salt-rich rock were unfazed by our presence; I learned that unless threatened, hippos will unlikely attack humans; and the lions feeding upon their fresh kill were uninterested in the warm-blooded humans surrounding them. Throughout the trip, these observations led me to understand animal behaviors as somewhat predictable – if humans don’t interfere with the established behaviors of a species, they probably won’t have reason to act unpredictably.
I also learned so much about the influence of the natural environment on wildlife. Different biomes – canopied forests, open grasslands, dry savannahs, etc. – draw in different species; this was the basis of our habitat reconstruction. With our knowledge of various species’ habitat preferences, we can work backwards to relate species’ presence with a plausible paleo-habitat.
Based on my observations in East Africa, vegetation density seemed to have the most obvious impact on ecological communities. Grass height and the presence of trees determined what kind of animals could thrive in each environment. For example, of the large felids present in Africa, only leopards prefer living in tree-covered environments. As such, lions and cheetahs are not common in these environments, and predator competition is decreased. This allows grazers and browsers to prosper in such areas. East African geography – particularly the drastic uplift – also shape communities by determining what kinds of plants can grow. The volcanic soils and high altitudes of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area allow for the successful growth of vegetation, bringing in grazers, browsers, and subsequently, predators.
Human history is dependent on these factors, as well. Not only did these environmental factors influence what species early hominids dealt with, but also what traits were advantageous in hominids throughout time. For example, bipedalism in early hominids arose because of regionally dwindling tree cover throughout the region’s past. Ultimately, understanding how a paleo landscape changed over time can enable us to understand the environmental pressures which influenced the evolution of a species, including ourselves.
This entire course was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I am so grateful for the opportunity to have traveled with such an intelligent and fun group of people, and to have learned from such an impressive team of scientists. Although the course went exactly as written in the syllabus, I could have never expected it would be so amazing. My favorite part of the trip was getting to participate in the excavations at Olduvai Gorge. I just could not believe I was digging up the remains of our 1.4-million-year-old ancestors. I still can’t believe it, honestly. My least favorite part may have been the lack of sleep, but I would stay awake for ten more days to do it all again.
I learned so much throughout the entire experience. Firstly, understanding how to identify all the different species – particularly all the different antillopini – was so fascinating. I felt like a true ecologist whenever I could confidently identify an animal in the field. Second, using so many different ecology research methods, such as the Total Station, quadrants, transects, and game trap cameras, gave me a much better understanding of what field work looks like in this discipline. Lastly, although I still have aways to go, I loved learning about all the information you can draw from a single fossil. The fact that I can look at a scratch on a bone and know what happened to it millions of years ago is incomprehensible, and I cannot believe it’s a skill I possess.
Genuinely, thank you so much to everyone who put this trip together, especially Dr. Solomon and Dr. Dominguez Rodrigo. It was amazing!!
