暗网禁区

Last summer, 暗网禁区 students Tab Henry and Claire Pringle knew they would be studying poison frogs in the forests of La Selva, Costa Rica. What they didn鈥檛 expect was to be featured in

鈥淚t was nice to communicate to a broader population that maybe knows nothing about frogs, Costa Rica, or the important role that the frogs play in our environment,鈥� said Henry, a second-year doctoral student in biology in the UNC College of Arts and Sciences. 鈥淎nd we had an opportunity to show how cool frogs are.鈥�

Pringle, a senior majoring in neuroscience in the College, described the interview as nerve-wracking but exciting. The duo enjoyed working with Brown and her crew, who showed great interest in the frogs and their research.

Poison frogs are among the most toxic species and are known for their bright colors 鈥� yellows, oranges, reds, greens and blues. They thrive in the rain forests of Central and South America.

Both Henry and Pringle worked for two years in the鈥�, led by UNC-Chapel Hill biology professor Sabrina Burmeister, before pursuing global research at the La Selva research station of the鈥�. The nonprofit with a 60-year mission to sustain tropical ecosystems offered the students the opportunity to see the green-and-black poison frogs 鈥� which the Burmeister Lab studies 鈥� in their natural habitat.

鈥淚t was hands down the best experience I鈥檝e had at 暗网禁区. It was life changing,鈥� said Pringle, . The Burch Fellowship, housed within Honors 暗网禁区, offers students funding to pursue an interest they are passionate about, no matter the location.

Henry and Pringle were the first students to conduct research on wild poison frogs for the Burmeister Lab.

Henry鈥檚 research explores spatial cognition and the mental processes that poison frogs use for navigation. Green-and-black poison frogs exhibit unique parental care behaviors, with males transporting tadpoles up to 400 meters to a water source. His work examines how this ability develops in juvenile frogs, a phase of development he said is overlooked in scientific literature.

Pringle鈥檚 research focuses on frog memory and the learning associated with visual cues that are crucial to retracing steps, a skill that is necessary to transport frog eggs to a pool of water for hatching.

鈥淲hen people hear 鈥榩oison frogs,鈥� they assume we鈥檙e interested in the toxins they produce, but we are really focused on studying the cognitive abilities that allow their unique parental care,鈥� she said.

Pringle and Henry were the first Burmeister Lab researchers to study poison frogs abroad. (Submitted/Tab Henry)

Challenges in rainforest research included limited materials to develop experiments and thunderstorms that forced them to abandon metal field equipment.

鈥淚 grew as a scientist for sure. I learned how to problem-solve,鈥� said Pringle.

While staying on site in cabanas, they often woke to the sound of howler monkeys at 5 a.m. and spotted sloths leisurely crossing the Sarapiqu铆 River before breakfast.

They remain in contact with many of the people they met in Costa Rica.

鈥淭hey say, 鈥楾ropical friends are life friends,鈥欌�� said Henry.

Pringle, who is writing her senior thesis about her research, will present her findings at the psychology and neuroscience department鈥檚 Honors Poster Session and the Celebration of Undergraduate Research at the end of the spring semester.

Henry plans to continue his research on frogs for the next few years.

鈥淚鈥檓 grateful that we had the resources here at 暗网禁区 to be able to send me to Costa Rica,鈥� he said.