Fieldwork

In recent years, the McGuire Lab team has conducted fieldwork all over the world, including in North America (U.S., Mexico), Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia), Australia, South America (Peru), and Africa (Cameroon, Ghana, Mozambique, South Africa). Jim’s field program has been based primarily in Indonesia for the past 20 years (he has led 20 expeditions to Indonesia during this interval), although he has also undertaken fieldwork in the US, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, and Australia during this period. Research in the lab is primarily collection-based, and these expeditions provide the specimens (including genetic samples) that underpin our collective research efforts. Below are a series of favorite photos from prior expeditions as well as photo albums showcasing recent Indonesia expeditions:

 

Images:

(1) One of many fresh, deeply set, and unsettlingly large tiger footprints that we stumbled across at Sungai Lembing,  Malaysia in 2002
(2) On-board the rather small 24-hour ferry to Tanahjampea Island (157 km south of Sulawesi) during our 2005 expedition. Shoulder-to-shoulder on those parts of the deck not occupied by the water buffalo!
(3) This is what can happen if you get a leech in your eye with no means for immediate removal. Alexander Stubbs kindly provided the cautionary example during our expedition to Gunung Balease on Sulawesi in 2010.

 

2016 Sulawesi Scout Trip: In 2016, Jim led 3 expeditions to Sulawesi. The first trip of the year was to scout three mountains for upcoming fieldwork including Gunung Latimojong, Gunung Katopasa, and Gunung Torompupu. It is never a good idea to attempt to bring a large team to a mountain without first making contact with local people, organizing porters and field help, and, of course, figuring out whether the mountain is both accessible and suitable for expeditionary fieldwork.

 

2016 Gunung Latimojong Expedition: Our first collecting expedition of 2016 was to the Latimojong Mountains. This mountain range in the southeast quadrant of Sulawesi’s Central Core includes the highest summit on the island, Gunung Rantemario (3478 m).
2016 Gunung Bawakaraeng Expedition: Our second collecting expedition of 2016 was to Gunung Bawakaraeng on Sulawesi’s Southwest Peninsula. Bawakaraeng is the 2830 m sister mountain of the more famous Gunung Lompobatang.
2017 Gunung Katopasa Expedition: Our first collecting expedition of 2017 was to Gunung Katopasa. With a summit height of 2825 m, Katopasa is the second largest mountain on Sulawesi’s Eastern Peninsula.