Ecology

Can a complex model hold the fate of the crown-of-thorns starfish?

Not all starfish are cute! The crown-of-thorns starfish has been eating all the coral on the Great Barrier Reef! Researchers…

Ecology

Penguins can rock their bodies without eating high trophic level prey

Prey of a higher trophic level does not necessarily translate to a higher body mass in rockhopper penguins. Read more…

Biology Ecology

Turtle manure and eelgrass seeds make for an aquatic garden!

The accidental ingestion of eelgrass seeds by diamondback terrapins may help disperse eelgrass in Chesapeake Bay, demonstrating a new mutualistic…

Biology Ecology

The Community Conundrum: using models to challenge classic ecological theory

Science is not just about new discoveries and novel research questions; it’s often about challenging the past using new tools,…

Ecology Fisheries Human impacts

New housing options in unlikely places: Animals and oil platforms.

Real estate in the open ocean is a hot commodity. This research shows how enthusiastically fish and invertebrates take advantage…

Biology Book Review Coastal Management Conservation Coral Ecology Economy Fisheries Human impacts Policy Pollution

The Great Barrier Reef is worth $15 billion – $20 billion AUS a year: A quick lesson in ecosystem economics

When discussing the value of an ecosystem, tensions run high. Some people evaluate ecosystems with heavy emphasis on non-use values,…

Biology Climate Change Ecology

Fatal attraction: Under climate change, fish swimming towards predators, not away from them

There are all kinds of ways that climate change can directly affect marine life – habitat loss, changes in the…

Biology Ecology

The Antarctic minke whale foraging strategy

Filter feeding whales face a body size and feeding strategy trade-off in foraging efficiency. Researchers from the Marine Mammal Institute…

Book Review Conservation Coral Ecology Fisheries

One, two, skip which few? Biodiversity doesn’t always mean ecosystem stability

Promised benefits from tropical biodiversity may not be as strong as previously thought when it comes to buffering reef ecosystems…

Ecology

Manta ray movement and motivations

Everyone loves manta rays, but how much do we actually know about their basic ecology?

Biology Conservation Ecology

Sea Turtles, Sea Grasses, and Sharks

What began as an innocent initiative to save the sea turtles may be having a detrimental impact on sea grasses…

Book Review Climate Change Ecology

Zooplankton versus Phytoplankton: a trophic seesaw

NASA satellites reveal artistic swirls of phytoplankton dancing across the ocean surface. This new study explains the dynamic predator-prey imbalances…

Ecology

The Language of Fishes

Coral reefs are composed of hundreds of different species, who all use different acoustics to communicate, just like we use…

Coral Ecology

Get crabby! A coral’s guide to self-defense

Crabs in the genus Trapezia are not only good housekeepers, clearing sediment off host corals, but they are also effective…

Biology Climate Change Ecology

The seagrass isn’t always greener: how jellyfish and nutrients are impacting seagrass ecosystems

Warming oceans and acidic oceans. Nutrient and pollution overload. Melting ice caps and rising sea levels. Jellyfish blooms. Yes, you…

Biology Book Review Ecology

Parasitic crabs steal food and the possibility of offspring from unsuspecting snails.

Crabs find a home inside sea snails leading to reproductive disaster.

Ecology technology

Digitally partnering with spearfishers to survey fish communities

Cameras mounted on spearfishing guns are a viable source of scientific data, which could lead to new citizen science partnerships

Chemistry Conservation Coral Ecology

Chemical healing: how coral larvae and juvenile reef fish are using chemistry to choose a good neighborhood

A recent study suggests that coral reef restoration may require a nuanced understanding of chemical cues that clue in coral…

Book Review Ecology Fisheries

What factors influence Lionfish success in the Bahamas?

Lionfish are recent invaders of the Caribbean Basin and are reproducing at a rapid rate, their population continuing to grow…

Biology Book Review Ecology Remote Sensing

Determining viral controls of phytoplankton blooms

Article: Lehahn, Y. et al. Decoupling Physical from Biological Processes to Assess the Impact of Viruses on a Mesoscale Algal Bloom.Current…