community ecology

Seagrass Invasion! Tunicates colonizing seagrass beds impact plant and animal community

Seagrass habitats worldwide are in decline due to a number of factors. What happens when an invasive species comes on…

Biology Conservation Coral Ecology

The importance of sea urchins

A look into Valeska’s graduate research. Why coral reefs depend on the long spined black sea urchin for survival.

Behavior Biology Ecology Evolution Natural History

Fooled Ya! How marine animals stay hidden in plain sight

It’s April Fools’ Day! Today’s the day when you try to prank people, convince them your lies are true, and…

Conservation Ecology Human impacts

Are satellite tags the new dinner bell for harbor seals?

Satellite tags are being used to study the foraging behavior of fishes, but in the lab harbor seals have been…

Ecology

Predator vs. Prey: starfish vs. coral

The crown-of-thorns starfish has become a vicious predator of acroporid corals in the Indo-Pacific. This study looks at recruitment strategies…

Ecology

Comparing all the ecosystems ever reveals cool patterns about their structure

Who’d guess that if you took the data from >2000 ecosystem studies and smashed them all together there’d be some…

Biology Ecology Parasitism

Better Together: Mutualisms contribute to reef fish recruitment

All other things being equal, would you rather live where mutually beneficial relationships are available or where they aren’t? Well,…

Ecology Fisheries

I’ll stand guard for you!

When it comes to helping each other out, it turns out that some fishes are better at it than we…

Biology Coral Ecology Fisheries Human impacts

Sponges Out of Control: Another Effect of Overfishing

When you think about threats to coral reefs, you don’t think “Sponges!”, do you? But you might come up with…

Biogeochemistry Coastal Management Ecology Hazards Human impacts Pollution

Out of sight, out of mind: The effect of gas & oil spills on deep-sea communities

When undersea wells blowout, toxic concentrations of hydrocarbons can be rapidly released into the environment. The media presents these blowouts…

Climate Change Coral Genetics

A new thermally tolerant species of algae is found!

Rising ocean temperatures threaten coral reefs, but a new thermal tolerant algae could help.

Book Review Climate Change Ecology Seagrass

The Northward Expansion: Tropical Fish Settling the Temperate Seagrass Prairie

How will northward shifting tropical species interact with the temperate habitats they encounter? An example from seagrass habitat in the…

Biology Coral Genetics

Is a coral’s color all for show?

Two of the exact same corals, sitting right next to each other, often appear to be different based on their…

Coral Ecology Human impacts

Don’t let your guard down: a cautionary tale from reef fish in degraded habitat.

Reef fish on degraded reef are somewhat like misguided slasher flick protagonists that ignore all warning cues and are therefore…

Climate Change Conservation Coral Ecology Human impacts

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…

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,…

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,…

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…

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 Ecology Human impacts

One species’ trash is another species’ refuge: Investigating the biodiversity associated with floating plastic debris.

The poster child for human pollution of the ocean has to be floating plastic bottles and soda rings, right? Once…