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…
Tag: community ecology
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…
Biology
Marine herbivores “steal” and use chemical defenses from algal hosts
A recent study has shown that a species of amphipod is disregarding the “WARNING: DO NOT INGEST” label on chemically…