ecology
Pros and cons of conservation: how rebounding sea otter populations impact local economies
Growing sea otter populations are seen as a conservation victory. These cute, charismatic marine mammals are rebounding from near extinction, and saving coastal ecosystems along the way. But their recovery comes with a catch that can cause conflicts with local communities. Ashley MarranzinoI received my Master’s degree from the University of Rhode Island where I […]
VaquitaCPR: Trying to save the world’s most endangered marine mammal
What do you do when the species you’ve been working to save from extinction is down to fewer than 30 individuals? With only thirty vaquita porpoises left in the entire world, despite years of conservation efforts, emergency action needed to be taken in an effort to save the world’s smallest and most endangered porpoise. Julia […]
Facing the music: calls from one of the worlds most endangered dolphins
The Study: Melo-Santos, G., Figueiredo Rodrigues, A.L., Tardin, R.H., de Sá Maciel, I., Marmontel, M., Da Silva, M.L., May-Collado, L.J. 2019. The newly described Araguaian river dolphins, Inia araguaiaensis (Cetartiodactyla, Iniidae), produce a diverse repertoire of acoustic signals. PeerJ: e6670. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6670 River Dolphins Inia araguaiaensis was first discovered in 2014 and is one of […]
Arctic Unicorns: Understanding the past, present, and future of narwhals and their mysterious tusks
Why do narwhals have tusks that make them look like unicorns? As climate change continues, what is the fate of narwhals and their enigmatic tusks? Two recent studies of these unicorns of the sea start to answer questions about their past, present, and future. Julia ZehI am a second-year PhD student at Syracuse University studying […]
Follow the breadcrumbs: Sponges show how some animals clean up viruses
These days, hunkered down in our homes (if we are lucky) and washing our hands till they’re raw, it can feel like the outside world is a virus soup. However animals in the ocean go swimming through viruses on a daily basis. A new study from the Netherlands shows us that in fact many animals […]
Increasing Warming causes Ecosystem Change along the Northeastern Shelf
Are the tropics coming to the Northeast coast of the US? Freidland and his team seem to think so. A recent study shows how the Northeastern shelf region may experience tropicalization in the near future. Ashley MickensI am a senior Environmental Earth Science and Sustainability major at Miami University of Ohio. While my undergraduate research […]
Ensuring that coral reefs sound like home
What does a coral reef sound like? The answer is more important than you might think. By playing the sounds of a healthy reef over a loudspeaker, scientists were able to attract a variety of baby fish to settle on a degraded reef, results which show how acoustic interventions are a tool that can be […]
Mazes aren’t just for mice: European shore crabs exhibit spatial learning
Mazes aren’t just for mice, although a scientific literature search for maze learning might lead you to think so. In a recent study, scientists investigate crab performance in a complex maze and propose that European shore crabs exhibit spatial learning and memory, potentially tied to their need to find food along the complicated, three-dimensional seafloor. […]
Gentoo Penguins as Indicators of Climate Change in the Southern Ocean
Carpenter-Kling, T., et al. “Gentoo penguins as sentinels of climate change at the sub-Antarctic Prince Edward Archipelago, Southern Ocean.” Ecological Indicators 101 (2019): 163-172. The newest indicator of climate change is here, and it is penguin puke? While it might seem a little far-fetched, researchers in the Southern Ocean are using the stomach contents of […]
What’s Killing Seabirds in the Bering Sea?
Jones T, Divine LM, Renner H, Knowles S, Lefebvre KA, Burgess HK, et al. (2019) Unusual mortality of Tufted puffins (Fratercula cirrhata) in the eastern Bering Sea. PLoS ONE 14(5): e0216532. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0216532 Mass mortality events (or MMEs) are incidents that kill a vast number of individuals in a short period of time. They’re often caused […]
Into the deep: Deep sea mining is upon us, whether you would risk it or not
While we have a lot to discover about the deep sea, we do know that in the depths of the ocean are a number of valuable minerals and metals like gold, manganese, and cobalt. Yet with so little known, companies are ready to dive into the cold deep, gathering these metals for economic gain. Kristin […]
Tracking the Bay’s Rays: Cownose ray migration along the Atlantic coast
If you’ve ever tickled the back of a stingray in an aquarium’s touch tank, you’ve likely introduced yourself to a cownose ray. Despite their popularity in aquaria throughout the U.S., little is known about the movements of these fish in the wild. Grace CasselberryI am currently a Marine Science and Technology Doctoral student at the […]
Threats to Cetaceans: There’s More than Meets the Eye
Researchers spent seven years specifically studying deceased, stranded cetaceans along the coastline of the Canary Islands in Spain to figure out what most likely caused their deaths. They found that while human activity accounted for a large portion, something else was responsible for a much larger percentage of cetacean death. Rishya NarayananRishya is a multimedia […]
Turtle hatchlings attracted to artificial light like moths to a flame
On this Turtle Tuesday, find out how artificial lighting along coastlines due to industrial and commercial development is affecting sea turtle hatchling survival. Nyla HusainI’m a PhD student at the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography. I use models to study how small-scale physical processes at the air-sea interface – like waves – […]
Lost in the sound: coral planulae habitat selection affected by boat noise
It can be hard to cut through the noises that surround us and focus on the task in front of us, right? This may not just be a human problem. Noise pollution may be another way human activity is negatively affecting corals. Rebecca FlynnI am a graduate of the University of Notre Dame (B.S.) and […]
Stuck in the middle with you: The trophic ecology of Caribbean reef sharks and large teleost coral reef predators
We often think of sharks as the top of the ocean food web, chowing down on seals and big fish to their heart’s content. That is often not the case! Where does the Caribbean reef shark fall in this hierarchy? Let’s find out. Grace CasselberryI am currently a Marine Science and Technology Doctoral student at […]
Citizen Science and Undersea Stars: The Value of Photographs to Global Megafauna Biology
Check out this article about how tourist pictures of whale sharks are helping scientists learn about whale shark populations around the globe! Matthew LarsenI am a second year master’s student at Coastal Carolina University in the Abel Lab. My interests focus on the ecology and life history of large marine megafauna with a central focus […]
Danger in the deep: uncovering the vertical movement patterns of vulnerable deep-sea sharks
Deep-sea sharks are one of the most poorly studied groups of animals on the planet, yet, their populations are highly threatened by fisheries bycatch. Scientists in The Bahamas develop new field approaches to begin unearthing the vertical movements of a vulnerable deep-sea shark, the Cuban dogfish, and their findings from could help significantly reduce fisheries […]
Coming Home to Roost: A case of parasites relying on ancestral DNA to take advantage of a new penguin host species?
Parasites are nasty and resilient organisms, often highly specialized to fit their hosts. But sometimes, nature allows a bit of wiggle room, opportunity strikes, and new species find themselves vulnerable to these unwelcome houseguests. This could be what has happened to Magellanic penguins. Curious to learn more? Click here! Andrea SchlunkI am a former PhD […]
Melting ice, shifting microbes
Polar bears have been the poster child for sea ice melting in the Arctic. But what does sea ice loss melt mean for the Arctic’s most numerous members – its microbes? Michael GrawI’m a 5th year PhD student at Oregon State University researching the microbial ecology of marine sediments – why do we find microbes […]
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