Scientists Finally Know What Killed Billions of Sea Stars
A guest post by Mariella B. L. Careaga
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marine biology
Navigating the Seas of Change: The Divergent Impact of Ocean Acidification and Warming on Marine Trophic Levels
Ocean acidification and warming are profoundly altering marine ecosystems, impacting organisms from the bottom to the top of the food chain. Trophic levels—ranging from primary producers to apex predators—illustrate the complex web of energy transfer within these systems. In response, a team of scientists conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis to better understand how ocean acidification and warming would affect different marine trophic levels. Amidst these changing environments, understanding these energy dynamics becomes essential for devising effective conservation strategies.
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Reef Remodeling: How Reef Carpets Could Change How We View Reef Restoration
Coral reefs are one of the most important marine ecosystems in the world, but climate change and other stressors are pushing on their wellbeing and leading to degradation. That’s where reef restoration comes in, where scientists and volunteers work to reproduce tiny corals and transplant them onto degraded reefs—but this restoration mostly focused on survivability, and not variety. In a new approach, a group of scientists have constituted what they call “Reef Carpets”, which are patches of restoration efforts filled with biodiversity. They found that these “Carpets” jumpstart a whole reef ecosystem, leading to better outcomes in the long run.
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Soft Manatee, Warm Manatee? Understanding How Manatees Behave
Antillean manatees are an endangered subspecies of manatee that live in the warm waters of the Caribbean, but little is known about their behavior, both in the wild and under human care. This is why scientists in France set out to better understand and define manatee behavior in captivity, identifying how bold or shy they were and how they acted towards novel and familiar stimuli.
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A New Compound Makes Waves for Oil Spill Clean Up
Phase-Selective Organo-WHAT? Scientists are studying complex chemicals called Phase-Selective Organogelators (or PSOGs) to better understand their ability to clean up oil spills. These chemicals create a gel when added, in small quantities, to crude oil. The use of these chemicals could be a game changer when it comes to remediating marine oil spills. It would facilitate the way these disasters are handled, shortening the time it’s left affecting the organisms that live and interact in marine ecosystems
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Shark Movements Can Be Used to Design Better Marine Protected Areas
Marine protected areas can be very effective at protecting marine life, and they’re even more effective when the actual movements of wildlife are used to guide the drawing of their borders. By using telemetry, scientists can make shark-friendly protected areas and watch how effective they are at reducing commercial fishing.
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Going Blue: The Environmental Impacts of Aquatic Foods
Food production puts a major strain on our planet, and many people are exploring ways to reduce its impacts. Aquatic foods — including fish, shellfish, and water plants — may be one option! Which of these “blue foods” are more sustainable than others, and in what ways? What can we do to make catching and farming aquatic food even more environmentally-friendly?
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The Horseshoe Crab Has Saved Our Lives. Can We Return the Favor?
While threats continue to harm the historic population of Atlantic Horseshoe Crabs, new research into the health stressors they face may help mitigate human contribution to their decline.
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How Climate-driven Ocean Changes Affect Right Whale Populations
It is no secret that the world is ever-shifting towards a warmer reality. With conditions changing greatly in the Gulf of Maine, researchers are now exploring how climate-driven changes have been affecting the North Atlantic right whale populations. Sadly, their findings have shone a light towards a worrisome reality – a reality where these whales might be driven into extinction.
Read MoreHammerhead’s Night Out: The Day-to-Day Life of Hammerhead Sharks
Hammerheads (Sphyrna lewini) are, understandably, one of the most charismatic species in the world of marine biology. However, these sharks have suffered major declines in recent years due to direct hunting and overfishing of their prey.
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