tropical ecosystems – envirobites

Wednesday, April 17, 2024

Talk Turtle to Me: How Algae Could Drive Sea Turtle Populations to Extinction

April 1, 2022April 1, 2022 Andrea Valcarcel 0 Comments caribbean, Climate Change, population ecology, Sargassum, sea turtles, seaweed, sex determination, temperature, tropical ecosystems, turtles

Rising ocean temperatures have been increasing the size of algal blooms, with Sargassum being one of the most prominent algae species affecting coastlines in the Caribbean. When beached, Sargassum can only be removed from shores through human intervention, which is both costly and time-consuming. These algal outbreaks are ending up on beaches where sea turtles are known to nest, affecting their biology and survivability. Will beached Sargassum on Caribbean shores affect sea turtle populations irreversibly, or will we find a more effective way of dealing with the changing algal populations?

Ecosystems Environmental Science Remote Environments

Who Pollinates a Potent Plant?

November 4, 2021September 16, 2022 Brianne Palmer 0 Comments botanic gardens, Corpse flower, tropical ecosystems

About once a decade, the corpse flower blooms and attracts human visitors of all ages who want to see the short-lived flower and smell the plant’s natural perfume of rotting flesh. But in the wild, these plants must attract a different kind of visitor –pollinators. Read on to learn more about the mysterious pollinators of the Corpse Flower and learn about the questions scientists still don’t know the answers to.