What are whale sharks up to?
Satellite-tracking of the largest fish in the ocean offered insight into their migratory and feeding behavior, but their breeding grounds are still a mystery.
Panama
Text by Leila Nilipour
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Hector M. Guzman
A decade of deep-reef exploration in the Greater Caribbean
The use of submersibles exponentially increased recorded diversity of islands’ deep-reef fish faunas.
Text by Leila Nilipour
Marine Biology Taxonomy Molecular Genetics and Genomics Fisheries and Marine Conservation Biodiversity Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet
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D. Ross RobertsonUnder
the sea
Towards a sustainable
Blue Economy in Panama
A virtual forum organized by the IDB and STRI explored Panama’s challenges and opportunities to achieve a sustainable management of its marine resources that stimulates economic development, sustains livelihoods and preserves biodiversity.
Text by Leila Nilipour
English translation by Sonia Tejada
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Hector M. GuzmanVirtual
Forum
Ancestors of whale sharks
in Panama may come from distant waters
Genetic population connectivity study of the endangered whale shark in Pacific Panama provides important data for conservation efforts.
Text by Leila Nilipour
Marine Biology Fisheries and Marine Conservation Molecular Genetics and Genomics Animal Behavior Conservation Biology Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet Coibita Island
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Hector M. GuzmanOcean
trotters
Caribbean mangrove forests
may serve as coral shelters
Most coral species fared better in the shaded environment offered by the mangrove canopy
Panama
Text by Leila Nilipour
navy-blueSafe
haven
How can “shark dandruff” contribute to coral reef conservation?
Sharks’ bodies are covered with tiny, tooth-like scales called denticles. Shed denticles settle to the ocean floor, where they remain in sediments for years and can be used to understand which sharks lived on a reef in the past.
Paleontology and Paleobiology Historical Ecology Fisheries and Marine Conservation Archaeology Global Change Marine Biology Life in Deep Time Bocas del Toro
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Aaron O'DeaShark
dandruff
Panama expands the limits of
the Coiba Cordillera protected area
With this science-based initiative, 30% of the panamanian marine surface will be under some degree of protection
Panama
Biodiversity Conservation Biology Fisheries and Marine Conservation Marine Biology Ecosystem Ecology Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet
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Hector M. GuzmanMarine
protection
Informed tourists make
whale watching safer for whales
How does whale watching affect whale behavior? Who watches whales in Panama’s Las Perlas Archipelago? Researchers from STRI and ASU hope to recommend innovative data-based conservation strategies.
Animal Behavior Conservation Biology Fisheries and Marine Conservation Marine Biology Sociology Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet Naos
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Hector M. GuzmanBreaches
and Spy-hops
Like a cooking show with worms: Smithsonian videos teach Taxonomy of diverse Marine creatures
At the Smithsonian’s Bocas del Toro Research Station, in Panama, marine biologist Rachel Collin runs an educational program that recruits international experts to teach and create videos about how to collect, preserve and observe marine invertebrates, passing down their very specific knowledge to aspiring taxonomists.
Text by Vanessa Crooks
Marine Biology Taxonomy Zoology Biodiversity Evolutionary Biology Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet Bocas del Toro
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Rachel CollinTropical
Taxonomy
Is odor the secret
to bats’ sex appeal?
A literature review revealed that odor-producing glands and tissues in bats may play a prominent role in mating behavior
Panama
Byline: Leila Nilipour
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Rachel PageRedefining
sexual
dimorphism
