Human fishing reshaped Caribbean
reef food webs, 7000-year old
exposed fossilized reefs reveal

A groundbreaking study of 7000-year-old exposed coral reef fossils reveals how human fishing has transformed Caribbean reef food webs: as sharks declined by 75% and fish preferred by humans became smaller, prey fish species flourished —doubling in numbers and growing larger. This unprecedented look into prehistoric reef communities shows how the loss of top predators cascaded through the entire food web, shifting the balance amongst coral reefs.

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By: Rosannette Quesada-Hidalgo

Marine Biology Historical Ecology Fisheries and Marine Conservation Biodiversity Life in Deep Time Bocas del Toro Bocas Del Toro red Aaron O'Dea

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The Natural History of Bees

Did you know that there are more than 20,500 species of bees, each with its own natural history?

Animal Behavior Biodiversity Entomology Developmental Biology Natural History Origins of Species and Societies Earl S. Tupper red William Wcislo

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Red-eyed treefrog eggs hatch a plan to escape warming temperatures

A new study from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) shows that red-eyed treefrog embryos hatch early when exposed to high ammonia levels — an environmental cue that it’s too hot and dry for the eggs to survive.

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Story by Olivia Milloway

Animal Behavior Herpetology Developmental Biology Conservation Biology Evolutionary Biology Global Change Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet Gamboa red

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New, giant horned dinosaur discovered in the ancient swamps of Montana, United States

Joe Sertich, paleontologist from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and the Colorado State University, co-authored a new study naming a new species of dinosaur, which he says "pushes the envelope on bizarre ceratopsian headgear."

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Montana, United States
Press release from authors

Paleontology and Paleobiology Biodiversity Exploration Geography and Biogeography Life in Deep Time CTPA red Carlos Jaramillo

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Tambor y mejorana en la música para violín de Roque Cordero (Drum and mejorana in Roque Cordero's violin music - talk in Spanish)

We will learn how Cordero incorporated his Panama into the context of a musical language at once intimate and universal.

Anthropology Sociology Anthropology Sociology red

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A turtle time capsule:
DNA found in ancient shell

Paleontologists discover possible DNA remains in fossil turtle that lived 6 million years ago in Panama, where continents collide

Paleontology and Paleobiology Evolutionary Biology Molecular Genetics and Genomics Natural History Paleoecology Biodiversity Life in Deep Time red

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Friendly or Dangerous?
All about spiders

Discover the fascinating world of spiders in Panama!

Animal Behavior Entomology Natural History Taxonomy Connections in nature: Plants, Animals, Microbes and Environments red Sabrina Amador

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STRI special events,
December 2022

In the face of catastrophe, Conferences of Parties strategize (COP27, COP15, CITES), Farewell Mireya Correa and Tony Coates, Kudos to Jaramillo and Spears labs, charting the future of microbiology research, Sanjur in the public eye and more outreach news.

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The mystery of an unusual
Panamanian plant’s dispersal

Camera traps in the forest canopy document a nocturnal mammal that may help Zamia pseudoparasitica survive up in the air.

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Text by Leila Nilipour

Animal Behavior Natural History Botany Forest Ecology Canopy Biology Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet red Kristin Saltonstall

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Desperate brittlestars, suffocating corals and resilient microbes: First multidisciplinary data from an acute marine hypoxic event and its historical context

In September 2017, divers observed a massive “dead zone” rising to envelop Caribbean coral reefs in Bocas del Toro, Panama. Smithsonian post-docs joined together to understand marine hypoxia now and in the past.

Global Change Fisheries and Marine Conservation Paleontology and Paleobiology Historical Ecology Microbial Ecology Physical Monitoring Connections in nature: Plants, Animals, Microbes and Environments red Aaron O'Dea

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