Ecology

Everything in nature is connected to some degree, so it’s not surprising that many of the research projects at the Smithsonian in Panama could be classified as ecology — the science of how organisms relate to one another and their environment. Forest ecologists ask how thousands of tree species compete for a place in the tropical forests, while navigating their relationships with pathogens, microbes, nutrients, pollinators and climate variables. Marine ecologists study how countless organisms join together to create the fantastic web of life contained in tropical coastal ecosystems.