Exploring the unwanted
The positive side of fouling communities
Septiembre 26, 2019
Encrusting organisms may be disliked by most people, but they’re helping explore marine conservation and biodiversity concerns
Encrusting organisms may be disliked by most people, but they’re helping explore marine conservation and biodiversity concerns
Urban and agricultural development and deforestation along the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor might be generating a new passageway for invasive species adapted to human disturbance.
How do social interactions change in the face of illness? As humans face potential global pandemics we look to nature for examples. Close observation of another highly social animal, the vampire bat, sheds light on how interactions change—or do not change—as individuals become sick.
By evaluating the diet choices of this species in a semi-natural environment, scientists could improve predictions of how it might affect newly invaded communities
Lizards transplanted from the mainland to small islands in Lake Gatun, Panama, took their parasitic mites with them. What happened next provides great experimental evidence for the enemy release hypothesis.
How did canal grass arrive in Panama? STRI staff scientist Kristin Saltonstall compared the DNA of sugar cane relatives from around the world to find out.
Male Fringe-Lipped bats smear a sticky, odorous substance on their forearms. When this was discovered, researchers guessed that it might play a role in mating. Post-doctoral fellow Mariana Muñoz-Romo has confirmed that the presence and size of the forearm "crust" is, indeed correlated with other reproductive traits.
What makes a successful invasion? What keeps invaders out? Are some geographic locations more vulnerable to invasion than others?
Over half a century ago, a group of manatees from Bocas del Toro was flown into the artificial Gatun Lake to control the abundance of aquatic plants and for public health reasons. Where are they now?
The tiny female fig wasp carries a huge burden but cutting corners may not be worth the risk.