A new paper in Science shows that big female fish are disproportionately important to maintaining populations. The research suggests that protection of large, reproductive females is essential to sustaining viable fish stocks.
Rapid increases in ocean acidity puts crustose coralline algae in a growth predicament, research by a Smithsonian marine scientist shows.
With multiple projects in both the Pacific and the Caribbean, the Collin Lab pieces together the complex life histories of marine invertebrates.
Isla Boná in the Gulf of Panama is an understudied breeding ground for thousands of tropical seabirds. Marine biologist Héctor Guzmán’s newest research program will contribute to understanding their ecology and the conservation of the island for birds and birders alike.
Coral reef fish often see a very different seascape that humans do. Using the evolutionary laboratory created by the Isthmus of Panama, Michele Pierotti is learning exactly how they view their underwater world.
Seemingly far removed from similar ecosystems, research by Smithsonian scientist Harilaos Lessios shows that the diverse marine life of Coiba is connected to the rest of Eastern Tropical Pacific — and beyond.
Whale tracking research contributes to maritime safety and cetacean protection in Costa Rica and the Pacific
From tiny banana seeds to giant coconuts, it’s tough for seeds to survive in tropical soils where they are under attack by fungi, bacteria, insects and animals. By understanding how seeds defend themselves, tropical biologists contribute to reforestation, crop management and sustainable agriculture in the tropics.
Attacks on humpback whales may be on the rise, according to an analysis of scars on humpback whales published in Endangered Species Research.
The epidemic of obesity-related diseases such as heart disease and type-2 diabetes may be a result of an advantageous process gone awry as the body stores excess energy as visceral adipose tissue, fat surrounding the internal organs in the abdomen.
