In the Collin Lab we work to understand how environmental conditions, their natural variation and environmental change from the climate emergency shape marine ecosystems and biodiversity. Our current work focuses on three areas (1) Documenting the biodiversity of tropical marine invertebrates, (...
Students in Bocas del Toro helped Smithsonian researchers collect environmental data to better understand what factors influence the proliferation of algal deposits in the largest island of the archipelago
A massive coral bleaching event in Panama’s Guna Yala islands along the eastern Caribbean coast signals a major problem with rising ocean temperatures and their long-term effects.
The elusive prickly shark was observed during a submarine expedition to the depths of the Cordillera de Coiba seamounts, a biodiversity hotspot and marine protected area.
Marine conservation scientists advocate for a cultural shift in academia that fosters deeper connections with places of study and encourages collaboration with local communities to make science more equitable
What started as a student summer job, became Anibal Velarde’s life’s work. Over fifty years later, he is still at the Smithsonian
Ancient, fossilized grape seeds from Panama, Colombia and Peru, provide perspective on the evolution of plants after the extinction of the dinosaurs.
An improved method of identifying manatees by their vocalizations makes it easier to tell them apart, to better estimate their populations and help efforts for their conservation.
First experimental comparison of the effects of temperature and oxygen deprivation on three key Caribbean coral species shows that nightly low oxygen tips the balance of species survival away from tall, elegant, reef-building corals, towards lower, weedy corals, simplifying coral communities.
A new study finds that leatherback sea turtles tend to migrate rather than forage when chlorophyll, primary productivity, and sea surface temperature levels are lower.
