A cutting-edge molecular lab
and launching point to the
Eastern Tropical Pacific
A rocky intertidal zone and sandy beach
at the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal.
In one of the wildest places
in Central America
Blue whales, the largest animals on Earth, travel hidden ocean highways.
Researchers compared DNA from corals and their symbiotic organisms from two sites along the Pacific coast of Panama to better understand how the different members of the coral holobiont influence their ability to tolerate temperature extremes.
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.
