Some animals, such as amphibians and sea birds, need to see above and below water. How do their eyes work in air and in water? What are coral reefs and kelp beds, and why are they ecologically important? What roles do water and air play in the lives of invertebrates?
What are the food webs of different species in coral reefs? Since plants can make their own food through photosynthesis, why does a seed need stored nutrients for the plant embryo? Which microhabitat has the most filamentous green algae? Why?
Somewhat paradoxically, coral reefs are intolerant of liquid nutrient enrichment as it comes, for example, in run-off from agriculture or sewers (which may also cause smothering algae blooms). Corals need to have the nutrient converted into solid form. And this is where the fish comes in. ...
Next up is a brightly coloredSwamp Milkweed Beetle,Labidomera clivicollis. The restroom at one of the parks had numerous moth flies sitting on the tiles. These very small flies have a larval stage that feeds on – oh, I don’t know, presumably organic matter and algae. So the adult f...
Marine ecosystems continue to be transformed by human activities. Among them, benthic ecosystems are perhaps one of the most affected, because of bottom trawling, urban or agricultural development, climate change, and other stressors. Benthic communities
Certain fishing techniques, like bottom trawling, can damage the sensitive sea floor that is home to slow-growing coral species. Bottom trawling is also dangerous to larger ocean species like turtles and marine mammals that can get entangled in the net or tow lines, injuring themselves and even...
What do we need from it and what do we owe it? I’m inclined to think that human societies will survive a world with three or four degrees of warming and without coral reefs or pupfish. Perhaps they will even thrive. But I also think the future is likely to be a better place if ...
Apr 2009 TED2009 Nate Silver: Does racism affect how you vote? 09:16Apr 2009 TED2009 Erik Hersman: Reporting crisis via texting 03:56Apr 2009 TED2002 Niels Diffrient: Rethinking the way we sit down 17:20Apr 2009 TED2009 Margaret Wertheim: The beautiful math of coral 15:33Apr 2009 TED...
Seahorses, frogfish, and others live the life aquatic with little swimming. Not everyone can swim like a fish—even among fish.
When corals "bleach" they expel their zooxanthellae (symbiotic algae), giving them a white or bleached appearance. The coral is still alive, but will slowly starve without the energy zooxanthellae produces for it. Bleaching can occur from a number of environmental stressors, such as...