http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/plants_animals/marine_biology/ Marine Biology News. Read scientific research on marine animals and their aquatic habitats. From plankton to whales, you will find it all here. en-us Thu, 24 Jul 2008 08:05:01 EDT Thu, 24 Jul 2008 08:05:01 EDT 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/plants_animals/marine_biology/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080723140323.htm In a study of free-living and parasitic species in three estuaries on the Pacific coast of California and Baja California, researchers have determined that parasite biomass in those habitats exceeds that of top predators, in some cases by a factor of 20. Their findings, which could have significant biomedical and ecological implications, appear in the science journal Nature. From an ecological perspective, parasites serve both as regulators to prevent species from becoming numerically dominant and as indicators of the health of a particular ecosystem. The study shows for the first time that parasites might drive the flow of energy in ecosystems. Thu, 24 Jul 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080723140323.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080721173757.htm Mangrove destruction not only comes with ecological cost, but monetary as well: $37,500 per hectare each year, researchers say. Mexican mangroves, trees that form forest ecosystems at the land-sea interface, demonstrably boost fishery yields in the Gulf of California. Wed, 23 Jul 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080721173757.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080718085114.htm A new indicator of coral health has been discovered in a community of microscopic single-celled algae called dinoflagellates. The study reveals that a particular type of these algae renders corals more susceptible to disease. Wed, 23 Jul 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080718085114.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080723094848.htm Biofilms develop on any surface that bacteria can attach themselves to. The dilemma we face is that neither disinfectants and antibiotics, nor phagocytes and our immune system can destroy these biofilms. Scientists have now identified one of the fundamental mechanisms used by the bacteria in biofilms to protect themselves against the attacking phagocytes. Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080723094848.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080721092416.htm Biogeoscientists show evidence of 90 billion tons of microbial organisms -- expressed in terms of carbon mass -- living in the deep biosphere. This tonnage corresponds to about one-tenth of the amount of carbon stored globally in tropical rainforests. Archaea were found to make up at least 87 percent of organisms that colonize the deep biosphere. This finding is in stark contrast to previous reports, which suggest that Bacteria dominate the subseafloor ecosystem. Tue, 22 Jul 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080721092416.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080722225339.htm Ice age climate change and ancient flooding -- but not barriers created by rivers -- may have promoted the evolution of new insect species in the Amazon region of South America, a new study suggests. The Amazon basin is home to the richest diversity of life on earth, yet the reasons why this came to be are not well understood. Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080722225339.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080717164319.htm The invasion of predatory lionfish in the Caribbean region poses yet another major threat there to coral reef ecosystems -- a new study has found that within a short period after the entry of lionfish into an area, the survival of other reef fishes is slashed by about 80 percent. Mon, 21 Jul 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080717164319.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080721121001.htm No-take marine reserves where fishing is banned can have benefits that extend beyond the exploited fishes they are specifically designed to protect, according to new evidence from Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Researchers have found that outbreaks of large, predatory crown-of-thorns starfish, which can devastate coral reefs although they don't yet know exactly why. Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080721121001.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080714202504.htm A major effort to tag and track leatherbacks that nest on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica has yielded unprecedented insight into their behavior. While most sea turtles have widely varied dispersal patterns, the leatherbacks from the beaches at Playa Grande consistently follow a relatively narrow corridor out into the sea, past the Galapagos Islands to an area in the South Pacific where they linger at length. Sun, 20 Jul 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080714202504.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080718074110.htm Saharan dust storms help sustain life over extensive regions of the North Atlantic Ocean. Scientists mapped the distribution of nutrients including phosphorous and nitrogen and investigated how organisms such as phytoplankton are sustained in areas with low nutrient levels. They found that plants are able to grow in these regions because they are able to take advantage of iron minerals in Saharan dust storms. Sat, 19 Jul 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080718074110.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080717095027.htm University of Alberta scientists contend they have the answer to mass extinction of animals and plants 93 million years ago. The answer, research has uncovered, has been found at the bottom of the sea floor where lava fountains erupted, altering the chemistry of the sea and possibly of the atmosphere. Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080717095027.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080717140451.htm Antarctic worms, sea spiders, urchins and other marine creatures living in near-shore shallow habitats are regularly pounded by icebergs. New data suggests this environment along the Antarctic Peninsula is going to get hit more frequently. This is due to an increase in the number of icebergs scouring the seabed as a result of shrinking winter sea ice, according to a study in the journal Science. Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080717140451.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080717140445.htm Many species must move to new areas to survive climate change. Often, this seems impossible. Species stranded on mountain tops in southern Europe that are becoming too hot for them, for instance, are unlikely to be able to reach northern Europe unaided. So should humans step in to help? The journal Science reports that conservation scientists are calling for new conservation tactics, such as assisted migration, in the face of the growing threat of climate change. Fri, 18 Jul 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080717140445.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080713183603.htm Re-seeding programs on over 50 reefs are securing the survival of the giant clam for at least another generation. The clams, the world's largest bivalve mollusks and the star of lurid but mostly imaginary literary and cinematic depictions of trapped divers, can live for over a century. They have been known to exceed 1.4 meters in length and weigh in at over 260 kilograms. Thu, 17 Jul 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080713183603.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080713182700.htm The rarest marine dolphin in the world -- down to 111 individuals following decades of entanglement in fishing nets -- is now to receive protection over more of its range from the New Zealand government. The critically-endangered Maui's dolphins, living only along the west coast of New Zealand's North Island, could be functionally extinct within just 25 years largely as a result of a losing battle with fishing nets. Wed, 16 Jul 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080713182700.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080710170547.htm A new coral bleaching prediction system indicates that there will be some bleaching in the Caribbean later this year, but the event will probably not be severe. The system also suggests that there is a risk of widespread bleaching in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands in August, but little bleaching elsewhere during the northern hemisphere summer. Tue, 15 Jul 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080710170547.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080710142935.htm A third of reef-building corals around the world are threatened with extinction, according to the first-ever comprehensive global assessment to determine their conservation status, published in Science. Climate change and human-induced destruction have been cited as causes. Fri, 11 Jul 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080710142935.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080709122947.htm Most people who find a seashell during their summer holiday on the coast will probably not be aware that they have found a unique record of the climate. For climate researchers, however, these hard calcium shells provide a profound insight into the history of our earth and especially into the climate of the past. Researchers are currently able to reconstruct the climatic history of the past 500 years from shells on a year-by-year basis. Thu, 10 Jul 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080709122947.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080707112641.htm A comprehensive survey of coral biodiversity in Panama's Las Perlas Archipelago has resulted in clear conservation recommendations for a new coastal management plan. Thu, 10 Jul 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080707112641.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080707141722.htm From the surface, the two areas of ocean off the coasts of northern New Jersey and Long Island, New York look the same. But to scientists, the four-square-mile patches could not be more different as they view real-time underwater images and environmental data to try to figure out what lives there and how climate change is affecting marine life, especially very young fish. Wed, 09 Jul 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080707141722.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080707112648.htm Nearly half of U.S. coral reef ecosystems are considered to be in "poor" or "fair" condition according to a new NOAA analysis of the health of coral reefs under US jurisdiction. The NOAA report says that the nation's coral reef ecosystems, particularly those adjacent to populated areas, continue to face intense human-derived threats and while remote reefs are subject to threats such as marine debris, illegal fishing and climate change. Wed, 09 Jul 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080707112648.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080708171539.htm New coral reef system discovered in Brazil doubles the size of Southern Atlantic Ocean's largest and most diverse reef system. Wed, 09 Jul 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080708171539.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080706194253.htm A new study has revealed a disturbing rise in the number of whales, dolphins and porpoises found dead on Cornish beaches. The frequency of these mammals, collectively known as cetaceans, found stranded on beaches in Cornwall has increased with a sharp rise in the last eight years. After analyzing nearly 100 years of data, the researchers believe this could, in part, be due to more intensive fishing. Tue, 08 Jul 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080706194253.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080707222315.htm By studying the flippers, fins and tails of whales and dolphins, scientists have discovered some features of their structure that contradict long-held engineering theories. These discoveries may have a strong impact on traditional industrial designs including wind turbines and helicopters. Tue, 08 Jul 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080707222315.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080707093408.htm Scientists have studied the properties of natural products derived from animals found in Fijian waters, and shown that not only may certain compounds have potential use in anti-cancer therapies, but others may also be useful for improving drug delivery, currently one of the most significant problems faced by medical researchers. Mon, 07 Jul 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080707093408.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080707114119.htm Scientists successfully removed a black rubber strap Tuesday that was wrapped around the head of a juvenile bottlenose dolphin, averting a life-threatening injury. Mon, 07 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080707114119.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080703140716.htm It's not just about climate change anymore. Besides loading the atmosphere with heat-trapping greenhouse gases, human emissions of carbon dioxide have also begun to alter the chemistry of the ocean. The ecological and economic consequences are difficult to predict but possibly calamitous, warn a team of chemical oceanographers, and halting the changes already underway will likely require even steeper cuts in carbon emissions than those currently proposed to curb climate change. Sun, 06 Jul 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080703140716.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080701083537.htm Like the proverbial canary in the coal mine, penguins are sounding the alarm for potentially catastrophic changes in the world's oceans, and the culprit isn't only climate change, says a conservation biologist. Tue, 01 Jul 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080701083537.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080629143936.htm Endangered migratory whales will be faced with shrinking crucial Antarctic foraging zones which will contain less food and will be further away, a new analysis of the impacts of climate change on Southern Ocean whales has found. Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080629143936.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080627163151.htm A detailed analysis of data from nearly 50 years of weekly fish-trawl surveys in Narragansett Bay and adjacent Rhode Island Sound has revealed a long-term shift in species composition, which scientists attribute primarily to the effects of global warming. Invertebrates and warm-water species increase while bottom feeders decrease. Mon, 30 Jun 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080627163151.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080629144231.htm The argument that increasing whale populations are behind declining fish stocks is completely without scientific foundation, leading researchers and conservation organizations said as the International Whaling Commission opened its 60th meeting in Santiago, Chile. Mon, 30 Jun 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080629144231.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080625122958.htm Census of Marine Life-affiliated scientists consolidating world databases of ocean organisms have demoted to alias status almost one-third of all names culled so far from 34 regional and highly specialized inventories. Experts will complete the World Register of Marine Species by October 2010 as part of the first Census of Marine Life. Mon, 30 Jun 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080625122958.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080630165143.htm Dylan, a straggler hatchling who was rescued on Jekyll Island almost 10 years ago and became a national ambassador for sea turtles, is going home. He was released into the ocean on Monday, June 30th at 11 a.m. Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080630165143.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080630164126.htm NOAA experts are continuing to evaluate a group of bottlenose dolphins feeding in New Jersey's Shrewsbury River. The biggest threat to them at the moment is the behavior of humans eager to commune with them, rather than lack of food, disorientation, entrapment in the river, or their apparent health. Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080630164126.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080624145103.htm The powerful advantages of using gene catalogs to infer biological function in marine animals are highlighted in a virtual symposium in the June issue of the Biological Bulletin, published by the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Mass. Fri, 27 Jun 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080624145103.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080623113728.htm Thirty-eight research divers recently completed a successful 20-day biennial census to measure how the protected status of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary's Tortugas Ecological Reserve and Dry Tortugas National Park's Research Natural Area are helping the regional ecosystem rebound from decades of overfishing and environmental changes. Fri, 27 Jun 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080623113728.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080623125012.htm No-take marine reserves, in which fishing is completely banned, can lead to very rapid comebacks of the fish species most prized by commercial and recreational fisheries, reveals a new study of Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Wed, 25 Jun 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080623125012.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080617204522.htm Huge numbers of fish, seabirds, and other marine animals are routinely killed and discarded after being inadvertently caught during fishing operations. Known as marine bycatch, this problem is an ongoing challenge to the fishing industry, regulatory agencies, and conservationists. One recent proposal would compensate for bycatch by reducing other impacts on affected species, but a new analysis suggests that this strategy could end up doing more harm than good. Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080617204522.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080613174716.htm Scientists have begun an eight-day mission, in which they are living and working at 60 feet below the sea surface in an underwater "space station," to determine why some species of coral colonies survive transplanting after a disturbance while other colonies die. The team of "aquanauts" is to improve the restoration of damaged reefs. Thu, 19 Jun 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080613174716.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080617204451.htm New research by Canadian scientists brings some good news for those interested in the conservation of a number of highly endangered species of Canadian fish. Thu, 19 Jun 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080617204451.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080616115703.htm Marine biologists are appealing for help from the public in looking at ways to detect and stop the spread of marine aliens. Thu, 19 Jun 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080616115703.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080617204512.htm New research shows that the second most diverse group of hard corals first evolved in the deep sea, and not in shallow waters. Stylasterids, or lace corals, diversified in deep waters before launching at least three successful invasions of shallow water tropical habitats in the past 40 million years. This finding provides the first strong evidence that a group of deep-sea animals invaded and diversified in shallow waters. Wed, 18 Jun 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080617204512.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080610170057.htm The discovery in the last decade of new suites of microorganisms capable of using various forms of nitrogen -- discoveries that have involved a number of University of Washington researchers -- is one reason to rethink what we know about the nitrogen cycle. Mon, 16 Jun 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080610170057.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080615142247.htm If you are curious about Earth's periodic mass extinction events such as the sudden demise of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago, you might consider crashing asteroids and sky-darkening super volcanoes as culprits. But a new study, suggests that it is the ocean, and in particular the epic ebbs and flows of sea level and sediment over the course of geologic time, that is the primary cause of the world's periodic mass extinctions during the past 500 million years. Mon, 16 Jun 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080615142247.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080610071911.htm Scientists were surprised with findings of a recent study that reveals many animal species believed to persist in small contained areas actually need broad, landscape level conservation to survive. Overall, the study provides strong new evidence supporting the integration of multiple scales of conservation, including protected areas as well as landscape and seascape level conservation strategies. Fri, 13 Jun 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080610071911.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080610092720.htm Research by an honors student has revealed high mercury levels may be a contributing factor to dolphin deaths in Australia. Wed, 11 Jun 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080610092720.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080606105448.htm The international science community must devote more resources to research into the effects climate change is having on ocean environments, according to a paper recently published in the journal Science. Wed, 11 Jun 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080606105448.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080609103232.htm An increase of epileptic seizures and behavioral abnormalities in California sea lions can result from low-dose exposure to domoic acid from toxic algal blooms as a fetus. This brain disturbance is a newly recognized chronic disease. Tue, 10 Jun 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080609103232.htm