Category Archives: In the Grass

Dr. Randall Hughes, among other things, studies biodiversity in salt marshes, and how it affects the habitat’s ability to cope with disturbances.  Does having a greater variety of plant species benefit a salt marsh?  Does having more genetic individuals of smooth cordgrass help when environmental or man made catastrophes strike?  Randall is looking at several factors, from the animals that eat the cordgrass (the foundation species of the marsh), to which combinations of plants work best together, or how seagrass wrack affects the health of a marsh.

Most of her study is centered on St. Joseph Bay, on Florida’s Gulf coast.  On this blog you will also see some of her side projects looking at black mangroves are starting to become more prevalent in Gulf salt marshes and why seagrass beds around the world are dying off.

Meet the animals of a coastal salt marsh.

Dr. Randall Hughes on SciGirls

Dr. Randall Hughes talks to the WFSU SciGirls about how she got started in Marine Ecology, and about the ecosystems she studies. Continue reading

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In the (wire)grass

This May, Randall took a break from field work to teach what looked like a very fun class. Over three weeks they went oyster tonging, met a troublesome bear, and got to know some seven day old woodpeckers. Continue reading

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How much is a salt marsh worth?

Do oysters have more value sitting on their reefs than on the half shell? When we lose salt marsh habitat, are we indirectly losing money? Dr. Randall Hughes presents her analysis on a few papers that seek to put a dollar sign on our coastal habitats. Continue reading

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To Houston and Back: A story of a marine biologist and bugs

Emily Field FSU Coastal & Marine Lab Several weeks ago, I went to Houston to meet Thomas Decker, a tech in Steve Pennings’ lab at the University of Houston. Thomas graciously offered up his time to help me with my … Continue reading

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Come see us!

Writing grants, collecting field data, looking at samples in the lab- activities such as these occupy the majority of a researcher’s time.  But sharing why the subject of the research is cool and interesting with the public is an important … Continue reading

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What are those new images that are popping up on the blog?

Every post from here on out will adhere to our “master plan.” Well, it was always part of the master plan, but now we’re showing you how. The many functions of and interactions within coastal habitats- as well as our human usage and appreciation- are all tied together as illustrated in this post. Continue reading

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Who am I? Identity In the Grass

Katie Lotterhos FSU Department of Biological Sciences, FSU When we look at a salt marsh, we see thousands of stems of cordgrass. But in reality, the coastline may be made up of only a few different genetic individuals.  This is … Continue reading

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What do ecologists do for fun?

Dr. Randall Hughes FSU Coastal & Marine Lab Last week, David and I (along with all the students and technicians in our labs, and over 500 other ecologists/students) attended the Benthic Ecology Meeting in Mobile, AL. You may well wonder – … Continue reading

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Return to the field

Dr. Randall Hughes FSU Coastal & Marine Lab A sure sign of spring for me is an increase in time in the field. (Robyn and Emily would probably disagree with me, since they have been out in the field regularly … Continue reading

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“Oh, knowledge exploring is oh so lyrical, when you think thoughts that are empirical.”

Emily Field FSU Coastal & Marine Lab These lyrics are from Mr. Ray’s teaching song in Finding Nemo. It’s too bad that I can’t sing all of my lessons! I’m teaching Animal Diversity lab to undergrads on campus this semester.  … Continue reading

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