Tag Archives: National Science Foundation

Backyard Ecology (Plus new video on Bay Mouth Bar)

Bay Mouth Bar is one of the most ecologically diverse places in the world. Dr. David KImbro guides us through a menagerie of strange looking marine invertebrates, and describes the place’s importance to the field of ecology. Continue reading

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Four Ways (and more) That Salt Marshes Earn Their Keep

Every acre of salt marsh provides thousands of dollars of services to humankind. On this week’s video, Dr. Randall Hughes explores the surprising value of the marsh, a dynamic habitat that despite its external appearance, teems with fascinating creatures. Continue reading

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Oyster reefs. Huh! What are they good for!

Oysters on the half shell are delicious, but oysters do a lot of good sitting on the reef as well. In this week’s video and in his post, FSU Coastal & Marine Lab’s Dr. David Kimbro explores the many ways in which the bivalves benefit us. Continue reading

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Video: Where the Land Meets the Sea

This is the first of our NSF funded videos following research along our coasts. Dr. David Kimbro and Dr. Randall Hughes study intertidal habitats full of fascinating creatures that help drive the economy of our coasts and beyond. Continue reading

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Pea Crab Infestation!

We shift our focus from predators to parasites: FSU Coastal & Marine Lab’s Tanya Rogers discovers pea crabs inside of a large scale experiment’s oysters. In what conditions and in what geography do these kleptoparasites most afflict our beloved bivalves? Continue reading

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In the Grass, On the Reef, A World Away

Randall and David have traveled to Australia on visiting research appointments to study habitats like oyster reefs and seagrass beds that are at once familiar, yet quite a bit different and even a little dangerous. Continue reading

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A long time in the making

If you want an activity that will take a lot of your time, go out onto your lawn and try to figure out which blades of grass belong to what individual plant. The grass in a salt marsh, like your lawn, is made up of various individuals, each with different characteristics that contribute to the success of a marsh. Dr. Randall Hughes’ new experiment looks at what makes habitat building cordgrass individuals successful. Continue reading

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Spat on a Platter

Watch oysters grow! Tanya Rogers of the FSUCML has compiled time lapse imagery which shows baby oysters grow and form a shell over the course of a year. Continue reading

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Tricks or Treats? And more on the effects of predators in marshes.

When David Kimbro looks through his trick-or-treat bag, he doesn’t see candy, he sees oyster shells and periwinkle snails. Can predators trick periwinkles into not destroying marsh cordgrass? Or will they serve as tasty treats for blue crabs? David shares his data. Continue reading

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Scared hungry?

Randall and David continue unraveling the mysteries of how predators affect their prey through fear. In this experiment, they look at how many oysters get eaten by mud crabs when the mud crabs think their predators are lurking around and eating their neighbors. Continue reading

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