We have posted some natural history observations on the checkered puffer before (see here and here and here), and now the scientific paper on their dietary habitats has been published (here). We think this species is a plays a much under-appreciated role in nearshore ecosystems of The Bahamas and throughout the Caribbean. They are ubiquitous in shallow […]
Here is the final research project on mangrove die-off from our superstar intern Sofia Sanchez-Zarate, from the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics. Great job Sofia!
To help us understand the complexities of nature, we often use simple classifications to help wrap our minds various intricacies. Think about how we classify species interactions: predation, mutualisms, parasitisms, commensalisms, etc. Simple. But complications linger in the background. Former NCSU PhD student Stephanie Archer (along with current student Enie Hensel) demonstrated one such complexity in a recent study (full […]
An interesting recent paper evaluating the efficacy of shark sanctuaries, including in The Bahamas. The paper is a little long, but easily accessible. It is straight forward to scroll through sections to find items of most interest (e.g., human uses or conservation awareness). The full paper summary pasted below.
Due to well-documented declines in many shark populations there is increasing […]
Well at least a coral analog of gangrene. We posted this week on a push to ban plastic bags in The Bahamas, and this is one reason why. This article describes a recent paper in Science that discusses the global plague of coral disease driven by plastics.
Kristal Ambrose, director of the organization Bahamas Plastic Movement, sent the note below and this press release. Great to see!
“You’ve supported our organization so much over the years by allowing us to use the blog as a platform, so it is only right that I send you our biggest progression yet! The Bahamas is set to ban plastic […]
An interesting new study using stable isotopes to look at the feeding ecology of more than 5,000 individual sharks across 114 species. The cartoon above does a nice job of characterizing this study, and here is a good summary.
Kids on Andros Island seem to think so. Researchers from North Carolina State University authored this study, comparing kids’ preferences for animals in The Bahamas and North Carolina. The base question posed was: ““What are your five favorite kinds of wild animals that live in in The Bahamas?”. The most common answer for kids on Andros was…..dogs. Here is […]
It has been a slow fall for Abaco Scientist, but we will be ramping back up in the New Year. For now, here are some recent papers for your holiday reading. Some are straight forward; others a bit more technical. Click on “Holiday Reading” for a couple more papers.
Video link here. Great job Ryann!