This week PBS interviewed scientists, including Dr. Jennifer Smith, about the effects of climate change on the health of the Great Barrier Reef. Click here to learn more about the science behind global warming and coral bleaching and what actions you can take daily to help preserve coral reefs!
Smith lab and colleagues find that Crown of Thorns (COTS) larvae can take up organic matter derived from corals
Crown-of-Thorns Starfish Larvae can feed on Organic Matter Released from Corals Ryota Nakajima, Nobuyuki Nakatomi, Haruko Kurihara, Michael D. Fox, Jennifer E. Smith, and Ken Okaji Abstract: Previous studies have suggested that Crown-of-Thorns starfish (COTS) larvae may be able to survive in the absence of abundant phytoplankton resources suggesting that they may be able to utilize alternative food sources. Here, … Read More
Do different species of herbivorous fish have unique grazing roles on coral reefs, or are they all grazing alike?
Coral reefs are home to a large diversity of organisms. The herbivorous fishes, those fish that eat algae in competition with corals, are no exception to such diversity. But do the many species of herbivores have unique grazing roles on reefs or are all herbivorous fishes grazing alike? This was the focus of a study recently published in Oecologia … Read More
From the Pristine to Degraded: Reefs of the Central Pacific
Scripps led research team assesses the impacts of human disturbance on coral reefs. In one of the most comprehensive assessments of Pacific Ocean coral reef health spanning 10 years, 56 islands, and five archipelagos, Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego marine ecologist Jennifer Smith and colleagues examined how coral reef communities at 450 sites are faring with … Read More
Scientists measure the ‘beauty’ of coral reefs
Dr. Smith and co-authors from San Diego State University, the Getty Research Institute, and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography recently published a paper in PeerJ entitled: ‘Can we measure beauty? Computational evaluation of coral reef aesthetics.’ “Our results suggest that our perception of aesthetics is well-aligned with healthy, thriving ecosystems,” said Andreas Haas, an SDSU postdoctoral scholar and primary researcher of … Read More
Coral Reef Ecosystems: Human Impacts, Pristine Reefs & Conservation Strategies
Jeffery B. Graham Perspectives on Ocean Science Lecture Series presents Dr. Jenner Smith Check out Dr. Smith’s presentation here! http://www.ucsd.tv/search-details.aspx?showID=28675 Understanding how humans impact marine ecosystems is crucial to developing successful conservation strategies that protect the health of our ocean. Discover how Scripps marine ecologist Jennifer Smith and her team are conducting research relevant to solving human-induced problems in environments … Read More
Envisioning Maui’s Reefs: Photomosaics as a conservation and analysis tool
The Smith and Sandin Labs in the Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation have been using new diver-operated technology to capture hundreds of reef images that will become a 200m² photomosaic. Coral reefs are global hotspots of species diversity and productivity that we value in the billions of dollars annually for fisheries, tourism, recreation, business, and coastal protection yet they … Read More
Dr. Smith Featured in “Career Girls” Video!
Career Girls, Marine Biologist Dr. Smith. Career Girls is an organization dedicated to providing young girls of all income levels and ethnic backgrounds with the academic tools and support they need to achieve their professional aspirations. They do this by providing a “real world” context for a child’s academic studies, specifically through interviews with positive female role models and a … Read More
Coralline Algae: The Unsung Architects of Coral Reefs
Maggie Johnson is a third-year PhD student in the Smith Lab at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. This is a blog she wrote for the Smithsonian Institution’s Ocean Portal describing her recent cruise to the Southern Line Islands, along with other researchers from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego.
2013 Expedition: Journey to the Southern Line Islands
Members of the Smith Lab, along with other collaborators, have begun their one month journey to the Southern Line Islands, a group of uninhabitated islands in the central Pacific, to gather more information on how coral reef ecosystems are altered by human activities.