Aloha! Our lab just got back from our annual field work trip to Maui, and we have a lot to report! We’ve been visiting Maui for over a decade to monitor coral reefs along the island’s leeward (sheltered from the wind) coast. We return to the same sites year after year and take thousands of pictures of each reef. When … Read More
SOAR Spring 2020 Report: Red Tide Edition
If you’re a resident of Southern California (and maybe even if you’re not) you likely heard about the recent red tide bloom (and subsequent smelly fish and invertebrate die-offs) that saturated the coastline of Southern California. Here at Scripps Oceanography, it was the main topic of conversation to break the monotony of COVID-19 information and pandemic updates. For those of us … 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
Adventures in Chagos
By Samantha Clements. This year, during the months of March and April, I conducted coral reef benthic surveys for the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation (KSLOF) in Chagos. Chagos is the largest archipelago in the world and lies within the British Indian Ocean Territory. The islands of the archipelago are very far from any continents and have been uninhabited … Read More
The Faces and Functions of Algae on the Reef
By Samantha Clements Algae, often referred to as “seaweed,” are underwater “plants” that, unlike land plants, lack a vascular system. Algae live underwater and obtain water, nutrients, and sunlight directly from the environment. Because algae don’t need a vascular system, they come in many shapes and sizes and may look very different from land plants. Some algae, such as Ventricaria … Read More
Smith Lab is in Full Swing for Summer
Master’s student Samantha Clements summarizes the ongoing summer activities of the Smith Lab. From research travels around the world to data processing right here at home, there’s no such thing as summer break from science… and it’s awesome!
2013 UCSD Student Research Showcase
Master’s students Susan Kram, Clinton Edwards, & Samantha Clements will be presenting posters11 at UCSD’s 5th annual Division of Biological Sciences’ Research Showcase 2013. The event is on June 5th from 4-7:15pm in Price Center: Ballroom A/B.
Field Research: Earning My Fins
Meet Samantha Clements! Sam is one of the newest members of the Smith Lab and she’s adjusted swimmingly from undergraduate researcher to Master’s student in the course of the summer. Check out her blog post and see how she’s enjoying the transition.