Marine Biology News
Courtesy of Science Daily

Paleontologists find extinction rates higher in open-ocean settings during mass extinctions Researchers have uncovered a strikingly pattern for ancient mass extinctions: extinctions rates during mass extinctions were significantly higher in open-ocean-facing settings than in epicontinental seas, indicating that open-ocean settings were more susceptible to the mass-extinction-causing agents. Publ.Date : Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST Is 80-year-old mistake leading to first species to be fished to extinction? A species of common skate is to become the first marine fish species to be driven to extinction by commercial fishing, due to an error of species classification 80 years ago. Publ.Date : Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST Evolution of highly toxic box jellyfish unraveled With thousands of stinging cells that can emit deadly venom from tentacles that can reach ten feet in length, the 50 or so species of box jellyfish have long been of interest to scientists and to the public. Yet little has been known about the evolution of this early branch in the animal tree of life. Researchers have now unraveled the evolutionary relationships among the various species of box jellyfish, thereby providing insight into the evolution of their toxicity. Publ.Date : Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST Sea stars bulk up to beat the heat A new study finds that a species of sea star stays cool using a strategy never before seen in the animal kingdom. The sea stars soak up cold sea water into their bodies during high tide as buffer against potentially damaging temperatures brought about by direct sunlight at low tide. Publ.Date : Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST Penguins and sea lions help produce new atlas Recording hundreds of thousands of individual uplinks from satellite transmitters fitted on penguins, albatrosses, sea lions, and other marine animals, the Wildlife Conservation Society and BirdLife International have released the first-ever atlas of the Patagonian Sea -- a globally important but poorly understood South American marine ecosystem. Publ.Date : Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST Sponges Recycle Carbon To Give Life To Coral Reefs Coral reefs live in some of the most nutrient deficient waters on the planet, so how do they survive? Marine biologists have discovered that certain sponges could be the key to reef survival. They recycle dissolved organic carbon that is unavailable to other reef residents. Publ.Date : Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST Bizarre lives of bone-eating worms It sounds like a classic horror story -- eyeless, mouthless worms lurk in the dark, settling onto dead animals and sending out green "roots" to devour their bones. In fact, such worms do exist in the deep sea. They were first discovered in 2002 by researchers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, who were using a robot submarine to explore Monterey Canyon. But that wasn't the end of the story. After "planting" several dead whales on the seafloor, a team of biologists recently announced that as many as 15 different species of boneworms may live in Monterey Bay alone. Publ.Date : Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST Earth's Early Ocean Cooled More Than A Billion Years Earlier Than Thought The global ocean covering the Earth 3.4 billion years ago was far cooler than has been thought, according to researchers who analyzed isotope ratios in rocks formed on that ancient ocean floor. Instead of a hot primordial soup, much more tepid temperatures prevailed. Cooler temperatures may have had effects on the evolution of the early atmosphere and could have opened the door to an earlier spread of photosynthetic life forms across the planet. Publ.Date : Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST Researchers Identify What Makes Deadly Algae More Toxic Researchers have identified a key component that increases the toxicity of golden algae which kills millions of fish in the southern U.S. every year. Publ.Date : Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST Anchovy Parasite Hazard Varies Depending On Origin Of Fish, Study Finds Researchers in Spain have confirmed a higher presence of the parasite Anisakis in anchovies of the Atlantic South East coast and the Mediterranean North West coast, and they insist on freezing or cooking fish before consuming it. Publ.Date : Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST Antarctica glacier retreat creates new carbon dioxide store; has beneficial impact on climate change Large blooms of tiny marine plants called phytoplankton are flourishing in areas of open water left exposed by the recent and rapid melting of ice shelves and glaciers around the Antarctic Peninsula. This remarkable colonization is having a beneficial impact on climate change. As the blooms die back phytoplankton sinks to the sea-bed where it can store carbon for thousands or millions of years. Publ.Date : Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST California's Ancient Kelp Forest The kelp forests off southern California are considered to be some of the most diverse and productive ecosystems on the planet, yet a new study indicates that today's kelp beds are less extensive and lush than those in the recent past. Publ.Date : Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST Why Do Animals, Especially Males, Have So Many Different Colors? Why do so many animal species -- including fish, birds and insects -- display such rich diversity in coloration and other traits? New research offers an answer. Publ.Date : Mon, 09 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST Seafloor Fossils Provide Clues To Climate Change Deep under the sea, a fossil the size of a sand grain is nestled among a billion of its closest dead relatives. Known as foraminifera, these complex little shells of calcium carbonate can tell you the sea level, temperature, and ocean conditions of Earth millions of years ago. That is, if you know what to look for. Publ.Date : Sun, 08 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST Boosting Coastal Economics With Crustacean Molting On Demand Researchers are close to unraveling intricate cellular pathways that control molting in blue crabs. The discoveries could revolutionize the soft-shell crab industry, generating new jobs and additional profits for the US fishing industry along the coastal Southeast. Publ.Date : Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST Creating Cultured Pearls From The Queen Conch: Scientists Unlock Mystery In their natural form, conch pearls are among the rarest pearls in the world. For more than 25 years, all attempts at culturing pearls from the queen conch have been unsuccessful -- until now. For the first time, novel and proprietary seeding techniques to produce beaded and non-beaded high-quality cultured pearls from the queen conch have been developed by scientists. Publ.Date : Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST Coral Reefs Inspire Rare Consensus -- Just Save Them One of the first set of studies to examine what tourists and recreation enthusiasts actually think about coral reef ecosystems suggests they are a rare exception to controversies over human use versus environmental conservation -- their stunning beauty is so extraordinary that almost everyone wants them protected in perpetuity. Publ.Date : Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST Calm Before The Spawn: Climate Change And Coral Spawning Biologists have explained why corals spawn for just a few nights in some places but elsewhere string out their love life over many months. A new study shows that corals spawn when regional wind fields are light. When it is calm, the eggs and sperm have the chance to unite before they are dispersed. Publ.Date : Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST North Atlantic Fish Populations Shifting As Ocean Temperatures Warm About half of 36 fish stocks in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean, many of them commercially valuable species, have been shifting northward over the last four decades, with some stocks nearly disappearing from US waters as they move farther offshore, according to a new study. Publ.Date : Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST Tags Reveal White Sharks Have Neighborhoods In The North Pacific A tracking study of white sharks in the northeastern Pacific Ocean shows they adhere to a rigid route of migration across the sea, returning to precisely the same spot along the California coast each time they come back, according to a team of researchers. Over time, this behavior has made the population in the northeastern Pacific genetically distinct from other white shark populations. Publ.Date : Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST Deep-sea Ecosystems Affected By Climate Change Deep-sea ecosystems occupying 60 percent of the Earth's surface could be vulnerable to the effects of global warming, warn scientists. Publ.Date : Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST Data Point To Some Improvements In China's Environment A recent assessment finds some positive trends among indicators of biodiversity loss in China -- notably, growth in forest coverage and improvements in marine ecosystems. However, other indicators, such as the rate of discovery of invasive species, are worsening. Many animals are under growing threat. Publ.Date : Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST SMOS Satellite Successfully Launched: First-ever Satellite To Attempt To Measure Ocean Salinity From Space A rocket carrying the European Space Agency's Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity satellite blasted off successfully today. SMOS is the first-ever satellite to attempt to measure ocean salinity from space. It will provide global maps of soil moisture over land and surface salinity over the ocean. Publ.Date : Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST Robot Fish Could Monitor Water Quality Nature inspires technology as an engineer and an ecologist have teamed to develop robots that use advanced materials to swim like fish to probe underwater environments. Robotic fish -- perhaps schools of them operating autonomously for months -- could give researchers far more precise data on aquatic conditions, deepening our knowledge of critical water supplies and habitats. Publ.Date : Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST