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PHOTO Lonely Seagrass in Acidic Waters Closest to the seeps, where the pH is lowest and the water is most acidic, corals no longer grow. Instead there are sand, rubble and seagrasses that are able to survive. Read more about how...MORE PHOTOS


	VIDEO MORE VIDEOS Sea Lion Sickness Both humans and sea lions get sick from eating fish and shellfish that have been...
	PHOTO MORE PHOTOS CO2 Marsh Study How do plants respond to rising CO2 levels? To find out, plant physiologist Bert...
	PHOTO MORE PHOTOS Kelp off the California Coast Giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) is large, brown algae that grows in dense fore...

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					Dancing Bulb May 7, 2013 - 9:45AMThis beautiful bromeliad, also called an air plant because it gets its nutrients and water from the air, is a flowering plant in the pineapple family. All of them are epiphytes, meaning they get their support from and grow on...

Killer Algae (Caulerpa taxifolia)

Feb 20, 2013 - 10:16AM

A strain of this green seaweed, native to the Indian and Pacific Oceans,...

Floating Sargassum Seaweed

Feb 5, 2013 - 11:08AM

Sargassum fluitans, a.k.a. “Gulfweed,” forms dense clumps up to the size of...

SPOTLIGHT


Scientists Work to Predict and Prevent Algae Blooms Algae, like all organisms, normally grow in balance with their ecosystems, limited by the amount of nutrients in the water....

CO2 Marsh Study Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am How do plants respond to rising CO2 levels? To find out, plant physiologist Bert Drake at SERC exposed marsh plants near the Chesapeake Bay to CO2 levels expected in 50 and 100 years. Different species and ecosystems respond differently—leaving uncertainty about the ability of plants to act as...	Phragmites australis, seeds Mar 31 2011 - 5:29pm The invasive reed Phragmites australis can create new plants through seeds (shown here) or underground rhizomes. Scientists at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center have discovered that seeds are the primary method the plants have used to invade Chesapeake Bay wetlands.
Red Tide Sep 6 2012 - 11:05am In the ocean, microscopic forms of algae, known as dinoflagellates, can "bloom" into dense patches near the surface, often referred to as "red tides." Some of these harmful algal blooms (HABs) are dangerous, producing toxins that can kill marine organisms, taint shellfish, cause skin irritations,...	A World Adrift: Life in the Sargassum May 18 2012 - 4:43pm Smithsonian Marine Science Network Postdoctoral Fellow, Seabird McKeon, returns from the Smithsonian field site in Belize. Together with Dan Barshis of Stanford University, Seabird reports on the seemingly invisible inhabitants of drifting sargassum seaweeds. As with many parts of the ocean, a ball...
Shrimp hides in the sargassum May 21 2012 - 4:06pm One of the most common inhabitants of the sargassum community, the shrimp Latreutes fucorum (Hippolytidae) is perfectly colored to hide on the leaf-like blades.	Floating Sargassum Seaweed Feb 5 2013 - 11:08am Sargassum fluitans, a.k.a. “Gulfweed,” forms dense clumps up to the size of a beach ball that slowly rotate as they drift. The fronds are quite dense, but if you look carefully, sometimes you can see hints of the rich community that hides in the floating sargassum.
Phragmites australis Mar 31 2011 - 3:53pm An invasive strain of the plant Phragmites australis dominates this Chesapeake Bay wetland. The plant can easily grow up to 3 meters (9.8 feet) tall and alter coastal ecosystems. Scientists at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center are trying to figure out the biological mechanisms driving...	Scientists Work to Predict and Prevent Algae Blooms Jul 5 2011 - 6:20pm Algae, like all organisms, normally grow in balance with their ecosystems, limited by the amount of nutrients in the water. But sometimes, certain species of algae reproduce so rapidly that they cause damage. In the ocean, microscopic forms of algae can "bloom" into dense patches near the surface,...
Coral Goby Cleans Coral Nov 9 2012 - 4:44pm One of the first signs of a sick coral reef is seaweed creeping across the corals, stealing their precious sunny real estate. Healthy corals, however, aren't completely hopeless: in some reefs, small fishes, such as this broad-barred goby (Gobiodon histrio), help eat the seaweeds away....	Sea Lion Sickness Jan 14 2011 - 11:36am Both humans and sea lions get sick from eating fish and shellfish that have been feeding on harmful toxic algae. Studying the sick sea lions brings scientists closer to understanding and preventing harmful and potentially lethal diseases in humans. Explore other videos that capture the beauty and...
Sea Grapes: A Google Earth Tour Dec 16 2011 - 11:16am “Sea grapes” may sound like something Poseidon would snack on, and not a killer algae. Yet Caulerpa racemosa var. cylindracea poses a serious threat to marine life. Spread by the bilge water of boats, this fast-growing alga is quick to take root, squeezing out native species.	Killer Algae (Caulerpa taxifolia) Feb 20 2013 - 10:16am A strain of this green seaweed, native to the Indian and Pacific Oceans, escaped public and private aquariums in California, Japan, Australia, and Monaco. It has spread widely in the Mediterranean, replacing native plants and depriving marine life of food and habitat.
More Australian Plants Jul 9 2010 - 12:17pm As Dampier studied the plants he encountered in Australia, he wrote that they were “for the most part unlike any I had seen elsewhere.” In fact, nearly all the plants Dampier observed were entirely unknown to botanists at that time.	Seagrass and Seagrass Beds Feb 27 2013 - 9:38pm Around 100 million years ago, grass from land adapted to live and reproduce while submerged in seawater—the modern-day seagrasses. This sea invasion by land plants happened four separate times, resulting in four unrelated families of 50-60 total seagrass species, which can be found on the coast of...
Will Coral Reefs Survive Acidification? Aug 2 2012 - 3:34pm Nestled among the beautiful coral reefs of Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a place that could provide the key to our understanding of one of the biggest threats to coral reef survival: Ocean Acidification. Here cool carbon dioxide naturally bubbles out of volcanic cracks in the shallow sea floor and...	Kelp off the California Coast Aug 31 2012 - 4:40pm Giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) is large, brown algae that grows in dense forests along coasts around the world. Their long stalks anchor each plant to the seafloor, and they grow meters high like giant trees towards the surface. Kelp forest ecosystems are home to a variety of animals, including...