Biology: Zoology Ecology: Sea Life Paleontology: General
Published

Prehistoric sea monster may have been shorter, stouter, than once believed      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A big fish story? Maybe so: The greatest sea monster of the Devonian Period (Dunkleosteus terrelli) may be getting downsized. A new article contents that the famous sea monster of the Age of Fishes may not have neared 30-feet in length, as long believed, but topped off at maybe 13 feet. The new assertion brings attention to a famously fierce looking armored fish from 360 million years ago -- and maybe a new debate.

Biology: Marine Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Coral-friendly sunscreen provides better UV protection than existing options      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have developed a prototype for coral-reef-friendly sunscreens by using polymerization to create large molecules that still block UV radiation but are too big to penetrate our skin, coral, and algae. The polymeric UV filter was more effective at preventing sunburn in mice than existing sunscreens.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Sea Life
Published

Centuries of whaling data highlight likely climate change effect      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Centuries-old whaling records show how southern right whales are altering their feeding habits.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Nature Ecology: Sea Life
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Blue whale foraging and reproduction are related to environmental conditions, study shows      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study of New Zealand blue whales' vocalizations indicates the whales are present year-round in the South Taranaki Bight and their behavior is influenced by environmental conditions in the region.

Biology: Evolutionary Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds
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Parental investment may have aided evolution of larger brains      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A review of evidence from prior research provides new support for the possibility that the evolution of larger brains in some species was enabled through increased energy investment by parents in their offspring.

Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Biology: Marine Ecology: Animals Ecology: Sea Life
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Mysterious new behavior seen in whales may be recorded in ancient manuscripts      (via sciencedaily.com) 

In 2011, scientists recorded a previously unknown feeding strategy in whales around the world. Now, researchers in Australia think they may have found evidence of this behaviour being described in ancient accounts of sea creatures, recorded more than 2,000 years ago. They believe that misunderstandings of these descriptions contributed to myths about medieval sea monsters. Whales are known lunge at their prey when feeding, but recently whales have been spotted at the surface of the water with their jaws open at right angles, waiting for shoals of fish to swim into their mouths. A clip of this strategy was captured in 2021 and went viral on Instagram. This strategy seems to work for the whales because the fish think they have found a place to shelter from predators, not realising they are swimming into danger. It's not known why this strategy has only recently been identified, but scientists speculate that it's a result of changing environmental conditions -- or that whales are being more closely monitored than ever before by drones and other modern technologies.

Anthropology: General Biology: Evolutionary Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature Ecology: Sea Life Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
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Jurassic shark: Shark from the Jurassic period was already highly evolved      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Cartilaginous fish have changed much more in the course of their evolutionary history than previously believed. Evidence for this thesis has been provided by new fossils of a ray-like shark, Protospinax annectans, which demonstrate that sharks were already highly evolved in the Late Jurassic.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Sea urchin die-offs threaten Caribbean coral reefs      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The sustained loss of a once abundant species of sea urchin in the Caribbean could also result in the functional extinction of diverse coral species from the region's reefs, according to new research.

Biology: Evolutionary Biology: Marine Ecology: Animals Ecology: Nature Ecology: Sea Life Ecology: Trees
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Who are the first ancestors of present-day fish?      (via sciencedaily.com) 

What is the origin of the ancestors of present-day fish? What species evolved from them? A 50-year-old scientific controversy revolved around the question of which group, the 'bony-tongues' or the 'eels', was the oldest. A study has just put an end to the debate by showing through genomic analysis that these fishes are in fact one and the same group, given the rather peculiar name of 'Eloposteoglossocephala'. These results shed new light on the evolutionary history of fish.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Animals Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
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Human-wildlife conflicts rising worldwide with climate change      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists reveal that a warming world is increasing human-wildlife conflicts globally. They show that climate shifts can drive conflicts by altering animal habitats, the timing of events, wildlife behaviors and resource availability. It also showed that people are changing their behaviors and locations in response to climate change in ways that increase conflicts.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Sea Life
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Shrinking age distribution of spawning salmon raises climate resilience concerns      (via sciencedaily.com) 

By returning to spawn in the Sacramento River at different ages, Chinook salmon lessen the potential impact of a bad year and increase the stability of their population in the face of climate variability, according to a new study. Unfortunately, spawning Chinook salmon are increasingly younger and concentrated within fewer age groups, with the oldest age classes of spawners rarely seen in recent years. The new findings suggest changes in hatchery practices and fishery management could help restore the age structure of the salmon population and make it more resilient to climate change.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Oceanography
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Marine heatwaves decimate sea urchins, molluscs and more at Rottnest      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers believe rising sea temperatures are to blame for the plummeting number of invertebrates such as molluscs and sea urchins at Rottnest Island off Western Australia, with some species having declined by up to 90 per cent between 2007 and 2021.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

'Antisocial' damselfish are scaring off cleaner-fish customers -- and this could contribute to coral reef breakdown      (via sciencedaily.com) 

'Antisocial' damselfish are scaring off cleaner fish customers -- and this could contribute to coral reef breakdown. Damselfish have been discovered to disrupt 'cleaning services' vital to the health of reefs. And climate change may mean this is only likely to get worse.

Biology: Evolutionary Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Biodiversity Geoscience: Environmental Issues
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A labyrinth lake provides surprising benefits for an endangered seal      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The endangered Saimaa ringed seal is an Ice Age relict living in the highly labyrinthine Lake Saimaa, Finland. The newly published work shows that although individual seals have greatly reduced genetic variation, the loss of variation has been complementary, preserving the adaptive potential of the whole population.

Biology: Botany Ecology: Animals Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Research Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Urban ponds require attention to ensure biodiversity      (via sciencedaily.com) 

New research suggests aquatic plants can be utilized as a tool to enhance the co-existence between aquatic invertebrates and their fish predators in urban ponds.

Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Sea Life
Published

3D printing with bacteria-loaded ink produces bone-like composites      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have published a method for 3D-printing an ink that contains calcium carbonate-producing bacteria. The 3D-printed mineralized bio-composite is unprecedentedly strong, light, and environmentally friendly, with a range of applications from art to biomedicine.

Biology: Developmental Biology: Evolutionary Biology: Marine Biology: Molecular Ecology: Sea Life
Published

Single gene causes sea anemone's stinging cell to lose its sting      (via sciencedaily.com) 

When scientists disabled a single regulatory gene in a species of sea anemone, a stinging cell that shoots a venomous miniature harpoon for hunting and self-defense shifted to shoot a sticky thread that entangles prey instead, according to a new study.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Sea stars able to consume kelp-eating urchins fast enough to protect kelp forests, research shows      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have provided the first experimental evidence that a species of endangered sea star protects kelp forests along North America's Pacific Coast by preying on substantial numbers of kelp-eating urchins.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

As sea ice declines in the Arctic, bowhead whales are adjusting their migration patterns      (via sciencedaily.com) 

As sea ice declines in the Arctic, bowhead whales are staying north of the Bering Strait more frequently, a shift that could affect the long-term health of the bowhead population and impact the Indigenous communities that rely on the whales, a new study shows.