Smithsonian Institution Coral Reef Research

Through the Caribbean Coral Reef Ecosystems program in Belize and the Smithsonian Marine Station in Florida we are involved in systematic studies of marine organisms. STRI coral reef studies have revealed that marine tropical environments contain 4-5 times more species on average than has been generally realized and that the diversity of Caribbean reefs is an order of magnitude greater than previously assumed. SERC scientists are investigating the biocomplexity of mangroves, systems that are integrally linked to coral reefs. Perhaps the most dramatic revelation of long-term major reef changes was the 95% demise of the long-spined sea urchin (Diadema) population throughout the western Atlantic. The sea urchin saga demonstrates how even extraordinarily abundant organisms are potentially vulnerable to rapid elimination by diseases that combine the lethality of Ebola with the contagion of the common cold. Mass spawning events, in which hundreds of organisms release eggs and sperm simultaneously, have been documented in Panamanian corals. Many green seaweeds also spawn in synchrony just before sunrise. The Smithsonian seeks to guide the conservation and management of coral reef resources by making research results available through the scientific literature, by sharing information gained from documentation of its millions of collections, and by active collaborative work with conservation organizations and other government agencies.