Testing the Waters: Coral Nurseries and Climate Change
What makes (or breaks) a coral’s ability to survive rising sea temperatures? It’s a puzzling predicament, and scientists are hoping coral nurseries can help crack the code. To test the waters, they grow brown rice coral and blue rice coral in various temperatures and conditions, then reintroduce fragments into the ocean. Suspended from a “tree” above the sea floor, these corals are teaching Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute scientist Mike Henley whether corals grown in warmer waters fare better than their cold-water counterparts.
Connecting with Coyotes on the Prowl
In Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, eastern coyotes join the ranks of top predators, along with black bears and foxes. Still, these clever canines face threats in their native habitat. Their daily migrations take them over roads and private lands, where the likelihood of human-animal conflict is high. Using GPS collars, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute scientists, led by biologist Joe Guthrie, are about to embark on a study to piece together the movements of coyotes on the prowl.