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Ecology Evolution and Marine Biology

illustration of swimming microbes on dark background
Microbes are responsible for much of carbon sequestration in the ocean

The mystery of the missing deep ocean carbon fixers

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Coconut palms stretch into the distance framed by tropical blue waters.
Photo Credit
PeaceMan via iStock
Coconut palms account for more than one third of forested areas on Fakarava Atoll, French Polynesia, which falls far short of the region’s most heavily impacted atolls.

After decades of plantation agriculture, coconut palms dominate over half of Pacific atoll forests
blue whale tail
Photo Credit
Courtesy Image

Researchers paint a global picture of whale-ship collision risk
dolphin swimming with plastic bag on fin
Photo Credit
Joao Vianna/Getty Images

A new study in Science maps out a comprehensive plan to eliminate plastic pollution by 2050
A close-up view of fluorescent coral.
Photo Credit
Anemone via AdobeStock
Coral underpin ecosystems as vibrant as they are. But these iconic animals face many challenges in the 21st century.

UC Santa Barbara leads $1.3-million research project on coral regeneration
Samantha Mladjov pilots a drone above a beachgoers and dogs.
Photo Credit
Neil Nathan
With an eye in the sky, researchers can track white sharks off the coast.

Scientists use drones to track white sharks along California beaches
UCSB professor Deron Burkepile explores the North shore of Moorea’s fore reef.
Photo Credit
Andrew Thurber
The structural complexity of a healthy coral reef provides habitat for a diversity of lifeforms.

Dead coral skeletons hinder reef regeneration by sheltering seaweed
Left to right: Anna Boser, Naomi Tague, David Valentine, and Leander Anderegg.
Photo Credit
UC Santa Barbara
Left to right: Anna Boser, Naomi Tague, David Valentine, and Leander Anderegg.

UCSB faculty and students among the American Geophysical Union’s 2024 honorees
A shortfin mako encountered off the coast of Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico.
Photo Credit
Neil Ferdinand Nathan
Apex predators like this shortfin make have an outsized influence on their ecosystems. Unfortunately, they’re also the hardest hit by fishing.

Big sharks have a big impact — and a big problem
Yellowtail dascyllus and other tropical fish swim by a cauliflower coral in American Samoa.
Photo Credit
Dam via Adobe Stock
Damselfish like these yellowtail dascyllus have an outsized effect on reefs compared to their humble proportions.

Coral reefs: battlegrounds for survival in a changing climate
kacie ring with blue background young white woman
Photo Credit
Jeff Liang
A Ph.D. student in ecology, evolution and marine biology, Kacie Ring placed second in the UC Grad Slam.

UCSB’s Kacie Ring triumphs at UC Grad Slam, places second, wins people’s choice
A mantis shrimp emerges from its burrow to confront a rival.
Photo Credit
Roy Caldwell
These territorial crustaceans use their tails as shields to defend against the explosive punches of their rivals.

Rolling with the punches: How mantis shrimp defend against high-speed strikes
2024 Goldwater scholars
Clockwise, from left: Matthew Unger, Riya Nilkrant, Xuanwei Liang, Isaac Hair, Anika Jena

Five UC Santa Barbara undergraduates named Goldwater Scholars
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