Venoms are complex chemical cocktails designed to be actively injected into another organism and wreak cellular havoc (not to be confused with poisons, which need to be ingested). Venoms have a rich evolutionary history, with each independently evolved lineage accumulating new duplicate genes that can then mutate and alter existing proteins to produce an extraordinarily … Continue reading
As you likely know from yesterday’s post “Life After Graduate School,” Serena Hackerott graduated with her MS last semester, to the mingled horror and happiness of the UNdertheC blog team. Serena’s contributions to the blog cannot be overstated, as our corner of the internet might never have existed without her. Serena and Justin co-founded the … Continue reading
Since lionfish invaded the Caribbean and Atlantic, there have been programs promoting the consumption of lionfish in an effort to control them. There have been lionfish cookouts following lionfish derbies, restaurants serving lionfish, and even fishermen selling and exporting lionfish filets. But in 2012, Florida Sea Grant and the FDA found detectable levels of ciguatera … Continue reading
Happy Film Friday! Some of the other UNdertheC bloggers and I have been taking a science communication class at UNC this semester. For our final project, we had to explain our research topics using a form of communication that was new to us. For my project, I chose to make a YouTube video explaining the … Continue reading
Or in other words, do lionfish have ninja skills? Lionfish have been called the “Pirates of the Caribbean,” but “Ninjas of the Caribbean” might be a better nickname. Lionfish are predatory fish, native to the Indian and Pacific regions, that have invaded the Atlantic and Caribbean. See our previous posts about lionfish (Photo Friday, Marine … Continue reading
“Training” wild sharks to eat lionfish might sound like a good idea. But what happens if they are actually being “trained” to attack divers? Since the lionfish invasion hit the news, people have suggested that native predators will eat and control invasive lionfish. For more information check out our previous posts The Great Debate: Predators … Continue reading
The following is a guest post from Aubrey Germ, an undergraduate student from John Bruno’s Fall 2013 Marine Ecology class at UNC-CH. By Aubrey Germ, senior undergraduate Environmental Health Science Major, Marine Sciences Minor Contributing information from Tracy Allen, Dive Master with ReefCI I watched helplessly as a giant wave crashed over the bow of … Continue reading
There has been a recent debate in the scientific literature about the effect of predators on invasive lionfish. Are Caribbean predators controlling the lionfish invasion? Two studies seem to have conflicting results. Is someone “lyin’” about lionfish? See previous post, The Great Debate: Predators vs Lionfish, for background on the lionfish invasion and more info on the … Continue reading
There has been a recent debate in the scientific literature about the effect of predators on invasive lionfish. Are Caribbean predators controlling the lionfish invasion? Two studies seem to have conflicting results: Also, stay tuned to find out if someone is “lyin’” about lionfish! Background: See previous posts about lionfish featured in Marine Monster Mash and Photography Friday. … Continue reading
Lionfish are beautiful fish, but they are invasive in Atlantic and Caribbean waters. They are harming invaded ecosystems by eating too many juvenile fish which leads to smaller adult fish populations, less food for native predators, and changes in important ecosystem processes upon which both marine animals and humans depend. So what can we do about … Continue reading
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