Smithsonian researchers study the ocean and freshwater ecosystems around the world. Using collections, SCUBA, submersibles, and more we ask questions about marine biodiversity, coastal ecosystems, ...

By reducing the acidity of surrounding waters, seagrass ecosystems help protect animals with shells or external skeletons. In the sunlit surface layer of oceans Like land plants and seagrasses ...

The sudden disappearance of great white sharks from South Africa’s False Bay is causing major changes in the ocean ecosystem, ...

Overfishing puts the whole ocean ecosystem out of balance ... and here in the Museum we have collections of fossil animals and plants that date back millions of years, so we can see how they responded ...

All organisms in an ecosystem depend on each other ... Learn how sampling is used to find out about animals and plants. Pyramids of number and biomass Pyramids of numbers and biomass are different ...

Ecology also provides information about the benefits of ecosystems and how we can use Earth ... study microbes living in the soil under your feet or animals and plants in a rain forest or the ocean.

Imagine a world of darkness, where sunlight never reaches and the pressure is crushing—yet in this abyss, life flourishes in ...

Marine heatwaves can devastate our oceans. Is there a way to prevent them? What are marine heatwaves and why are they so ...

but by these migrating animals. It’s super-cool and changes how we think about ecosystems in the ocean.” Seabirds are known to fertilize islands with nitrogen-rich guano, boosting plant growth.