by the SERC Marine Invasions Lab and the Charles Darwin Foundation

The Marine Invasions Research Laboratory of the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) in the United States and the Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF) of the Galápagos, Ecuador are pleased to announce the launch of the Galápagos Non-Native Estuarine and Marine Organisms database portal (GalNEMO).

Though long treasured as a refuge for biodiversity—and its critical role in Darwin’s theory of evolution—the Galápagos is not immune to invasion. In fact, more than 50 nonnative species have already found their way to the Galápagos Islands, SERC and CDF reported in 2019—more than 10 times the number scientists previously thought.

by Nathaniel Humpal

Many people know that invasive species can harm local ecosystems. But one of the keys to their success—how quickly they can enter a new environment—remains shrouded in mystery. The Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) zeroed in on this issue in a new paper, highlighting the dangers of ignoring the potential of invasive species’ reproductivity.

Published in the December issue of Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, the new paper focused on invasive marine invertebrates that gather on ships’ hulls. These invertebrates go by the name biofoulers. They build up on hulls, and can remain there for a long time, until they reach an area ideal for reproduction.

“We focus on marine invertebrates in the paper because they’re a group that’s especially likely to rely on spawning to be introduced, because they don’t move for most of their lives!” said Sarah Donelan, a researcher at SERC’s Marine Invasions Lab and lead author of the paper. Since biofoulers can stay on hulls throughout the ships’ journeys, ships can introduce them to multiple new areas. Sooner or later, they’ll reach an area ideal for them to reproduce and invade the local ecosystem.

by Jaylene Lopez

In late summer 2022, San Francisco Bay experienced an unprecedented toxic algal bloom that caused a red tide across the bay, leading to the largest fish kill in years. Experts are still trying to figure out its cause.

by Jaylene Lopez

In this Q&A, Genevieve Noyce unveils her new lab, the Global Change Ecology Lab, at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC). Her previous work in global change led her to take this position as Principal Investigator. She is also a coprincipal investigator at the center’s Global Change Research Wetland, or GCREW, which predicts the effects of climate change on coastal wetlands by fast-forwarding to the year 2100. At her current projects, SMARTX and GENX, she studies the effects of warming and CO₂ on wetlands, to simulate how climate change will alter Earth’s soils. Her new lab will continue to explore how global change is affecting our ecosystems.

Below is a transcript of our conversation, edited for clarity and brevity

by Jaylene Lopez

You may have heard of invasive species like mitten crabs, emerald ash borers and zebra mussels that wreak havoc on the ecosystems they enter. But have you ever considered the invasive species that are invisible to the naked eye?  

“There’s been a lot of research on the transport of larger organisms and the role of shipping,” said Katrina Lohan, head of the Coastal Disease Ecology Lab at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center and a coauthor of a recent paper about invasive parasites. “My interest in it, though, was thinking about how these organisms that are larger, that we can see, are also potentially transporting, transmitting or dispersing organisms that are smaller, that we can’t see.”  

by Kristen Goodhue

This July, Woodlawn House—the oldest building in the Smithsonian still in its original spot—opened to the public for the first time. Built in 1735 by the Sellman family, it’s now received a new name: the Woodlawn History Center. Visitors can walk through the first floor, encounter centuries-old artifacts and learn about the lives of enslaved and free people who lived on the land. For this feature, we collected a few stories from the exhibit and the people who helped create it.

The Woodlawn History Center is open for free to visitors on select dates (see the Woodlawn History Center visitors page for current dates). It’s located just past the brick security kiosk when visitors first enter the SERC campus.

Dennis Simms: The Enslaved Testifier

Born in 1841, Dennis Simms worked as an enslaved laborer on the Java Farm, a plantation next to Woodlawn run by the Contee family. There are no photographs or illustrations of him. Other than the color of his skin, we have no idea what he looked like. But in 1937 he left a detailed oral history of slavery at Java. Below are a few excerpts.

“We lived in rudely constructed log houses, one story in height, with huge stone chimneys, and slept on beds of straw.”

by Nathaniel Humpal

Before the pandemic, widespread illegal poaching already had negative impacts on local, state and nationwide systems, from the food system to the economy. A new paper, which compiles reports from over five years in a marine protected area (MPA) off the east coast of Brazil, notes how rates of illegal poaching in this MPA have doubled during the pandemic, and how protection of this area has struggled to keep up.

Despite organizations’ attempts to prevent and punish illegal poaching, it seems to remain the rule rather than the exception, especially in MPAs. As of this article’s publication, less than 10% of the world’s MPAs have successfully reduced illegal poaching. The percentage will likely decline further, due to the pandemic reducing tourism. This reduction means less money to support the MPAs and the staff needed to monitor and enforce restrictions.

Past Migration, Pleistocene Ice Ages Still Impact Size and Structure of Modern Eelgrass Communities

by Kristen Goodhue

Deep evolution casts a longer shadow than previously thought, scientists report in a new paper published Aug. 1 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Smithsonian scientists and colleagues looked at eelgrass communities—the foundation of many coastal marine food webs along the north Atlantic and Pacific coasts—and discovered their ancient genetic history can play a stronger role than the present-day environment in determining their size, structure and who lives in them. And this could have implications for how well eelgrasses adapt to threats like climate change.

About a half-million years ago, when the world was warmer, some eelgrasses made the difficult journey from their homes in the Pacific to the Atlantic. Not all the plants were hardy enough to make the journey across the Arctic. For those that succeeded, a series of ice ages during the Pleistocene Epoch further affected how far they could spread. Those millennia-old struggles left lasting signatures in their DNA. Even today, eelgrass populations in the Atlantic are far less genetically diverse than those in the Pacific. 

Still, in the classic “nature versus nurture” debate, scientists were stunned to discover that genetic legacy sometimes does more to shape modern eelgrass communities than the current environment.

The Smithsonian’s Oldest Building Opens to Visitors for the First Time

by Kristen Goodhue

This summer, a new history exhibit opens in the brick house at the entrance of the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC): the Woodlawn History Center. Built in 1735, Woodlawn is the oldest Smithsonian building still in its original location. Visitors will hear stories from generations who lived and worked on the land, and see how their lives wove into the American tapestry.

For nearly two centuries, Woodlawn served as the plantation home of the Sellman family. Coming to America in indentured servitude, the Sellmans left a double-sided legacy as soldiers, innovators and slaveowners. Their descendants, who spread across the country, fought on both sides of the Civil War.