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Animals that can thrive on floating trash. A possible origin story for toxic mercury in our food web. The true power of protected areas, and the secret to a successful forest. This past year had its fair share of jaw-dropping moments for the scientists at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC). Here are eight of our favorite discoveries from 2023—from the hopeful and inspiring to the utterly bizarre.
Plastic debris with a mix of coastal barnacles (pink and striped) and a gooseneck barnacle from the open ocean. (Credit: SERC Marine Invasions Lab)
Coastal creatures are flourishing in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Floating plastic pollution is creating a new habitat in the open ocean, one where coastal animals can prosper. In a new study, ecologists analyzed 105 pieces of debris from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. They found hundreds of marine invertebrates, belonging to 37 groups which they once thought could survive only on the coasts. The discovery heralds a new era fighting invasive species, when animals can cross entire oceans on plastic rafts. It’s also a shakeup for once-stable ecosystems on the high seas: The newcomers are grabbing space from ocean-open animals and occasionally even eating them.
Theler Wetlands Nature Preserve, a tidal marsh in Washington State. (Credit: Joe Mabel, cropped. Creative Commons License)
In an era of climate change and global warming, the United States must look to an unlikely savior for reducing greenhouse gas emissions: coastal wetlands.
Wetlands, otherwise known as salt marshes or tidal swamps, have achieved celebrity status for their ability to store large amounts of carbon. Unfortunately, man-made structures like bridges and dams have triggered many wetlands to emit carbon in the form of methane, an even more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Luckily, a recent study indicates that some coastal wetlands could slash their methane emissions dramatically–up to the equivalent of 1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide–if they’re restored to their most natural, environmentally friendly state.
“Plant it and forget it for 10 years. Nothing interesting happens in young forests.”
John Parker remembers hearing that advice from a colleague who worked in tropical forests. It was the summer of 2012. Parker, a senior scientist at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC), was on the verge of planting 20,000 tree saplings on the center’s campus. Once planted, his team would watch a new forest grow from scratch. He hoped the project would continue for at least a century.
“I was pretty worried,” Parker said. The early years were especially rough, as his lab worked to win small grants and recruit interns to help keep it going. “We didn’t forget it,” he said. “We kept the experiment running and collected data. But it was somewhat piecemeal without a big grant to hold it all together.”
Just over a decade later, the 60-acre experiment—BiodiversiTREE—is a thriving mosaic of sycamores, elms, tulip poplars and 13 other tree species. It’s attracted scientists from around the world. Some are former SERC postdocs returning with their students. Others are new collaborators.
Parker now sees the project as a model of “if you build it, they will come.” But building it was tough.
Anna Pedersen’s painting of the organisms in Chesapeake oyster reefs. The species change from more freshwater species on the left to more saltwater species on the right. (Credit: Anna Pedersen/SERC)
Though the Smithsonian is home to both mind-bending art and groundbreaking science, these disciplines all too often appear as opposites. The myth of “analytical, left-brained” scientists and “creative, right-brained” artists creates a false dichotomy. However, art is an increasingly important way to communicate complex scientific ideas.
This spring, the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) sponsored its first science illustration internship and experienced the power of bridging the gap between art and science. Anna Pedersen joined SERC for an 11-week internship, thanks to generous funding from the Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation. Her intern project centered on creating a beautiful and original painting that helps communicate SERC science.
Kelvin Acebron in Barro Colorado Island in Panama. He is collecting data on leaf gas-exchange to measure CO2 uptake at the leaf level. (Photo: Vicente Vasquez/Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute)
We may think we’re familiar with photosynthesis—the textbook recipe plants use to make food from light, water and carbon dioxide (CO2). But measuring it, particularly in natural settings, requires factoring in complex variables. Kelvin Acebron is a postdoc in the Quantitative Ecology Lab at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. He’s spent the last decade measuring photosynthesis and studying its regulation in the field. In this Q&A, Kelvin discusses photosynthesis in agriculture and in plants’ natural habitats (like tropical forests). He also shares what he’s learned in his global scientific journey. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Left: Maria Alejandra Ceballos uses a sun photometer during her 1993 internship at SERC. Right: Thirty years later, Ceballos uses the Calitoo photometer, an updated version of the same device. (Credit: Jenny Jones and Pat Neale)
Though currently a volunteer with the Chesapeake Water Watch project, this is not Maria Alejandra Ceballos’ first rodeo at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC). Thirty years ago, Ceballos spent her summer interning at SERC’s Photobiology and Solar Radiation Lab with Pat Neale. Since then, she has made a career studying water quality and ecology, combining her passion for the outdoors with scientific pursuits.
Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii). Though invasive, this plant has garnered less media attention than other invasive plants, possibly because of its popularity in home gardens. (Credit: Hladac. Creative Commons License)
When it comes to media coverage, not all invasive species get equal treatment. A new study found that out of 209 invasive plant species in the United States, half the media coverage over the past decade centered around just 10 species. Additionally, 80% of media coverage focused on only the top 25 invasive species.
A small-scale fisher throws a net over Rock Cay in Utila, Honduras. (Credit: Luciano Candisani)
Protecting the ocean and providing livelihoods and food security do not have to be mutually exclusive. A new study, led by the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC), shows that limiting human activity in parts of the ocean can bolster fish populations and the well-being of people living nearby.
Tank Team member Mary Edwards (Credit: Karen McDonald)
Beaks and fins and claws, oh my!
Volunteers are central to most of the work that happens at the Reed Education Center, and caring for the animals in all of the fish tanks is no exception. Recently, we’ve added a brand new group of volunteers to help us care for our aquaria and ambassador animals. We call them our “Tank Team.”
The Tank Team volunteers chop food, weigh terrapins, scrub tanks and rinse filters every week. And the animals have been loving it! Having the volunteers take on these tasks allows the education staff to devote more of their time to developing and running programs for students and teachers, and it ensures that we are able to provide visitors with a beneath-the-surface view of what lives right off of the SERC dock.
Dr. Cindy Gilmour conducting mesocosm-based mercury research in Florida. (Credit: SERC)
Dr. Cindy Gilmour recently retired from SERC after 18 years serving as the principal investigator of SERC’s Microbial Ecology Lab. Prior to coming to SERC, Cindy was a researcher at the Academy of Natural Sciences Estuarine Research Center.Below, she shares some of the discoveries and environmental victories she has seen over her four-decade career.
