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Lab notebook: the great hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran)
Peer into my lab notebook as I analyse a shark specimen and report on my findings
An introduction to the thresher shark
The notorious tail of threshers makes it a standout sharks species. Unfortunately, on my quest to learn more, I unearthed some shocking bycatch numbers from the New Zealand deepwater fishery…
Estuaries: how habitats and food webs create transitional estuarine ecosystems of high productivity
What do estuaries have to do with the ocean? Turns out: a lot.
The species-area relationship and Bergmann’s rule: attempts to explain global patterns in biodiversity
Who doesn’t love tearing apart a couple of dusty, ecological rules to see just how grounded they are?
The three carbon pumps of the ocean: biological, carbonate, and physical
Learn about how three pumps in the ocean work to cycle carbon around the seafloor, the Earth’s interior, and the atmosphere.
The effect of ocean acidification on calcareous phytoplankton due to human-induced climate change
An increase in global temperature occurs alongside a decrease of oceanic pH… coincidence? I think not!
Phylum Echinodermata: sea stars, sand dollars, urchins, and cucumbers
That’s right, around these parts we call “star fish” sea stars.
Phylum Arthropoda: the largest phylum in the animal kingdom
For the people that just can’t get enough crabs and lice in their life!
Worms: Phylum Platyhelminthes, Nemertea, Nematoda, and Annelida
Welcome to the worms! (I promise I did not make any of those phyla up).
Lophophorata: Phylum Phoronida, Brachiopoda, and Bryozoa
Lophophorata is a clade composed of three Phyla: Phoronida, Brachiopoda, and Bryozoa. They are grouped like this due to one uniting structure, the lophophore.
Phylum Mollusca: send nudes (nudibranchs)
Mollusca is the second largest invertebrate phylum in the world and includes clams, mussels, sea snails, octopuses, and so many more that I’d need a whole other blog post just to list them for you!
Phylum Cnidaria: jellyfish, corals, and anemnem… amenome… we give up.
Does anyone know how to pronounce anemone correctly? And what’s with the silent C in Cnidaria? So many questions, so let’s get to it!
Phylum Porifera: aka Spongebob Squarepants and co.
Let’s face it, sponges are an obscure bunch of animals. With no nervous, digestive, excretory, or circulatory system, how on earth are they even classified as a living organism?
The Ocean: Explained 