FSUCML in the News

How this ray became a scapegoat in the Chesapeake Bay


Listen to this podcast for the latest publicity on Dr. Dean Grubbs' and Dr. Chip Cotton's paper disputing claims that the population of cownsoe rays in the Chesapeake bay had exploded. "It's biologically impossible for cownose ray populations to explode," says Dr. Grubbs. Cownose rays only have one pup every year, making it difficult for their population to "explode" as the 2007 study had claimed. Because of the slow rate of reproduction, the efforts to fish for these rays could be especially harmful.

Rising carbon dioxide levels alter species’ interactions


Dr. Sophie McCoy (FSU Dept. of Bio Sci, and FSUCML) studies the effects of ocean acidification on coastal marine communities. In her studies of crustose coralline algae (CCA) -- species that are crucial to marine systems and important food sources for marine herbivores like sea urchins and mollusks – she finds that ocean acidification essentially replaces herbivory as the dominant force guiding competitive interactions among different CCA species, promoting greater species diversity among them.

“Atlantic Canyons” study team receives prestigious award at Ocean Sciences 2016


Dr. Sandra Brooke (FSUCML faculty) and team received the National Oceanographic Partnership Program's (NOPP) 2015 Excellence in Partnering Award for their work on the Atlantic Canyons: Pathways to the Abyss project. Throughout the course of this project, Dr. Brooke and team logged 90 at-sea days, conducted 414 hours of Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) dives, identified over 125 species of fish, and discovered large swaths of chemosynthetic mussel communities. Congratulations, Dr. Brooke for this fantastic accomplishment!

FSUCML researchers set record straight on alleged link between sharks, rays, and bivalves


Dr. Dean Grubbs' and Dr. Chip Cotton’s (FSUCML faculty members) latest research challenges a 2007 study claiming that shark declines led to rising populations of cownose rays, which were responsible for the collapse of oyster and shellfish industries along the Atlantic coast.