We are looking at the likelihood of invasion of organisms associated with the live baitworm trade from its source in Maine to its distribution in the United States and working with the industry to develop options to reduce introductions.

Forest ecosystems directly support the livelihoods of millions of people across the globe, and provide key ecosystem services like carbon sequestration, timber production, soil stabilization, and watershed protection.

Quantifying uncertainty in national estimates of coastal wetland carbon storage

Though there is a great deal of interest in how rising CO2 and nitrogen impact ecosystems together, very few long-term field studies have manipulated both. 

The Chesapeake Bay Otter Alliance aims to examine the ecology and biology of local river otters and educate about these amazing creatures.

We are synthesizing data from the Chesapeake Bay region to understand how ecosystems have changed over time and informing efforts to manage and restore the region's biodiversity and ecosystem function.

One of only two tree climbing crabs, Aratus pisonii, feeds on mangrove leaves. This unique crab is an omnivore and also known to have cannibalistic tendencies. 

We examine diseased corals across the Caribbean and explore the interactions between coral hosts and their microbial symbionts.

The goal of this project is to understand the effects of non-native fishes on estuarine food webs and ecosystems.

The goal of eradication projects is to investigate techniques for removal of introduced species, currently targeting the removal of the colonial tunicate Didemnum vexillum on the seafloor of Sitka, Alaska.

We worked with the Maritime Environmental Resource Center to further the efficient and effective transition of ballast water treatment technologies from concept and prototype to certification and routine operational use.

We are using a range of genomic tools to understand the molecular mechanisms involved in host-parasite interactions. 

The Global Change Research Wetland is dedicated to unraveling the complex ecological processes that confer stability on coastal marshes as they respond to global environmental change.

Non-human bones reveal past dietary patterns through the species they represent and the manner in which those species were butchered.

The goal of this project is to understand and reduce the negative impacts of derelict fishing gear in the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay.

The Smithsonian Interconnected Health Initiative aims to improve human and wildlife health by catalyzing research and action globally.

We are following the genetic trail left by invading Phragmites australis to understand what factors have promoted invasion by this non-native wetland plant.

Since the 1960s, a non-native lineage of the common reed, Phragmites australis (commonly called Phragmites), has been taking over wetlands across North America.

We study how land use and shoreline armoring affect submerged aquatic vegetation. (Photo: NOAA)

This project seeks to measure the structure of forest canopies throughout the world using a portable LIDAR instrument.

The goal of this project is to gain insight into population and community dynamics of fish and macro-invertebrates in a representative subestuary of the Chesapeake Bay

We study current and emerging technologies and management practices aimed at reducing biofouling on ships in order to develop risk assessments for various biofouling management scenarios.  

MarineGEO is a global partnership tracking the vital signs of nearshore marine life to understand how and why it’s changing, and to better manage for resilient marine ecosystems

To evaluate the long term interactions between host and parasite. The hosts are two species of mud Crab (Rhithropanopeus harrisii and Eurypanopeus depressus), the parasite is Loxothylacus panopaei. 

Non-native earthworms dominate the soil of many mid-Atlantic forests. We are investigating how they affect they mycorrhizal associations that plants depend on.

We are working to identify bacteria that live within orchid mycorrhizal fungi and to determine how they affect mycorrhizal function.

The National Exotic Marine and Estuarine Species Information System - Records of Marine Introductions in the United States.  

 In North America, more than 60% of the over 230 known species are threatened or endangered in some part of their range of distribution and a number of species have been extirpated in some states.

This global-scale project assesses the transfer risks of nonnative marine species associated with commercial ships sailing between oceans.  

Investigating how multiple stressors associated with climate change will affect the Bay’s oysters

We identify parasites that reside in the Rhode River, track yearly changes in diversity and abundance, and determine their impacts on ecosystem function, population dynamics, and trophic interactions.

We aim to understand the impact of parasites and disease on bivalves.

We are examining predation and competition rates in fouling communities on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to determine if tropical communities resist invasion to a greater extent than temperate communities.  

Our research is aimed at understanding how propagule pressure affects the probability of invasion success across species, habitats, ecological communities and environmental conditions.

We study the ability of stream side forests and wetlands (“riparian buffers”) to remove pollutants in the water draining from farms and developed land.

Warming and elevated CO₂ experiment in the Global Change Research Wetland. Heat lamps warm the plants from above, while cables heat the soil.

SERC archaeologists are working in an historic houselot, where the SERC Environmental Archaeology Laboratory now resides. 

Assessment of the role of commercial shipping in the transport of aquatic organisms

The objectives of this study are to characterize commercial shipping networks and develop epidemiology-based models for invasive species spread, with an emphasis on the Panama Canal and Caribbean basin.

We study the quality of habitats for Striped Bass in the Chesapeake Bay and identify their key prey species

Tree growth can be difficult to measure, but it is imperative to understanding forest stability and function. We measure trees in a variety of ways to better understand forest function and stability.

We are studying the timing of growth to understand the importance of seasonal patterns and how they are adjusting to a changing climate

Protecting orchids means also protecting the mycorrhizal fungi they need to grow. We are working to understand the role mycorrhizal fungi play in orchid conservation.

We study the water, sediment, nitrogen, and phosphorus discharged from watersheds in stream water.  We want to understand how they are controlled by weather, watershed inputs, and watershed characteristics.