addition, the SERC-developed instrument to monitot UV-B 

 radiation (the SR-iS specttoradiometet) documented increases 

 in UV-B that occurred as the ozone hole moved ovet the sta- 

 tion. On the other side of the globe, in the Arctic, where a 

 second ozone hole has been developing, Neale's laboratory has 

 been examining the UV-B sensitivity of Arctic kelps 

 (Laminaria spp. ). In SERC's home waters, the Chesapeake Bay, 

 a new project has begun to determine whether increased 

 nutrients, related to eutrophication of coastal waters, inctease 

 the resistance of dinoflagellates in the bay to UV-B. Such in- 

 creased resistance may be a factor in formation of red tides. 

 Finally, during 1998, an SR-18 was installed on the new SERC 

 research tower, continuing che long-term monitoring of UV-B 

 by Smithsonian since the mid-1970s. 



Increasing concern over the global spread of toxic and non- 

 toxic red tides has focused research interest on physical and 

 biological interactions that influence the accumulation, per- 

 sistence, and demise of dinoflagellate blooms. The harmful 

 effects imposed by red tides on marine fauna and associated 

 risks to public health and commetcial fisheries have also 

 prompted interest in means to detect, predict, and potentially 

 control harmful algal blooms. Recent studies by Dt. Wayne 

 Coats of SERC have shown that microparasites can kill red- 

 tide dinoflagellates and change host abundance on time scales 

 of hours to days. His research has also shown that parasites of 

 bloom-forming dinoflagellates have a high degree of host 

 specificity, an observation that may lead to the use of parasites 

 as biological controls of harmful algal blooms. Dr. Coats, in 

 conjunction with scientists at the University of Maryland, 

 Center of Marine Biotechnology, is also studying dino- 

 flagellates in Chesapeake that tesemble the toxic Pftesteria 

 species. 



SERC's education department continues to train teachers 

 and parents in the popular Teacher-led Activities for elemen- 

 tary students. The summer and fall seasons broughc a diverse 

 audience to SERC from the Washington, D.C. area. More 

 than one hundred middle-school srudents participated in 

 Anne Arundel County's annual Envirothon, at SERC and 

 two other county sites. The Envirothon taught students 

 basic environmental principles and ways to apply them to 

 real-world problems in their communities. Anne Arundel 

 County again collaborated with SERC to conduct three 

 teachet wotkshops that expose teachers to SERC's research 

 and lab facilities. Participants experience the creeks, fiver, 

 and Bay by learning water sampling techniques and 

 analysis. Once again Gallaudet University brought deaf 

 teachers from all over the United States to SERC for a 

 two-day intensive training on the ecology of the 

 Chesapeake Bay region. This is part of a five-year National 

 Science Foundation program (Summer Institute in Biol- 

 ogy) in which SERC has actively participated. In addition 

 to the teacher workshops, SERC continues to host under- 

 graduate classes from Gallaudet. Each yeat several classes 

 come to SERC to learn about wetland ecology, field re- 

 search techniques, and internship opportunities. 



Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute 



Ira Rubinoff, Director 



The tropics are home to the greatest diversity of Ofgamsms on 

 Earth, many of which developed very complex interactions 

 over millions of years. Research on the ecology, evolution, and 

 behavior of ttopical organisms is the primary mission of the 

 Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) based in the 

 Republic of Panama. STRI supports 35 petmanent scientists 

 and hundreds of visiting scientists and students from around 

 the world each year who work at its tetrestrial and marine re- 

 search facilities. 



Duting FY 1998, Barro Colorado Island, the Smithsonian's 

 oldest research station in the New Wotld Tropics dedicated to 

 tropical research, celebrated its 75th anniversary on April 13. 

 There are now more than 1,500 publications resulting from re- 

 search on the island. 



STRI acquired a new site for a field station in Bocas del 

 Toro on the Caribbean coast of Panama and initiated plans to 

 construct a research and educational outreach center. A small 

 office/laboratory and dock currently exist on the site. This 

 facility will replace the one in the San Bias Islands, whose 

 contract ended this year. 



Renovation of the Molecular Biology Research Laboratories 

 at Naos Island was completed. This building, dating from 

 1914, previously housed STRI's general services and mainten- 

 ance division that was moved to the Ancon area of Panama 

 City, adjacent to the Earl S. Tupper Research and Conference 

 Center 



A majot new research project was initiated by the construc- 

 tion of the first Free Air Carbon Dioxide Enrichment Project 

 (FACE) in the tropics, in collaboration with the Brookhaven 

 National Laboratories, McGill University, the University of 

 Georgia, the Universidad Santa Maria La Antigua and the 

 University of Panama. The project, funded by the U.S. 

 Department of Energy, aims to establish the scientific founda- 

 tion for understanding the consequences of increased con- 

 centrations of carbon dioxide on the gtowth of tropical forests. 



Books by STRI authots published this year dealt with a 

 broad range of subjects, including the social regulation of 

 competition and aggtession in animals (by the late Martin H. 

 Moynihan); the natural and cultural history of Central 

 Ametica (edited by Anthony G. Coates of STRI); the origins 

 of agriculture in the lowland neotropics (by Dolores Piperno 

 of STRI and Deborah Pearsal); the history, economy, and land 

 use of the Peruvian Amazonia (by Fernando Santos-Granero of 

 STRI and Federica Barclay); natutalists of Panama (by Stanley 

 Heckadon-Mot eno of STRI); and methods and results from 

 tropical forest census plots (by Richard Condit of STRI). Two 

 important compendiums that included numerous publica- 

 tions based on research by STRI scientists were published 

 also: Proceedings of the 8tb International Coral Reef Symposium, 

 published by Harilaos Lessios of STRI and Ian Macinryre of 



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