Caribbean Coral Reef Ecosystems Program

Caribbean Coral Reef Ecosystems Program Caribbean Coral Reef Ecosystems Program
Caribbean Coral Reef Ecosystems Program
CCRE at Carrie Bow Cay in Belize

The Caribbean Coral Reef Ecosystems program operates out of the Carrie Bow Cay field station, located on the unique Meso-American Barrier reef in Belize. Carrie Bow Cay has been in operation since 1972 and hosts up to 100 scientists annually. The work done at the station investigates the vital interactions between species and their environment, not only on coral reefs, but also in the important and interconnected seagrass and mangrove ecosystems. Discoveries made at Carrie Bow Cay impact the preservation of these critically endangered systems.

Collaborator Contributions

Arching mangrove roots help keep trunks upright in soft sediments at water’s edge.

Mangrove Support System

Arching mangrove roots like these help keep trunks upright in the soft sediments at water’s edge. More about mangroves can be found in our Mangroves featured story.

Sea anemones, brittle stars, and sea urchins make a home on mangrove roots.

Mangrove Roots Up Close

Dip your head below the water's surface in a mangrove forest and an entirely new ecosystem is revealed. The twisting mangrove roots, which appear to float unrooted in the water, support a great diversity of life—including sea anemones, brittle stars, and sea urchins. The roots also serve as a nursery area for fishes and other organisms: the twisting roots provide hiding places for young fish, and the roots and organisms living upon them provide nutrients and particulate food.

Marc Frischer from the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography studies bacteria at a Smithsonian field station.

Investigating Bacteria

Marc Frischer, a microbial ecologist at the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, collects bacteria at the Smithsonian Institution’s field station in Belize. Smithsonian scientists and colleagues from around the world are studying mangrove diversity and the threats they face.

The sun sets over the Smithsonian’s marine field station at Carrie Bow Cay, Belize. For more than three decades, it has been home to the Smithsonian’s Caribbean Coral Reef Ecosystem Program.

Sunset at Carrie Bow Cay

The sun sets over the Smithsonian’s Marine Field Station at Carrie Bow Cay, Belize.

Investigating Nutrient Pollution's Impact on Mangroves

At Carrie Bow Cay in Belize, Dr. Candy Feller explains her research on the effect of excess nutrients on mangrove swamps. Feller runs the Animal-Plant Interaction Lab at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center.

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