The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute: Marine Research, Education, and Conservation in Panama

A grand geological experiment with a global reach to its biological impact, the formation of the isthmus of Panama between 15 and 3 million years ago split the tropical Interamerican Seaway into two and substantially changed the physical oceanography of each part. That event subjected the now-divided halves of the neotropical marine biota to new environmental conditions that forced each along a different evolutionary trajectory. For the past 45 years the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) marine sciences program has taken full advantage of this event by sponsoring research on a great diversity of topics relating to the evolutionary effects of the formation of the isthmus. That research, which has been supported by multiple laboratories on each coast and a series of research vessels, has produced more than 1,800 publications. Here we provide an overview of the environmental setting for marine research in Panama and an historical perspective to research by STRI's scientific staff at the different marine facilities.