Delicate Balance of Nature Lecture Series: Standing on Shoulders of Giants with Tom Frankovich

Hidden in plain sight, microscopic marine plants play an outsized role in the health of some of the ocean’s most iconic animals. Join Dr. Tom Frankovich, FIU Research Assistant Professor, for an illuminating talk on recently discovered charismatic microflora—including diatoms and specialized seaweeds—that live exclusively on endangered hosts such as whales, manatees, and sea turtles. Learn how these delicate partnerships form, why they matter, and how both the microflora and their megafaunal hosts now face growing threats of extinction in a rapidly changing marine environment.