Mote's Center for Ecotoxicology investigates natural and man-made environmental toxins — where they come from, how they break down in the environment and what effects they have on humans and marine animals. One major focus of our research is Florida's red tide and the organism that causes it, Karenia brevis.

Red tide research:

Mote's red tide research involves everything from understanding how humans are affected when they're exposed to airborne red tide toxins to discovering how and why red tide blooms form and why they eventually break down. While much of our red tide research is done by scientists in our Center for Ecotoxicology, Mote scientists in our other research centers also conduct red tide research related to their primary study areas — for instance, studying how red tide affects dolphins, manatees or sea turtles. Mote red tide research is often conducted in partnership with other nongovernmental and governmental agencies in order to maximize research funding.