SARASOTA — Mote Marine Laboratory has advanced the world’s knowledge about ocean ecology since it was founded in Placida in 1955, and it’s poised to become an international center in the global effort to save the oceans in the rest of this century.

That’s according to both Dr. Kumar Mahadevan, who served as Mote’s president for the past 27 years, and Dr. Michael Crosby, Mote’s senior vice president for research, who is set to replace Mahadevan when he retires in May.