Tag: algae

A Florida-springs fed river is center of frame with one male and one female researcher to the right wading in the knee-high water and a pedestrian raised wood bridge to the left.

Florida’s Natural Springs Janitors: Research Shows Snails Can Help Fight Algae

by Jamie Groh
March 25, 2026

What are the green globs that are sometimes seen floating in or even taking over Florida’s natural springs and waterways? Those would be algae blooms and, turns out, snail grazers have a role to play.  For 20 years, waterway ... READ MORE

Category: Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Research, Water
Tags: Algae, Algae Bloom, Algal Bloom, Dina Liebowitz, Featured, Florida Waterways, Freshwater, Matt Cohen, News, Paul Donsky, School Of Forest Fisheries And Geomatics Sciences, Springs, UF-IFAS
Underwater scene of staghorn coral with sea urchins and marine vegetation in a coral reef.

Creating a sea urchin ‘baby formula’ to help save our reefs

by Brad Buck
February 18, 2026

Sea urchins are the “lawnmowers of the reefs,” a University of Florida scientist says. They tirelessly chew down the algae that would otherwise smother coral and block the sunlight reefs rely on. When they’re abundant, these spiky grazers ... READ MORE

Category: UF/IFAS
Tags: Adult Urchins, Algae, Apollo Beach, Archive, Baby Urchins, Caribbean, Casey Hudspeth, Coral Reefs, Ecosystems, Habitat, Josh Patterson, Juvenile Urchins, Lawnmowers, Microalgae, School Of Forest Fisheries And Geomatics Sciences, Sea Urchins, The Florida Aquarium’s Coral Conservation And Research Center
A top view of a sea sponge in water.

EPA grant to help UF/IFAS scientists restore sea sponges, improve water quality in South Florida

by Lourdes Mederos
October 15, 2025

Hidden beneath South Florida’s waves, sponges quietly clean the waters by filtering out nutrients, supporting seagrass and sustaining the region’s vibrant marine life. But after years of environmental stress and water quality decline, ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Coasts & Marine, Conservation, Crops, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research, Water
Tags: Algae, Ana Zangroniz, Aquaculture, Ashley Smyth, Atlantic University Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Bacteria, Biscayne Bay, Biscayne Bay Pilot Nursery, Biscayne National Park, Classifications, Coastal, Coastal Environments, Coastal Habitat, Coastal Health, Cycle Nutrients, Ecosystem, Ecosystem Services, Filter, Florida Keys Aquaculture Research, Florida Sea Grant, Genetic Advances, Habitat, Harmful Algal Blooms, Lower Keys, Marine, Marine Life, National Park Service, Nature’s Water Filters, Organisms, Restore Ecological Services, Restore Sponge Populations, Sea Sponge, Seagrass, Shelly Krueger, Soil Water And Ecosystem Sciences, South Florida, Southeast Florida, Sponge Restoration Aquaculture, Sponge Restoration Species, Tropical Research And Education Center, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, UF-IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension Miami-Dade County, UF/IFAS Extension Monroe County, UF/IFAS Researchers, Viruses, Water Clarity, Water Quality, Water Quality Benefits
Blades of seagrass on the left and drift macroalgae on the right

Algae vs seagrass in the Indian River Lagoon

by Carolyn Kovacs
May 3, 2025

During the Eyes on Seagrass Blitz, one of the questions we ask is "Is there macroalgae present?"  But what is macroalgae, and how can I tell it apart from seagrass?   What is the difference between seagrass and algae?   Seagrass is ... READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Conservation, Natural Resources, Recreation, UF/IFAS Extension, Water
Tags: Algae, Estuary, Eyes On Seagrass, Eyes On Seagrass Blitz, Florida Sea Grant, Indian River Lagoon, Macroalgae, Seagrass, Water Quality
Diatoms

UF study reveals environmental impact of artificial sweeteners

by Megan Winslow
July 8, 2024

The human body’s inability to break down sucralose, an artificial sweetener found in many zero-calorie food and drink products, is well established by scientific research. The compound is so stable that it escapes wastewater treatment processing ... READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Conservation, Food Safety, Health & Nutrition, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research, Water, Wildlife
Tags: Algae, Amelia Westmoreland, Aquatic Biology, Aquatic Environment, Artificial Sweetener, Bacteria, Biology, Cyanobacteria, Diatom, Ecosystem, Envionrmental, Environment, Environmental Impact, Environmental Impacts, Food Chain, IFAS, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Marine, Megan Winslow, Microbial Communities, Microbial Respiration, Nutrient, Photosynthesis, Soil, Soil Water And Ecosystem Sciences, Sucralose, Tracey Schafer, UF, UF-IFAS, University Of Florida, Wastewater, Water And Ecosystem Sciences Department, Whitney Laboratory For Marine Bioscience, Zero-calorie

Red Tide, Fisheries Modeling and Citizen Science: Casting a Line to Anglers and Gulf of Mexico Stakeholders for Better Data!

by Michael Sipos
June 19, 2024

In fisheries management, setting the acceptable biological catch (ABC) is vital to ensure sustainable harvest without overexploiting fish stocks. The ABC determines how much fish can be harvested each year, and is estimated using a stock ... READ MORE

Category: 4-H & Youth, Coasts & Marine, Community Volunteers, Conservation, Disaster Preparation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Lawn, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Recreation, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research, , Water, Wildlife, Work & Life
Tags: #RedTide, Algae, Amberjack, Angling, Beach, Brevetoxin, Brevis, Charlotte County, Citizen Science, Collier County, Dinoflagellate, Ecosystem, Ffa, Fish, Fish Kill, Fisheries, Fishing, Florida, Florida Friendly, Florida Friendly Angler, Florida Sea Grant, GoM, Grouper, Grunt, Gulf Of Mexico, HAB, Harmful Algae Bloom, Hernando County, Hillsborough County, Hogfish, Inshore, K. Brevis, Karenia, Lee County, Marine Biology, Modeling, Offshore, Pasco County, Phytoplankton, Pinellas County, Plankton, Red Tide, Redfish, Reef Fish, Research, Seafood, Snapper, Snook, Tarpon

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