Tag: algae

UF/IFAS study finds algal cells create fat more quickly than thought, could aid biofuel research


May 15, 2026

Click here for high-resolution image. Caption at bottom. GAINESVILLE, Fla. --- Many scientists see great promise in algae as a new source of oil -- a sustainable, environmentally sound way to break the world’s fossil fuel dependence. Algal ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Algae, Bala Rathinasabapathi, Biofuel, College Of Agricultural And Life Sciences, Elton Goncalves, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Lipids, Oil, Plant Molecular And Cellular Biology Program, Planta, University Of Florida
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


May 15, 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


May 15, 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, 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
Row of clear tanks with pipes in a laboratory setting.

UF-led research gets help from NFL player and an Air Force veteran to restock sea urchins on coral reef


May 15, 2026

On and off over the past four decades, scientists have tried a handful of times to restore sea urchins on coral reefs because they eat harmful algae that otherwise smother the ecosystems. Results of a new collaborative study show promise ... READ MORE

Category: UF/IFAS
Tags: Aaron Pilnick, Air Force Veteran, Algae, Apollo Beach, Caribbean, College Of Agricultural And Life Sciences, Coral Reefs, Diadema, Florida Aquarium, Force Blue Team, Frost Museum Of Science, Key Biscayne, NFL, Rainbow Reef, Restocking, Restoration, School Of Forest Fisheries And Geomatics Sciences, Sea Urchins, Survival
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


May 15, 2026

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, Blog Community, 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
Underwater view of aquatic plants with algae-covered fronds in murky water.

While volunteers keep an ‘Eye on Seagrass,’ Florida Sea Grant launches new website for the citizen science program


May 15, 2026

Citizen scientists help preserve seagrasses in the Panhandle and Southwest Florida through a program called Eyes on Seagrass, which now has a dedicated webpage where potential volunteers can learn more. The efforts of the people who give ... READ MORE

Category: UF/IFAS
Tags: Algae, Charlotte County, Citizen Scientists, Escambia County, Eyes On Seagrass, Florida Sea Grant, Kate Rose, Laura Reynolds, Lee County, Rick O'Connor, Santa Rosa County, Sarasota County, Seaweed, Soil, Soil Water And Ecosystem Sciences, Volunteers, Water
Diatoms

UF study reveals environmental impact of artificial sweeteners


May 15, 2026

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

UF-led research gets help from NFL player and an Air Force veteran to restock sea urchins on coral reef


May 15, 2026

On and off over the past four decades, scientists have tried a handful of times to restore sea urchins on coral reefs because they eat harmful algae that otherwise smother the ecosystems. Results of a new collaborative study show promise ... READ MORE

Category: UF/IFAS
Tags: Aaron Pilnick, Air Force Veteran, Algae, Apollo Beach, Caribbean, College Of Agricultural And Life Sciences, Coral Reefs, Diadema, Florida Aquarium, Force Blue Team, Frost Museum Of Science, Key Biscayne, NFL, Rainbow Reef, Restocking, Restoration, School Of Forest Fisheries And Geomatics Sciences, Sea Urchins, Survival

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


April 21, 2026

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, Blog Community, Coasts & Marine, Conservation, Crops, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research, Water
Tags: Algae, Ana Zangroniz, Aquaculture, Archive, 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

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