Tag: ecosystems

UF expert explains how people can help prevent species from becoming invasive

by Brad Buck
May 15, 2026

Florida crawls with invasive species: Burmese pythons, water hyacinths, Brazilian peppertrees. By taking a few precautions, we can lower the chances an animal or plant becomes invasive, says a University of Florida expert. Earlier this month, ... READ MORE

Category: UF/IFAS
Tags: Brazilian Peppertree, Burmese Python, Center For Aquatic And Invasive Plants, Deah Lieurance, Ecosystems, Establishment, Everglades, Invasive, Nonnative, Pets, Transport

Survey shows most homeowners don’t understand the two key jobs of stormwater ponds

by Brad Buck
May 15, 2026

More than 76,000 stormwater ponds are woven into Florida neighborhoods. Yet beneath their calm surfaces, these ponds are quietly struggling. Many are overloaded with excess nutrients, fueling algal blooms and degrading water quality. At the ... READ MORE

Category: Home Landscapes, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS, Water
Tags: Aesthetics, Buffer Zone, Ecosystems, Filter, Flooding, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Food And Resource Economics, Hayk Khachatryan, Homeowners, Homeowners Associations, Knowledge, Michelle Atkinson, Mid-Florida Research And Education Center, Nutrients, Residential Neighborhood, Residents, Stormwater, Stormwater Ponds, UF/IFAS Extension Manatee County, Water, Water Quality

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

by Brad Buck
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

Golden oyster mushrooms cultivated, sold in Florida: Scientist urges caution

by Lourdes Mederos
May 15, 2026

The golden oyster mushroom, with bright yellow pillowy caps, are a popular buy that are sold in grow-your-own kits as well as standard grocery stores, farmer and gourmet markets. A University of Florida researcher warns it is quietly invading ... READ MORE

Category: , Conservation, Forests, Invasive Species, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research, Wildlife
Tags: Citizen Science, Culinary Connoisseurs, Culinary Mushroom Enthusiasts, Cultivating, Disrupt Ecosystems, Ecosystems, Farmer Market, Fungal Communities, Fungal Diseases, Golden Oyster Mushrooms, Gourmet Market, Grocery Stores, Grow-your-own Kits, Human Activities, Inaturalist, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Invasive, Invasive Species, Michelle Jusino, Mushroom Observer, News, Research, School Of Forest Fisheries And Geomatic Sciences, Transporting, UF-IFAS, University Of Florida

Pollinators in peril: Floridians interested in helping, but not enough to act

by Brad Buck
May 15, 2026

Across the Sunshine State, some Floridians are eyeing roadsides as potential havens for pollinators. But there’s a catch – while many residents are fond of bees, butterflies and other beneficial bugs, a new University of Florida study shows ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Conservation
Tags: Agricultural Education And Communication, Bees, Beneficial Bugs, Butterflies, Department Of Entomology And Nematology, Ecosystems, Florida Museum Of Natural History, Floridians, Food, Habitats, Havens, Jaret Daniels, Knowledge, Laura Warner, Pollinator Advocates, Pollinator Gardens, Pollinators, Population, Preservation, Roadside Pollinators, Roadsides, Survey

University of Florida to be new host for major plant and animal breeding accelerator program

by Brad Buck
May 15, 2026

The University of Florida is the new home for an important partner in the effort to provide nutritious food for the nation and to keep farms competitive – a USDA-Agricultural Research Service-funded program called Breeding Insight (BI). The ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, Livestock
Tags: #aiatuf, Animal Breeding, Artificial Intelligence, Breeding Insight, Crops, Damian Adams, Ecosystems, Food, Growers, High-performance Computing, Moira Sheehan, Plant Breeding, Prec-ag, Ranchers, Software, UF/IFAS Research

UF research into lantana earns Dissertation of the Year

by Brad Buck
May 15, 2026

Brooks Parrish has spent the past three years studying the genetics of lantana. These plants are beautiful, but if they’re not properly contained, they can escape cultivation, invade natural and agricultural lands, displace native plants, ... READ MORE

Category: UF/IFAS
Tags: #Dissertation, Brooks Parrish, Dean For Research Office, Dissertation Of The Year, Ecosystems, Environmental Horticulture, Genetic Sterilization, Genetics, Invasive, Lantana, Molecular Biology, Native, Robert Gilbert, Sandra Wilson, Sterilization, Zhanao Deng

UF/IFAS shares prescribed fire resources promoting wildfire prevention

by Megan Winslow
May 15, 2026

While the cause of the Southern California wildfires remains unknown, the unprecedented scope of their destruction has thrust prevention into the forefront of the collective consciousness. A new Ask IFAS document describes one of the most effective ... READ MORE

Category: Disaster Preparation, Forests
Tags: Ask IFAS, Austin Cary Forest, Burn, California, Ecosystems, Fire, Fire Ecology, Flatwoods Fire And Nature Festival, Florida Forest Service, IFAS, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Megan Winslow, Prescribed Fire, Prescribed Fire Awareness Week, Raelene Crandall, School Of Forest Fisheries And Geomatics Sciences, SFFGS, Southern Fire Exchange, UF, University Of Florida, Wildfire

Hop into science: UF/IFAS guide empowers communities of all ages to explore tiny but mighty hoppers

by Lourdes Mederos
May 15, 2026

Spotted a tiny, colorful critter hopping on a leaf and wondered what it was up to? Meet the hoppers — leafhoppers, planthoppers and treehoppers. (more…) READ MORE

Category: Community Volunteers, Conservation, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Agriculture, AskIFAS, Beneficial Insects, Brian Bahder, Citizen Science, Conservation Efforts, Corey Callaghan, Data, Department Of Entomology And Nematology, Department Of Wildlife Ecology And Conservation, Ecosystems, Entomology And Nematology, Hoppers, Inaturalist, Insects, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Invasives, Leafhoppers, News, Observations, Pests, Planthoppers, Research, Treehoppers, UF-IFAS

Public urged to report invasive Asian swamp eel species in Florida

by Lourdes Mederos
May 15, 2026

The University of Florida, in partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and other agencies, encourages the public to report sightings of the invasive Asian swamp eel, detected in Florida’s waterways over ... READ MORE

Category: Invasive Species, Natural Resources, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research, Water, Wildlife
Tags: 888-Ive-Got-1, Asian Swamp Eels, Climate Change, Ecosystems, EDDMaps, Florida, Florida Waterways, FWC, Georgia, Hawaii, Highly Adaptable, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Invasion Science Research Initiative, Invasive, Invasive Species, ISRI, News, Opportunistic Feeders, Paul Evans, UF-IFAS, Water, Wildlife Ecology And Conservation

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