FIU College of Arts, Sciences & Education by Aileen Sola

LIFE ON LAND

2 RIVER OF GRASS REBORN FIU scientists fight to save Everglades

4 RENEWED EVERGLADES SUPPORT NSF renews $6.375M for FIU; Miccosukee and FIU team up for Big Cypress

6 WETLAND ENGINEERS?

How alligators shape and sustain their ecosystem

8 SPECIAL DELIVERY

Critically endangered antelopes catch flight to ancestral home

10 GIANT LEAPS FOR FROGKIND

New frog species, new protected areas offer hope

12 TRAFFICKED PARROTS GET FIGHTING CHANCE

FIU scientists rescue endangered parrots from illegal trade

14 SAVING THE MULE EAR ORCHID

Finding the fix in the face of tiny threat

16 HOPE BLOOMS FOR FLORIDA’S CIGAR ORCHID

Imperiled flower found in Big Cypress National Preserve

18 VANISHING BLOOMS

Scientist on quest to give orchids an identity

20 NATURE’S ANSWER TO CITRUS GREENING

Uncovering a potential cure for crop-killing disease

22 GROWING SOLUTIONS FOR POLLUTED WATERWAYS

Harnessing plants to clean up nutrient pollution in waterways

24 AN END TO MOSQUITOBORNE DISEASES

Scientist leads research into world’s deadliest insect

26 FINDING ALL THE WORLD’S ANTS

Global study exposes blind spots in conservation

28 LONG-TERM ARCTIC MONITORING

Ongoing study uncovers gradual, significant shifts in Arctic ecosystems

30 DR. BEACH: A NAME THAT STUCK LIKE SAND

From student nickname to beach-ranking legend

32 TAKING ROOT

Faculty and students earn recognition around the world

FROM THE TROPICS TO THE TUNDRA: FIU IS PROVIDING SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS FOR LIFE ON LAND

Life on Land — our forests, beaches, wetlands, rivers and more — sustains us. It provides clean air, fresh water, food, medicines, recreation and inspiration. It drives our climate, inspires our cultures and offers resources that shape global economies. From the tropics to the tundra, it is where our human story has unfolded. Yet, these ecosystems — and the species they harbor — are facing unprecedented threats. At Florida International University, we are committed to creating solutions.

Our faculty, students, and staff work across continents to conserve biodiversity, combat illegal wildlife trafficking, develop sustainable land and water management practices and reduce risks from natural hazards. We work to restore degraded habitats and build resilient communities that can thrive alongside nature.

In recognition of these efforts, FIU has consistently ranked among the world’s best institutions for its overall positive impact, as measured by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This includes our significant contributions to SDG 15: Life on Land, recognizing our work to protect, restore, and promote sustainable use of terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems. This top-tier standing is a powerful affirmation of the tireless dedication of our entire FIU community.

This issue of Life on Land at FIU showcases these inspiring stories and highlights how our discoveries are translating into real-world impact. As we share this work, know that sustainability and resilience is a core principles guiding everything we do, including the production of this publication, which is printed with sustainably sourced materials. You can also explore — and share — our digital issue using the QR code on this page.

Looking ahead, we are energized to deepen our impact. Our researchers are focused on expanding conservation efforts for threatened plants, animals and entire ecosystems, developing innovative approaches to sustainable agriculture, finding ways to remove toxic chemicals, advancing new methods to stave off potentially catastrophic natural hazards, and strengthening our international partnerships to protect globally significant biodiversity hotspots. We are building a brighter, more sustainable future for the planet, and we are grateful for your continued support in this vital mission.

Sincerely,

Mike Heithaus

FIU Vice Provost of Environmental Resilience and Biscayne Bay Campus

Executive Dean of the College of Arts, Sciences & Education Professor of Biological Sciences

FIU LIFE ON LAND MAGAZINE

River Reborn: FIU SCIENTISTS FIGHT TO SAVE THE EVERGLADES

By Karen Cochrane, Angela Nicoletti and Adrienne Sylver

Todd Crowl thinks about the Everglades everyday. The director of FIU’s Institute of Environment knows Florida’s future is intricately connected to the fate of vitally important freshwater ecosystems. This is especially true for Florida’s largest and most important wetland — the Everglades. What happens to it, happens to us.

Unraveling the complexity of how it all works is an enormous challenge. Almost as enormous as the Everglades. FIU researchers have always faced it head on. More than 20 years ago, their findings set water quality standards by advising the restriction of phosphorus to 10 parts per billion for Everglades National Park, a standard incorporated into the federal Comprehensive

Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). For more than two decades, FIU has led the National Science Foundation-supported Florida Coastal Everglades Long Term Ecological Research (FCE LTER) program, collecting comprehensive, long-term data instrumental to understanding how the Everglades is changing over time, as well as providing a baseline for gauging effectiveness of current and future management strategies. Restoration and protection depend on this type of data.

With a piece of paper in front of him, Crowl can sketch out the story of how the Everglades is connected to the underground world of water that South Floridians rely on. More than a century ago, water flowed naturally north to

south, marked by seasonal ebbs and flows, and fed the Everglades. Then, Florida’s population grew. Development and agricultural lands encroached on the River of Grass. Half was dredged and drained. Water was rerouted; the flow, disrupted.

Changes followed, including for the Biscayne Aquifer, a shallow layer of porous limestone sitting underneath a portion of South Florida that provides one of the most densely populated areas of the U.S. with fresh water. Rain falling over the Everglades recharges and refills the aquifer. Rainfall over urban areas doesn’t have the same fate. Roads, sidewalks and other infrastructure act as impediments, so most of it enters canals or the ocean. With

the Everglades less than half its original size, there’s less available space to refill the aquifer from which 300 million gallons of water are pumped daily.

Everglades restoration also helps the aquifer fight off rising seas that make it vulnerable to saltwater intrusion and run-off pollution.

If it all flows as it should, water for Floridians and tourists would be safe, keeping the state’s $1 trillion economy humming. The home of the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians

of Florida would be protected. Threatened and endangered animals and plants found nowhere else on Earth, and wholly dependent on the Everglades, would still have a place to live.

FIU’s locations — one less than 10 miles from the Everglades, the other along Biscayne Bay — position university scientists literally and figuratively to lead solutions in environmental resilience. Nowhere is that more evident than FIU’s role in Everglades restoration, according to Steve Davis, chief

scientist for the nonprofit Everglades Foundation and FIU alumnus.

“Our job is to advance Everglades restoration,” Davis said. “We can only do this with the science behind us. FIU has been instrumental in helping us understand the vulnerabilities of the Everglades and in moving forward with restoration and preservation.”

There’s still work to do but restoration has resulted in a few glimmers of hope: Water flows in some areas it has not flowed in years.

Tristan Tigertail, a member of the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida, grew up along the Everglades. He piloted his first airboat at the age of 7. Four years later, he got his own.

Today, Tigertail works for his uncle as a professional Everglades airboat operator, sharing the beauty of the land he loves. Tigertail has seen the loss of white-tailed deer, birds and cypress domes. He says with efforts now being made to return the flow of water to its original state, the cypress domes are coming back. So are the birds.

“Sometimes when the tribe elders gather, they reminisce about how the sky used to blacken overhead when a flock of birds took off. There were so many of them, they would block out the sun,” he says.

“I’ve never seen that. But I’ve seen positive changes in the past couple of years, and it gives me hope.”

Crowl also retains a sense of optimism, saying, “I assure you, our last chapter has not been written.” n

— TODD CROWL READ THE FULL STORY.

“IF WE WANT TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF BEING ABLE TO LIVE HERE FOR THE NEXT 100 YEARS WITHOUT RUNNING OUT OF FRESH WATER, WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THIS WHOLE WATERSHED AND THAT IT ALL WORKS TOGETHER. WITHOUT THE EVERGLADES BEING RESTORED, WE’RE NOT RECHARGING OUR FRESHWATER RESOURCES FAST ENOUGH.”

Todd Crowl, director of FIU’s Institute of Environment

FIU GETS $6.375 MILLION RENEWAL FROM NSF FOR EVERGLADES RESEARCH

By JoAnn C. Adkins

FIU has secured a $6.375 million renewal from the National Science Foundation for the Florida Coastal Everglades Long Term Ecological Research program.

The six-year renewal is the fifth in the program’s history, which has been conducted in lock-step with the congressionally authorized Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. The program will expand its focus to integrate more community voices into the research, including the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida, farmers, economists, business leaders and policymakers, according to John Kominoski, principal investigator of the program and researcher in the FIU Institute of Environment. The goal is to better understand how Everglades restoration impacts the livelihoods of local communities and to use long-term data to help people and nature adapt and thrive together. As part of the renewal, the scientists will also conduct research on legacy impacts from disturbances that remain in the environment for long periods of time.

Housed at FIU, more than 245 scientists from 78 different institutions have contributed to

the long-term ecological research including 147 researchers and staff from FIU.

The Everglades is a unique, interconnected ecosystem vital for biodiversity, a habitat for rare species and offers important functions including water filtration and flood control. It’s also a popular destination, supporting Florida’s tourism industry. However, the Everglades has been heavily impacted by human development and water management.

“This science is necessary to fully recover and ultimately conserve this globally

recognized, iconic coastal wetland,” said Todd Crowl, director of FIU’s Institute of Environment.

Everglades restoration – the world’s largest such effort – focuses on improving the quality, quantity, timing and distribution of water from Kissimmee River and Lake Okeechobee flowing south to Florida Bay. For decades, FIU scientists in collaboration with others have provided much-needed data to inform restoration and support the long-term health of this iconic yet imperiled ecosystem. n

MICCOSUKEE, FIU TEAM UP TO EXAMINE PHOSPHORUS IN BIG CYPRESS

FIU and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida are launching an initiative to examine phosphorus in Big Cypress National Preserve.

Encompassing 729,000 acres northwest of Everglades National Park, Big Cypress is a central piece of the Everglades ecosystem. Phosphorus is an essential nutrient for plant growth, but excess phosphorus, mostly from agricultural and urban sources, can lead to ecosystem changes that negatively impact species and ecosystem functions.

The Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida will contribute $600,000 over the next three years to help fund FIU water quality research in the western Everglades region. Evelyn Gaiser, aquatic ecologist and

George M. Barley Jr. Endowed Scholars Chair, and researcher Kelsey Solomon will conduct controlled experiments to evaluate how different levels of phosphorus impact the local ecosystem. Other partners include Everglades National Park, Big Cypress National Preserve, Everglades Foundation and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

Researchers in FIU’s Institute of Environment have been leading the science behind Everglades research and restoration for decades. Gaiser was part of the FIU team and helped lead the research that led to the establishment of a water-quality standard to protect Everglades National Park from excess phosphorus sources. n

NOT IN THE MOOD: MERCURY MESSES WITH SONGBIRDS’ MATING GAME

By Christine Fernandez

Before they can fight to survive, some endangered songbirds are losing their groove and being robbed of their chance at love – all because of what’s in their food.

Residing exclusively in Everglades National Park and Big Cypress National Preserve, the Cape Sable seaside sparrow has been endangered for nearly 60 years. Today, less than 2,500 remain. FIU doctoral candidate Alan Mock and a team of researchers now have growing concerns about a hidden threat lurking in the bird’s food supply – mercury. Their latest research, published in Ecotoxicology, suggests male sparrows that have higher rates of mercury have significantly lower chances of scoring a mate – a major problem for a bird already struggling to survive amid habitat loss and degradation. This is the first research published on mercury concentrations in the Cape Sable seaside sparrow, Mock said.

To measure mercury levels, the researchers collected feathers from adult and young sparrows during three breeding seasons between 2016 and 2018. They found local water conditions directly influenced mercury exposure in the secretive birds which measure no more than 5 inches when fully grown. The faster drying of marshes led to higher mercury levels which led to early breeding failure. Mock said fewer love connections could mean a devastating 60 percent drop in the population productivity.

Mercury is a chemical element that moves through ecosystems from air pollution and land runoff into water bodies. Once in the water, tiny microbes turn the substance into a more poisonous form called methylmercury. From there, it makes its way up the food chain into aquatic insects – a favorite meal for the sparrows.

“We can manage recession rate and water levels to try to reduce exposure, but that’s kind of putting Band-Aids on the overall mercury pollution problem,” Mock said. “Global efforts to reduce mercury emissions are the long-term solution.”

Within the Everglades, continued restoration aimed at improving water quality must be supported, as water management could be key to reducing mercury exposure and helping native species survive.

The study is a collaboration between FIU’s Institute of Environment, Conservation InSight, Florida State University, the University of Florida and Oregon State University. n

by Virzi

Photo

ALLIGATORS: engineers of the wetlands

By Christine Fernandez

Alligators radically change the ecosystem around them to make the best of seasonal changes in water levels — and that’s a good thing for wetlands.

A study published in the Journal of Animal Ecology shows alligators do more than just care for themselves when they create alligator ponds. The research, led by FIU alumnus Bradley Strickland, now a data scientist for the National Park Service, is the first to show alligators act as “engineers” in their ecosystem by altering nutrient cycling and keeping the ecosystem healthy.

When the alligators dig holes to fill with water, they give fish and wildlife refuge from falling water levels in the dry season. These ponds, in turn, provide the alligator with a steady supply of food and a place to mate. To maintain their ponds and keep them from filling in with vegetation, alligators use their snouts, claws and tails to move sediment and nutrients around. This disturbance enriches the soil, with alligator ponds showing higher nutrient levels compared to what was found in surrounding marshes.

Strickland, along with FIU Institute of Environment researchers Mike Heithaus and Peter Flood and others, found the alligators’ extricating movements also prevent communities of organisms made up of bacteria and fungi from forming in large mats over the area.

Researchers sampled 10 active American Alligator ponds, five in each of the Everglades National Park’s Shark River Slough and Taylor Slough — the two major drainage basins of freshwater through the Everglades to the Gulf of Mexico. They collected water, particulate organic matter, plants and animals across different habitats at each site, including the ponds themselves.

Alligators have only recovered from near extinction in the past 50 years, but their ecosystems remain under threat from human disturbances. This latest research adds to the growing evidence of the many ways predators preserve the health and stability of entire ecosystems. Nearly 10 years ago, FIU researchers, led by Heithaus, were the first to identify the roles sharks serve in maintaining the health and biodiversity of coral reef and seagrass ecosystems. Though their roles are different, alligators have proven equally important as ecosystem engineers.

“Often predators are some of the first species to be hurt by human activities, so it is essential that we find ways to protect and even restore their populations,” Heithaus said. n

“UNDERSTANDING THE DIVERSE ECOLOGICAL ROLES OF PREDATORS WILL ENSURE WE HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE TO PROTECT OUR ECOSYSTEMS IN THE FUTURE.”

— BRADLEY STRICKLAND

aims to save world’s most trafficked wild mammal OPERATION PANGOLIN

By JoAnn C. Adkins

Researchers and conservationists are on an initiative to save the world’s most trafficked wild mammal — the pangolin.

With funding from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, Operation Pangolin launched in Cameroon and Gabon with plans to expand into Nigeria. Among the least studied animals in the world, little is known about their history or ecology. Even less is known of their role in a criminal economy where trafficked pangolins and the illegal sale of their scales and meat often go undetected. Operation Pangolin will help inform conservation strategies in Central Africa, with global implications for the illicit wildlife trade. The project is supported by the IUCN Pangolin Specialist Group, a global network of 189 pangolin specialists. The team will help implement strategies with a plan to expand

their efforts into Asia, the only other continent with native pangolin populations.

“All eight species of pangolins face extinction,” said project lead Matthew H. Shirley, a conservation ecologist at Florida International University’s Global Forensic and Justice Center and co-chair of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Pangolin Specialist Group. “Operation Pangolin is a chance to alter the conservation landscape for pangolins and other wildlife threatened by illicit human behavior.”

Both IUCN and the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) agree that the development of pangolin-specific monitoring methods linked to anti-trafficking efforts is the highest conservation priority. Throughout history, pangolins have been sustainably used

for food and medicine, but overexploitation has resulted in threatened status for all eight species. The main threat, both in Asia and Africa, is poaching for international wildlife trafficking. Enough pangolin scales have been seized in the past decade to account for at least 1 million pangolins, yet little is known of the trafficking supply chains. This number doesn’t account for the pangolins that are removed undetected from the wild. At least 250,000 are estimated to be taken from African and Asian forests yearly for consumers in China, Vietnam, western Europe and the United States.

The $4 million grant from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation supports the launch of the project in Central Africa. The research team is concurrently raising funds to expand the project to Asia. n

17 critically endangered antelopes catch flight to ancestral home SPECIAL DELIVERY

By JoAnn C. Adkins

Seventeen critically endangered mountain bongo antelopes boarded a DHL Express plane at Palm Beach International Airport in February 2025. Bound for Kenya, they included five males and 12 females, some that were pregnant. More than cargo, these bongos are the last, best hope for their species.

They know nothing of the statistics — that fewer than 100 of their kind remain in the wild — or the years of planning that led to this moment. To them, it was just a strange, noisy trip. But FIU’s Paul Reillo knows these bongos are the very definition of a second chance.

Reillo is a research professor and director of FIU’s Tropical Conservation Institute. He is also the founding director of the non-profit

Rare Species Conservatory Foundation (RSCF) where the 17 bongos were raised. For years, he worked toward this moment — breeding bongo in semi-wild conditions, tending to their health and wellness alongside his RSCF team. This includes FIU alumnus Matt Morris, RSCF’s operations director and team lead for the mountain bongo. Together, they prepared the bongos for the long journey as best they could, building custom crates to keep them safe and calm during the 36-hour journey to their ancestral home on Mount Kenya. Reillo found time to do the paperwork. A lot of paperwork. He worked closely with the Meru Bongo and Rhino Conservation Trust to find the bongos a safe place to call home. He worked closely with DHL to secure them safe transport. He worked to raise the funds to make this

moment happen. For this species’ last chance at survival, he worked.

“There is simply no higher calling for humanity than to protect what remains of nature,” Reillo said. “The mountain bongo’s story of decline and recovery has been entirely on our watch, and the species’ future rests with all of us.”

The mountain bongo, the largest forest antelope native only to Kenya, has experienced a devastating population decline in the past 80 years due to poaching, forest degradation and habitat fragmentation. The species is listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as a critically endangered sub-species. The conservation effort aims to help them breed so that their

offspring can be sustainably reintroduced into Mount Kenya’s forests.

The 17 bongos successfully made their journey from Loxahatchee, Florida, to a 30-acre sanctuary on the slopes of Mount Kenya. They are thriving. The plan is to move into an adjacent, expansive reserve that will include critically endangered black rhinos. The work is all being done in collaboration with the Meru County Government, Ntimaka and Kamulu Community Forest Associations, Kenya Wildlife Service, Kenya Forest Service, and Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. RSCF is an organizational trustee of the Meru Bongo and Rhino Conservation Trust, overseeing the bongo and rhino sanctuary.

This is the second time Reillo has sent bongos to Kenya, the first being in 2004. He is currently raising funds with the hope to repatriate more in the very near future. For him, this is just another step in the species’ fight for survival. For him, the work continues. n

RESEARCHER HELPS COLLECT KEY DATA TO ESTABLISH 9 NEW PROTECTED AREAS IN PERU

By Angela Nicoletti

FIU researcher Alessandro Catenazzi helped gather critical information needed to expedite the establishment of nine new protected areas in one of the most biologically diverse regions of Peru.

The Institute of Environment biologist was part of a large conservation effort led by the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. The team’s extensive rapid biological and social inventory work helped quadruple the previous number of protected areas in Loreto, an expanse of Amazonian lowlands and Andean foothills bordering Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador.

Although it covers less than 5 percent of the Amazon basin, Loreto is one of the most diverse areas in the entire Amazon — home to species that are not found anywhere else on Earth. It’s also home to more than 170,000 indigenous people.

Catenazzi — an expert in frog ecology and conservation who has helped identify and describe 45 new species — was on the biological rapid inventory team that documented amphibians and reptiles.

They set up camp in remote Loreto areas and spent the next few weeks documenting. The team made more than 17,000 sightings and over 10,000 photographs of species in the

field. They also recorded many new, previously undescribed species, including nine plants, 20 fish, 33 amphibians, three reptiles, two mammals and one bird.

There was also a team dedicated to working closely with the local communities. They ensured residents were involved throughout the process, taking into account the perspectives of those most familiar with the proposed protected areas, and who often had experience managing land but limited opportunities to share their knowledge.

This social team also helped record something else very important — what the local people call the different animals and plants.

Once the rapid biological inventories were complete and field guides created, the team shared them with the local residents. Documenting this cultural heritage is as important as documenting the abundance of life in Loreto, since some communities are down to a few hundred people and the native languages are disappearing. Today, the field guides include the scientific names of animals and plants along with their names in the local languages Wampis and Awajún.

The hope is this project’s rapid inventory process can serve as a guide for future conservation campaigns for other locations around the world. n

“WE’RE PUTTING ENORMOUS PRESSURE ON THIS PLANET, WITHOUT PROTECTED AREAS, THERE IS NO CHANCE MOST BIODIVERSITY WILL SURVIVE.”

— ALESSANDRO CATENAZZI

A GIANT LEAP FOR FROGKIND

Scientists have uncovered two new frog species in Peru — one living high in remote grasslands and the other found in a lower mountain valley. The discoveries highlight the challenges of exploring rugged terrain and combating a fungal disease that has devastated amphibian populations worldwide.

FIU Institute of Environment researcher Alessandro Catenazzi and his team are responsible for both discoveries. The higher elevation frog is Phrynopus remotum, found beneath stones in grasslands on the eastern slopes of the central Andes at about 12,000 feet. These stout-bodied frogs have short limbs and hatch directly from eggs as tiny froglets.

The second discovery — a brightly decorated little frog — offers hope amid a grim crisis. Amphibians globally have suffered massive population declines from a fungal disease called Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis , or Bd, especially harlequin frogs. Many have gone extinct or have not been seen for decades. Despite this threat, Catenazzi and his team described a new harlequin frog species, Atelopus moropukaqumir . These frogs are distinguished by their olive-green bodies decorated with bright red spots — a striking appearance that inspired their Quechua name. While Bd is present in their habitat, only about 15 percent of observed individuals were infected, suggesting the population is not yet in severe decline.

Both frogs’ habitats face threats from agriculture, deforestation and Bd. Discovering these new species gives conservationists a chance to advocate for habitat protection, disease monitoring and species survival. n

Atelopus moropukaqumir

Photo courtesy of Vladimir Díaz (Museo de Historia Natural de la Universidad Nacional San Cristóbal de Huamanga)

Phrynopus remotum.

Photo courtesy of Germán Chávez

FIU CONSERVATION SCIENTISTS GIVE TRAFFICKED, ENDANGERED PARROTS

By JoAnn Adkins

Two dozen rare Amazon parrot chicks left orphaned and homeless by a wildlife smuggling operation were given a second chance thanks to FIU conservation zoologists.

The birds were poached from their nests and smuggled while still eggs, though some had hatched by the time they were discovered in a Chinese national’s carry-on bag (a cleverly disguised incubator) by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agents in 2023 at Miami International Airport. The federal officers lacked the equipment and means to hatch and care for so many tiny hatchlings at the airport’s USDA quarantine facility, so they contacted Paul Reillo, FIU research professor and director of FIU’s Tropical Conservation Institute. The eggs and hatchlings were transported to the institute’s program partner, the Rare Species Conservatory Foundation (RSCF), where Reillo hand-reared the chicks.

“It’s clear this was part of a very sophisticated trafficking operation,” said Reillo, who is also the founding director of RSCF. “It’s not easy to assemble a group of this many eggs synchronized to all hatch around the same time.”

The smuggler, who was traveling from Nicaragua to Asia with 29 eggs, pled guilty to wildlife trafficking charges, resulting in one of the largest parrot-smuggling busts in recent years.

In total, 24 parrot chicks survived. FIU researchers provided USFWS law enforcement with DNA species identification, revealing three of the parrots were

red-lored Amazons and the other 21 were endangered yellow-naped Amazons.

Yellow-naped Amazons are threatened with extinction in the wild and prohibited from international trade. Their beauty, temperament and mimicking ability make them among the most trafficked Central American parrot species, with more than 90 percent of wild nests poached for the illegal pet trade.

“This batch of intercepted eggs likely represents a significant fraction of offspring from a swath of forest, seriously impacting species already in trouble,” Reillo said. “In high demand as pets with high price tags on their heads, parrots have become innocent victims of human greed. Aside from the sheer number of eggs, what makes this case unusual is that most of the intercepted eggs were viable, and the chicks survived. Smuggled animals often experience very high mortality.”

Due to political issues and because the smuggled birds were hand-reared, they were poor candidates for repatriation or release. Reillo found them a permanent home at a wildlife sanctuary in California where they can serve as conservation ambassadors, educating the public about the consequences of wildlife trafficking. For more than 30 years, Reillo and his team have successfully bred and managed endangered parrot species to support their recovery in the wild.

“The reality for many threatened and endangered species is they are being illegally trafficked for the pet trade, for animal products and for food,” said Mike Heithaus, executive dean of FIU’s College of Arts, Sciences & Education. “FIU has built robust anti-trafficking programs to combat this issue and these parrots were very lucky to have Dr. Reillo and his team step up to help give them a fighting chance at survival. Now, what we really need is to stop trafficking before animals are removed from the wild so we don’t lose these species forever.” n

EVERY TREE TELLS A STORY

Amazon research reveals unique insight into forests’ trees

For the first time, scientists know more about what trees are dominant in the overstory and the understory of the Amazon.

Christopher Baraloto, director of the International Center for Tropical Botany in the FIU Institute of Environment, post-doctoral research fellow Freddie Draper, and a team of more than 150 collaborators assembled a new dataset on what species of trees are growing in the Amazon. They found that size matters in determining what trees become dominant. Those species dominating the canopy are different from the ones growing below the canopy in the understory.

Understanding what trees make up the Amazon and where they grow has important implications for understanding how carbon is stored and moved. It can also help scientists better understand how changing conditions could impact the Amazon’s biodiversity.

Researchers discovered the high forest-canopy is dominated by just a few key plant families — like the legume or bean family — that can grow to heights of 150 feet and thrive in the exposed and hot environment above the canopy.

Understanding these canopy trees is important because these massive species are those that can be seen in satellite data and also store the most carbon.

MORE THAN 10 PERCENT OF ALL TREE SPECIES ON EARTH HAVE YET TO BE DISCOVERED AND AT LEAST 40 PERCENT OF THOSE ARE BELIEVED TO BE IN THE AMAZON

— THE NUMBER OF SPECIES ON EARTH, PNAS

Saving the Mule Ear Orchid: FINDING THE FIX IN THE FACE OF A TINY THREAT

By Angela Nicoletti

Researchers have pinpointed the biggest threats to the only population of rare, endangered mule ear orchids in the United States.

Powerful hurricanes can wipe out these fragile plants, but an invasive species of scale insect that feeds on the leaves is the primary culprit of concern, according to a study published by FIU’s orchid research team.

“Mule ear orchids we observed that had scale insects were more likely to die,” said Haydee Borrero, the study’s lead author and FIU postdoctoral scientist in the Institute of Environment. “This is an invasive species that has impacted other types of orchids on Florida’s west coast. So, it’s something we need to be worried about.”

Borrero, along with FIU conservation ecologist Hong Liu, have long been sentinels for mule ear orchids. These orchids exclusively grow throughout the Caribbean, with the largest populations scattered across remote regions of Cuba. Their northernmost range is south Florida’s buttonwood hammocks in Everglades National Park.

As a part of her Ph.D. work at FIU, Borrero conducted fieldwork to better understand these understudied orchids and found ones in Cuba lacked the invasive scale insect that is known to cover the leaves of mule orchids in Florida.

Those leaves — as the name suggests — resemble the big floppy ears of a mule. When this species of scale insect attacks the leaves, it cripples the plant, causing it to shrink in size. When the team returned to a

study site where the scale insects had been observed on orchids two years prior, many of the affected plants were dead.

The loss of even a single adult mule ear orchid can be devastating, Borrero said. That’s one less plant in an already small population to make the next generation of much-needed orchids, moving them closer to extinction.

“This has been a very important and exciting project, because we were able to do an analysis using many years of data to better tease apart which impacts cause more damage,” Liu said. “What we found is complex. It’s not straightforward. Yes, hurricanes are a threat. But herbivory is a bigger threat.”

In 2017, Hurricane Irma caused its share of damage when storm surge from the category 3 storm stretched across the southern Everglades. While the hurricane damaged the orchid population, it also did a lot of damage to the scale insect population. With fewer insects in the years following Irma, the mule ear orchids went into recovery mode.

Borrero and Liu keep watch and are using this data to help devise future management and possible rescue strategies for the endangered orchid.

The healthier Cuba populations are a sort of blueprint because they also grow in coastal regions prone to hurricanes and flooding. However, the forests they

live in have a greater diversity of tree species. This important information can provide clues on what areas in Florida, with similar types of trees, might be a good fit to relocate and expand Florida’s imperiled population.

“They will go extinct if we don’t do anything. If we help them, they will survive,” Borrero said.

The findings were published in Ecosphere and the research was supported by FIU’s International Center for Tropical Botany, the Latin American and Caribbean Center, Tinker Foundation, the Kelly Foundation’s Tropical Botany scholarship, and Everglades National Park. n

RARE ORCHIDS COULD BE SAVED BY COMMON FRUITS IN FLORIDA, RESEARCH FINDS

By Christine Fernandez

Florida’s night orchid is at risk of extinction, but backyard fruit trees could hold the key to their survival.

For the first time, scientists have used a mix of natural products found locally to propagate the Epidendrum nocturnum, as opposed to the traditional and expensive synthetic plant growth regulators (PGRs). FIU horticulturist Amir A. Khoddamzadeh and his team used coconut water, banana powder and potato dextrose to induce cell growth in Petri dishes.

Many plants in tropical and subtropical climates do not propagate through seeds, so tissue culture is essential to increase plant populations. Current in-vitro micropropagation methods typically involve several grams of the synthetic PGRs to regulate growth and developmental processes in tissue culture, according to Khoddamzadeh. These synthetic chemicals can cost $300 to $800 per 100 grams.

Khoddamzadeh took a seed pod from the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden and placed it in the Petri dish with coconut water, banana powder and potato dextrose which served as PGRs. These additives shocked the cells and produced induction, which increased the number of shoots, roots and leaves.

For Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden and its Million Orchid Project — the nation’s largest educational outreach program dedicated to orchids — this propagation alternative could be a game changer for orchids grown there and in commercial nurseries. Khoddamzadeh and his lab collaborate with Fairchild biologist and FIU alumnus Jason Downing on this initiative.

This study was published in The American Journal of Plant Sciences. n

Mealybug, planococcus citrus, dangerous pest on orchid leaf.

HOPE BLOOMS FOR FLORIDA’S CIGAR ORCHID

Imperiled flower found in Big Cypress National Preserve

By Angela Nicoletti

Hong Liu has spent months searching for one of Florida’s most rare and endangered orchids in Big Cypress National Preserve.

The cigar orchid (Cyrtopodium punctatum) nearly vanished after decades of habitat destruction and overharvesting. People have reported sightings in Big Cypress but little evidence exists. The orchid species’ presence or severity of its loss has long remained a mystery. That’s why the U.S. National Park Service awarded Liu an $80,000 grant to lead the first study to determine the population size and structure of cigar orchids in Big Cypress.

Liu — a professor in FIU’s Department of Earth and Environment and conservation ecologist in FIU’s Institute of Environment — has spent decades protecting some of the world’s most endangered orchids.

“I know this will be very precious, valuable information for the National Park Service,” Liu said. “And I imagine this type of research will be repeated at some point in the future to compare the data, because only then can you understand whether the population is stable or not.”

Searching for the elusive bloom meant tackling the sprawling 729,000-acre wetland. For most, it would be an overwhelming assignment. Liu is no stranger to this kind of massive and incredibly labor-intensive search. She began in the places where people had said they saw the orchid. She scoured social media. Her research team contacted orchid enthusiasts on Facebook who have visited Big Cypress. Several

people jumped at the opportunity to help, like Matt Preiss and Michelle Berndgen. The couple accompanied Liu and her team into the field, leading them to locations where they had seen cigar orchids.

“The project means a lot to me personally, because over the years I have grown tired of watching plants disappear,” Preiss said. “It made me smile when I was contacted by Dr. Liu’s group. This was my first opportunity to guide an ecologist and her students and aid with an orchid’s survival.”

Wading through the swamp looking for orchids is certainly not for the faint of heart.

Liu’s fieldwork kicked off in December — a time when the leaves have dropped from the trees, allowing more sunlight to pour into the forest and making it easier to spot the orchids. Because they aren’t flowering yet, it’s not as simple as spotting the vivid splashes of yellow in the trees. Careful vigilance is needed to identify the characteristics of the plants, the unique bulbs and stems.

The team would meet early in the morning and depart on Liu’s favorite mode of transportation — a swamp buggy — or Utility Terrain Vehicles.

A long drive is followed by an equally long hike. It can take four hours to reach the most remote locations. It’s tiring. There are days when the team doesn’t spot a single orchid.

“If we see one plant, that’s a good day,” Liu said. “The majority of the searches, we see one or two. That’s the norm. That’s how sparse this population is over the huge size of Big Cypress.”

The experience has been memorable and meaningful for Liu’s team — especially for the undergraduate students who wouldn’t normally have the chance to do research like this so early in their academic career.

FIU freshman Dominic Mellone wasn’t afraid of the fieldwork. The avid hiker was ready for the challenge, though he didn’t expect taking on such an active role in the research process as a rookie researcher. On one trip, he was the only student available to collect data.

“That particular experience stands out to me because it showed the magnitude to which I was trusted and valued as a part of this team,” Mellone said. “As someone who has a great appreciation for the unique biodiversity of Florida and the Caribbean, and values conservation in general, this research has an added personal value.”

It’s still too soon to tell what sort of conservation action might be needed in Big Cypress or if it would resemble another project Liu has been a part of — the restoration of cigar orchids in the nearby Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park. What Liu knows for certain is the work protecting these endangered orchids is just beginning, and she hopes to continue to be a part of it.

For now, Liu is savoring her days in the field. Almost in celebration of the months of hard work, the cigar orchids recently flowered.

It’s a breathtaking sight, and one that never fails to make Liu smile. n

HONG LIU, A CONSERVATION ECOLOGIST IN FIU’S DEPARTMENT OF EARTH AND ENVIRONMENT, IS WORKING TO PROTECT AND PRESERVE ORCHIDS ACROSS THE WORLD.

AS THE WILD ORCHID TRADE IN ASIA HAS EXTENDED ITS REACH PAST PHYSICAL MARKETS TO THE INTERNET, SHE SAYS THE POSSIBILITY OF EXTINCTION HAS ESCALATED.

Scientist on Lifelong Quest to Give Identity to Nameless Orchids

By Michelle Marie Arean

Deep in the forests of Asia, Pankaj Kumar kept careful watch. Twenty-three plants. He waited patiently for a bloom. He would return time and again. They were orchids, he was certain — but without blooms, they remained a mystery.

Days stretched into weeks, then months. Ten months passed before a white petal — smaller than a fingernail — appeared in August 2013. Kumar, an expert on Asian orchids, was almost certain it was an unidentified species. At the faintest touch, the fragile bloom slipped from its stem. And with it came a heartbreaking realization: to give this orchid a name, he would have to dissect it.

Though the government gave him permission to collect a sample, he worried the plant would shrivel before reaching the bottom of the mountain. With a rainstorm moving in, and the water level rising from a nearby stream, he got to work on the forest floor. He documented as much as he could. He selected a single specimen to take with him, watching over it for three years before handing it over to a garden for safekeeping. Despite Kumar’s warnings, the handler cut it into three parts. It died. When Kumar found out, it brought him to tears.

Kumar spent 25 years trekking through Asia’s forests looking for rare orchids. He has battled illegal collectors and mourned species lost to habitat destruction. In total, he has discovered 38 species and has more he’s writing up.

His discoveries have spanned Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, among other countries. Today, as a researcher with FIU’s Institute of Environment, he continues his work with Hong Liu, professor in the Department of Earth and Environment and FIU alumnus Jason Downing, an orchid biologist at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. Kumar credits his success to a mix of fieldwork in taxonomy and his passion for photography and hiking. He’s even a bit of an artist, having drawn the illustrations for almost all his orchid discoveries.

The work is a mix of heartbreak and joy. In Laos, he identified a new species in 2013, just before lime mining destroyed its habitat. The plant

has not been reported anywhere else in the world. It was declared extinct in 2015.

“You need to conserve the habitat if you want to conserve the plant,” Kumar said. “But it’s not so easy in some countries, because they don’t have other options to bring economy to the country.”

One small orchid he identified was thought to be extinct after years of illegal collection — locals repeatedly harvest these orchids from the wild, depleting populations. In one case, Kumar recognized a new species after his friend showed him an orchid purchased in Laos from a local nursery. Eventually, the orchid disappeared from the wild there but was later discovered in Vietnam. The threat persists, and the plant is still being trafficked illegally, selling in the United States for at least $200 per plant.

A special discovery for Kumar was one in India he named after his father — Peristylus sahanii (sahani being his father’s surname). Nearly two decades after discovering it, a friend sent him a photo, which he immediately recognized as the flower he dedicated to his father.

“Each new species is unique, and it gives me happiness that I contributed to science in some way,” he said.

His plant names don’t always have personal touches, sometimes he goes by plant characteristics. Kumar believes naming new orchid species is important for conservation. His efforts have not gone unnoticed. An orchid native to Vietnam was named after him as an honorary nod from Russian and Vietnamese scientists who discovered the flower.

Kumar, who struggled to find mentorship for his studies, is committed to guiding the next generation.

“If someone is trying to conserve a plant, I’m going to help them,” Kumar said. “Many species are going extinct before they’re identified. We need these people.”

His passion for botany bloomed early. In college, his rooftop garden in India held around 500 plants. Though his father, a retired mechanical engineer, wanted him to study medicine, Kumar was set on a career in botany. He now mentors students through his work with the Botanical Society of America, which promotes plant learning for students.

“I want to leave some good taxonomists,” he said. “Taxonomists themselves are becoming endangered, but they are an essential part of conservation.” n

Pankaj Kumar, top, examines a newly discovered orchid. Below, is a close-up of the orchid.

Field drawings by Pankaj Kumar

SCIENTISTS BELIEVE WEAPON AGAINST CITRUS GREENING ALREADY EXISTS IN NATURE

By JoAnn C. Adkins

Researchers are turning to a plant’s own microbiome to fight the destruction of citrus greening on Florida’s citrus trees.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded FIU scientists $500,000 to investigate natural compounds that could suppress or even eliminate the deadly bacteria that causes citrus greening. Currently, no cure exists for this disease that has left its mark on Florida’s citrus production, causing more than a 70% reduction in orange crops since first appearing in the state in 2005. FIU Institute of Environment researcher Kateel Shetty is leading this search for an antimicrobial compound that could help citrus growers gain control over this bacterial scourge.

Also known as huanglongbing, citrus greening is spread by a tiny invasive insect from Asia. Infected trees produce fruits that are green, misshapen, bitter and unsuitable for sale as fresh fruit or for juice. Most infected trees die within a few years. It can destroy entire citrus orchards.

If they can identify a compound that combats the bacteria in an infected tree, the team’s theory is the tree will thrive and be a productive fruit producer. It could slow or even stop the spread of the disease. Shetty believes they may be able to identify a natural compound because of preliminary findings from one of his current Ph.D. students while she was working on her master’s degree at FIU in 2019. Jessica Dominguez provided early evidence that microorganisms called endophytes could be used for disease management in citrus greening. Essentially, they hope to fight bad bacteria with good bacteria.

Shetty is working with fellow agroecology researcher Krishnaswamy Jayachandran and biologist Diego Salazar Amoretti as well as researchers from Texas A&M University and University of Florida to advance this work. The two-year USDA grant is funded as part of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture Emergency Citrus Disease Research and Extension program, which brings top scientists together with citrus industry representatives to find scientifically sound solutions to combat and prevent citrus greening at the farm-level.

Citrus greening is found in all of Florida’s citrus-producing counties and has spread throughout the U.S. The FIU research is being fasttracked with the hopes of arming citrus growers with a new tool in the battle against this devastating disease. n

THE WORLD’S MOST UNWANTED PLANTS HELP TREES MAKE MORE FRUIT

Keeping the spark alive is hard in any relationship – especially for fruit trees trying to attract pollinators.

Blaire Kleiman, an FIU Institute of Environment graduate teaching assistant and alumna, found an unexpected source that keeps this relationship fruitful.

Weeds.

These often unwanted plants might not be attractive to humans, but they do put a spell on pollinators like bees and butterflies. The presence of weeds benefits trees and pollinators.

“Weeds actually do a lot of good,” Kleiman said. “It might be helpful to think of them as wildflowers instead of these horrible, ugly things that need to be removed.”

Fruit trees can’t live without pollinators.

Bees and other insects have been shown to increase the size and quality of yields from 70 percent of the leading economically important crops in the world, including mango.

But it’s getting harder to bring the bees to the trees. Over the past three decades, pollinator numbers have drastically declined.

When fruit trees and pollinators do come together, the game of attraction only just begins. Trees must keep the pollinators interested, so they don’t fly away to find another tree somewhere else.

Farmers sometimes rely on insectary plants. These specific plants attract pollinators and encourage them to stick around on the farm. Kleiman wanted to see if weeds could play a similar role since there are hundreds of flowering weed varieties.

Under the guidance of FIU professors Suzanne Koptur and Krishnaswamy Jayachandran, Kleiman compared mango trees at a farm in Homestead, Florida. One plot of trees had weeds growing around them. The other was maintained and weed-free.

The pollinators preferred the trees with weeds. In turn, the trees produced more mangos. There were between 100 to 236 mangos on the trees with weeds, compared to between 38 to 48 on the trees without weeds.

Kleiman points out findings apply to mango trees, but also to all of the roughly 80 percent of flowering plants of Earth, including fruit trees and all flowering vegetable plants. She hopes this information helps farmers save time and money and reduce the use of chemical pesticides.

The research was published in Insects n

GROWING OUR WAY OUT OF NUTRIENT PROBLEMS ON OUR WATERWAYS

By Chrystian Tejedor

An FIU Institute of Environment Ph.D. student is investigating whether growing plants on floating mats in canals can reduce pollutants entering Biscayne Bay.

Previous studies by Institute of Environment ecologist John Kominoski found that rivers worldwide carry more nitrogen and phosphorous than is recommended.

In August 2020, polluted water flowing into Biscayne Bay triggered an explosive growth of algae, depleting oxygen and causing a massive fish kill.

While all these nutrients might be bad for the environment, they’re fuel for plants. And if plants can be grown on floating treatment wetlands on our waterways, they’ll beautify normally trash-strewn canals and eat up nutrients and pollution before they get a chance to foul the bay.

Now FIU’s Jazmin Locke-Rodriguez wants to know whether growing flowers or crops that thrive in South Florida right on our nutrient-rich

canals could help send cleaner water to the bay. To find out, Locke-Rodriguez is working with Professor Krishnaswamy Jayachandran, co-director of the FIU Agroecology Program and an Institute of Environment researcher.

Her work is just getting started.

Right next to FIU’s Wertheim Conservatory, Locke-Rodriguez is filling freshwater tanks and loading them with enough nitrogen and phosphorous to mimic the conditions found in canals throughout South Florida.

Water from Lake Okeechobee — already nutrient rich — flows into the canals and keeps collecting more nutrients as it winds its way east to Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. These nutrients come from farms in the fertile Everglades Agricultural Area, fertilizer, storm runoff and yard waste.

On early tests, Locke-Rodriguez has seen marigolds thrive in this new medium. Because their roots are not having to dig through soil in search of nutrients, they can grow longer and

stretch out over a wider area sucking up as much nitrogen and phosphorous from the water as they can consume. Their flowers grow large and pop with a brilliant yellow-orange color that gives the flowers their name.

Control water samples looked sickeningly yellow. In the tank where marigolds had their fill, the water was almost crystalline.

She hopes this effort can become selfsustaining by using commercially viable plants like marigolds or crops grown and sold in South Florida. Any money earned from the sale of the flowers or crops could be pumped back into efforts to plant more flowers in canals.

Locke-Rodriguez is mapping the places in South Florida where it makes sense to place these mats. She and Jayachandran are also looking to find a balance between how many plants should occupy a mat and how many mats should be placed into a system. Too many can lead to a situation where oxygen in the canals and later the bay is depleted. n

FIU’S AGROECOLOGY PROGRAM SUPPORTS SOIL HEALTH IN SOUTH AFRICA

By Daniela Ghelman

South Africa is on a mission to improve its national soil health, and FIU is helping lead the charge.

The university’s Agroecology Program recently hosted a series of soil health workshops at leading South African universities, including the University of Venda, the University of Limpopo, the University of Johannesburg and the University of Pretoria. Led by FIU’s Maruthi Sridhar Balaji Bhaskar and Krishnaswamy Jayachandran, the workshops brought together about 100 students and faculty to explore soil degradation, its consequences and best practices for sustainable management.

The initiative was made possible through a USDA Scientific Cooperation Research Program grant titled Training and Education for Agricultural Management (TEAM) to Promote Soil Health and Crop Productivity in South Africa. The grant was conceived in summer 2023, when Jude Odhiambo, professor of soil science at the University of Venda, visited FIU as a Fulbright Scholar in Jayachandran’s lab.

Jayachandran, distinguished university professor and co-founding director of FIU’s Agroecology Program, said the grant supports sustainable agriculture, food security and climate resilience at a time when soil degradation — the decline in soil quality and

productivity due to natural or human activities — is worsening, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. To address these challenges, the workshops promoted nutrient cycling, improved water retention and reduced reliance on synthetic fertilizers. Students and faculty also received hands-on training with more than $10,000 worth of soil health instrumentation provided to the South African universities to measure chlorophyll levels in plants, soil moisture, electrical conductivity and pH.

Aligned with South Africa’s national goal of achieving land degradation neutrality by 2030, the workshops combined fieldwork, lab exercises and interactive discussions with experts from FIU, the University of Venda and the University of Limpopo. Participants gained practical skills in assessing, monitoring and improving soil health through adaptive, datadriven strategies.

The program is expected to have a lasting global impact by strengthening agricultural resilience, enhancing soil health and equipping the next generation of scientists and farmers with the tools for sustainable land management. It also contributes to global food security by helping communities boost productivity, build resilience and manage agricultural resources more effectively. n

WATER POLLUTANT COULD BE SOIL SAVIOR

By Christine Fernandez

One ecosystem’s trash could be another ecosystem’s treasure, according to scientists studying cyanobacteria, also known as bluegreen algae.

Cyanobacteria are commonly found in South Florida freshwaters and can produce toxins and harmful algal blooms. It also has a high iron content, unlike local crop soils. In a new study published in Environments, researchers found they can use cyanobacteria as a biofertilizer in iron deficient soils, turning this economic and environmental threat into a cost-effective solution for local farmers.

“To our knowledge, this is the first study to collect naturally growing cyanobacteria for producing a biofertilizer and demonstrating ecological, environmental, economic and agriculture resilience,” Agroecology Professor Krishnaswamy Jayachandran said.

Jayachandran, earth and environment

Professors Leonard Scinto and Mahadev Bhat, and Postdoctoral Associate Saoli Chanda and others used cyanobacteria for a two-year experiment at FIU’s Organic Garden Shade House and Greenhouse. They found it could improve water quality by reducing nutrient runoff into surface water systems while boosting organic matter levels in porous calcareous for better soil aggregation and stability. n

MOSQUITOES TURN EGG-LAYING

INTO EXCLUSIVE POOL PARTY

By JoAnn C. Adkins

Female mosquitoes want every night to be girls night, but not everyone is invited.

When female mosquitoes feed, they don’t seem to mind a crowd because lots of carbon dioxide usually means there’s food. They were thought to be more solitary, however, when laying eggs. New research has revealed quite the opposite for the deadly Aedes aegypti While they do avoid large crowds, the female mosquitoes appear to follow other females and congregate in smaller groups when laying eggs. This new finding, published recently in Communications Biology, has scientists rethinking the possibilities for mosquito control.

“What we’ve found is mosquitoes are working together to control their density,” said FIU biologist Matthew DeGennaro, coauthor of the study and director of the FIU Biomolecular Sciences Institute. “If there’s too many, there could be a resource issue. But having some clustering likely provides benefits for the survival of their young.”

The researchers say female mosquitoes use a balance of smells to decide where to lay eggs. Some smells attract them to lay eggs, while others make them want to avoid laying eggs. Through a series of lab

tests, DeGennaro and his team observed female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes avoiding areas with high amounts of carbon dioxide, likely because lots of CO2 means a crowd. When the egg-laying females detected smaller clusters of females with eggs or young mosquitoes, again relying on their sense of smell, they moved in.

“It’s like female mosquitoes are going to an exclusive pool party,” said FIU biologist Andre Luis Costa-da-Silva, lead author of the study. “They don’t want too many or too few guests.”

Aedes aegypti mosquitoes love urban habitats and can lay eggs in tiny containers that litter neighborhoods. This makes finding breeding sites difficult. This new understanding of how mosquitoes decide where to lay eggs could also lead to entirely new ways of controlling mosquito populations to reduce the spread of diseases they carry.

“We’ve discovered a new behavior. Now we are exploring how we can use this to control the choices mosquitoes’ make,” DeGennaro said. “We don’t want mosquitoes throwing their baby showers just anywhere.” n

MATTHEW DEGENNARO IS A NEUROGENETICIST WHO CREATED THE WORLD’S FIRST MUTANT MOSQUITO TO ADVANCE RESEARCH IN MOSQUITOBORNE DISEASES.

AN END TO MOSQUITOBORNE DISEASES?

Mosquitoes are the deadliest animals on the planet, killing hundreds of thousands of people every year through the spread of disease.

Neurogeneticist Matthew DeGennaro is on the hunt for a lifesaving perfume.

He’s the first scientist to make a mutant mosquito — a game-changing tool in researching mosquito behavior. Secured in his Tropical Genetics Lab, DeGennaro relies on his mutants to help answer globally critical questions like how mosquitoes find people. Because he can’t ask a mosquito, he removes a single gene to create a mutant and then observes its behavior. In 2019, DeGennaro unleashed a new era in mosquito prevention research when he, with the help of his students, identified the olfactory receptor mosquitoes rely on to detect people. His focus has now shifted to finding a scent to disrupt that receptor.

DeGennaro’s research has provided other key insights including what goes into a mosquito’s decision of where to lay eggs and natural odors that could keep mosquitoes at bay. The research has been supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, and U.S. Department of Defense. DeGennaro has been an investigator of the CDC-sponsored Southeastern Center of Excellence in Vector-borne Disease since its inception. His growing understanding of mosquito behavior could someday help end the global scourge of mosquito-borne diseases n

MOSQUITOES ARE GOOD AT SUCKING BLOOD AND HAVING BABIES

By Angela Nicoletti

The secret of the world’s deadliest animal’s reproductive success could lead to fewer baby mosquitoes. That could mean improved pest control.

FIU Biomolecular Sciences Institute researchers collaborated with an international team to study juvenile hormone, a molecule that regulates development, reproduction and behavior in insects. They produced genetically modified Aedes aegypti mosquitoes — carriers of deadly diseases including yellow fever, dengue and zika — that cannot make juvenile hormone. The mutants could still mate and have babies. Just not as many as their juvenile hormone-producing counterparts. The researchers say greater understanding of hormone action could unleash a new generation of mosquito control tools.

All insects produce the hormone in question. It plays a critical role in their development, controls different functions and dictates certain behaviors. It helps mosquito larvae to complete metamorphosis. It functions similar to the hormones people rely on for puberty and to reach sexual maturity.

Mosquitoes and their distant relatives — crabs and lobsters — both have methyl farnesoate (MF). In crustaceans, MF regulates reproduction. Insects have the ability to turn MF into juvenile hormone, giving them an evolutionary reproductive advantage in producing more offspring.

The team of researchers — including FIU’s Fernando Noriega, Marcela Nouzova, Francisco Fernandez Lima and Matthew DeGennaro — worked to take the mosquitoes back in time, where it was as if they never evolved to produce juvenile hormone at all.

Nouzova designed the experiments and led the genome editing process, creating the mutant mosquitoes.

While the mutants that only had MF successfully reached adulthood, they were lacking in reproductive competence. They couldn’t keep up with the stronger, nonmutant males. The mutant females also were affected. Normally, a female can lay up to 100 eggs after mating. In their short lifespan, they can lay three different sets, amounting to hundreds of eggs. The mutants laid 50 percent fewer eggs.

The other mutants lost the ability to make MF completely. They died as a larva. This means juvenile hormone is a master regulator of mosquito reproduction, DeGennaro said.

This information can help control populations of insects we want less of. It can also help improve reproduction success and boost the populations of insects we need more of.

The findings were published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. n

EVER WONDERED WHERE ALL THE ANTS ARE?

These researchers did, and now they know

A team of international researchers is shining a light on the often-understudied little things that run the world — ants.

The researchers, including Earth and Environment professor Clinton Jenkins, have created the first-of-its-kind global biodiversity map to begin answering a long unanswered question — where are all the ants? Lurking in this map is another one, a so-called treasure map, to guide future research and exploration into unexplored regions where undiscovered species may be found. These data are the first step in protecting and conserving ant biodiversity. The findings were published in Science Advances

“Much of our knowledge of biodiversity, and our planning of conservation, has been based on other animals, like mammals, reptiles and birds,” Jenkins said. “This is a major leap forward in our understanding of life on the planet and its conservation status.”

Ants — thought to be nature’s most industrious insects — often toil away, carrying out many jobs and juggling important responsibilities. They are hunters, farmers, harvesters, gliders, herders, weavers and carpenters. They carry and disperse seeds. They dig holes in the ground to aerate and turn over the soil, helping plants grow. They keep pests in check. They are one of nature’s smallest creatures with the biggest impact on entire ecosystems.

While there’s still much to learn about them, it’s clear that the world wouldn’t be the world without ants.

“When I started looking into this more than a decade ago, it was so fascinating to realize the number of effects ants have on an ecosystem,” Jenkins said. “There are tens of thousands of types of ants, and in some places, they are key for the ecosystem to function. If you lose ants,

other species could disappear. Yes, ants might be small, but they have a huge impact.”

Jenkins — who has studied the biodiversity of other species — joined a team from the Biodiversity and Biocomplexity Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) and other universities to embark on this ambitious project of pinpointing where in the world ants are.

Museum records, field observations and data extracted from academic research papers told part of the story. Because some species are found in more than one location, the researchers turned to computers to build better predictive models of the distribution of each species. The team also looked at how wellprotected areas of high ant diversity are. They found only 15 percent of the top 10 percent of ant rarity centers had some sort of legal protection, such as a national park or reserve.

The team hopes this study will encourage more research and the discovery of unknown species, in the hopes of beginning to assess and determine whether some species are of conservation concern. n

FIU STUDENT DEVELOPS PORTABLE SENSOR-PACKED TOOL FOR INSECT TRACKING

By Angela Nicoletti

With some home security software and a little ingenuity, FIU biology Ph.D. student Yash Sondhi has developed a new tracking tool for hard-to-track insects to help understand the effects of increased light pollution.

Moths, mosquitoes and fruit flies usually fly under our radar, and not much is known about when they are actually flying around. So Sondhi, in collaboration with researchers from the Florida Museum of Natural History and the Imperial College of London, developed a portable and affordable tool that accurately tracks insect movements in the field by pinpointing what times of day or night small insects are awake and active.

This information is the foundation for understanding insect behaviors and circadian rhythms — patterns that determine when they look for food, pollinate flowers and more. Without this basic information, it’s harder to predict or determine how changes in the environment might impact the insects.

“You might think a moth is nocturnal because it’s only been seen at night, but that doesn’t mean it’s not out during the day. It just might not have been seen,” Sondhi, who works in FIU associate professor of biology Jamie Theobald’s lab, said.

Sondhi needed a tool he could take to the field because the existing, bulky tools can only be used in a lab where it’s impossible to study natural insect behaviors.

But the tinier the animal, the harder it is to track. Plus, insects fly. Sondhi gathered a microcomputer, open-source motion tracking software, sensors, a camera and all-important infrared lights that don’t disturb or confuse insects. He housed all of this in a mesh cage that looks like a laundry hamper and the portable locomotion activity monitor was born.

It can be built for under $100, a tiny fraction of the lab-based technology that costs more than $4,000.

After some testing in the lab, Sondhi took the tool on a research trip to Costa Rica with Akito Kawahara from the Florida Museum of Natural History.

They collected 15 species, placing between four and eight moths from each species into the activity monitors. One of the most interesting examples was a species of tiger moth. It’s assumed these brightly colored, toxic moths are exclusively out during the day, because predators steer clear of them and they can move about without fear of being eaten. However, data from the activity monitors revealed they’re also active at dusk.

“The goal is to quantify when they are active and then associate that with their traits,” Sondhi said.

Sondhi tested the tool and found that it is applicable for all small insects. He collaborated with FIU biologist Matthew DeGennaro’s lab and found the tool accurately tracked the movement of mosquitos.

Sondhi will be using this new tool to continue his National Geographic-funded research on how moths respond to light pollution. He’s collected the data on the differing light levels at several field sites in India. Now, he can examine how light pollution could be confusing moths, interfering with their natural circadian patterns, and impacting when they are active.

The research was published in Methods in Ecology and Evolution n

3 DECADES IN THE ARCTIC AFFIRM NEED FOR LONG-TERM MONITORING

FIU BIOLOGIST HAS SERVED AS NORTH AMERICAN LEAD SINCE THE EARLY YEARS

By JoAnn C. Adkins

Temperatures are increasing in the Arctic at more than double the global average. Shrubs are getting bigger. Plant populations are changing. Animals are changing their diets.

Scientists from every Arctic country in Europe, Asia and North America have been working together for 30 years to examine vegetation change across the tundra biome as part of the International Tundra Experiment (ITEX), which formed in 1992.

Alexandra Fiord in the Canadian High Arctic became the first official site. Steven Oberbauer, FIU biologist and North American lead for ITEX, attended his first ITEX meeting in 1994. He says maintaining a long-term, multisite, multi-institution collaboration like ITEX is hard to do. There were times when the grants ran out. Personnel changed. And during the global pandemic, travel was all but blocked.

Yet, scientists found ways to keep the data collection going. Part of ITEX’s success may be attributed to the number of participants — usually no more than 100 researchers. It’s a tight-knit community that has spent three decades working across three continents.

What began as studies of individual plant species has grown to entire ecosystems.

“There are shrubs that are almost tree-size,” said Oberbauer. “It’s not supposed to be that way. At least, that’s not how it used to be.”

Traditionally, plants in the Arctic’s tundra region are low-lying and grow slowly because of their short growing season. But as temperatures have gotten warmer, the season is beginning earlier. Some plants are moving into areas they didn’t occupy before, and species composition is changing. Changes haven’t been swift and could have gone unrecognized. But ITEX is

SCIENTISTS FIRST SOUNDED THE ALARM FOR A RAPIDLY WARMING ARCTIC IN THE MID-1980S. SOME MET AND AGREED TO WORK TOGETHER, FORMING ITEX.

providing an understanding of the impacts of these changes.

Scientists first noted a changing Arctic in the mid-1980s. After 30 years, they can answer questions about what is happening and what the world should expect for the Arctic’s future. For the questions they don’t have answers to, their 30 years of research has laid the groundwork for investigations that will continue to search for answers. n

GEOPHYSICIST ZEROES IN ON HAZARD SPOTS TO INFORM MORE RESILIENT COMMUNITIES

By JoAnn C. Adkins

Movements in the Earth can make land and infrastructure vulnerable, yet knowing when and where vulnerabilities exist has long been a challenge. FIU geophysicist Shimon Wdowinski is using unique radar technology to detect ground movements with millimeter-level accuracy. Their research is revealing hidden dangers including sinkholes and land subsidence.

In Central Florida’s densely-populated “Sinkhole Alley,” Wdowinski found areas subsiding by a quarter-inch per year, a potential warning sign of a sinkhole. Working with researchers from the University of South Florida, the team then used ground-penetrating radar to look for signs of any sand or soil movement in ground cavities to help pinpoint areas that should be monitored by local officials.

“Our research shows that with special radar satellite technology, we can monitor large areas for localized subsidence and provide highly valuable warning information that could protect people and their property,” Wdowinski said.

The same satellite technology is also being used to study the effects of subsidence in coastal cities that are also grappling with rising sea levels like Cartagena, Colombia. Wdowinski’s research has revealed parts of the city are sinking at a rate of almost a half-inch

per year. These are changes that can’t be observed with the human eye, which makes the specialized radar technology invaluable to long-term planning strategies for coastal communities. In Cartagena, the subsidence could lead to significantly worse coastal flooding and erosion than what would occur with just rising sea levels. Wdowinski says these changes in the land should be consistently monitored and factored into urban planning. This is true not just in Cartagena but in any coastal city facing rising sea levels including Miami, he said.

The research extends beyond natural land movement to human-made infrastructure. In Mexico City, which is subsiding at an extreme rate of up to 20 inches annually due to groundwater extraction, Wdowinski used satellite data to identify vulnerable areas within the city’s metro system. That study, prompted by a deadly overpass collapse in 2021, pinpointed areas of structural damage along street-level and elevated segments of the railway. This critical information can help prevent future accidents and guide similar geohazard evaluations for other vital infrastructure in highly subsiding regions worldwide.

Wdowinksi’s approach to detecting land subsidence is giving people critical knowledge to better prepare for potential hazards and build more resilient communities. n

HURRICANES ARE PRODUCING MORE RAIN, FIU STUDY FINDS

Hurricanes have become prolific at producing damaging winds and storm surge. FIU research shows they have also grown to become prolific at making more rain.

Because of uncertainties with numerical models, precipitation forecasts are a challenge for National Hurricane Center forecasters. FIU meteorologist Haiyan Jiang and researcher Oscar Guzman are working to change that, analyzing NASA satellite data from more than 2,000 storms across six oceans. Their research shows hurricanes have steadily been producing more rain in the past 20 years — a sign that storms will generate more severe and damaging impacts, especially in hurricane-prone areas. They found the total precipitation rate had increased by one percent per year. This trend was more pronounced in the northern hemisphere.

As Guzman says, while most people might assume hurricanes are deadly because of high winds, the majority of hurricane-related deaths are associated with water. Their latest insights are helping to improve prediction models that can help communities better prepare for the changing trends in storm activity. n

FIU LAUNCHES GLOBAL SUSTAINABLE TOURISM DEGREE

FIU’s Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management and the College of Arts, Sciences & Education have launched an online bachelor’s degree focused on the global tourism industry and its relationship to the environment.

Global tourism’s impact on the health of the planet and the environment’s effects on the prosperity of the tourism industry – the world’s second largest industry – have propelled the creation of a fully online Bachelor of Arts degree in Global Sustainable Tourism. Faculty in the Chaplin School and the Department of Earth and Environment have designed the program to give students the knowledge to lead the hospitality and tourism business sectors on sustainable practices, resiliency and advocacy in this emerging field.

A blend of new and existing courses offer students an educational pathway toward rewarding careers in sustainability and job positions that did not exist just a decade ago. According to Visit Florida, visitors spend over $100 billion a year in Florida, supporting more than a million jobs. About 10 percent of the state’s total Gross Domestic Product comes from tourism. The program focuses on protecting natural resources, which in turn would protect tourism dollars. n

STUDENTS CALLED HIM DR. BEACH AND LIKE SAND, THE NAME STUCK

Each spring, Stephen Leatherman produces his much-anticipated America’s Top 10 Best Beaches list.

Stephen Leatherman didn’t set out to refashion tourism or become a hit with the media or even land himself on the Oprah Winfrey Show. His only goal was to promote and protect healthy, safe, good quality, family-friendly beaches. The FIU coastal scientist and professor in the Department of Earth and Environment and the Institute of Environment actually became Dr. Beach long before his annual rankings of beaches.

In 1989, Leatherman was a professor at the University of Maryland, teaching a popular course on waves and beaches. His students, who tended to come from non-scientific disciplines, called him “Dr. Beach.” Like sand, the name stuck to him.

When one of Leatherman’s students started working at a national travel magazine, he told the editor Leatherman was the beach guru and could identify the nation’s top beaches for an upcoming story.

Having served on a special team commissioned by President Jimmy Carter to study the nation’s beaches, Leatherman knew America’s beaches better than anyone. Later a magazine appeared in his office mailbox. He found the list — and his name with the beaches he’d mentioned.

Calls started pouring in. Counties with beaches on the list wanted to understand how to move up the list next year.

“I thought, ‘Well, gosh, everyone is so interested in this,’” Leatherman said. “People love lists and beaches, and I had all of these notes about beaches, so I knew I could continue to do this.”

For two years, Leatherman consulted his thousands of photographs and maps — and developed 50 criteria scored on a five-point scale. Everything from clean water and sand to beach safety.

A “perfect” beach would earn a 250. Leatherman’s never given a perfect score. But he does give extra credit — only to beaches that have banned smoking. The scorecard, has prompted different cities and communities to get serious about taking good care of their beaches in the hopes of making the list.

The lineup always changes as national winners are retired once they land the top spot.

His most recent beaches to claim the moniker of America’s Best Beach are New York’s Coopers Beach in 2025 and Hawaii’s Duke Kahanamoku Beach in 2024.

Some beaches have been dropped from the list due to environmental concerns. California’s Coronado Beach suffered elevated bacteria levels due to Mexico’s deteriorating wastewater treatment infrastructure, causing it to be left off the 2025 list. Florida’s Caladesi Island State Park missed out because of damages from 2024’s Hurricane Helene. And North Carolina’s Lighthouse Beach in Cape Hatteras National Seashore has been left out of the top 10 for multiple years after severe erosion from coastal storms revealed the remains of an old U.S. Navy submarine spy station that has been leaking oily substances.

Leatherman has given guidance on how to make beaches better and even helped transform a few, including Mission Beach in San Diego, California, and Florida’s Miami Beach.

He never expected the list would become the “biggest thing” he’d end up doing. He’s written 20 books and more than 200 articles for top journals including Science and Nature. He’s also provided expert testimony for the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives on 11 separate occasions.

“I feel like with this list I can make a difference to help push important issues especially improving beach safety and health,” Leatherman said. “I’m not ready to stop. I’m enjoying what I’m doing, so why not keep doing it?” n

PLANTS THAT EVOLVED IN FLORIDA OVER MILLENNIA NOW FACE EXTINCTION AND LACK PROTECTION

By Andre A. Naranjo

Modern scrub mints, delicate flowering plants that grow mostly in Florida, likely result from ancient hybridization, according to a recent study I published with colleagues.

Scrub mints are a clade – a group of organisms that share a common ancestor. They grow exclusively on the North American coastal plain. Many species in this clade are endangered and confined to unique habitats, such as sandhills and scrub.

Other well-known examples of clades include primates, orchids, daisies and insects.

Hybridization occurs when two species interbreed and produce new offspring with genes and traits from both species. Our study suggests that scrub mints hybridized during a geological period known as the Pleistocene, which lasted from about 11,700 to 2.58 million

years ago. The Pleistocene was characterized by dramatic changes in climate, including a series of ice ages.

One significant finding from our work is that a group of scrub mints called calamints that taxonomists classified as part of the genus Clinopodium as early as 1899 are actually genetically distinct from other plants in this genus.

These types of misclassifications create confusion around species’ identities, delaying conservation actions and leaving many rare plants without legal protections.

Our work suggests that calamints may consist of several separate species that need new scientific names. This includes plants known commonly as the scarlet calamint, Georgia calamint and Ashe’s calamint. All of these currently lack endangered status. n

READ THE FULL ARTICLE IN THE CONVERSATION.

TAKING ROOT

JAYACHANDRAN RECOGNIZED FOR TWO DECADES OF AGRICULTURE RESEARCH

Krishnaswamy Jayachandran — professor in the Department of Earth and Environment, a soil scientist in the Institute of Environment and co-founder and director of the FIU Agroecology Program— has been awarded the Distinguished Alumnus Professor Award from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (India), where he earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Jayachandran has conducted groundbreaking research over the years on how fungi benefit sustainable agriculture and crop production, the biodegradation of pesticides in soil and water, as well as soil-plant-microbial interactions to sustain soil health and environmental quality. His commitment to advancing the field of agriculture also inspired him to plant and cultivate the seeds for an agriculture program that’s made FIU one of the top universities providing agroecological education and innovative research solutions to some of the 21st century’s most urgent problems.

DONNELLY RECEIVES HIGHEST HONOR

Maureen Donnelly has been honored by the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists with the Henry S. Fitch Award for Excellence in Herpetology. The award recognizes long-term excellence in the study of amphibian and reptile biology, based principally on the quality of research as well as educational and service impacts of the awardee’s career. Donnelly was nominated by her students for her contributions in research, teaching, mentoring and service that span more than five decades. Donnelly’s research focuses on the ecology, behavior and conservation of tropical amphibians and reptiles, among them frogs, salamanders, lizards and snakes. Her early research was on the use of space in the early development of tadpoles. She has examined the loss of amphibians and reptiles, and her work has identified widespread declines in species and habitats.

KOMINOSKI AWARDED FULBRIGHT FELLOWSHIP

John Kominoski has been named the Fulbright Canada Research Chair in Environmental Studies for the 2025–2026 academic year. His project, based at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, focuses on enhancing environmental conditions for salmon in coastal watersheds. Kominoski will collaborate with researchers from the University of British Columbia and the Nanwakolas Council to conduct joint conservation studies. The project includes monitoring water flow and salmon movement, delivering seminars and mentoring students. Kominoski aims to apply lessons from this initiative to FIU’s Everglades restoration efforts, fostering community engagement in conservation.

MELESSE NAMED JEFFERSON SCIENCE FELLOW

Global problems have become local, meaning greater coordination is needed at city, county and state levels for national and international policies to be effective. FIU Professor Assefa Melesse spent a year engaging with mayors, governors and other officials to advance national policy on climate security.

Melesse was one of nine Jefferson Science Fellows for 2023-2024, a select group of scientists helping to build capacity for science, technology and engineering expertise within the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development. He and his family called the nation’s capital home as he worked with the Office of the U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate and other agencies working on climate security and climate diplomacy.

FROM DISCOVERING FROGS TO EARNING DISTINCTION

He’s usually the one doing the naming, having identified 65 previously unknown species. Now Alessandro Catenazzi has been named the Half-Earth Chair. The E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation’s Half-Earth Project promotes global biodiversity research and scholarship with the idea that if at least half of the world’s land and water is managed to safeguard biodiversity, the planet can survive. Catenazzi was nominated and selected by the Half-Earth Chair & Scholars Advisory Board members for his research leadership and role in protecting biodiversity. Catenazzi has worked in the cloud forests of southern Peru for nearly three decades, searching for solutions to a deadly fungal disease that has wiped out entire species. He helped gather critical information needed to expedite the establishment of nine new protected areas in one of the most biologically diverse regions of Peru. Along the way, he has also identified new species of frogs and other animals in his quest to save the world’s amphibians from extinction.

The foundation granted Catenazzi $120,000 over four years for his research in the Amazonian Andes and $60,000 more to support young scientists he chooses to mentor. He plans to select those already working on projects in the “Neotropical” region of Central America, South America and the Caribbean, which has a variety of climates, from tropical to temperate, and habitats such as lakes, wetlands, rivers and floodplains.

KHODDAMZADEH NAMED USDA FELLOW

Amir A. Khoddamzadeh was selected as one of nine science fellows for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s E. Kika De La Garza Fellowship Program. The FIU horticulturalist received the opportunity to work collaboratively with USDA to gain insight into the federal government and to build a more diverse pipeline into public service and the agriculture sector.

As part of the program, Khoddamzadeh spent a week working with the USDA Agricultural Water Efficiency and Salinity Research Unit. For Khoddamzadeh, this fellowship is another way to give his students opportunities for success.

In the past three years, 12 FIU students have been recognized by the Everglades Foundation as part of the non-profit’s ForEverglades Scholarships and Fellowships program. Their research is as diverse as the biodiversity of the Everglades, with projects designed to improve water management practices, track non-native species, manage species distribution, explore restoration solutions and dive into the environmental economics of Everglades National Park. The foundation launched the scholars program in 2008, with many FIU students receiving support since the program’s inception.

2024

Gina Badlowski

Exploring pink shrimp contributions to trophic networks

Jessika Reyes

Spatial structure of plant communities

James Sturges

Framework for quantifying Everglades stability and resilience

2023

Carlos Pulido

Plant functional diversity and productivity

Shanna Stingu

Wetland adaptive capacity

William Sample

Restoration impacts on the ecological role of juvenile bull sharks

Sophia Costa

Habitat sustainability and resilience of juvenile goliath grouper

Paige Kleindl

Phosphorous-induced periphyton mat collapse

Marcel Bozas

Mammal dependency on Everglades tree islands

2022

Kevin Montenegro

Measuring effects of marine wrack deposits

Mackenzie White

Movements of fish and their role in Everglades nutrients

Kenneth Anderson

Sources and fate of carbon

POSITIVE IMPACT FOR LIFE ON LAND

Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2025

COLLEGE OF ARTS, SCIENCES & EDUCATION in the United States