Now, a new study published in the American Ornithological Society’s Ornithological Applications journal details how researchers from UCF’s and colleagues analyzed the genetic variability, population structure and viable conservation strategies for Florida’s American flamingo.

“As a native Floridian who grew up in Tallahassee, Florida, I was fascinated and a little surprised to see the flamingo as a prominent state icon, yet I had never seen one in the wild,” says Jessica Folsom ’23MS, who led the study while earning her master’s degree in biology at UCF.

The Flamingo’s Lost History

Flamingos were nearly extirpated in Florida due to hunting and habitat loss. While later sightings suggested possible natural recolonization, many of the birds were thought to be escapees from zoos or other captive populations rather than signs of a true restoration.

Eric Hoffman, professor and chair of UCF’s Department of Biology and a co-author of the study, says the project revealed the depth of what was lost.

“Before this project, I wasn’t aware of the historical distribution or how common these birds were in Florida 100 to 150 years ago,” Hoffman says.

An Unlikely Founding Population

Although flamingo populations remain large in regions near Florida, including The Bahamas, Cuba and Mexico, Florida’s first wave of birds originated in an unconventional setting.

“In the 1920s, the owner of a horse racetrack in Hialeah released roughly 20 flamingos, likely sourced from The Bahamas, as a marketing strategy to boost attendance and betting,” Hoffman says. “T��� birds thrived in the wetland habitat at the track’s center, forming the founding population for many Florida zoo-held flocks, including Zoo Miami’s.”

Signs Florida Can Still Support Flamingos

In recent years, researchers say that flamingos generally fly into Florida from neighboring regions or arrive after hurricanes. Some flocks remain for months — evidence that Florida’s wetlands can support them — however, establishing a long-term breeding population remains a primary challenge.

“T���se returning flocks have given us an opportunity to collect contemporary and historical samples to address questions about their genetics and population structure — a central focus of my lab,” Hoffman says.

What the Genetics Reveal

Folsom, who conducted the research in Hoffman’s lab as a graduate student and now works as a biologist for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, says populations that undergo extirpation or steep decline often face consequences such as reduced genetic variability, loss of unique local adaptations or alleles, and, in severe cases, a greater risk of inbreeding.

“In Florida, hunting for feathers could have created those conditions,” Folsom says. “However, in our study, we found insignificant levels of inbreeding, little loss of genetic variability and minimal differentiation between Florida birds, the birds in Florida zoos, and other populations in the Caribbean and parts of South America.”

The study included 188 flamingos spanning seven contemporary wild populations — from Cuba, The Bahamas, Bonaire, the Yucatán Peninsula, Mississippi, the Galápagos Islands and Florida — as well as managed flocks, or ex-situ, housed in Zoo Miami and Hialeah Park. It also included five historical populations from Cuba, The Bahamas, Mexico, Florida and the Galápagos Islands.

Because wild Florida specimens are limited, the team used other Caribbean wild populations as genetic proxies. Using whole genome sequencing across more than two million loci — the fixed positions of genes on a chromosome — the team analyzed data using bioinformatics software on UCF’s high-performance computing cluster, Stokes.

“One of our most surprising findings was that modern flamingos showed significant genetic variability compared to historical populations,” Folsom says. “Captive populations showed the greatest genetic variability and minimal inbreeding, meaning they could be strong candidates for reintroduction. Genetic similarities also indicate flamingos from other regions could adapt well to Florida, with limited risk of outbreeding depression.”

Researchers emphasize that reintroduction must be paired with policy change.

“For more than a century, there were almost no conservation measures for flamingos in the U.S.,” says Steven Whitfield, director of Terrestrial and Wetlands Conservation at the Audubon Nature Institute and a co-author of the study. “That’s partly because flamingos were long considered a non-native species to Florida. With our work, we want to show they have always belonged here and there’s a scientific basis to support their recovery.”

Why Policy Matters as Much as Habitat

A petition to classify the birds as threatened was filed with the state, Whitfield says, but the proposal did not advance, stating that flamingos don’t warrant inclusion on the threatened species list. Some officials have cited existing protections, such as Everglades National Park, as sufficient. Researchers disagree, saying habitat protections alone cannot ensure the species’ survival or population restoration.

“This study provides the evidence needed to prove that birds raised by zoos are a viable genetic match, opening the opportunity for reintroduction from zoo populations,” Whitfield says.

Meanwhile, public momentum is strengthening legislative interest.

“T���re is sustained statewide support for naming the flamingo Florida’s official state bird, and bills are now under review in both the Florida House and Senate,” Folsom says. “T���y’re often the first image that comes to mind when you think of Florida, and that recognition drives ecotourism and public enthusiasm, which also supports broader wetland conservation efforts.”

Successful recovery efforts in other regions point to promising intervention strategies.

“Artificial nest mounds can encourage breeding, and decoy flamingos have been used to signal an established flock, helping attract passing birds,” Folsom says. “Both tactics have shown success in human care and select wild settings.”

A Path Forward for Restoration

While the long-term outlook for flamingos is good, the small numbers in Florida are not enough for the species to recover. Moreover, habitat destruction, pollution and warming temperatures add to the challenges they face.

“Natural recovery of the flamingo is unlikely in Florida without intervention,” Whitfield says. “But our study shifts that conversation. We can now confidently say ex-situ flamingos are genetically compatible with wild populations, which opens possibilities for a future release program, even though logistical hurdles remain.”

For the researchers, the study has not only demonstrated how genetics can inform conservation but also provided an opportunity to raise awareness about an iconic species that has always been native to Florida.

“Growing up in Florida, it’s impossible not to appreciate its biodiversity,” Folsom says. “Working on this project with passionate colleagues like Eric and Steven has been incredibly rewarding, helping clarify the flamingos’ history in Florida and the value of protecting and reintroducing them.”

In a recent study published in Royal Society Open Science, researchers found that warmer migratory temperatures may be disrupting their reproductive development, reducing overall fitness and increasing mortality.

Led by UCF Professor of Biology Ken Fedorka and colleagues, the study warns that if warming weather trends continue, the monarch’s migratory phenotype could be lost in North America.

“Eastern and western monarch populations migrate thousands of miles to overwintering sites in Mexico and California, entering reproductive diapause, or a dormancy stage, to conserve energy and survive the journey and winter,” Fedorka says. “But warming temperatures are activating their reproductive development earlier and causing them to drop out of migration, even in the absence of native milkweed, the crucial plant they rely on for breeding success.”

Since the 1990s, the eastern monarch populations overwintering in Mexico have declined by 70 %, a drop tied to habitat loss, deforestation, tropical milkweed and Ophryocystis elektroscirrha (OE) parasite, with warming temperatures now emerging as newly identified risk in this study.

Each August, a new generation of monarchs emerges in reproductive diapause, storing fat to fuel the roughly two-month southward migration to the mountains of Mexico, just west of Mexico City. There, they cluster in trees and survive on stored fat until early spring, when they begin investing in reproductive tissues and mating.

“Only the south-migrating generation lives up to eight months,” Fedorka says. “Once they start reproducing, they live around four to five weeks, leaving the next generation to continue the cycle. Typically, four to five generations migrate north and south every year.”

To conduct the study, researchers simulated warm and cold migratory temperatures with monarchs to measure survival, body condition, reproductive development and parasite load.

“We found that during the migration phase, warm temperatures increased male mortality and reduced fitness, while females ended diapause early, developed eggs and even laid them in the absence of milkweed,” Fedorka says. “Both sexes also mated more under warm conditions.”

This pattern can create issues for survival of the offspring. During the overwintering phase, Fedorka and his team found that monarchs exposed to warm migration conditions faced higher mortality, with females reproducing early and parasite-heavy butterflies most likely to die. More notably, their study points at the effect of warming temperatures in shifting the delicate cycle of monarch’s reproductive process.

“Normally, monarchs begin reproduction in spring after surviving winter diapause when native milkweed re-emerges,” Fedorka says. “Monarchs rely on milkweed for reproduction, with females laying eggs on the plant and caterpillars feeding exclusively on its leaves. However, if warmer temperatures cause monarchs to drop out of migration earlier and begin mating and laying eggs before milkweed is available, their offspring will not have a food source, leading to reproductive failure.”

Milkweed is central to the conservation debate. Monarchs rely on milkweed for reproduction, but non-native tropical milkweed,  a widely sold ornamental flower in the U.S. , may be complicating efforts.

“In the conservation world, tropical milkweed is controversial,” Ferdorka says. “Some argue it could support monarchs as a warming climate force more winter breeding. Others warn it can lure monarchs out of migration and harbor high levels of OE, a parasite that weakens their fitness.”

The study’s authors caution planting tropical milkweed widely but note it could play a role in conservation if carefully managed.

“To date, planting native milkweed and minimizing tropical milkweed seems reasonable,” Fedorka says. “However, my data and David James’ observations during the 2020 California monarch crash, suggest that unusually warm migratory temperatures may present the biggest risk, triggering migratory failure.”

In the fall of 2020, California’s western monarch population collapsed, with fewer than 2,000 migrant butterflies recorded at overwintering sites compared to the millions that once migrated there. Record heat likely disrupted diapause, though that same December, people documented a record high number of breeding adults, eggs and larvae on milkweeds, suggesting a winter breeding switch. The following year, the overwintering population rebounded, with about 240,000 monarchs believed to have been descendants from the winter breeders.

“One of the current puzzles surrounding monarchs is how such low overwintering populations can give rise to such robust summer breeding populations,” Fedorka says. “Our data show that monarchs failing to reach overwintering sites may not be dying, as generally expected. Instead, they may become reproductive, and if successful, their offspring could re-migrate northward to sustain strong summer populations. That’s something we need to consider when developing conservation strategies.”

Fedorka added that if the climate continues to warm, more monarchs may drop out migration and attempt reproduction sooner and if tropical milkweed is banned, they would face reproductive failure.

“If we adapt conservation efforts and plant tropical milkweed along the southern range of the migration route, it could help retain migration dropouts and support the next generation,” Fedorka says.

While this study highlights warming climate as a major driver of the monarch overwintering population decline, Fedorka emphasized the need for more data.

“We need to be cautious with our conservation efforts and focus on gathering more data about our changing environment,” he says. “This will be crucial moving forward to conserve this iconic species.”

Citizen scientists remain a critical part of that effort.

“Thousands of people across the U.S. track monarchs and milkweed from their backyards or travels, providing data no single research team could gather alone,” Fedorka says. “T���se passionate citizen scientists are crucial to monarch conservation.”

Looking ahead, Fedorka and his team are building on this research to study how temperature alone may drive diapause disruptions.

“I’ve always been fascinated by the quirks of nature and asking questions,” he says. “I see it as a giant puzzle to be solved, and the real joy comes from chipping away at the mystery and monarch migration is one of them.”

Led by UCF Professor of Biology and developed by undergraduate students, the new game blends research with interactive learning.

“My work on parasitic wasps and their symbiotic viruses forms the foundation for the game and other outreach efforts designed to engage the public with biology in a fun and accessible way,” Sharanowski says.

The game was created by computer science senior students as part of their capstone project under the supervision of Associate Lecturer of Computer Science Matthew Gerber, with Sharanowski providing the concept. It represents the second phase of development, with an earlier senior group of students building the original concept and the second group advancing it into a fully playable desktop version.

“T��� students coded, designed and refined the game, which was initially envisioned as a virtual reality experience but shifted to a desktop game  due to delays from the COVID-19 pandemic,” Sharanowski says.

In the game, players take on the role of scientists tasked with protecting a national park by designing custom wasps to control invasive pests.

“T��� goal as a scientist is to save the park by releasing specially designed wasps with beneficial features like paralytic venom, long ovipositors or even mind control, that make them more effective at targeting host species such as caterpillars, beetles and aphids,” she says.

Along the way, players encounter educational blurbs that explain these traits and reinforce the idea that not all wasps sting and many are actually beneficial to humans and ecosystems.

“T���se wasps can be endoparasitic, developing inside their host, or ectoparasitic, developing outside the host,” Sharanowski says. “You can find them all around the world, including in our backyards, and they serve an important role in nature as natural agents of pest control, thereby reducing the need for pesticides.”

The project was funded through the U.S. National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Rules of Life Initiative, which brings together multiple NSF divisions to address the fundamental questions about how living systems function and evolve.

According to Sharanowski, parasitic wasps are one of the most varied lineages on Earth, with more species than all vertebrates combined.

“For every insect that’s out there, there’s likely one or more parasitic wasps that attack it,” she says.

Her research explores the unique symbiosis between wasps and viruses.

“Over time, some viruses have become integrated into the genomes of certain parasitic wasps, effectively making the virus and wasp a single organism,” Sharanowski says. “T��� virus no longer replicates independently — its reproduction is tied to the wasp’s. When a female wasp lays an egg inside a host, the virions enter the host and activate viral genes that manipulate the host’s immune system and behavior, benefiting the developing wasp.”

This wasp-virus relationship has evolved multiple times and remains a central focus of her research.

As a first-generation college graduate, Sharanowski says this project has been a way to share her passion for entomology and science, as well as to provide educational opportunities for people to learn about wasps in a fun way.

“One of my core values as an educator is to make science engaging,” she says. “I enjoy doing campus and community outreach to show how fascinating these insects are, and I believe this game does that.”

She also highlighted UCF’s Collection of Arthropods, commonly known as the , as a public resource preserving and showcasing the biodiversity of insects in Central Florida.

Looking ahead, Sharanowski says a third group of students is currently working on a mobile version of the game, expected to launch later this year.

“T���re is so much beauty out there, and I want people to see how fascinating bugs are and the important role they play in ecosystems,” she says.

The move raised concerns about harmful mutations and genetic swamping — or loss of unique traits. However, a recent study co-authored by UCF Assistant Professor of Biology and Genomics and Bioinformatics faculty cluster member Robert Fitak, found that since the introduction, genetic variation has significantly improved; unique traits have been retained; and harmful mutations, while still present, are largely masked by the restored genetic variation.

Findings from the study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and led by UCLA researcher Diana Aguilar-Gómez with colleagues, suggest that this rescue model could guide future conservation efforts for other endangered species facing similar threats.

In the 1990s, fewer than 30 Florida panthers remained in the wild. Habitat loss, isolation and unregulated hunting drove the species to their record-low numbers. The steep decline led to inbreeding, causing developmental, reproductive and immunological impairments that spelled a devastating future for the species.

“If the panthers had continued inbreeding, the population would have been driven to extinction,” Fitak says. “T��� only way to recover them was to restore the genetic variation they had lost. ”

While the introduction helped the population rebound to between 120 to 230 individuals, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, researchers wanted to know if the species’ genetic health improved and if their genetic ancestry was being replaced.

“My colleagues sequenced the entire genome of 29 post-rescue Florida panthers and combined it with genomes generated from my group and others to create a larger genomic analysis,” Fitak says.

The study found mixed Florida-Texas ancestry, with 24% to 61% Texas ancestry, indicating increased genetic variation measured by heterozygosity — a marker of how much genetic variation individuals carry.

It also found no evidence of genetic swamping — when genes from one population, such as Texas pumas, overwhelm and dilute the genetic makeup of another, such as Florida panthers. The panthers with mixed ancestry retained on average 59% to 80% Florida ancestry. Over time, Florida ancestry even increased, alleviating fears that the Texas genes would dominate the population’s unique traits.

“One of the risks of introducing Texas pumas was the loss of traits that make Florida panthers unique, but that was not the case,” Fitak says. “T���ir DNA was still intact and had spread to the individuals we studied. Post-rescue generations were genetically, physiologically and morphologically the same as pre-rescue Florida panthers.”

Moreover, post-rescue panthers carried fewer harmful mutations or deleterious variants, which were not removed but largely masked by the additional genetic variation from Texas pumas.

“Another fear was the possibility of introducing more harmful mutations that would worsen an already vulnerable population, but the opposite happened,” Fitak says. “Bringing in Texas pumas helped offset negative mutations and improved the population’s overall health.”

While the findings have been largely positive, researchers remain cautiously optimistic about the long-term results.

“It’s clear that without the genetic rescue 30 years ago, we probably wouldn’t have a Florida panther today,” Fitak says. “That’s why ongoing monitoring is critical. If their numbers drop and inbreeding rises again, we need to act quickly before facing the same problem.”

He adds that the study underscores the importance of building on research data collected over time.

“T��� project was a major collaboration led by several scientists and relied heavily on data gathered by multiple groups in previous studies,” Fitak says. “Making such data publicly available is crucial for advancing future research.”

On the broader significance, he says that understanding what worked for Florida panthers could help improve outcomes for other species facing similar declines.

“This kind of intervention will likely become more common as more iconic megafauna in the country and around the world decline,” Fitak says. “Studying its effects in Florida panthers helps us refine the approach and make it more effective for future conservation efforts.”

Aside from the genetic challenges, the Florida panther is also facing another major threat: habitat loss and degradation.

“Continued development in Florida is eating away at the spaces panthers need for survival.” Fitak says. “Development also indirectly impacts water quality and displaces the prey they rely on for food.”

While genetic restoration may have given Florida panthers a second chance, Fitak stresses that monitoring and habitat protection remain critical for their survival. Beyond safeguarding a single species, the effort has ripple effects across an entire ecosystem and holds significance for Floridians who view the panther as the state’s icon.

“Florida panthers are a symbol of the state’s wild heritage,” Fitak says. “Protecting this top predator isn’t just about saving one animal — it’s about preserving the health of an entire ecosystem for future generations.”

Florida panther samples were collected using funding from the Florida Panther Research and Management Trust Fund.

Researcher Credentials:
Fitak is an assistant professor in UCF’s Department of Biology in the College of Sciences. He received his doctorate in genetics from the ����ֱ�� of Arizona and his bachelor’s in molecular genetics from The Ohio State ����ֱ��. Before joining UCF in 2019, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute for Population Genetics in Vienna, Austria, and at Duke ����ֱ��. He is a member of UCF’s Genomics and Bioinformatics research cluster.

Name: Carla Perscky
Major: Master’s in biology

Why are you interested in this research?
When I learned that seagrass provides ecosystem services like mitigating shoreline erosion, improving water quality, cycling nutrients, sequestering carbon dioxide, and providing nursery and habitat for commercially and recreationally important species I realized that I wanted to contribute to the long-term conservation of these ecosystems for future generations.

Are you a faculty member or student conducting research at UCF? We want to hear from you! 

How did you get started in research at UCF?
My research journey began under the mentorship of Dr. Linda Walters at the Coastal and Estuarine Ecology Lab through a former U.S. National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) scholarship. This program was pivotal in launching my career as an early scientist. Without the REU it would have been incredibly difficult to break into STEM or pursue graduate school, especially as a U.S. Navy veteran who took a nontraditional path to higher education. Dr. Walters continues to serve as my mentor throughout my master’s degree in biology.

Who inspires you and how?
I am inspired by Claudia Sheinbaum, the newly elected president of Mexico. As a scientist, and now national leader, she represents the kind of intersection I strive for, where science informs public policy, and leadership is rooted in evidence and sustainability. Her journey gives me hope that [researchers] with strong STEM backgrounds can make lasting impact not only in the labs and classrooms, but in the world stage.

How does UCF empower you to do your research?
UCF has given me access to an amazing network of scientists and field opportunities.

Why is this research important?
Seagrasses are essential to healthy ecosystems and livelihoods. However, these coastal plants are experiencing global declines, especially under anthropogenic stressors like eutrophication, which occurs when nutrients that can lead to excessive plant growth and pollution. My research is about future-proofing our conservation approach to help these critical ecosystems and the people who depend on them thrive in a changing environment.

Hosted by the Brevard County Parks and Recreation Department’s Environmentally Endangered Lands (EEL) Program, in cooperation with the Sea Turtle Conservancy, the ceremony took place in the sanctuary’s visitor center and featured the unveiling of a new roadside sign bearing Ehrhart’s name, followed by a reception celebrating his life’s work and lasting impact on marine wildlife and habitat conservation.

Surrounded by the coastal landscapes overlooking the sandy beaches of Melbourne, Florida, Ehrhart’s family, friends, former students, local officials and community members gathered to pay tribute and celebrate his enduring legacy.

Raymond Mojica Jr., land management superintendent for the EEL program, opened the ceremony describing Ehrhart as a true ecologist whose extensive research was pivotal to establishing of the ACNWR and the newly renamed Doc Ehrhart Sanctuary.

“Ehrhart was a full-fledged ecologist and the decision to honor him was made so that people could learn about his life and contributions over the years,” Mojica says. “His work gathering long-term data sets on sea turtle ecology is rare in the natural history world — and that’s how good decisions are made. Anyone can take a single snapshot of what plants and animals are in place, but to do that over the long term is rare and should be celebrated.”

For more than 50 years, Ehrhart advanced scientific understanding of sea turtle ecology and the coastal ecosystems of Brevard County. His research helped secure permanent nesting grounds along the refuge, now recognized as one of the most important nesting sites for loggerhead sea turtles in the Western Hemisphere and for threatened green sea turtles in North America.

One of Ehrhart’s most significant conservation successes, made possible through the data he gathered, was helping the green sea turtle populations recover.

“T��� recovery of green turtle nesting in this refuge is one of those rare conservation stories,” Mojica says. “When these surveys first started, they were only finding a few dozen nests a year. For various reasons, the numbers were low. Now, we’re seeing more than 20,000 nests a year. In 40 years, the population has recovered significantly and that’s something worth honoring and sharing with the public.”

Blair Witherington, a research scientist with Inwater Research Group and a former student of Ehrhart, served as the event’s emcee. He discussed Ehrhart’s research and his influence on others.

“Today, we’re honoring an influential man. He mentored so many of us and inspired countless others who never met him,” Witherington says. “This refuge, and what it represents today, is the result of his work and dedication to stewardship.”

The sanctuary’s visitor center showcased educational exhibits on sea turtle ecology and coastal ecosystems, along with a display of his memorabilia prepared for the day of the event.

Early in Ehrhart’s career, the importance of this nesting beach wasn’t fully understood. But after years of diligent surveying by Ehrhart and his students, its value and the critical need to preserve it became clear.

“Day after day, year after year, Ehrhart and his students ran along the beach at Archie Carr, tallying nesting turtles,” Witherington says. “Over time, those numbers revealed just how extraordinary this site is. It’s the Mount Everest of sea turtle nesting beaches — and we only know that because of diligent, long-term data collection that may seem mundane but, cumulatively, is absolutely instrumental for conservation efforts.”

Ehrhart’s passion extended beyond sea turtles. He was also deeply interested in small mammals and dedicated to sharing his love of wildlife with others.

“Doc firmly believed people care about what they understand,” says Ashley Ehrhart, his daughter, who also spoke at the ceremony. “He brought school kids, college students and political leaders to see and experience the sea turtles and wildlife here. He inspired people to protect natural spaces and species — and some even went on to work in conservation and became his colleagues.”

An important part of Ehrhart’s legacy, the sea turtle nesting surveys, continues under the supervision of , professor of biology at UCF and director of the .

“Ehrhart would have been thrilled with this honor. He loved the barrier island deeply. While he ended his career as a sea turtle biologist, he began studying small mammals — so he always saw the bigger picture beyond just the beach,” Mansfield says. “I’m excited to share the connection between Doc, our lab, and this coastal landscape with future graduate students and interns. I hope it inspires the next generation of conservation biologists and shows that conservation efforts can succeed.”

The sanctuary that now bears his name is a tribute to Ehrhart’s impact and Witherington shares that it will inspire future generations to connect with this landscape he helped protect.

“I’m always eager to tell Doc Ehrhart’s story, not just to honor his memory, but because it shows how one person can shape history and this place,” Witherington says.

These findings challenge existing hypotheses and provide important data for assessing risks from human activity and informing conservation efforts.

The study, funded largely in part by Florida RESTORE Act Centers of Excellence Program, was published this week in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, representing the largest satellite tracking dataset of wild-caught juvenile sea turtle behavior from the Gulf of Mexico during this life stage, spanning from 2011 to 2022.

“One of the main findings is where these sea turtles are and where they go in this life stage because we haven’t known much about it,” says ’22�ʳ��, who led the study alongside Nathan Putman and . Phillips says understanding these movement patterns among juvenile sea turtles will help guide conservation efforts to protect critical habitats for these species.

After hatching, sea turtles are known to leave their nests on land and enter the ocean where they spend their early years. This shift from terrestrial to oceanic habitat marks a critical transition in their life cycle to a life stage that has been understudied.

According to Mansfield, co-author of the study, professor of biology at UCF, and director of the UCF Marine Turtle Research Group, we are still learning about this life stage and it’s more complex than assumed.

“We don’t know what they’re eating, about their health, if and when they associate with floating algae called sargassum, which provides some protection,” Mansfield says.

The team of researchers tagged 131 juvenile sea turtles — 94 green turtles, 28 Kemp’s ridleys, five loggerheads, and four hawksbills — and tracked their movements using satellite-equipped, solar-powered platform transmitter terminals. These movements were compared with those of oceanographic surface drifters, floating objects used to study how sea turtle movements are influenced by ocean currents.

Researchers believe juvenile sea turtles swim offshore as an adaptive behavior to avoid predators such as birds, sharks and other fish, which are more abundant near the shoreline. Their small size makes them particularly vulnerable, so offshore waters can provide a safer refuge.

“One of the longstanding assumptions, is that juvenile sea turtles stay far offshore. Researchers call this the ‘oceanic life stage,’ which means off the continental shelf in waters deeper than 200 meters,” Phillips says. “However, what we found was that the turtles in this life stage are crossing over the continental shelf into neritic zones a lot more than we expected.”

A continental shelf is the gently sloping, shallow underwater area that extends between the shoreline and the continental slope, where the seabed drops steeply into the deep ocean at the shelf break. This shelf includes the neritic zone, which is the part of the ocean closest to the coast, characterized by nutrient-rich waters and a high concentration of marine life.

Phillips says the sea turtles were found crossing over to shallower waters and closer to shore, but it did not appear that they were transitioning to their next life stage, where they typically move to shallow habitats and feed off the bottom. Instead, the turtles seemed to approach the shore, then turned to avoid it.

“That was interesting because we had these passive drifters that we released with them and many of them washed up shore and none of the turtles did,” Phillips says.

She adds that if the turtles don’t behave like passive particles drifting with the currents and can actively swim and control their position, then existing movement models could consider both factors to correct errors in projections.

Existing hypotheses about the early life stage of most sea turtle species suggested they live exclusively in oceanic environments, drift passively with ocean currents and typically do not return to their previous habitat once they transitioned to a new one. However, these assumptions lack research into actual movement behavior.

“Historically, all our information about this young life stage has been limited to opportunistic sightings of these little, hard-to-see animals from boats passing by, tracking work on hatchlings in the first 24 hours after leaving nesting beaches, or laboratory studies,” Mansfield says.

Previous work also focused on the North Atlantic and on loggerheads, a species that commonly nested on the east coast of the U.S.

“I think it’s important to get data from different places and put the puzzle together to get a bigger picture of what’s going on,” Phillips says. “Researchers tracking this species were finding that they were staying offshore. But now that turtles are tracked from more places, we are finding that there are more nuances to what goes on. Loggerheads, for instance, we found stay off the continental shelf located in the west coast of Florida.”

Mansfield says sea turtle tracking can be costly, labor intensive, and the technology has limitations.

“It’s really hard to follow and manually track a little turtle over time,” Mansfield says. “You have to fuel a boat with researchers who have a strong stomach to go into the ocean. Historically, technology just wasn’t there to put a tag on a turtle and use satellites to be able to remotely track where they went. Tags were battery powered and as big as a brick.”

Prior to her time at UCF, Mansfield figured out a method to safely tag and effectively track small turtles, thanks to more reliable tagging technology, which played a role in conducting this study and achieving its results. She also credits their partnership with Inwater Research Group in helping to catch and track smaller sea turtles.

This research into sea turtle movement during the “lost years,” provides data for conservationists to assess and manage risks from human activity.

“T��� Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 was a bit of the origin story of this project,” Mansfield says. “If we have another oil spill, we need to know whether these animals [will be] transient through an area, stuck there due to currents, or if they’ll end up somewhere else.”

Data from this study is already driving conservation efforts, including a proposal for critical habitat designation under the Endangered Species Act for green sea turtles. This designation would complement earlier tracking data led by Mansfield, which established critical habitat for loggerheads — the sargassum algae nursery.

Mansfield and Phillips say if assumptions are that these animals are strictly oceanic, then they may not be protecting them completely or addressing what they need for their eventual recovery.

“If sea turtles are occurring on the continental shelf, we suggest renaming this life stage to ‘dispersal stage’ to account for their behavior,” Mansfield says. “This is important nuance in their life history, and the new terminology reflects a better understanding of sea turtle behavior, revealing more about these lost years.”

Funding information

Funding and support for this research was provided in part by the NOAA Oil Spill Supplemental Spend Plan, NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center, Florida RESTORE Act Centers of Excellence Program administered through the Florida Institute of Oceanography, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Friends of Gumbo Limbo Gordon J. Gilbert Grant, Microwave Telemetry Christiane Howey Rising Scholar Award, U.S. National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships Program, UCF Boyd Lyon Memorial Fellowship, National Research Council Research Associateship Program, and the ����ֱ��.

Researchers’ credentials

Katrina Phillips, doctoral graduate, integrative and conservation biology, UCF; postdoctoral researcher, ����ֱ�� of Massachusetts Amherst

Katherine Mansfield, professor, Department of Biology, UCF; director, Marine Turtle Research Group; and Davis-Shine Endowed Professorship in Conservation Biology

Nathan Putman, senior scientist, LGL Ecological Research Associates

A new $1.1 million award to UCF from NOAA Sea Grant as part of the Marine Debris Challenge Competition will fund joint research between UCF’s CEELAB and Aquatic Biogeochemistry Laboratory’s research on plastic-free restored habitats in coastal shorelines and oyster reefs. UCF’s work, in partnership with Texas A&M, and ����ֱ�� of Texas Marine Science Institute was selected as one of 11 projects across Alabama, California, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas and Wisconsin. Combined, the team received $2.27 million dollars for the collaborative project.

“We were delighted to receive funding from NOAA’s Marine Debris Challenge Competition — a highly competitive process,” says Pegasus Professor of Biology Linda Walters, who leads Coastal and Estuarine Ecology Lab (CEELAB). “Our take on this was to focus on coastal restoration. We are evaluating novel non-plastic materials used for oyster reef restoration to ensure that there aren’t negative impacts in surrounding marine habitats, including communities that live in the sediment or to larger animals, such as crabs, which call the oyster reefs home.”

Walters says that marine debris — which includes microplastics and nanoplastics — is affecting every habitat around the globe.

“Even though we cannot see them, marine invertebrates and vertebrates consume them, which can negatively impact the animal,” Walters says. “If these animals are then consumed by humans, the plastic enters our digestive tracts. Other microscopic plastic particles are light enough to enter the atmosphere and move with the wind. Recent research is documenting that these particles can end up trapped in our lungs.”

UCF is uniquely poised to conduct this research because of our substantial history of oyster reef restoration within Mosquito Lagoon and our local knowledge of the ecosystem, says Lisa Chambers, associate professor and principal investigator (PI) of the Aquatic Biogeochemistry Laboratory, a co-PI on the NOAA Marine Debris award.

“This research is timely and important because the desire to stop using plastics in coastal restoration has opened a floodgate of new and novel restoration materials,” Chambers says. “This funding supports the continued study of alternative, non-plastic materials for use in coastal restoration. We need to know how materials affect the microbes and natural chemical cycles in the coastal ecosystem and long-terms impacts of restoration efforts.”

CEELAB focuses on a wide variety of problems impacting Florida’s coastal waters, in particular, the Indian River Lagoon system. The group, led by Walters and Melinda Donnelly, a research assistant professor in biology, has a long history of ecosystem restoration efforts that focus on restoration — including oysters, marsh grass, mangroves and seagrass.

As one of the longest running academically based coastal restoration programs in the U.S., CEELAB works with UCF faculty, graduate students, undergraduate researchers, postdoctoral fellows, field technicians, numerous community partners and volunteers to restore Florida’s Indian River Lagoon. Current partners include the Marine Discovery Center in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, Coastal Conservation Association, Canaveral National Seashore, and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The combined efforts of UCF and its partners highlight ever-changing best practices in ecosystem restoration and provide a ripe opportunity for research and innovation.

“It’s unique to have a long-term restoration project led by a university laboratory. We started community-based oyster reef restoration in 2007, living shoreline stabilization in 2012, and seagrass restoration in 2024,” Walters says. “We have created a ‘habitat mosaic’ where all these species work together to make the environment better. We are finding lots of areas have degraded, whether through storms or human impact. It’s important to find solutions that bring the natural environment back.”

NOAA also provides large, transformative awards to create communities of practice in coastal restoration and UCF (co-PIs Walters and Donnelly) is receiving $1.2 million for restoration efforts as part of the NOAA funding of $9.4 million to the Indian River Lagoon’s National Estuary Program. NOAA is funding 32 projects nationwide.

“Restoration efforts require funding and are vital for our communities — we are grateful for the continued support of NOAA and the National Estuary Program for our coastal restoration work in Mosquito Lagoon,” Walters says.

CEELAB’s work connects UCF biology students with firsthand experience, putting classroom learning into practice.

“Through this grant, we’re providing opportunities for many students to gain field experience — from planting mangroves to conducting innovative ecosystem research — that has the mutual benefit of restoring vital habitats in Florida,” Walters says. “A lot of the graduate students whose work is funded through awards like this go on to become our coastal restoration leaders at the state or federal level.”

More than 70,000 volunteers — including UCF students, faculty, staff and community members — have contributed to the CEELAB’s coastal restoration work since 2007.

“We are all working together to restore a truly magical place — a place that’s home to birds, fish, mangrove islands, manatees, dolphins and everything that makes Florida special,” Walters says.

UCF’s REU site, funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, connects promising STEM students with established faculty at REU sites, enhancing their in-class learning experience with research, workshops and events.

UCF’s Office of Undergraduate Research and Office of Research collaborate to support REU principal investigators and student participants. There are six cohorts covering distinct areas of research that are comprised of 11 principal investigators and dozens of graduate students, postdoctoral researchers and faculty mentors:

• Research Experience for Undergraduates in Computer Vision
• Advanced Technologies in Hypersonic, Propulsive, Energetic and Reusable Platforms
• Research in Materials for Energy Applications
  • and
• Engineering and Nanoscience of Materials and Device Applications in Biotechnology and Medicine
  • and the
• Conservation, Restoration and Communication
  • and Coastal Cluster
• Applied Computation Mathematics

UCF’s CRCV, led by director Mubarak Shah, has run the nation’s longest continuous REU program for 37 years. The university has maintained five or six REU programs since 2022, and UCF-based nonprofit has been approved for next summer’s REU.

Students engage in a 10-to-12-week program and participate in workshops, labs and an individual research project that they may select from topics provided by corresponding mentors. Students then present their research to their cohort at the conclusion of the REU just before the start of the fall semester.

Launching Research and Accelerating Learning

Isabella Llamazares, a rising junior studying mechanical engineering at Florida International ����ֱ��, wanted to learn more about aerospace engineering but opportunities were limited at her school. She was accepted into the HYPER REU at UCF and was excited to supplement her learning.

“I always knew that I had to find other opportunities, and I knew that I wanted to come to UCF either for undergraduate or graduate studies,” Llamazares says. “This REU will help me back at my university. Although we don’t have aerospace down there, I’m part of an aviation club, and I have this as knowledge that I can build upon.”

With an interest in fluid dynamics and propulsion, her project described timing detonations as part of the combustion process for rockets and how to ultimately make them safer.

“I came in just having very basic knowledge from my classes,” Llamazares says. “I didn’t have the average aerospace engineering experience, but it was that dedication and really wanting to continue in this field that got me here. This REU and this project have really helped solidify that I want to pursue something related to the fluids field.”

James Hippelhauser ’11 ’20MS ’23PhD, a HYPER REU mentor and postdoctoral researcher for astrodynamics and space robotics, was pleased with his students.

“I’m definitely satisfied with their progress,” he says. “Astrodynamics is a topic that they don’t really get to learn from a classroom standpoint. I know they learned a lot just from a concept standpoint, but also applying it.”

Hippelhauser was impressed with how well the students absorbed and applied complicated topics such as orbital mechanics.

“It kind of reminded me a lot when I first started research,” he says. “It can be a challenge. Orbital mechanics isn’t a common topic especially for undergrads. They learned as much as they could and as fast as they could.”

Hippelhauser encourages prospective REU students interested in hypersonics, space, propulsion and energy to explore something they may not know.

“Don’t limit yourself to a topic you’re comfortable with,” he says. “Try to go for a topic that you would not have considered.”

Emmelia Lichty, a junior mechanical engineering major at Oral Roberts ����ֱ��, was drawn to UCF’s REU because she says she’s always loved space.

“My dad was an Air Force pilot and he flew fighter jets,” she says. “So, I got to see them up close and I’ve always been infatuated. I came here because everything aerospace is right here with NASA, the space coast, and UCF is so involved in aerospace research.”

Lichty worked under the mentorship of Florida Space Institute (FSI) Interim Director Julie Brisset to enhance a precision cooling loop for a space-based payload.

“Any fluctuations would affect the actual experiment itself,” Lichty says. “My cooling loop had to be very precise, within plus or minus point one degrees. I had to make the improvements and monitor hardware and code modifications to get the cooling loop to that precision, which I was able to do by the end of the summer.”

The ability to not just apply classroom knowledge but move beyond it was something she says was very appealing and rewarding.

“Getting hands-on experience with problem-solving is a really a big part of the REU,” Lichty says. “You also get a taste of research, and it helps you make those decisions about your career, like if you want to go to grad school or not.”

Brisset, who also is an associate scientist with FSI, agrees that exposure to research is crucial in understanding and navigating a STEM education.

“T���re are two components that need to work together, both in the classroom and in the research lab,” she says. “Sometimes it can be an abstract exercise working in a classroom, but if you have a real-life application, it can be easier to make a connection.”

It was rewarding seeing Lichty immerse herself fully in her research, Brissett says.

“I think it was very complete,” she says. “Emmie did mechanical work, fluid mechanics, some electronics and some coding. In the end, it was a very complete lab experience. The research was a success as she achieved the cooling precision.”

The competitive nature of REUs across the board has increased, as well as the quality of applicants, Brisset says.

“We have undergrads who go through this program who stay in STEM and routinely end up in grad school,” she says. “We have people who are mid-career that come to us and say they discovered their love for astronomy when they did the REU program.”

Getting Out and Shoring Up

Rowan Wyss, a senior biology student at Eckerd College, participated in UCF’s Coastal Cluster REU, where he studied feral hog populations and their interactions with the environment and other animals at the Mosquito Lagoon.

He says found the research experience gratifying and hopes to continue quantifying where and how these animal populations forage.

“I was looking for an REU experience and was aware of its transformative nature — how it exposes you to grad school and different software or programs used for biology research,” Wyss says. “I got way more out of the REU than I thought. I built so many connections and I’m much more proficient in software and the tools of the trade.”

In the early stages of applying and even participating in the REU, it can be easy to feel the “imposter syndrome,” or feeling like you’ve lucked into a position you’re not qualified for despite being actually qualified, Wyss says.

“You’re surrounded with people extremely proficient in this field when you might have little to no research experience. But that’s just science. It’s never a competition. It’s people working together,” he says.

Otis Woolfolk, a junior studying biology/marine biology track at UCF, tested the resiliency and sustainability of novel non-plastic oyster bags filled with recycled shells to restore shorelines throughout Florida. Woolfolk’s research marks the first test of the new materials in warm water restoration conditions.

He learned about REUs after being encouraged to apply by his ecology professor, Melinda Donnelly, and through his volunteer work with UCF’s Coastal and Estuarine Ecology Lab.

“I was asked about the ideas I had for my Ph.D., and I really want to work on microplastics and how they affect mangroves,” Wolfolk says. “So, this was close to that. Oyster bags generally use plastics, so I experimented with using more environmentally friendly materials made of potato starch or basalt that deteriorate within years.”

He found the process exciting and enjoyed delving into a component of marine biology and conservation that he may not have considered had he not participated in the REU.

“As a novice scientist, I learned a huge amount,” Wolfolk says. “It’s a time for you to get messy and make mistakes. You’re doing research, doing workshops and you’re learning how the science world works.”

During his poster presentation, Wolfolk says he felt a newfound confidence in his ability as a novice scientist when a freshman asked him how to get involved with research.

“My advice?” he says. “Volunteer as much as possible and don’t doubt yourself.”

Linda Walters, lead investigator for the Conservation, Restoration and Communication NSF REU site and Wolfolk’s REU mentor, says Wolfolk did an exemplary job in his research.

“It was very rewarding to watch this journey,” she says. “Otis had the opportunity to be on the ground-floor of our cutting-edge research in marine restoration this summer. He is gifted at asking good, thought-provoking questions and communicating his science.”

The program is very competitive and only 10 students were selected for the Coastal Cluster REU out of 377 applicants, says Walters, who also is a Pegasus Professor of biology. Those who participate in the REU usually continue their education through graduate school, she says.

“During the 10 weeks, the students go from a very limited research background to developing their research questions, collecting data, analyzing their data and presenting their projects to the larger community,” she says. “It is a lot of work for the mentors to keep everything on track for this accelerated timeline, but the students make it worthwhile. They become confident researchers in 10 weeks.”

Honing a Vision

UCF’s CRCV has hosted about 370 students since it was designated as an REU site 37 years ago and continues to guide undergraduates in the evolving field of computer vision, says Niels Lobo, associate professor of computer science and CRCV REU mentor.

“T��� nature of the REU has matured,” he says. “T��� field has evolved, and what students are doing now in their projects is vastly different than what people would have done 10 to 20 years ago.”

Lobo came to UCF 31 years ago and was encouraged to assist with REUs within the first year. Lobo has seen the composition of student applicants and participates becoming more dynamic during his time at the university.

“What we’re seeing is that the student population applying for these research opportunities is exploding,” he says. “That means that the overall experience of the cohort is going to be a little bit richer because everybody gets exposed to something different.”

Computer vision is harnessing the power of technology to not just view things through a camera, but to understand them, Lobo says. Continually adapting to the constant evolution of the field while also considering computer vision’s ethical implications are two components he is teaching students.

“Every two or three years, the field discovers something new,” Lobo says. “In research, there are no study guides, so you need to go out and explore. That process of discovery is only accomplished through research.”

Claire Zhang, a junior studying applied mathematics-computer science at Brown ����ֱ��, was glad to have embarked on CRCV REU.

She previously conducted remote research, but she says the program at UCF provided her with a more immersive and shared experience.

“It was really nice meeting this community and coming to work together,” Zhang says. “I imagined it being very independent, but I found that it was a lot more collaborative than I originally thought even though we all had our own independent projects.”

Her project involved creating segmentation masks for solar cells to show their degradation in a quantitative way rather than the qualitative way of identifying degradation by darkened glass regions of cells. Zhang created and used a model that outlines the materials and can characterize how degraded the cells are.

“I have almost no experience with material science,” she says. “This project connected material science to computer science, and it was a great introduction.”

Zhang gained not just expertise in a field she’s interested in, but also knowledge and momentum to continue her education and pursuit of a STEM career.

“For the past semester, I had been thinking about whether I should explore different concentrations,” she says. “This summer showed me that I can continue to explore other interests while remaining in this concentration, specifically, that I could apply computer science to these other interests.”

Students interested in more information about UCF’s REU program should visit: .

The Aylesworth Scholarship was established in 1984 through a joint partnership between the Aylesworth Foundation for the Advancement of Marine Science, the Southeastern Fisheries Association and the Florida Sea Grant College Program. Aylesworth scholarships are named annually, with a few students selected among undergraduate and graduate student applicants across all Florida universities that conduct research in the marine sciences. Aylesworth Scholarship recipients study many subjects that impact the fishing, seafood and marine industries.

Banquero’s pathway to pursue marine science began in childhood.

“Science and biology were always my best subjects in school and my family encouraged my curiosity about plants and animals,” Banquero says. “Later, I felt drawn to conduct research that would contribute to protection of the places I’d enjoyed as a child and had the opportunity to explore in my biology studies at UCF.”

In Fall 2019 during her studies at UCF, she began to participate in field work, data entry, and other support for , or CEELAB.

“I literally and figuratively got my feet wet,” Banquero says.

CEELAB provides opportunities for UCF students studying biology in the College of Sciences to work in the field, building hands-on experience. This summer, 15 UCF students are working on coastal restoration and monitoring in the Indian River Lagoon, as well as conservation projects focused on microplastics or coastal acidification.

Pegasus Professor Linda Walters runs the CEELAB, working alongside the students and supporting independent research projects, matching their interests with the needs of the local ecosystem.

“It becomes real at 6:30 a.m. when students are moving biodegradable restoration materials to damaged, intertidal oyster reefs while standing in mud in the middle of a hot, Florida summer,” Walters says. “This is how coastal restoration happens and where students put their passion for marine biology to work.”

Banquero’s experience through CEELAB was profound, providing her with opportunities to see nature and wildlife — including sea turtles and manatees — firsthand, as well as observe the human impacts on coastal environments.

Her work in CEELAB stood out to Walters, who continues to see promise in Banquero’s thesis work toward her master’s in biology at UCF.

“She is a determined person and has wonderful insight and tenacity that will serve her well as a scientist,” Walters says. “Luciana is a very worthy recipient of the Aylesworth Scholarship and has a bright future in marine science.”

“T��� experience I have had as a student at the College of Sciences has been lifechanging,” Banquero says . “I’m doing things that have surprised me and found a path forward. I’m grateful to the biology department for helping to open doors for me in the field of conservation.”

As a first-generation college student, Banquero hopes to inspire more students to pursue careers in marine science and for the public to become more engaged in ecosystem restoration efforts.

“I hope more people pay greater attention to the value of coastal marine resources and see the value in conserving, restoring and protecting them,” Banquero says.