An important advance in understanding the population dynamics of infectious disease was published by Biology Associate Professor José Miguel Ponciano in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Using field collected data from Namibia on plains zebra and coalescence modeling, the study develops a new method for estimating the duration of anthrax infections and […]
Germ cells are the cells that create reproductive cells known as gametes (eggs and sperm) in animals. Somatic cells are all the cells not involved in reproduction, such as muscle cells, skin cells, or blood cells. In many animals, including flies, worms, and humans, the separation of germ cells from somatic cells is an irreversible, […]
Teresa Mutahi, Biology Lecturer and Undergraduate Coordinator for the UF Biology Major, has received the 2019-2020 Faculty Adviser of the Year award from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. This award recognizes excellence, innovation, and effectiveness in undergraduate advising. Congratulations Teresa!
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Each year the International Center and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences recognize the accomplishments of international students and faculty at the University of Florida. This year members of Biology received many of these special awards. Tom Hladish, Ph.D. won a Junior Faculty International Educator for the Year Award for his efforts in teaching […]
Multiple award-winning Biology undergraduate Aaron Sandoval (CLAS scholarship, Goldwater scholarship) has now won a Marshall scholarship to study at the University of Cambridge for one year and King’s College London for a second year. This is only the second Marshall scholarship awarded to a UF student (the first was to Steven Robinette, ten years ago). Past Marshall scholars in […]
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has awarded $1.2 million to Emily Sessa, who will lead a collaborative, multi-institution team in a study of the “fern spore spike”, a phenomenon in the fossil record in which fern spores are disproportionately highly represented relative to spores and pollen of other plant groups following mass extinction events. The […]
An important new paper describing the development of shark teeth has been published in Nature Scientific Reports by Biology Assistant Professor, Gareth Fraser. One remarkable feature of shark teeth is that they are continually replaced whereas humans have only two sets of teeth. Together with colleagues from the University of Sheffield, UK, Fraser found similarities […]
Two Ph.D. students in Biology, Harrison Jones and Patrick Milligan, will receive Dissertation Fellowships during Spring 2020 funded by the Charles Vincent and Heidi Cole McLaughlin Endowment to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Both are Ph.D. students in Todd Palmer’s lab. Patrick Milligan is studying how the plants and animals in a Kenyan […]
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Christopher Krieg, a Ph.D. student in Emily Sessa’s lab, has been awarded a 2019 National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology. The Fellowship will fund Chris’ post-doctoral research on the ecology and physiology of cycads, an ancient and primitive seed plant. His research includes studies of the critically endangered South African cycad species. The […]
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Zachary Emberts, a recent Ph.D. from Colette St. Mary’s and Christine Miller’s labs, has been awarded a 2019 National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology. The Fellowship will fund Zach’s post-doctoral research on the evolution of animal weapons, the factors that affect variation in weapons and the role of male-male competition in driving […]
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Nerine Constant and Alexandra Gulick recently returned from a very successful expedition on a Greenpeace research vessel in the Sargasso Sea where they evaluated the thermal properties of Sargassum mats — important developmental habitat for sea turtles — and how those properties may be affected by climate change. Alexandra and Nerine are PhD Candidates in Karen Bjorndal […]
Christine Schnitzler, Assistant Professor of Biology, has published an important new study in Science on regeneration in Hydra, a tiny freshwater cnidarian (related to jellyfish) known for its ability to regenerate its entire body after injury. Together with colleagues from the University of California-Davis and Harvard University, Schnitzler mapped individual cells and the changes in […]
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Biology Assistant Professor Emily Sessa is the recipient of the 2019 Emerging Leaders Award from the Botanical Society of America (BSA). In awarding her this honor, the BSA describes Emily as, “…one of the brightest botanical stars of her generation… and already an active leader in the botanical research community.” Congratulations to Emily! For […]
What happens when a new lizard predator moves to your idyllic island community? If you are its prey, fear takes over and causes increased competition— and thus a fundamental change in community structure and the ability of prey species to coexist. Read more about this non-intuitive result from Professor Todd Palmer and colleagues here. Original […]
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Palmer Lab’s recent research in ant-plant mutualism: In a study published May 16 in the journal Ecology, University of Florida researchers Ryan Tamashiro and biology professor Todd Palmer show that ant-protected plants are much more vulnerable to herbivores during the cool hours of early morning and evening. In a study published May 16 in the […]
The Ecological Society of America has awarded its highest honor, the Eminent Ecologist Award, to Robert Holt, Biology Eminent Scholar and Arthur R. Marshall, Jr., Chair in Ecology. The Eminent Ecologist Award from the ESA “honors a senior ecologist for an outstanding body of ecological work or sustained ecological contributions of extraordinary merit.” Bob joins […]
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Biology Assistant Professor Ana Longo is part of a global team that is assessing the effect of the fungal disease chytridiomycosis on amphibian populations. This worldwide amphibian pandemic has resulted in the decline of over 500 amphibian species and caused 90 extinctions over the past 50 years. Many species are still in decline. Wildlife trade is […]
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One of our Biology Graduate Alumni, Dr. Jackie Wilson, was recognized along with seven other women today for her leadership in Electronic Technologies by NOAA Fisheries. You can hear all about Jackie’s stories and the pro-woman stance of NOAA at either of her talks this Friday the 29th: undergraduates, 12:35 pm (including information on internships […]
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Congratulations to Biology staff members Pete Ryschkewitsch and Mike Gunter! They are recipients of 2019 Superior Accomplishment Awards. This university-wide program recognizes staff members who contribute outstanding and meritorious service to their departments. Pete and Mike were singled out for their extraordinary work in coordinating the renovations of the introductory biology labs last summer, an […]
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The department extends its warmest congratulations to this year’s BGSA award and grant winners. A huge thanks goes to our faculty advisors, Karen Bjorndal and Jamie Gillooly, for their guidance in reviewing and ranking applications, as well as Marta Wayne and John Dew for their help organizing the funding for the awards/grants. Here are all […]
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