UF IFAS Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

🎓 Congratulations to our WEC Ph.D. graduates! 🎉

We’re excited to celebrate Dr. Morgan Manning and Dr. Jackson Heitmann Barratt, who completed their Ph.D. degrees this summer!

🌿 Dr. Morgan Manning, advised by Dr. Miguel Acevedo
🌿 Dr. Jackson Heitmann Barratt, advised by Drs. Corey Callaghan and Katie Sieving

Wishing Morgan and Jackson continued success and exciting opportunities in the chapters ahead! 💚🐊

📸 Photo credit: UF/IFAS, Tyler Jones

🎉 Welcome, new WEC graduate students! 🐊🌿

Kick off the fall semester with fellow graduate students! 🍻

📅 Friday, August 21
⏰ 5–7 p.m.
📍 First Magnitude Brewing Company

Come meet new friends, connect with the WEC community, and celebrate the start of a new semester. We hope to see you there! 💙🧡

🐢 Poster Presentation | Freshwater Conservation in Belize

Congratulations to Jaren-Claude Serano, Ph.D. student in the Human Dimensions Lab at UF Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, for presenting his research at the 24th Annual Symposium on the Conservation and Biology of Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles, held August 3–6 in Guadalajara, Mexico!

His poster, “Scaling Up Watershed Stewardship: A Mixed-Methods Study of Freshwater Governance with Implications for Central American River Turtle (Dermatemys mawii) Conservation in Belize,” explores how riverine communities perceive challenges affecting river health, wildlife, livelihoods, and freshwater governance.

His research emphasizes the importance of local knowledge and community perspectives in strengthening freshwater conservation and governance in Belize and beyond. 🐢🌿

🎓 Join us for a Ph.D. Exit Seminar!

The School of Natural Resources and Environment invites you to attend Saneer Lamichhane's Ph.D. Exit Seminar:

Beyond Recovery: Demographic, Spatial, Ecological, and Socioecological Dimensions of Tiger Conservation in Nepal

📅 Monday, August 10, 2026
🕘 9:00 AM (Public Seminar)
📍 Frazier Rogers Hall, Room 122

We hope you'll join us in celebrating Saneer and learning more about this important research. Congratulations, Saneer, and best wishes on your Ph.D. journey!

🎉 Congratulations to Morgan Wingo, M.S. student in the School of Natural Resources and Environment (SNRE) and the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation (WEC), on earning First Place in the Master's Poster Competition at the University of Florida IFAS Graduate Student Association Spring Showcase, held at the North Florida Research and Education Center!

Morgan's award-winning poster, "Evaluating Habitat Responses to Fire Frequency in a Long-Term Fire Management Study," explored how decades of prescribed fire influence plant communities and the quality of habitat for white-tailed deer. Working with collaborators at Tall Timbers Research Station, Morgan evaluated research plots that have been managed under different prescribed fire intervals for more than 66 years.

The study found that more frequent prescribed fire increased herbaceous vegetation while reducing canopy cover and vegetation height, creating habitat conditions that are more favorable for white-tailed deer. These findings highlight the important role of long-term fire management in maintaining healthy ecosystems and informing wildlife habitat management.

Morgan is advised by Dr. Carolina Baruzzi in the WELaM Lab.

Congratulations, Morgan, on this well-deserved recognition! 👏🔥🦌

Just another completely normal day in the woods... 🌲😂

Which character was your favorite? 👇

📸 These moments were captured by camera traps deployed by WEC Ph.D. candidate Laura Franklin as part of her wildlife research.

Have a cool wildlife moment from your research? 📸
Send us a DM—we'd love to feature it!

🎉 Student Spotlight

Congratulations to Jaren Serano, a Ph.D. student in the University of Florida Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation (WEC), advised by Dr. Nia Morales!

Jaren recently attended the 8th Global Environment Facility (GEF) Assembly in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, with support from WWF’s Russell E. Train Education for Nature Program and the Gustavo Fonseca Leadership Program. As the first Belizean recipient of the Gustavo Fonseca Scholarship, Jaren proudly represented the University of Florida, the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Belize, and the Latin America and Caribbean region at this global gathering.

Jaren’s research focuses on community-based freshwater conservation in Belize, connecting local conservation efforts with international conversations on biodiversity, environmental finance, conservation leadership, and inclusive governance.

We look forward to seeing the continued impact of your work in freshwater conservation. 💙🧡

🎉 Student Spotlight

Congratulations to Riley Renfro, a graduating senior in the University of Florida Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation (WEC)!

This fall, Riley will begin her M.S. in Interdisciplinary Ecology under the advisement of Dr. Bridget Baker, with WEC as her home department.

This summer, Riley is completing a research internship at the Florida Wildlife Hospital in Brevard County, Florida, under the mentorship of Megan Stolen (Blue World Research Institute/UF Wildlife Forensic Sciences and Conservation). Her work spans avian, reptile, and mammal necropsies, post-release monitoring of federally banded Brown Pelicans, analysis of fishing gear recovered from wildlife patients, and processing more than 15,000 trail camera images to study scavenger effects on gopher tortoise taphonomy.

Through this internship, Riley is gaining hands-on experience at the intersection of wildlife ecology, wildlife rehabilitation, conservation, and wildlife forensic science while contributing to research that supports the conservation and care of Florida's native wildlife.

We look forward to seeing all you accomplish in this exciting next chapter. 💙🧡

🌍 Research Spotlight 💙🧡

Congratulations to Lydia Soifer, a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Natural Resources and Environment and the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, advised by Dr. Brett Scheffers, on sharing her research at two international conferences this year.

In April, Lydia presented her research on the velocity of microclimate change at the Species on the Move conference in Taiwan. In June, she presented her work on how vertical microclimates universally structure global biodiversity patterns at the Microclimate Ecology and Biogeography conference in Montpellier, France, where her presentation earned second place for Great Storytelling.

Both presentations are part of Lydia's dissertation, which explores how fine-resolution climate variability across space and time influences biodiversity patterns across scales.

Congratulations, Lydia, on representing WEC and SNRE on the international stage and on this well-deserved recognition!