The Carl and Marcella Matthaei Ecological Scholarship Fund at the Whitney Laboratory provides support for University of Florida scientists-in-training to have access to the Matanzas River Basin, where they can engage in its biodiversity, ecology, and conservation. The Matanzas River Basin is a dynamic regional ecosystem, and the Whitney Laboratory’s campus is strategically located with access to numerous and diverse habitats along the Florida coast. We thank those who have contributed to the Matthaei Ecological Scholarship Fund, and would like to introduce you the 2026 summer scholar.
Through generous donation to the endowed fund, we are able to offer Duffy Lab Ph.D. Student Emily Skinner the opportunity to spend a portion of the summer working on a focused project in the Matanzas River Basin.
Emily’s project will focus on refining environmental DNA (eDNA) monitoring methods to investigate the population movement and health of the historically understudied sea turtle populations in the Matanzas River. Sea turtle populations in difficult-to-access or poor visibility habitats, such as the Matanzas River, often go understudied with traditional field methods, which is of increasing concern with a rise in threats against already vulnerable sea turtle populations.
Environmental DNA (eDNA) monitoring is an emerging tool for studying rare and endangered species in difficult habitats by employing genetic techniques to noninvasively detect species presence from the trace amounts of their DNA left behind in the environment. The use of eDNA monitoring for sea turtle presence in open ocean and clear water habitats has already been validated, though it has not been tested extensively in murky, turbid water such as the Matanzas River.
This research will push the limits of current eDNA monitoring methods to answer questions about sea turtle ecology and health within the Matanzas River, without relying on capture or visual confirmation of sea turtles. This includes questions about sea turtle recruitment (natal origin), population movement and habitat usage, and disease spread. The results of this research will give us a better understanding of the diversity, health and ecological roles sea turtles play in the Matanzas River, providing key information for management and conservation of our local sea turtles, while also providing valuable guidance for future eDNA studies of sea turtles in similar challenging habitats.