Research Symposium

BIO

I am a fourth year undergraduate student from Ormond Beach, Florida. At Florida State, I am involved in the Lemmon and Underwood/Inouye lab. The poster I am presenting is the culmination of my DIS project in the Lemmon Lab, working with graduate student Courtney Whitcher. After graduating this May, I will be moving west and taking a gap year to work seasonal research and field technician positions while applying for PhD programs to start in 2025. I am working toward a career in conservation biology and am very passionate about research topics which will aid in future land management decisions.

Finding Fluorescence: utilizing community science to document novel biofluorescence occurrences and encourage community engagement in science

Abstract

Biofluorescence, observed in living organisms, involves the absorption of light at one wavelength and re-emission at a longer wavelength due to fluorophores in specialized cells or structures. While extensively studied in marine organisms, attention has shifted to exploring biofluorescence in terrestrial organisms, revealing its ecological role in reproduction, camouflage, communication, and prey attraction across phyla. Community science databases have become valuable tools in recent years, engaging the public in data collection, fostering scientific discovery, and strengthening the science-society connection. This study introduces Finding Fluorescence, a community science website established in 2020 to gather public observations of biofluorescent organisms. The study presents at least 16 novel biofluorescence accounts, spanning five phyla, 15 families, and 16 species. The observations collected from Finding Fluorescence contribute to our understanding of fluorescence in organisms and provide insight into possible ecological functions. We emphasize the importance of community engagement in scientific exploration and encourage future studies to incorporate such aspects into their research.

Keywords: Biofluorescence, fluorescence, community science, ecology