Gifts to the Dutton Lab are made through the University of Florida Foundation to the WILDS: Water and Wildlife in the Labs of Dutton and Subalusky fund, fund number 029819, held in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
The UF Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and gifts to it may be tax deductible.
What we study
We study how animals and their microbiomes move nutrients, carbon, and microorganisms through ecosystems, and how that changes when the environment becomes more variable. Our field systems include the Mara River in Kenya, Florida wetlands, and other human managed wildlife populations around the world.
Two findings from this work:
- Hippo pools in the Mara accumulate hippo gut microbes to the point that the pool microbial community resembles the hippo gut rather than the surrounding river. We named this coupled system the meta-gut (Dutton et al. 2021, Scientific Reports, doi:10.1038/s41598-021-02349-1).
- Organic matter loading from hippos drives downstream hypoxia and fish kills when flushing flows arrive after long dry periods, an interaction that becomes more frequent as rainfall becomes more irregular (Dutton et al. 2018, Nature Communications, doi:10.1038/s41467-018-04391-6).
Our full research program and publication list are on the Research and Publications pages.
In the news
Ecologists uncover the hidden power of animals in shaping ecosystems, by Lauren Barnett, UF College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, June 27, 2024.
From Land to River: The Journey of Resources. UF College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
What gifts support
Federal grants fund specific projects on fixed timelines. They do not cover the costs below, or they cover them only for the period of a single award. Gifts to the WILDS fund are flexible and are used for:
Undergraduate and graduate field participation. Airfare, research permits, vaccination, and camp costs for a field season in Kenya. Gift funds cover these for students who cannot pay them.
Sequencing and laboratory consumables. Extraction kits, library preparation reagents, and flow cells are the recurring cost of every microbiome dataset we produce. Gift funds let us sequence pilot samples and follow unexpected results before a grant is written around them.
Field operations in Kenya. Our field camp and research operations in the Maasai Mara are run under contract by Soiyou Adventures, a Kenyan company. Gift funds pay for vehicle time and the sampling logistics that a research permit does not cover.
Open-source environmental sensors. We build and deploy low-cost sensors to record dissolved oxygen, temperature, and flow across our study sites. Gift funds cover hardware, replacement of units lost to floods and wildlife, and the deployment trips that maintain the record.
Data archiving and open publication. Article processing charges for open-access journals and long-term archiving of sequence data and code.
Other ways to give
Employer matching. Many employers match charitable gifts. Check your employer’s matching program and name the University of Florida Foundation as the recipient.
Equipment and in-kind gifts. We accept donated laboratory and field equipment where it fits our work. Contact us before shipping anything.
Planned and major gifts. For gifts requiring a written agreement, a named fund, or estate planning, UF Advancement staff in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences handle the paperwork. Email us and we will connect you with them.
Questions
Email Chris Dutton at duttonc@ufl.edu. We are glad to explain what a gift of any size would pay for and to report back on what it funded.