Savannah River Ecology Laboratory

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Savannah River Ecology Laboratory

The Savannah River Ecology Laboratory is a research unit of the University of Georgia located on the Savannah River Site.

The lab is located on the Savannah River Site, a Department of Energy facility near Aiken, SC. SREL pursues basic and applied research at multiple levels of ecological organization, from atoms to ecosystems; provides opportunities for graduate and undergraduate research and service to the community through environmental outreach. Throughout its 70-year history, SREL has strived to acquire and communicate knowledge that contributes to sound ecological stewardship.

08/27/2026

A new study from the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory and Odum School of Ecology has determined how to estimate the age of sharks by analyzing changes to individual animal’s DNA. 🦈

Known as epigenetic clocks, these scientific age estimators focus on chemical alterations to measure wear and tear on the animal’s cells, providing a noninvasive, fast and accurate assessment of an animal’s age. The predictive clock model has been successfully tested in dozens of other animals, but this study marks the first time it’s been used in sharks. The tool can help shed new light on not just the biological evolution of shark populations but also the life cycle of other marine creatures with unknown aging data.

Learn more about the estimated ages of sharks at the link below! 🔗

08/26/2026

🐊 The recent alligator bite in the Savannah River has prompted conversations about how people can safely enjoy the water. We hope to use this moment as an opportunity to share information that can help our community stay informed and safe.

Alligators are native to the region and are part of the wildlife that calls the Savannah River home. Understanding their behavior throughout the year can help us make informed decisions when spending time around the water and protect ourselves, our families and our furry friends.

A few things to keep in mind:

• Assume alligators may be present, even if you don't see them. They're not always easy to spot, especially in the water.

• Never feed alligators or toss fish and food scraps into the water. This can cause alligators to associate people with food and lose their natural fear of humans. Alligators that become habituated to people may be considered nuisance animals. Because relocation is not an option, nuisance alligators that are removed are euthanized.

• Give alligators plenty of space and stay informed about seasonal behavior. Alligator activity changes throughout the year. Late summer is part of the hatching season, when females can be protective of their nests and hatchlings. Never approach, touch or harass an alligator, and always give wildlife room to move away on its own.

The Savannah River is home to an incredible diversity of wildlife. Learning how to safely share that space helps us protect ourselves and the people and animals we care about while continuing to enjoy the river.

Want to learn more about American alligators? Visit our alligator page on our H**p website: https://srelherp.uga.edu/alligators/

08/21/2026

🐗 What makes the difference between a bait site wild pigs find and one they completely miss?

It turns out the answer may have less to do with what’s being used as bait and more to do with where and how it's placed.

Researchers at UGA’s Savannah River Ecology Laboratory followed GPS-collared wild pigs across hundreds of baiting trials at the Savannah River Site to better understand what influences whether pigs discover a bait site. Their findings revealed some surprising insights about bait placement, social behavior, and the strategies that may, or may not, help get pigs to a site.

So, what made the biggest difference? 👀

📍 Read the SREL feature to find out: https://srel.uga.edu/the-difference-between-a-found-bait-site-and-a-forgotten-one/

📖 Read the full published study: https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.70220

08/14/2026

🧪🌎 PFAS, commonly known as “forever chemicals,” have become an increasing focus of environmental research due to their persistence in the environment. Researchers at UGA's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory conducted the first comprehensive assessment of PFAS across aquatic ecosystems at the Savannah River Site.

By collecting water, sediment, and aquatic wildlife samples from more than 30 locations across multiple watersheds, researchers established the first site-wide baseline for PFAS and gained a better understanding of how these compounds move through freshwater ecosystems.

The study found that PFAS concentrations varied across the site and provided evidence that several compounds may become more concentrated in organisms higher in the freshwater food web, highlighting the importance of continued research into their movement and potential effects on ecosystems.

📖 Click here to read the full findings in the published study: https://doi.org/10.1093/etojnl/vgag075

📍For a summary of the findings, read the SREL feature: https://srel.uga.edu/6881-2/

08/12/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Mekala Sundaram on receiving a $2 million Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA; R35) from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)!

Over the next five years, this funding will support research focused on better understanding how diseases move from wildlife to people and can eventually lead to larger outbreaks. Dr. Sundaram’s work brings together wildlife ecology, epidemiology, artificial intelligence, and other tools to look for early warning signs of disease emergence.

Initially focusing on coronaviruses and influenza viruses, the project aims to help researchers better understand where and when diseases may be most likely to spill over from animals to humans. The long-term goal is to help shift pandemic preparedness from reacting to outbreaks to identifying risks earlier.

“Emerging infectious diseases do not begin when the first person becomes infected. They begin much earlier in wildlife and the environments where people and animals interact,” Dr. Sundaram said. “Our goal is to identify those early warning signals before widespread human transmission occurs.”

The award will also support new forecasting tools, risk maps, and the training of graduate students and postdoctoral researchers.

Congratulations, Dr. Sundaram, on this exciting achievement and the important work ahead! 👏🔬

08/06/2026

🧪 Science Saturday was a huge success, and we're so grateful to everyone who joined us!

It was amazing to see so many families, students, and community members filling the building with curiosity, asking thoughtful questions, and taking the time to learn about the science happening here at SREL. Your enthusiasm is what makes events like this so rewarding.

A special thank you to our incredible volunteers and staff whose hard work, enthusiasm, and dedication made the event possible. From setting up before the doors opened to helping every activity run smoothly, your efforts created a welcoming and memorable experience for our guests.

We're proud of the research we do, but we're even more grateful for opportunities to share it with our community. Thank you to everyone who helped make this year's Science Saturday such a memorable day. 💚

08/02/2026

The Savannah River Ecology Laboratory brought a menagerie of reptiles, amphibians and other creatures to Science Day Aug. 1.
See more at Augusta Good News. Link in comments.

08/01/2026

‼️📢 Science Saturday is SOLD OUT! ‼️📢 We are excited to welcome everyone who pre-registered for Science Saturday today!

As a reminder, this year’s event required advance registration, and all available time slots have been filled. To help provide the best experience for our visitors, we introduced a new ticketing system this year to better manage the flow of guests throughout the event.

If you weren’t able to register this year, we hope you’ll join us at one of our future events! Throughout the year, the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory participates in community events such as SEED and the Fall Vision Festival, where you can meet our ambassador animals, learn about Georgia’s incredible native wildlife, and discover the research we do here at SREL.

Thank you for your continued enthusiasm and support. We look forward to seeing our registered guests today and hope to see many of you at one of our upcoming events!

07/27/2026

Join us in supporting Erin Doran as she prepares to defend her master's thesis, Assessing the Radiological Contamination of Southeastern Forests.

As a master's student in the University of Georgia Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, Erin's research focuses on restoration ecology, ecotoxicology, and environmental remediation.

📅 July 27, 2026
🕙 10:00 a.m. EST
📍 SREL Cypress Room and Zoom
🔗 Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/92627218042?pwd=YF5FEzj3UxLG6H70dxGm3bZvmo1fs0.1

We wish Erin the very best as she reaches this exciting milestone in her graduate career and look forward to celebrating her successful defense. 🎉

07/24/2026

🐍 Can you guess one of the coolest things about the red bellied watersnake? Its scientific name, erythrogaster, literally means “red bellied.” If you’ve ever seen the orange to red underside of one, you know exactly how it got that name. These nonvenomous snakes spend their time around ponds, swamps, and slow moving streams hunting fish, frogs, tadpoles, and other small aquatic animals.

**petology

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Aiken, SC
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http://srel.uga.edu/

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