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The Brackenridge Field Laboratory (BFL) is an urban
research station Research stations are facilities where scientific investigation, collection, analysis and experimentation occurs. A research station is a facility that is built for the purpose of conducting scientific research. There are also many types of rese ...
owned by the
University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...
at
Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
. Established officially in 1967, it contains 82 acres of land and research infrastructure. It is dedicated to studies in
biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary ...
. The extensive historical data kept about its diverse habitats has been important to the study of
biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic ('' genetic variability''), species ('' species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') ...
, ecological succession and
ecology Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps ...
. Some of the key studies into the red imported fire ant ('' Solenopsis invicta'') and potential biocontrol agents such as phorid flies have originated at the field station. It also contains the second largest insect collection in
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
. Since 1973 the Brackenridge Field Laboratory has been a subject of controversy due to the high value of the land. In 1910, George Washington Brackenridge donated located on the
Colorado River The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid watershed that encompasses parts of seven U.S. sta ...
to the university. The Brackenridge Field Laboratory was established on of the land in 1967. A satellite field station in Bastrop County (Stengl Lost Pines Biological Station) is also available for biological research and teaching.


References

Laboratories in the United States Biological stations {{Texas-university-stub