Throughout my doctorate, I have been driven by a fascination with natural cycles and the efficiency of the natural world. My early background as a chemist allowed me to explore these processes on a microscopic scale, focusing on the turnover of matter and energy. Transitioning to ecological research, I expanded …
Within the context of REASSEMBLY, I study dung beetle trophic network reassembly across a forest recovery gradient in the Ecuadorian Chocó. Dung beetles are good predictors of habitat quality. First, because they are sensitive to environmental changes brought about by deforestation and because they depend upon medium- to large-bodied mammals …
I realized I would study frogs only when I turned 20. During a field trip to the Ecuadorian rainforest, I heard the call of a frog perched on a branch over a river. After a long search, I finally spotted one of the most breathtaking creatures—a glass frog. Since then, …
As a biologist, I have always been interested in community ecology, and what is more incredible than ecology in the Tropics? So, I have spent the last years of my career working on understanding forest recovery after human disturbances, from the perspective of tree communities in the tropical forests of …
Tropical Ecology – University of Ulm (Germany) / Museo de Zoología – Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador (PUCE – Ecuador). Among my main research interests is the ecology of communities and the study of their structure, diversity as well as their taxonomic and functional composition, which allow understanding the assemblages …
I have always been fascinated by tropical ecology and biodiversity research. In my former studies, I investigated the diversity of Afrotropical termites, one of the most important decomposers in African savannahs. Now, during my Ph.D. in the Reassembly project, my research focuses on the interactions between saproxylic insects (termites and …
Biodiversity conservation and restoration have always been my main interests in Ecology. Within these topics, I am passionate about mutualistic interactions and the ecological processes they result in, particularly seed dispersal. Initially, my focus was on the restoration of seed dispersal through human management. For instance, whether reintroductions (i.e. translocation …
My research focuses on plant-pollinator interactions in the tropics, with an emphasis on syndrome theory, urban pollination, and interaction networks, with special attention to nectarivorous bats and, more recently, insects such as bees and moths. Most of my research has been conducted with chiropterophilous species in Brazil in the largely understudied seasonal …
My work centers around the theoretical aspects of ecosystem restoration. I use models and computer simulations to find out how ecological communities recover and especially how species interaction networks (re-)assemble after a large disturbance. My overarching goal is to explain observations from the field with theories how they could have …
