The Team
Cristina Rueda Uribe
University of Aberdeen, UK
Caminos Network Coordinator
I am mainly interested in the causes and consequences of animal movement and how they relate to landscape connectivity and conservation. Currently, I am a PhD student at the University of Aberdeen. I am studying the spatial dynamics of animals in tropical mountains, focused on hummingbirds and their role as pollinators in the Northern Andes. Our research questions relate to their seasonal occurrence, landscape requirements for movement and dispersal, the nature of hummingbird-plant pollinator networks in high-mountain ecosystems of paramo and forest, and future variation in population dynamics with land use and climate change.
Justin Travis
University of Aberdeen, UK
Caminos Network Co-coordinator
I am a spatial/landscape ecologist and occasional evolutionary biologist with a particular interest in the causes and consequences of movement behaviours. My research group has expertise in developing ecological and evolutionary models that are used to address a range of ecological and evolutionary questions. We frequently focus on ecological connectivity and forecasting ecological futures under alternative scenarios. Mostly our work has considered a single species at a time. I am particularly interested in the potential for developing multi-trophic models for improving understanding and prediction of how pollination systems respond to climate and land-use change.
Alexander Chautá
Cornell University, USA
My research focuses on the interaction between plants and pollinators, and how physiological changes caused by herbivory can change this interaction. I have worked on the effect of pollination and herbivory in different species of Andean plants. My initial studies included understanding the effect of pollination on the quality of fruits of the Andean species Physalis peruviana, and the effect of foliar herbivory on pollination in Palicourea angustifolia. Later, during my doctoral studies, I focused on the effect of floral secondary metabolites on pollination and florivory in Bejaria resinosa. I currently want to understand why pollinators tend to avoid plants with damage.
Alexander Papadopulos
Bangor University, UK
My research combines genetics and genomics with ecological analyses and experiments to study adaptation and speciation, mainly in plants. I am particularly interested in parallel/convergent adaptation, the link between adaptation and the evolution of reproductive isolation, and the extent to which adaptation can be predictable. Recently, I have focused on parallel adaptation to edaphic selection pressures but, in the past, I have worked on convergence in floral displays and I have always been very interested in plant-pollinator coevolution. I am keen to explore possible new collaborations on rapid or convergent evolution of plant-pollinator interactions.
Camila Rocabado - Peñanco
University of Aberdeen, UK
I am a PhD student at the University of Aberdeen. My thesis is entitled "Unravelling the effects of environmental changes on declining arthropod populations in agroecosystems". My interests include ecological modelling, phylogeny and, in general, the study of arthropods. In addition, for my master's thesis I studied the gut microbiota of a few insect species.
Catalina González - Arango
Universidad de los Andes, Colombia
I currently lead a research group in Tropical Paleoecology and Palynology (PALEO). My research seeks to understand the long-term paleoecological and paleoclimatic history of tropical ecosystems from Northern South America due to the interactions among human societies, climate change, and geologic processes. I have explored the ecological aspects of complexity and resilience of Andean ecosystems by applying paleoecological approaches and relate to geodiversity, biodiversity, and cultural diversity. More recently, I started to take on alternative artistic media to elaborate and communicate her scientific research.
Cecile Gubry - Rangin
University of Aberdeen, UK
My research is directed toward understanding ecological, physiological and evolutionary adaptation of microbial populations. This research is performed at the ecological level, through analysis of community activity and stability to environmental perturbations such as temperature change, or deforestation in oil palm plantations, and over the longer-term evolutionary scales, determining mechanisms leading to 2.5 billion years of diversification (e.g. horizontal gene transfer, gene duplication, molecular selection) associated with environmental adaptation. Our studies focus on environments ranging from boreal acidic soils to temperate plant rhizospheres through marine tropical sponges.
David Burslem
University of Aberdeen, UK
I have a core interest in understanding how species richness is maintained in high-diversity tropical plant communities. Our research has touched on the role of plant-pollinator and plant-disperser interactions in niche partitioning and species coexistence, and the consequences of these interactions for the evolution of reproductive traits. For one group of tropical trees, we established that relationships among flower size, pollination success, pollinator body size and pollen dispersal distance may contribute to contrasting patterns of fine-scale population genetic structure among species and the evolution of fruit dispersal traits. A focus of my current research is to explore the generality of these relationships among other plant groups and different ecological settings.
Eloisa Lasso
Universidad de Los Andes, Colombia
I am an associate professor in the Biology Department at the Universidad de Los Andes, Colombia, where I lead the Plant Ecology and Physiology group (EcoFiv). I am also a research associate at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama. Research in my lab is focused on climate-change effects on the páramo ecosystem, using in site climate manipulations to determine the impact of warming on ecosystem-level processes like soil respiration, litter decomposition, vegetation productivity, species diversity, as well as reproductive and ecophysiological response. We have recently started to work on the reproductive biology of paramo plants to elucidate the paramo pollinator network and evaluate the mating system of paramo plants.
Fabio Manfredini
University of Aberdeen, UK
I am an evolutionary ecologist and so far I have been working mainly on wasps, ants and bees, initially addressing questions related to the evolution of social behaviour (host-parasite interactions) and then progressively moving to understanding how social behaviours are regulated at the molecular level (neurogenomic approach). More recently, I have become interested in how bees interact with the plants they pollinate, both in natural environments (Scottish machair) and in cultivated crops that are important for local economies (cherries and berries in Scotland). From the workshop I am hoping to gain some experience in two new areas: the interaction of plants with non-insect pollinators, and plant-pollinator systems in the tropics – a region of the world that I am not very familiar with.
Greta Bocedi
University of Aberdeen, UK
I am a theorist and eco-evolutionary modeller interested in evolution of species’ life histories and behaviours, and species’ responses to environmental changes. I am particularly interested in evolution of dispersal and mating system and their ecological and genetics feedbacks. I am further interest in understanding how these life histories are affected by interspecific interactions. I am therefore very interested in understanding the ecological and evolutionary dynamics mediated by pollination, by developing new spatially and genetically explicit theoretical and applied models.
Jonathan Stuart Ready
Universidade Federal do Pará, Brazil
I am a leader/co-PI of multiple large international projects using molecular methods to map and monitor biodiversity and biotic interactions. Interests focus on practical ways to use molecular tools to reliably answer real world problems related to coupled natural and human systems: ecosystem services and stability, fisheries resources, agricultural productivity/pest risk, eventual One Health implications and the underlying eco-evolutionary processes that drive and maintain biodiversity.
Kara Layton
University of Aberdeen, UK
My research group employs genomic tools to resolve systematic and biogeographic patterns, document biodiversity, identify drivers of speciation and adaptation, and predict how biodiversity will respond to environmental change. My group has a particular interest in molluscs and in improving genomic resources for invertebrates more broadly.
Laura Manrique
Universidad de Los Andes, Colombia
I am interested in plant-animal interactions. I just finished an M.Sc. in Biological Sciences from Universidad de los Andes in Colombia, where, as part of my thesis, I studied the pollination network of the páramo. I constructed the pollination network from observation data on 31 plant species and recorded 79 morpho species of pollinators, including birds, bats, bees, flies, and other insects. I was surprised by the vast diversity of pollinators I found, given the low diversity reported for networks of the Venezuelan páramo. I am excited about attending the workshop since it is an excellent opportunity to learn about other projects in the tropical high Andean ecosystems. Moreover, it represents a unique chance to network with researchers whose interests I share.
Lesley Lancaster
University of Aberdeen, UK
My research focuses on biogeography of plants and invertebrates and how these link to population genetic processes. I use a variety of genomic, phylogenetic, and data synthesis approaches combined with physiological and behavioural assays to link pattern and process across scales. evolutionary processes associated with geographic range limits. I am further interested in how social and behavioural factors interact with changing ecological conditions during range shifts to facilitate or hinder evolutionary change, and how the evolution of niche traits during range shifts contributes to macroecological correlations among niche breadth, range size, and latitude.
Lia Montti
Conicet, Argentina
I have been enjoying neotropical ecological research for the last 15 years. I specialise in plant ecology, ecophysiology, management of invasive alien species and conservation. I have experience in research and teaching, as well as in organising international scientific-academic events and courses. Nowadays, I am very interested to develop novel questions that can be answered from a nature-social view. If I should define myself, I am an enthusiastic and eclectic researcher. Pollination is not only a vital process, it is also a good example to learn how to create efficient networks. For this reason my main expectation is to learn about how pollinators' responses to environmental changes are affecting plants and how we can enhance our potential for multi-disciplinary research.
Marcia Carolina Muñoz
Universidad de La Salle, Colombia
My research focuses on understanding the role of traits in maintaining ecological processes and their response to environmental factors and biodiversity losses in tropical ecosystems. One of my research areas focuses on mutualistic interactions, seed dispersal, pollination, and forest regeneration in the tropical Andes. I have worked mainly on seed dispersal, at species and community level, with frugivorous birds and fleshy fruit plants. Recently, I am working on understanding how functional traits respond to elevational gradients and anthropic pressures, such as forest fragmentation, land use change, urban and crop expansion. My general interest in pollination includes to unveil the interdependence between plants and animals for forests functioning and provision of ecosystem services.
Rebekka Allgayer
University of Aberdeen, UK
I research movement and dispersal modelling in complex environments with an aim to produce useful tools for management and conservation applications. I developed MerMADE, a 3D individual- based, coupled eco-evolutionary modelling platform for predicting movement and dispersal evolution in aquatic environments. It incorporates the complex, hydrodynamically-forced marine dispersal process, population dynamics and evolutionary functionality. Concepts of connectivity and dispersal and how essential they are for sustainable management will be a core pillar of my research going forward, no matter the environment in question. I bring my technical skills in building complex models that encompass a range of life histories to this workshop and am keen to dive into the world of species interactions.
Robert A. Raguso
Cornell University, USA
I am a chemical ecologist with broader interests in plant-pollinator evolution, sensory biology and foraging behavior, signal evolution, honesty and deception. One major (but not exclusive) focus of my research has been the analysis and conceptualization of floral scent as a dynamic phenotype and neglected niche dimension. In tandem, I have worked throughout my career to promote such research broadly and develop capacity, through reviews and workshops in many countries.
Tia-Lynn Ashman
University of Pittsburgh, USA
I am an evolutionary ecologist that takes a holistic view of the interactions within flowers to understand the interrelationships of biodiversity across scales and to predict the impacts of anthropogenic change. I have used diverse approaches to reveal how floral and pollen traits shape pollinator behavior and create a unique environment for microbial communities. Our work has demonstrated that plant-pollinator interactions are important for maintaining species diversity and foreshadowed potential impact of land-use practices, pollinator declines, and climate change on tri- trophic interactions. I am excited for the workshop to learn from the diverse perspectives on plant- pollinator-microbe interactions and get to know the unique ecology of the high-altitude communities of Paramo.
Tamsin Woodman
University of Aberdeen, UK
I am a PhD student at the University of Aberdeen, and I work on integrating land use and biodiversity models to predict the effects of future land use change on biodiversity. Before my PhD I did my undergraduate degree in Ecology with Plant Sciences, and I have also worked as a software developer and as a research assistant in pathogenomics. I have developed a method of downscaling land use projections for use with individual-based biodiversity models as part of my PhD, and I validated the method using historic land use in Colombia. I am interested in how future land use change will affect pollination systems, and the feedbacks between land use decisions and pollinators.
