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My research program investigates how environmental change affects wildlife including their health and ecology, and the implications for conservation and management. My research has a strong emphasis on bats and small mammals in the United States southwest and the Neotropics.
My research combines field ecology, molecular tools, biodiversity surveys, telemetry and other spatial/bioinformatic analyses. I work closely with academic and research institutions as well as state and federal agencies to address both immediate conservation needs and emerging environmental challenges. You can explore some major themes of my work below.
Wildlife responses to environmental change
Wildlife responses to environmental change
Examining how human-driven disturbances affect endangered species and their habitats.
In my previous bat research, I have identified gaps in the knowledge about landscape effects in bats at the global level (Martínez-Fonseca et al. 2024). I studied how specific landscape features (Martínez-Fonseca et al. 2020) and diet and roosting requirements affect the movement of bats across changing landscapes (Martínez-Fonseca et al. 2022).
One of my current projects focuses on the endangered New Mexico jumping mouse (Zapus luteus). We study how environmental conditions affect their overall distribution (Martínez-Fonseca et al. 2024) and occupancy (Martínez-Fonseca et al. 2025) across the Southwestern US.
Biodiversity and conservation
Biodiversity and conservation
Documenting poorly studied mammal diversity, particularly in Central and South America.
I work with local colleagues to help document biodiversity in a race against environmental change and habitat destruction, from under-sampled areas in the southwestern United States to islands in the Caribbean (Whyte et al. 2026) and Central (Trujillo et al. 2025) and South America (Santos et al. 2024).
I additionally use museum collections (Martínez-Fonseca et al. 2020; Martínez-Fonseca et al. 2024) to identify priority areas for conservation.
This work has generated resources for environmental education and led to international recognition of sites for conservation.
Wildlife disease and emerging threats
Wildlife disease and emerging threats
Monitoring white-nose syndrome in bats and developing eDNA approaches to detect range shifts.
Recently, we conducted field and labwork to detect white-nose syndrome in two National Park Service units in northern New Mexico (In Review).
Additionally, I have recently been part of an effort to detect vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus) via eDNA (In prep). I am interested in applying this new technique to understand and detect the northward expansion of this species and others.
In Nicaragua, I study the threats of pollution, land-cover change (e.g., deforestation) and chytrid fungus to the critically endangered lowland rain frog (Craugastor ranoides; In Prep.).
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