I am a postdoctoral fellow at CONICET, Argentina. My research interests include the study of the ecology of plant-insect interactions and invasion biology by studying aspects of their chemical ecology, behavior and insect ecology. My current research focuses on exploring how herbivory of a native insect, the leaf cutter ant Acromyrmex lobicornis, affects the growth and expansion of exotic Pinaceae in Patagonia. I am interested in looking at both, the role of leaf-cutter ants as forest pests of plantations, and also as their possible role as biological control of Pinacea invasion.   |