Research

Understanding the functional and food-web structure of communities depends on the accurate description of ecological traits and predator-prey interactions. Ecological traits vary intra- and interspecifically depending on multiple factors and the precise understanding of such factors allow the integration of traits in community and ecosystem-level predictions. 

We have been describing and unravelling the temporal and spatial factors underpinning the variation in ecological traits of Neotropical fishes (and sometimes other aquatic organisms).

Environmental filtering and dispersal are important ecological processes structuring communities horizontally and vertically by changing the distribution of taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity in space and time. The relative importance of those processes will depend on a myriad of factors, including regional biota, ecosystem structure, type, and magnitude of anthropogenic impact. 

We have been exploring how the structure of communities and food webs change across different spatial and temporal scales and the processes regulating such changes. 

Phylogenies in ecology have been applied to understand the evolutionary constraints to niche, patterns, and processes underlying community assembly, biodiversity-ecosystem functioning, and conservation priorities. These matters have been primarily explored in plants and some animal clades (e.g., birds, mammals) since we lack fully resolved phylogenies in other animal communities. 

We have been contributing to the topic by reviewing current literature, exploring study cases of Neotropical communities, and creating computational tools for advancing a better understanding of the phylogenetic diversity.