A sample of research interests and projects

My research includes theoretical and applied investigations centered on species' distributions. I am interested in the methodological aspects of estimating species' potential distributions and in the relevance of this approach to understanding anthropogenic effects on species' distributions. My projects combine ecological, evolutionary, and biodiversity conservation concepts.

Biodiversity, land use, and climate change

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1. Mapping tropical tree diversity in the lowlands of Peru

I used hyperspectral satellite imagery to discriminate emergent tree species that represent the food resources of a set of mammal and bird species of conservation interest. This approach will be scaled up to a regional study to investigate forest diversity.

2. Regional potential distributions of species of conservation concern

The goal is to refine ecological niche models at small spatial extents using narrow-band vegetation indices derived from hyperspectral satellite imagery.

3. Conservation policy and land use change effects on biodiversity

This is a collaboration with Elisa Bonaccorso (Universidad Indoamerica, Ecuador) and her M.A. student, Mariela Palacios González. Using aerial photos and recent satellite imagery, we quantified the land use changes that occurred in the region of Las Gralarias reserve.

4. Broad scale effects of land use change on photosynthetic activity

Central and Eastern Europe has experienced in the past 2-3 decades increased rates of farmland abandonment and urban development. I use MODIS satellite products (fPAR) to investigate whether these land use changes have affected the photosynthetic rates of the landscapes at the continental scale.

5. Climate change effects on species' future potential distributions

Ecological niche models built using current species' occurrence information and climate parameters are projected on future climate datasets to estimate potential species' distributional expansions, reductions, and shifts. This is an approach that I have used in two recently published studies and I plan to use it in a new project focused on Great Plains invasive plant species.

Invasive species' potential distributions & methodological issues

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1. Niche shifts of introduced species

This is an on-going topic of investigation. For example, in a collaboration with Philippe Gaubert, we are using two African carnivorans introduced in Europe to identify best practices for niche shift assessments.

2. Invasive species distributions and management

Several research avenues are grouped under this subtitle. I am investigating the implications of using invaded-range species' presence data to estimate potential distributions; communicating research outcomes to resource managers and stakeholders; developing a broad-scale analysis of aquatic invasive species and connectivity of watersheds to indentify priority areas for invasive species monitoring.