Author: <span>Edith Villa-Galaviz</span>

Frogs recover with forest structural complexity

The reptile and amphibian group never ceases to amaze us with new discoveries about the natural history of these animals. Now, moving beyond natural history, they share their findings on ecological recovery. In a publication led by Karla Neira-Salamea, they showed that understory frog communities recover with forest regeneration time. …

Hanna Greßmann Universidad de las Américas / University of Kiel, SP6

I have always been interested in how plants interact with their environment and respond to different stressors on both physiological and metabolic levels. After focusing on plant ecology during my studies, I am now excited to investigate ecological processes at the community level, particularly the mechanisms underlying tree-herbivore interactions across …

J. Carlos Chávez-Arribasplata. Humboldt Universität zu Berlin / Museum für Naturkunde Berlin.

I am a Peruvian herpetologist. I am deeply interested in ecology of evolution of reptiles, specially of South-America, and to take my knowledge and projects into the communities of Latin America to link them to the international science community. After acquiring years of research and fieldwork experience in Peru, and …

Dr. Ada F. Eslava, Z (DNA barcoding & metabarcoding), LMU München

I am an ecologist with interests spanning community ecology, macroecology, and applied conservation. I am particularly interested in understanding the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem stability, as well as the mechanisms underpinning the recovery of ecosystems. I am currently a postdoctoral researcher in subproject Z, carrying out bioinformatic analyses of …

Sarah Fritsch, Universidad de las Américas/ Technical University of Darmstadt

My interests in ecology have been very broad from the beginning of my studies – there is simply so much that we still do not yet fully understand. Among my interests, a few topics that have fascinated me especially are forest recovery, community ecology, ecosystem services and responses to microclimatic …

Moira Wiedebusch, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador/ Museum für Naturkunde Berlin

I am interested in the ecology and diversity of herpetofauna in the tropics, particularly in the Chocó rainforest. I aim to understand the effects of habitat change and regeneration on tropical herpetofaunal communities and how species adapt to these changes during their life stages. In my early career years I …

Dr. Edith Villa Galaviz, Technical University of Darmstadt, CM

I am a community ecologist with an emphasis on understanding and conserving species interactions, particularly plant-insect (i.e., pollination, herbivory, parasitoidism). I have worked and collaborated on projects in tropical, temperate, and arctic habitats and agroecosystems. My research investigates how agricultural practices reshape species interaction networks and how these networks and …

Ester Bergamini, SBiK-F Frankfurt, SP4

I have always been fascinated by the extraordinary biodiversity of tropical forests and motivated to understand how these ecosystems can be better protected and restored. During my Master’s degree in Conservation Biology in Italy, I collected acoustic data in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest to assess diversity across old-growth forest patches, …

Kirra McLeod, Universidad del Azuay/ Technical University of Munich, SP3

My research interests lie in community ecology, specifically pollination. Luckily, the neotropics offer a great opportunity to study diverse pollinator communities! For my PhD, I am investigating how plant–pollinator interactions contribute to the recovery of the Ecuadorian Chocó rainforest following agricultural disturbance. Working across  the recovery gradient framework of Reassembly, …

Julie-Isabelle Hammer, PhD student SP7 (Biotic defences), University of Bayreuth

What has always fascinated me most about ecology is the complexity of species interactions within ecosystems. How two partners can form close relationships shaping their behaviour, traits and morphology. In my subproject, I study the mutualistic relationships of ants and trees and their effects on forest recovery. Ants play an …