Master's in Tropical Ecology & Conservation

Verónica Baquero: is researching Xylocopa darwini, the endemic bee of the Galápagos, recognized as a key super-pollinator on these islands. The main objectives of her research are to obtain an annotated reference genome and integrate RNA sequences from venom glands to identify genes associated with venom. These genes could provide valuable insights into the ecological adaptations and evolutionary history of this bee, as venom composition is linked to defense mechanisms and survival strategies. This project is being conducted at the Laboratorio de Biotecnología Vegetal at USFQ, led by María Lourdes Torres (Ph.D.) in collaboration with the University of South Carolina.

Mariela Bustillos-Lema: aims to determine the structure of the palm community and the composition of their dispersers in the Secoya territory (northern Amazon of Ecuador). Understanding these dynamics is essential, as palms play multiple roles in forests and provide a wide range of ecosystem services. The findings will be crucial for developing management and conservation strategies in priority areas, contributing to the protection of species, especially those highly valued by local communities for their utility. This work is part of the DISES project: “Resilient Socio-Environmental Systems: Indigenous Territories in the Face of Change,” led by Dr. Gonzalo Rivas-Torres and funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation.

Garrison Ferone: is studying the genetics of the Galápagos Cod, one of the most important fish in Ecuadorian culinary culture, particularly for its role in the delicious fanesca. His findings will help propose management and conservation measures for this species based on scientific data. This study is led by Drs. Diana Pazmiño and Alex Hearn, USFQ professors and researchers at the Galapagos Science Center.

Juan Francisco Herrera Cueva: is evaluating the impact of oil platforms with active flares on the diversity of insectivorous birds and their primary food sources. He is conducting passive measurements of bird and insect diversity and abundance in plots located near and far from the impact site within the Yasuní Biosphere Reserve. This work aims to quantify the ecological impact of flares in the Ecuadorian Amazon and promote public policies that support biodiversity protection. Juan Francisco’s thesis is supervised by Dr. Gonzalo Rivas-Torres (USFQ).

Evanna Jaramillo: is evaluating the distribution and ecology of the sand fly, or manta blanca, along a degradation gradient (primary forests, secondary forests, and peri-urban areas) in the forests of the Chocó, within the Reserve of the Foundation for the Conservation of the Tropical Andes (FCAT) in Esmeraldas Province. She is also analyzing the status of this insect as a vector of leishmaniasis and other diseases in Ecuador to determine its public health implications. Evanna is conducting this research under the supervision of Drs. Patricio Rojas and Renato León (USFQ).

Sofía León: is studying the reproduction of the Galapagos hornshark (Heterodontus quoyi) on Floreana Island. Using ultrasound technology, Sofía is correlating the reproductive stages of females with their hormonal levels. This will facilitate future monitoring of the reproductive condition of females using only a small blood sample. This study is being supervised by Dr. Max Hirschfeld of James Cook University (left) with the help of an excellent team of volunteers (right).

Denisse Mateo: is analyzing the body patterns of the Andean bear in Peru and Ecuador using an innovative non-invasive measurement method. This technique, with potential applications across the bear's entire range, aims to contribute to the species' conservation plans. This study is supported by Dr. Rebecca Zug of the Laboratorio de Carnívoros at USFQ and Dr. Russel Van Horn of the San Diego Zoo, with funding from the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

Gabriela Mena: is studying avian malaria in the fragmented high-Andean Polylepis forests in Ecuador to characterize the ecological interactions between parasites and hosts. Gabriela hopes to contribute to the understanding of disease ecology in high-altitude ecosystems and support initiatives for their protection and conservation. This research is supervised by Elisa Bonaccorso (USFQ) and Peter Hosner (University of Copenhagen) and is funded by the University of Copenhagen and USFQ.

Amaru Rubio: is conducting his thesis in the Intag Valley (Imbabura), evaluating the potential impact of contaminants from a mining exploration phase on rivers and amphibian communities. As highly sensitive indicators, amphibians help assess the effects of mining and establish reference points for future research and conservation measures. Amaru is conducting this research under the supervision of Juan Manuel Guayasamin (USFQ).

Mateo Vega: seeks to understand the effects of climate change on glass frogs. To achieve this, he uses potential distribution models and analyzes patterns of phylogenetic diversity. The results will help identify species lineages and key areas for the conservation of these organisms, as well as guide actions to preserve evolutionary diversity, focusing attention on species at the highest risk of extinction. Mateo is conducting this research under the supervision of Juan Manuel Guayasamin (USFQ) and Julián Velasco from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.

Sebastián Arostegui: used data collected from camera traps in the Condor Mountain Range in southern Ecuador to analyze interactions among felines in this landscape and how these might differ between study areas and human-influenced zones. This project was supervised by Dr. Becky Zug and emerged from a collaboration between USFQ and the Fundación Zoológica de Ecuador.

Carla Villamarín: characterized microbial communities in river sediments of the Cube Basin, an intermittent system in the Ecuadorian portion of the Chocó bioregion. Through environmental DNA metabarcoding, she identified the microbial groups present in the study area and the differences in community composition between dry and wet seasons. Her project was supervised by Dr. Andrea Encalada and was part of the DRYvER Project, which studied intermittent river systems in Europe and South America to propose adaptive management strategies.

Jordan Andrés Cruz investigated the impact of trampling by large domestic mammals on carbon dioxide and methane emissions in Ecuador's high-Andean peatlands. These ecosystems are poorly understood in the Andean region despite being the terrestrial ecosystems with the highest carbon storage in their soils. Understanding their biogeochemical flows and conservation offers a significant opportunity to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions on a global scale. His work was conducted under the supervision of Dr. Esteban Suárez as part of the High Mountain Ecology Research Group (GEAM) within the Sustainable Wetlands Adaptation and Mitigation Program (SWAMP). This research was funded by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and conducted in the buffer zone of Antisana National Park, within the Chakana Reserve (Hacienda Antisanilla), owned by the Jocotoco Foundation.

David Brito: studied patterns of body measurements and size in lizards of the genus Stenocercus, known as "Guagsas," considering their altitudinal distribution and ecology. This research was supervised by Carolina Reyes-Puig and Diego Cisneros-Heredia from the Museo de Zoología and the Instituto IBIOTROP at USFQ, with collaboration from other national universities and research institutions.

Jacquelin Montoya: studied carbon dynamics in different types of peatlands by analyzing primary productivity and carbon accumulation rates. This research was developed under the supervision of Dr. Esteban Suárez within the framework of the Sustainable Wetlands Adaptation and Mitigation Program (SWAMP) of the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS).

Diego Urquía: used DNA metabarcoding to analyze the diet of Galapagos sea lions across five different colonies in the southeastern Archipelago. This method allowed him to discover new prey for these animals, never before described in science. This project was led by Dr. Diego Páez-Rosas in collaboration with the Technical University of Brunswick, Germany. The resulting article was published in the scientific journal Ecology and Evolution and is available at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/ece3.10921.

Alisson Fierro-Minda investigated environmental determinants influencing group size and the presence of solitary individuals in mantled howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata aequatorialis) in Ecuador. She used generalized linear models to identify environmental and anthropogenic variables that significantly affect this threatened species. This research was conducted under the supervision of Dr. Stella De La Torre (USFQ).

Francisco Velásquez-Espín studied one of the least understood forest strata: the canopy. In this level of the cloud forest, Francisco investigated the diversity of amphibians, reptiles, and invertebrates. His work was conducted in collaboration with researchers from Texas State University (Rodríguez Lab) and Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (McCracken Lab), with support from Fundación Futuro, Third Millennium Alliance, and Mashpi Lodge. He was supervised by Dr. Juan Manuel Guayasamín (USFQ) and Dr. Shawn McCracken (TAMU-CC). To access his sampling sites, located up to 30 meters high, Francisco employed arborist and climbing techniques.

Andrés Moreira investigated the incidence of microplastics in the trophic network of apex predators in the Galapagos Marine Reserve. Microplastics are present in all oceans and pose a significant threat to biodiversity. He analyzed excrement from different colonies of the Galapagos sea lion (Zalophus wollebaeki) in the southeastern Archipelago to identify these particles using chemical digestion of organic matter and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. This project was conducted through an inter-institutional collaboration between Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ), the Galapagos Science Center (GSC), and the University of Barcelona (UB), under the supervision of Dr. Diego Páez-Rosas (USFQ-GSC) and Dr. Odei García-Garín (UB). The resulting article was published in the scientific journal Science of the Total Environment: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969723048489.

Emilia Peñaherrera developed her thesis through a comprehensive assessment of Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) in the Tropical Andes. She used data on biodiversity, conservation, and governance. IBAs, which focus on conserving bird species and their habitats, have become one of the strongest global strategies for prioritizing conservation. This project was developed thanks to a collaboration between BirdLife International and Universidad San Francisco de Quito through its institutes ECOLAP-USFQ and IBIOTROP-USFQ, under the guidance of Drs. Susana Cárdenas and Diego F. Cisneros-Heredia (USFQ).

María José Arias studied the distribution of passerine birds along an elevational gradient in northwestern Ecuadorian Andes. She collaborated with Abhimanyu Lele and Jacob Drucker, doctoral candidates from the University of Chicago and researchers at the Field Museum, under the mentorship of Dr. Elisa Bonaccorso (USFQ) and Abhimanyu Lele. Field methods included mist netting and point counts at various locations along the gradient, covering an approximate elevation range of 500 to 4000 meters.