Biography:
I studied Biology at Universidad de Los Andes in Bogota, where I had the opportunity of teaching and being a part of several research laboratories. As I was conscious of the need of biologists to go to the field in order to learn in depth the concepts revised in class, I was first a volunteer of Galapagos National Park (2000), and then took an internship at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama (STRI) (www.stri.org) to illustrate plants for Dr. Richard Condit (ctfs.si.edu/webatlas/maintreeatlas.html) (2001). This last experience was crucial for my career because it was at STRI where I first learned in depth about tropical forests and got interested in studying and protecting these ecosystems. As a consequence, I then spent 3 years doing research in Barro Colorado Island, at STRI. In August 2004, I started my PhD working with Dr. Kaoru Kitajima at University of Florida (www.ufl.edu), where I have been studying since. One of my priorities for doing my PhD was being able to work in my own country, Colombia, where I have done research during the summers from 2005, and now I am developing my dissertation. Last spring I passed my qualifying exams and have been working in Colombia since May 2007. I intend to finish my PhD research in two years, when I have to return to Florida to teach for two semesters and hopefully graduate in May-August 2010.

Research Focus:
My main interest is tropical ecology, and more specifically, I have always been fascinated by biotic interactions and their role in generating and maintaining diversity in tropical forests. In Panama, I developed a project that looked at the role of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and herbivores in mediating the habitat segregation of two morphospecies of the pioneer tree Trema micrantha. I found that soil abiotic conditions, AMF, and herbivores mediate the habitat partitioning of these two morphospecies, soon to be considered separate species.

In my PhD I want to understand the role of soil organisms in impeding/facilitating the regeneration of pre-montane tropical forests into abandoned agricultural lands. I have the hypothesis that agricultural practices (e.g. tillage, heavy fertilization, monoculture establishment, etc) shift soil microbial communities and these "new" soil communities can impede the establishment of native forest plants. I work with two components of the soil microbial communities: AMF and soil pathogenic fungi. Agricultural practices are thought to reduce AMF and select for the less beneficial, and more parasitic species (especially due to heavy fertilization). In addition, the establishment of monocultures is thought to increase the incidence of plant pathogens. I want to explore if these two more specific hypotheses are true.

I work in Colombia in association with Cenicafe (www.cenicafe.org), the center for coffee research, part of the National Coffee Federation. At Cenicafe I work in the division of Conservation, directed by Dr. Jorge Eduardo Botero. Most of the research is done at Cenicafe is related to agricultural production and disease management of coffee plantations. The station is located close to the city of Manizales, located at the Central Cordillera of the Andes, one of world's hotspots of biodiversity. With my PhD I want to contribute to our understanding of the fragile and almost non-existent forests of this biodiversity hotspot. Then my dream is to work in Colombia and become a conservation leader in my country.