ECOFUN
Laboratório de Síntese Ecológica e Conservação da Biodiversidade
Ecological Synthesis and Biodiversity Conservation Lab
People
If you are interested in joining ECOFUN please contact me. I'm looking for [independent] students who are interested in working with the multifaceted nature of biodiversity and how human pressure is driving diversity loss.
Lead investigator
Thiago Gonçalves-Souza
Position: Professor in Ecology at Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco
Post Doc in Ecology: Universidade Estadual de Campinas
PhD in Animal Biology: Universidade Estadual Paulista
Master in Animal Biology: Universidade Estadual Paulista
Undergraduate in Biological Sciences: Escola Superior São Francisco de Assis
Postdoc researcher
Leonardo Chaves
"My main research interest is to understand which factors are most important in structuring the relationship between human beings and other species of animals and plants in an environment, both on a local and macroecological scale. Currently, I am investigating whether environmental factors or anthropogenic changes may be related to the composition and functionality of pharmacopoeias in traditional South American communities."
PhD students
Reginaldo Gusmão
Reginaldo is Co-advised by Luciano Naka (UFPE) and Thiago Gonçalves-Souza
Project collaborator: Fábio Akashi Hernandes (UNESP)
"I am interested in understanding the effects of environmental changes, such as land-use and climate change, in the parasite-host relationship between birds and mites. Also, I look for investigate how the decline in functional and phylogenetic diversity of birds might affect the community of feather mites. By doing so, we search information for creation of new protected areas and for use parasite-host relationships as an indicator birds conservation status."
Paulo Mateus Martins
Paulo is co-advised by Robert Poulin (University of Otago) and Thiago Gonçalves-Souza
"During my Ph.D. thesis, I'm devoted to understanding how distinct ecological processes acting at different spatial scales have been shaping the patterns of macroparasite diversity and infection among vertebrate hosts. However, although currently focused on parasites, my interests go beyond these organisms and also include other groups, approaches, and theories related to the fields of community ecology and evolutionary ecology. I'm undoubtedly jointed to those who have been seeking to explain 'why do we find different types and numbers of species in different places'."
Pedro Henrique A. Sena
Pedro is co-advised by Felipe Pimentel Lopes Melo (UFPE) and Thiago Gonçalves-Souza
"I am particularly curious to understand the effects of biodiversity on ecosystem functioning (BEF) in Tropical ecosystems. Another very strong component of my research is applying the Nature's Contribution to People framework to biocultural plants in dry ecosystems.
Paulo Sérgio Monteiro Ferreira
Paulo is Co-adivised by Maria Jesus Nogueira Rodal (UFRPE) and Thiago Gonçalves-Souza
"I am interested in understanding the drivers of taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity on Atlantic Forest’s tree assembly using climatic stability hypothesis. My Ph.D. aims to integrate biogeography and ecology knowledge areas using phylogenetic tools to (i) evaluate the relationship between climatic stability and phylogenetic diversity as the cause of diversity patterns found in North sector Atlantic Forest; and (ii) specify the type and amount of diversity that is sustained in the protected areas of the North sector Atlantic Forest."
Arthur Ramalho Magalhães
Arthur is advised by Thiago Gonçalves-Souza
"My interests mainly involve understanding spatial patterns of tropical vector-borne diseases such as leishmaniasis, Chagas disease and dengue fever and their responses to anthropogenic/socio-ecological dimensions climate change. Also, I'm interested in questions addressing themes as host-reservoir influences in transmission dynamics, mammalian ecology, biodiversity conservation, ecosystem services (and other debates external to my thesis). In my spare time, I like to discuss nerd/rpg stuff and being a lazy science activist against cuts in the science budget."
MSc students
Theo Branco Wanderley
Theo is co-advised by Christini Caselli (UFRPE) e Thiago Gonçalves-Souza
He is current investigating the effects of invasive species on taxonomic, functional and genetic diversity of native plant communities. He was an undergraduate student at UFRPE and now is developing his master thesis in Ethnobiology and Conservation at UFRPE.
Cássio Carvalho
Cássio is co-advised by Pablo Antiquera (UNICAMP) and Thiago Gonçalves-Souza
"I'm working on understanding the relationship of freshwater algae and anthropic pollution in river stream environments, such as domestic and industrial sewage and how the amount of heavy metal affect them. Also, I'm specially interested in uncovering how this and abiotic factors are related to algae ecological traits in a genus level. We hope to find out if certain trait patterns can successfully predict which algae species could occur in certain freshwater environments impacted by anthropogenic pollution.
Doing so, maybe we can unravel a little bit more the secrets of our mother nature and the puzzle that the functional ecology is ;D"
Gabriela Galvão
Gabriela is advised by Felipe Pimentel Lopes de Melo and Thiago Gonçalves-Souza
"During my master's thesis, I am determined to understand how disturbances affects the natural regeneration of environments from a taxonomic and functional point of view. But mostly aiming at the sustainable management of these environments. I integrate a core project funded by CNPq called Nexus: Caatinga Sustentável, which seeks to understand how the Brazilian Caatinga can protect its aspects of food, energy and water facets. And I am also inserted in a global research network, the Disturbance and Resources Across Global Grasslands (DRAGNet)."
Gabriel Boldorini
Gabriel is advised by Thiago Gonçalves-Souza
"During my master's thesis, I am focus on understand how the climate change affects species interactions, like biological control. Furthermore, I am interested in biodiversity patterns and it's mechanisms".
Ingrid Lima
Ingrid is co-advised by Ulysses paulino de Albuquerque and Thiago Gonçalves-Souza
I've unite two loves in my master's project: people and nature. Our work will identify which factors influence the traditional knowledge about water quality in the semiarid region.
Undergrad students
Camila Patriota
Camila is advised by Thiago Gonçalves-Souza and Paulo Mateus Sobreira
She is an undergraduate student, interested in learn about the ecological process that occur in macroecology perspective. My current study focus on functional ecology, using anuran diversity body-size to understand the influence of bioclimatic variables, along the Atlantic Forest.
Alumni
Paulo Gusmão
Paulo was Co-advised by: Paschoal Coelho Grossi (UFRPE) and Thiago Gonçalves-Souza from 2015-2017
His master thesis focused in understand the processes driving spider communities among different plant architectures along 12 restinga areas throughout ~2,000 Km of the Brazilian coast. He evaluated the relationship between taxonomic and functional diversity of beetles with plant architecture. Specifically, he quantified how differences in plant architecture affect the turnover of species and traits, expecting that similar architectures filter out similar species and traits.
Paulo concluded his thesis in Ecology (UFRPE) in 2017.
Lilian S.O. Melo
Lilian finished her Ph.D. Co-advised by Denise C. Rossa-Feres (UNESP, SJRP) and Thiago Gonçalves-Souza.
Project collaborators: Ana Carnaval (City College of New York)
"My general topic of research is understanding how the composition, morphological traits and evolutionary history of anurans influence the structure of assemblages on Tropical biomes. I mainly focus on patterns and process involved on anuran community assemblage. My PhD aims on integrate biogeography, functional and evolutionary ecology to (i) describe and explain how several facets of biodiversity are distributed on Brazilian biomes and (ii) how we can improve conservation strategies for the most threatened vertebrate group of the world (amphibians) based on different biodiversity facets, such as functional, phylogenetic and taxonomic diversity."
Key paper:
1. Integrating phylogenetic and functional biodiversity facets to guide conservation: a case study using anurans in a global biodiversity hotspot. Biodiversity and Conservation. Access here.
Gabrielle C.F. Soares
Gabrielle was a undergraduate student that brought a lot of joy and creativity to our group from 2016 to 2018!
Tiago N. Bernabé
Tiago is co-advised by Gustavo Q. Romero (UNICAMP) and Thiago Gonçalves-Souza
Project collaborators: Adriano B. Kury (Museu Nacional -RJ)
"I am interested in understanding the drivers structuring harvestmen (Arachnida: Opiliones) community assemblage on the Atlantic Rain Forest hotspot, focusing on patterns and process involved in it. My PhD aims to use the biogeographic, functional and phylogenetic tools to (i) describe how biodiversity is distributed on Atlantic Forest biome; (ii) identify the harvestmen hotspots and improve conservation strategies so they could be more directed to this most endemic fauna of the Atlantic Rain Forest, and (iii) improve the phylogenetic knowledge of this group."
Gustavo Aires
Gustavo is co-advised by Felipe Pimentel Lopes Melo (UFPE) and Thiago Gonçalves-Souza
He investigates the role of seasonal drought and invasive species on seed recruiting in a dry forest from Brazil. Gustavo integrates a core project called Nexus: Caatinga Sustentável, which seeks to understand how the Brazilian Caatinga can protect its aspects of food, energy and water facets. This project is funded by CNPq.