Biography

My research interests focuses on the ecology, biodiversity conservation and biogeography of extreme high mountain ecosystems such as the Tropical Andes. Within my experience, I have been particularly interested in the study of its vegetation and its plant-associated microbiomes, where I was able to develop distribution models of plant species, plant communities, and mycorrhizal traits. I have participated in the phytosociological characterization of plant species of páramo as well as the characterization of their seeds and their dispersal syndromes. I am also interested in the study of these ecosystems as climatic refugia and the assessment of their ecosystem services at the ecological, economic, and social levels, as well as the development of management strategies for their conservation. Currently, I am focused on the study of Dark Diversity through post-glacial chronosequence in the Andes to evaluate different colonization dynamics and formation of novel plant communities following the glacial retreat.