REU Summer Internship: Tropical Ecology and Evolution in Puerto Rico Institute for Tropical Ecosystem Studies, University of Puerto Rico |
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Projects and Mentors
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A list of mentors for 2009 will be available soon, the following are the mentors and their research areas for SUMMER 2008: Plant Systematics and Population Biology Dr. James D. Ackerman conducts research in three main areas: (1) Floristics and systematics of the family Orchidaceae, which has a number of endemic genera for which monographic treatments are being prepared, particularly the genus Tolumnia. Numerous small studies can be developed primarily to resolve species level problems; (2) Dispersion of orchids and its relationship to land use history and recruitment; (3) Natural selection and the evolution and maintenance of deception pollination systems in the orchid family. All three areas are connected by conceptual issues (including conservation biology) so what seems to be disparate areas of research under one roof is actually an integrated effort to study the patterns and processes of evolution using the Orchidaceae as a model system. The most amenable projects would be studies on pollination, dispersal and natural selection. Plant eco-physiology Dr. Denny Fernandez works on understanding how variability on abiotic factors (e.g., light) affects Plant physiology and fitness. Students working with Dr. Fernandez will be involved in projects that use state-of-art physiological equipment to study Plant responses to environmental gradients. Students could develop their own projects assessing Plant fitness on different habitats in the Luquillo Mountains and determining which environmental factors influence Plant fitness more strongly. Plant – pollinator interactions José J. Fumero is a doctoral student that works on plant-pollinator interactions at the community level, with emphasis on the role that anthropogenic disturbance of forest habitat and the presence of invasive alien species have on this interaction. His research has two main goals, 1) to determine the effect that habitat disturbance has on flowering plant community composition, on insect-flower visitation, and on interaction webs between disturbed and non-disturbed sites and 2) to assess the effects of a widely recognized invasive pollinator species, the africanized honeybee (Apis mellifera scutelata) on the structure of the pollination network of tropical forest and the possible implications for native plants and pollinators. Students could conduct studies on either research goal at El Verde Field Station and will contribute to improving our understanding plant - pollinator interactions. Epiphytic plants in riparian buffers Dr. Tamara Heartsill-Scalley studies the composition and structure of riparian vegetation communities. Students working with Dr. Heartsill-Scalley will participate of on going studies assessing the structure of riparian communities and how it changes along gradients. Students could develop projects assessing factors influencing the distribution epiphytes on streams near El Verde Field Station. Terrestrial Arthropod Ecology. Dr. Paul Klawinski studies arthropod diversity and its relation to ecological gradients (e.g., elevation) and disturbance regimens. Students working with Dr. Klawinski will participate of on going studies assessing the effects of past hurricanes on arthropod communities. Students can also work on assessing the role of vertebrate predators on determining arthropod abundance in different habitats and how arthropod communities change along ecological gradients. Students could develop projects assessing the role of anole lizards and coqui frogs on controlling insect abundance in the Luquillo Mountains. Plant Reproductive Ecology and Evolution Dr. Elvia J. Meléndez-Ackerman works on the evolutionary mechanisms of floral traits and whether traits are currently under the influence of natural selection. Students will be exposed to projects that identify the reproductive stage (e.g. pollination, seed dispersal) most critical to the evolutionary and population dynamics of the understory herb, Heliconia caribaea. Also projects involving regulation of the production of male and female flowers in the monoecious herb Begonia decandra and the fitness consequences of producing uneven sex ratios. Students might develop projects with these two model species, H. caribaea or B. decandra, which are abundant in the Luquillo Mountains. Applied Tropical Limnology Dr. Jorge Ortiz Zayas and doctoral student Debora Figueroa work on the assessment of water treatment plant effluents on tropical stream ecosystems. Aspects of their research include the evaluation of discharges on water quality, nutrient retention, metabolism, and algal communities. Students participating of the internship could work in assessing effluent impacts on (1) fish and shrimp communities, (2) aquatic insect assemblages, or (3) the quality of organic matter (e.g., dissolved organic carbon). Students could develop projects in any of these areas and/or discuss new ideas that are related to the main research theme. Aquatic Insect Ecology Dr. Alonso Ramírez works on the ecology of aquatic insects in the streams and rivers within the Luquillo Experimental Forest, with emphasis on the role that aquatic insects play on ecosystem processes. Students will be involved in projects that focus on (1) assessing physicochemical factors affecting insect assemblages, (2) interaction between insects and shrimps and fishes, and (3) the role of insects in ecosystem processes, such as detritus decomposition and control of primary production. Students could develop projects in any of these areas and complement ongoing research or uncover new lines of research for future study.
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Last updated: August 8, 2008