Postdoctoral researchers awarded IEB fellowships

Dr. Christopher Anderson
Ph.D., University of Georgia, USA (2006)
Dr. Anderson's research focuses on understanding the role of invasive species at the landscape scale in the Chilean subantarctic archipelago, associated with the Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity's transversal themes: Global Change Impacts and Conservation and Society. Specifically, he is conducting a study of the influence of introduced beavers (Castor canadensis) on the patterns of benthic invertebrate diversity at the landscape level and the effect of these changes related to food web dynamics between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Christopher began his two year postdoctoral fellowship in September 2006.

Dra. Olga Barbosa
PhD., Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (2005)
Postdoctoral Associate, University of Sheffield, United Kingdom (2005-2006)
Considering climate change and the high rate of land transformation for agriculture in the Mediterranean region of Chile, Dr. Barbosa coordinates the project Wine, Climate Change and Biodiversity, under the direction of Dr. Pablo Marquet (focus 1). This project is being developed in partnership with the Chilean wine industry in order to increase the impact of our scientific work on society. The two main objectives of our project include: a) To evaluate potential effects of climate change on the current distributions of Chilean Premium vineyards and to develop strategies with wine companies to face this new scenario, and b) by identifying and evaluating the ecosystem services that support Chilean vineyards, develop sustainable management practices that will encourage the coexistence of native biodiversity within vineyards. Olga began her postdoctoral fellowship in May 2008.

Dr. Leah Dudley
Ph.D., University of Missouri, Columbia, USA (2006)
Dr. Dudley studies the impact of dioecious plants on insect community dynamics using native Chilean species to determine: 1) if male and female plants differ in pollinator or natural enemy attractivenes; 2) if the manipulation of natural enemy abundance and access affect male and female plant fitness; and 3) if the spatial distribution of male and female plants affect pollinator and natural enemy visitation. She will study the effects that plants may produce by possessing two sex morphs on focal species' biodiversity at multiple trophic levels, pollinator, herbivore, and natural enemy. Her investigations are one of several at the Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity (IEB): Biogeography and Paleoecology. Leah began her two year postdoctoral position in October 2006.

Dr. Aurora Gaxiola
Ph.D., University of Cambridge, United Kingdom (2005)
Considering that increased atmospheric Nitrogen deposition impacts the balance between mineral nutrients and plant productivity, Dr. Gaxiola research addresses this interplay by focusing on plant functional traits and soil Nitrogen-to-Phosphorus ratios (N:P) in local ecosystems. The objectives are the following: 1) evaluate the relationship between soil natural N:P and plant functional diversity of temperate and dry ecosystems of Chile;  2) evaluate, through the use of soil and plant N:P to what extent are ecosystems naturally N- or P-limited; and 3) evaluate species response capacity to human-induced shifts of soil N:P. The aim of her project is two fold, firstly to understand species response capacity to shifts in nutrient limitation and secondly to use
these results as a means of predicting responses of Chilean ecosystems to global change. Her research is being conducted in association with investigation focus 2 of the IEB: Ecosystem Ecology. Aurora began a two year postdoctoral fellowship in September 2006.

Dr. Wouter van Dongen
Ph.D., University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia (2005)
Dr. van Dongen is conducting an investigation exploring microevolutionary processes and the adaptive evolution of native Chilean species to different habitats, combining field-based behavioural observations and experiments with laboratory-based genetic work. Specifically, he will determine the factors influencing large-scale species distributions and small-scale patch-level adaptation to local environmental constraints. This investigation will provide novel insights into the microevolutionary consequences of the large environmental gradients existing within Chile and the factors promoting or constraining species range expansion and speciation. His research is being conducted in association with investigation focus 3 of the Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity (IEB): Microevolutionary processes. Wouter began his two year postdoctoral fellowship in September 2006.

Dr. Fabio Labra
Doctorate Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile (2005)
His research focuses on understanding the processes that determine the diversity and abundance of species at large temporal and geographic scales, within the theme of Biogeography of IEB's focus 1, Biogeography and Paleoecology, including research approaches from Macroecology, Ecoinformatics and Biogeography. Specifically, he is currently developing dynamic mathematical models to study species' niche, using individual based simulation models. Fabio began his two year postdoctoral fellowship in July 2006.

Dr. José Miguel Rojas
Doctorate Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile (2005) 
His studies are referred to the influence of cognitive processes on the development of antipredatory decisions related with space use in the rodent Octodon degus. These studies are conducted with individuals belonging to isolated populations, located between the IV and V regions of Chile, and captivity animals. The use of different population obey to the idea of evaluate the influence of environment as a source of bias in the decision make process, associate to the individual experience of predation risk. Particularly, Dr. Rojas aims to evaluate the development of cognitive maps as a decision strategy of space use, considering as the central focus the spatial memory. In this sense, he expects to estimate the importance of ecological and/or evolutionary aspects on the development of individual skills for habitat use, in relation to laboratory studies and the available genetic and population information for the mentioned regions. These studies are framed in the development of the IEB investigation focus "Microevolutionary Processes". José Miguel started his one year post doctoral fellowship in August of 2006.