CURSO 2024
INTERNATIONAL COURSE BIODIVERSITY OF TROPICAL MONTANE FORESTS
The online course was held from July 22 to August 23, 2024, and a few students were able to join a field component of the course in Ecuador, during late August and the first week of September.
About us
We are an international team of researchers studying tropical montane forest ecology, focusing on Andean tree communities and their responses to anthropogenic pressures. We collaborate actively with local and international organizations that influence policy-making and local actors’ actions that promote conservation and sustainable development in Ecuador.
This field course is part of the VLIR-UOS funded project, «Recovery and conservation of Andean tropical mountain forest to benefit the livelihoods of local communities», conducted by Universiteit Gent, Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Universidad de Cuenca, and other research institutions.
Who attended?
Our course gathered people from different areas interested in biodiversity conservation. More on the fieldwork campaigns can be found on the News section.
Course description
The course was an introduction to the fascinating biodiversity of plants in the highly threatened tropical montane forests. Different invited instructors working in these ecosystems will share their knowledge about patterns and processes that generate and maintain plant diversity. The course will be directed mainly to undergraduate and graduate students.
Lectures presented
Lectures were recorded and you can access to them by request. Stay tuned for more!
- July 29th –Presentation and welcome to the course
- July 29th- Bertil Ståhl: An introduction to the flora of the Andes
- July 31st – Julia. G de Aledo: Functional traits as providers of ecosystem services to Indigenous well-being in tropical forests
- August 5th – Lorena Endara: Different Avenues of Andean Orchid Research
- August 9th – Jürgen Homeier: Tree diversity in Andean forests: comparing species richness, phylogenetic diversity and functional diversity
- August 12th – Laura Lagomarsino: A clade’s eye view of plant evolution in the Andes
- August 14th – Nora Oleas: Exploring and Preserving Plant Life in a Biodiversity Hotspot
- August 21st – Carmen Ulloa: In the footsteps of Alexander von Humboldt: A Plant Map of the Americas.
Invited speakers
Dr. Bertil Ståhl
Uppsala University | Department of Organismal Biology
Topic:
An introduction to the flora of the Andes.
Julia G. de Aledo Ph.D.
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid | UAM Biology Deparment
Topic:
Functional traits as providers of ecosystem services to Indigenous well-being in tropical forests
Carmen Ulloa Ulloa, Ph.D.
Missouri Botanical Garden
Topic:
In the footsteps of Alexander von Humboldt: A Plant Map of the Americas.
Dr. Jürgen Homeier
University of Applied Sciences and Arts – HAWK
Topic:
Tree diversity in Andean forests: comparing species richness, phylogenetic diversity and functional diversity
Laura Lagomarsino, Ph.D.
Louisiana State University | Department Biological Sciences
Topic:
Nora Oleas, PhD.
Universidad Tecnológica Indoamérica
Topic:
Exploring and Preserving Plant Life in a Biodiversity Hotspot
Lorena Endara, Ph.D.
Clemson University
Lorena Endara’s research website
Topic:
Different Avenues of Andean Orchid Research
Costs
The course was offered at no cost!. Few students will be able to join a field component of the course which our project will cover.
We will launch another course on 2025.
Do you have any question? Please contact us at:
ecosystemfunctiontmfecuador@gmail.com
