1pm - Zoology
Museum (Wallace 129)
S P E A K E
R 1
"Life in the slow lane: The sloth niche, divine or
dangerous; a case study in Costa Rica."
The sloths survival strategy
is camouflage, and as a result, observational research is lacking and very
little is known about wild sloth ecology. Without this knowledge, the
development of conservation strategies is exceedingly difficult. This project
forms a broad study into the ecology, physiology and genetic diversity of
two-fingered (C. hoffmanni) and three-fingered (B. variegatus) sloths in Costa
Rica. We combine wild sloth activity and movement data with studies into the
metabolic rate, energy expenditure, temperature regulation, digestive
physiology and population genetics of these poorly understood and highly
unusual mammals.
S P E A K E
R 2
“Disentangling the main factors for the spread
of aquatic invasive species”
Invasive species are the second cause of biodiversity loss negatively
affecting the invaded ecosystem, native biota and impacting on the economy and
health. The situation is highly risky in aquatic ecosystems because freshwater
fish are the most imperilled group in the world. Using Species Distribution
Models techniques and remote sensing we will try to understand which bioclimatic
and anthropogenic variables are more relevant for the distribution of most invasive
aquatic species with the aim of predicting and preventing their spread.
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