PROJECTS

1) Diversification and Biogeography of the Neotropical Herpetofauna

The Neotropics are home to an explosion of life. Frogs that call from hidden forest streams, secretive snakes beneath leaf litter, lizards adapted to mountains, wetlands, and savannas. Yet we are still far from understanding how this extraordinary diversity came to be. In this project, we explore the evolutionary history of Neotropical amphibians and reptiles. Through field expeditions across remote landscapes, DNA sequencing, museum research, and ecological analyses, we reconstruct how species originated, diversified, and spread across the continent. By combining modern genomic tools with boots-on-the-ground natural history, we uncover hidden diversity, clarify species boundaries, and reveal how climate shifts, geological events, and landscape changes shaped one of the richest vertebrate faunas on Earth.

2) On the Naturalists’ Trails

More than a century ago, early naturalists traveled through forests and wetlands describing species that were often known from a single specimen. Many of those original localities were vaguely recorded, and some species have remained taxonomic puzzles ever since.
“On the Naturalists’ Trails” retraces those historic routes. We return to the exact places where species were first discovered, collecting topotypes and re-examining biodiversity with modern tools such as DNA sequencing and integrative taxonomy. By reconnecting the past with the present, this project strengthens taxonomic foundations, resolves long-standing mysteries, and ensures that conservation decisions are based on clear and accurate species definitions.

3) Fire Effects on Amphibians of the Pantanal

The Pantanal, one of the largest wetlands on the planet, is increasingly shaped by fire. Once part of its natural dynamics, fires have become more frequent and intense under climate change. As part of a long-term monitoring initiative, we study how amphibian communities respond to different fire regimes. In experimental plots with controlled burns, we track changes in species composition, population recovery, and ecological interactions over time.
Using pitfall traps, active field surveys, and Passive Acoustic Monitoring, we listen to how frog communities recover after fire and investigate how entire food webs respond to disturbance. Our goal is to understand resilience in one of the world’s most dynamic ecosystems.

4) Pan-American Montane Amphibian Diversity Dynamics

Mountain ranges across the Americas act as natural laboratories of evolution. From isolated “sky islands” to vast cordilleras, montane landscapes shape how species diversify, adapt, and persist through time. Beginning in 2026, this long-term initiative will investigate how amphibian diversity evolves across mountain systems from North to South America. By integrating large-scale field expeditions, genomic data, landscape analyses, and ecological monitoring, we aim to understand how elevation, climate gradients, and geographic isolation drive diversification. Mountains are also among the ecosystems most vulnerable to climate change. By linking evolutionary history with present-day environmental pressures, this project seeks to reveal how montane amphibians respond to shifting climates and what their future may hold.
This will be a continental-scale effort to understand how biodiversity emerges, persists, and transforms across the highlands of the Americas.