Gerardo Avalos

Ph.D. University of Missouri-St. Louis (August 1999)

RESEARCH PROGRAM. Physiological adaptations of tropical plants to spatial and temporal changes in light availability. Physiological ecology of canopy lianas.  Biomechanics and Ecology of Tropical Palms. Ecology and Management of extraction of non-timber forest products. Fragmentation Effects on Neotropical Birds. Population cycles of Tropical Aquatic Macroinvertebrates. Ecology of tropical hummingbirds. Tropical Ecology and Conservation. Multivariate statistics applied to ecological problems. Design of web sites for the distribution of biological information. 

PHONE (office): 506-207-4404
FAX: 506-207-4216
e-mail: gavalos@cariari.ucr.ac.cr, avalos@fieldstudies.org, faetornis@yahoo.com

Euterpe team, Braulio Carrillo National Park, November 2005.

Euterpe team, Braulio Carrillo National Park, April 2006.


EDUCATION

Bachelor in Biology, U.C.R. (April 9, 1991).

Graduate student, Ph. D. program, Environmental, Population and Organismic Biology, University of Colorado at Boulder (1992-1993).

Master of Science in Biology, University of Missouri-St. Louis, May 1996.

Doctor of Science in Biology, Department of Biology University of Missouri-St. Louis, August 1999. Dissertation: "Photosynthetic acclimation of canopy branches and seedlings of lianas to light changes in a tropical dry forest". Done at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama using the canopy access system available at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.

Training at ESRI in Redlands California, on Geodatabase Design and Geographic Information Systems:

• Learning ArcGIS 9
• Introduction to ArcGIS I
• Introduction to ArcGIS II
• Geodatabase Design Concepts
• Building Geodatabases I
• Creating, Editing, and Managing Geodatabases for ArcGIS 9

Professor of Tropical Ecology, University of Costa Rica (1991-present).

Professor, EARTH College (May-August 1999, 2000, 2001)

Academic Advisor, Associated Colleges of the Midwest (2001-present)

Academic Coordinator, Undergraduate Program in Tropical Ecology and Conservation (World Class), UCR (1998-2001)

Visiting Professor, Department of Botany, University of Ulm, Germany (June 2001)

Professor of Tropical Ecology, The School for Field Studies, Center for Sustainable Development Studies (2001-present).

Mentor, Research Experiences for Undergraduates, Organization for Tropical Studies (2003-present).

Research Advisor, National System of Science and Technology (SENACYT, Sistema Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología), Republic of Panama (2005-present).

Visiting Professor, Center for Environmental Studies, University of Redlands, California (July-August 2006).

Center Director, Center for Sustainable Development Studies, The School for Field Studies, Costa Rica (2007-present).

Part of my 2006 Natural History of Costa Rica class during a field trip to El Zota, Cariari de Guápiles. We used mud to mimic rainforest creatures...

COURSES TAUGHT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF COSTA RICA

• B0300 Natural History of Costa Rica
• B0111 Biology of Plants
• SP8104 Multivariate Statistics applied to Biology
• SP0924 Advanced Tropical Ecology
• SP0998 Introduction to Research Proposals and Grant Applications
• B0430 Plant Ecology
• B0442 Plant Physiology
• B0305 General Ecology Lab
  

LANGUAGES

2. Avalos, G. 1999. Photosynthetic acclimation of canopy branches and seedlings of lianas to light changes in a tropical dry forest. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Missouri-St. Louis.

3. Avalos, G. and S.S. Mulkey. 1999. Photosynthetic acclimation of the liana Stigmaphyllon lindenianum to light changes in a tropical dry forest canopy. Oecologia 120: 475-484.

4. Avalos, G. and S.S. Mulkey. 1999. Seasonal changes in liana cover in the upper canopy of a neotropical dry forest. Biotropica 31(1): 186-192.

5. Avalos, G., S.S. Mulkey and K. Kitajima. 1999. Leaf optical properties of trees and lianas in the outer canopy of a tropical dry forest. Biotropica 31(3): 517-520.

6. Avalos, G. 2004. Production of second set of still roots in iriartoid palms: a solution to the puzzle. Palms 48(2): 83-85.

7. Avalos, G and S.S. Mulkey. 2005. Photochemical efficiency of adult and young leaves in the neotropical understory shrub Psychotria limonensis (Rubiaceae) in response to changes in the light environment. Revista de Biología Tropical 52(4): 839-844.

8. Avalos, G., D. Salazar & A. Araya. 2005. Stilt Root Structure in the Neotropical Palms Iriartea deltoidea and Socratea exorrhiza. Biotropica 37(1): 44–53.

9. Avalos, G. 2005. Banded-tailed Pigeon (Columba fasciata) at low elevations in Braulio Carrillo National Park, Costa Rica. Ornitologia Neotropical 16: 1-2.

10. Chaves, O. and G. Avalos. 2006. Is the inverse leafing phenology of the dry forest understory shrub Jacquinia nervosa (Theophrastaceae) a strategy to escape herbivory? Revista de Biología Tropical 54(3): 951-963.

11. Avalos, G., K. Hoell, J. Gardner, S. Anderson and C. Lee. 2006. Impact of the invasive species Syzigium jambos (Myrtaceae, Rose Apple) on patterns of understory seedling abundance in a Tropical Premontane Forest, Costa Rica. Revista de Biología Tropical 54(2): 415-421.

12. Chaves, O. and G. Avalos. 2007. Is the inverse leafing phenology of the dry forest understory shrub Jacquinia nervosa (Theophrastaceae) a strategy to escape herbivory? Revista de Biología Tropical 54 (3): 951-963.

13. Avalos, G. 2007. Changes in size preference of illegally extracted heart of palm from     Euterpe precatoria (Arecaceae) in Braulio Carrillo National Park, Costa Rica. Economic Botany 61(1): 96-98.

14. Avalos, G., S.S. Mulkey, K. Kitajima & S.J. Wright. 2007. Colonization strategies of two liana species in a tropical dry forest canopy. Biotropica 39(3): 393-399.

15. Alvarez, S. & G. Avalos. 2007. Light interception efficiency of the understory palm Calyptrogyne ghiesbreghtiana under deep shade conditions. Ecotropica 13: 1-8.

16. Chaves, O. & G. Avalos. 2007. Do seasonal changes in light availability influence the inverse leafing phenology of the neotropical dry forest understory shrub Bonellia nervosa? Revista de Biología Tropical 55: in press.

17. Avalos, G. 2007. Book comment for the journal Revista de Biologia Tropical: Kapelle, M. & S. P. Horn. 2005. Páramos de Costa Rica. Editorial INBIO, Santo Domingo, Heredia, Costa Rica. 767 pp. Vol. 55 (2): 743-744, June 2007.

18. Avalos, G. 2007. Book comment for the journal Ecotropica: Kapelle, M. & S. P. Horn. 2005. Páramos de Costa Rica. Editorial INBIO, Santo Domingo, Heredia, Costa Rica. June 2007.

19. Avalos, G. & R. Schneider. 2006. Quantification of Ramet Production in Euterpe precatoria (Arecaceae) and its Implications for Sustainable Management Submitted to Revista de Biología Tropical.

Three-toed Sloth under the crane in Parque Metropolitano, Panama. Working on Euterpe precatoria seedlings in Guapiles, Costa Rica.

Avalos, G. & S.S. Mulkey. 1997. Impact of seasonal changes in light availability on the physiological adaptation of tropical lianas. Tropical Diversity: origins, maintenance, and conservation. Symposium and Annual Meeting. Association for Tropical Biology and Organization for Tropical Studies, San Jose Costa Rica June 1997.

Avalos, G. 1998. Efecto del soporte y la disponibilidad de luz sobre la aclimatación fotosintética de lianas tropicales. VII Congreso Latinoamericano de Botanica: Diversidad y Conservacion de los Recursos Vegetales en Latinoamerica. Mexico City, Mexico, October 1998.

Avalos, G., A. Soto, J. Veenstra, T. Smith and C. Keller. 2002. Fragmentation Effects of a Major Highway on Bird Distribution in Braulio Carrillo National Park, Costa Rica. Proceedings of the Association for Tropical Biology, Panama city, Panama, June 2002.

Avalos, G. 2003. Cambios espaciales y temporales en la distribución y diversidad de insectos acuáticos en el Parque Nacional Braulio Carrillo. IV Congreso Nacional de Biología Clodomiro Picado, San José Costa Rica.

Avalos, G. & E. Bermúdez. 2005. Impacto de la carretera 32 sobre la comunidad de aves del Parque Nacional Braulio Carrillo.  Congreso de Conservación y Manejo de Vida Silvestre, 21 al 25 de febrero 2005, Universidad Nacional , Heredia, Costa Rica.

Avalos, G., N. Quirós & M. Mauricio Fernández. 2005. Impacto de la extraccion ilegal de palmito de Euterpe precatoria. Congreso de Conservación y Manejo de Vida Silvestre, 21 al 25 de febrero 2005, Universidad Nacional , Heredia, Costa Rica.

Avalos, G., N. Quirós & M. Fernández. 2005. Creación de un modelo de control de la extracción ilegal del palmito de Euterpe precatoria (Arecaceae) y desarrollo de alternativas para su uso sostenible. First International Meeting of Successfull cases in Sustainable Development. Veracruz, Mexico (Congreso Internacional de Casos Exitosos de Desarrollo Sostenible). May 2-5, 2005. 

M.G. Gei and G. Avalos. Plasticity in the allometry and stilt root structure in 8 woody palms across successional stages and soil types at La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica. IX Interntional Latin-American Symposium of Botany, Santo Domingo, Domenican Republic, May 2006.

Participation in the workshop of The Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network (IABIN) held at the Institute of Biodiveristy (INBIO) in Costa Rica, november 20-22nd, 2006. 

Avalos, G. M.G. Gei, M. Fernández, G. Rojas, O. Sylvester & K. Poirier. 2007. Functional analysis of palm allometry: do morphological constraints determine palm distribution across light environments? Symposium on Functional Ecology of Tropical Trees at the Annual Meeting of the Association for Tropical Ecology and Conservation in Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico, July 2007.

Avalos, G., W. Alfaro & S. Amador. 2007. Impact of artificial feeders on the foraging ecology of highland hummingbirds. Annual Meeting of the Association for Tropical Ecology and Conservation in Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico, July 2007.

Hayduk, E. G. Avalos & O. Sylverster. 2007. Integration of ecological, social, and economic factors in the analysis of the regulatory process of Heart of Palm Extraction from Geonoma edulis (Arecaceae). Annual Meeting of the Association for Tropical Ecology and Conservation in Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico, July 2007.

Avalos, G. 2007. Variación estacional en abundancia y diversidad de insectos acuáticos en el Parque Nacional Braulio Carrillo. First Symposium on Aquatic Macroinvertebrates: Research and Biomonitoring in Costa Rica, September 2007.

PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL EDITOR

I have edited publications/documents for the following journals/Institutions:

Biotropica, Revista de Biologia Tropical, Ecology, Brazilian Journal of Plant Physiology, Agronomia Costarricense, National Science Foundation.

Graduate Students

1. Oscar Cháves: Effect of Light Regime on the inverted phenology of the dry forest understory shrub Bonellia nervosa in Santa Rosa National Park. Graduated in 2002. Currently a PhD student at CIECO, Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico.
2. Silvia Alvarez Clare: Physiological ecology of Tabebuia seedlings. Currently, a PhD student at the University of Florida-Gainesville.
3. Ruth Salas: Evalutaion of the dispersion capacity of the vector of Chagas disease (Triatoma dimidiata, Reduviidae: Triatominae) between wild and domestic areas in Monteverde, Costa Rica.
4. Diego Salazar Amoretti: Impact of the Guápiles Highway on patterns of plant distribution and diversity in Braulio Carrillo National Park (currently a Ph.D. student at the Department of Biology University of Missouri-St. Louis under the advice of Dr. Robert Marquis).
5. Mauricio Fernández Otárola: Demographic impact of human extraction of heart of palm from Euterpe precatoria in Braulio Carrillo National Park. Graduated in 2007.
   
6. Gerardo Celis, Do patterns of seed germination and seedling biomass allocation reflect a shade tolerance syndrome in Gnetum leyboldii Tul. (Gnetaceae)? (currently a Ph.D. student at the Department of Biology University of Florida-Gainesville)
7. Gustavo Rojas: Geographic variation in pollinator distribution and fragmentation impacts on the pollination dynamocs of the orchid  Stanhopea spp. (Maxillarieae:Stanhopeinae). Currently doing an internship at the University of Ulm, Germany.
8. Kattya Barrantes: Conservation and bird poaching interactions among hunters and conservation committees in San Ramón, Costa Rica.
9. Maria Gabriela Gei: Plasticity in the allometry and structure of roots of arborescent palms across successional stages and soil gradients at La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica. Graduated in 2007.
10. Olivia Sylvester: Impact of illegal extraction on the growth of Geonoma edulis (Arecaceae) in Poas National Park.
11. Paula Calderón: Evaluation of the conservation status of the Avifauna of the Aguas Buenas Mountains as justification for the creation of El Cornelio Wildlife Refuge, Costa Rica.

LAST UPDATE: 2-10-2007