mdiazgra

I am a Colombian biologist interested in ecology, evolution, systematics, biogeography and conservation. Specifically, I am interested in how life evolves and adapts to ecological conditions with a focus on plants of tropical regions.  I also want to understand how species are being impacted by climate change and how we can apply scientific knowledge to their conservation.  I have particular interest in the páramos, a widespread ecosystem in the high elevations of the northern Andes of South America.  The páramos are considered the most diverse high elevation ecosystem in the world, and have been the stage for great diversification of several groups, including amphibians, birds, mosses, and many families of vascular plants in a relatively short period of time.  Thus, they are an ideal system to understand rapid speciation mechanisms, which remain poorly understood.  They are also crucial for the economies of the northern countries of South America because they are the primary source of fresh water in that part of the world.  As a critical ecosystem threatened by rising global temperatures and changes in rainfall patterns, páramos are an important study system for understanding the impacts of climate change.  I was born in a valley surrounded by páramos, and the study and conservation of this ecosystem has been a driving motivation throughout my career.