Research
FCAT conducts and facilitates top quality research in northwest Ecuador.
We welcome and are able to support researchers at all levels, including experienced scientists looking to extend established research programs, advanced students seeking to implement independent research, and those looking to get some hands-on experience in the context of FCAT’s ongoing research.
FCAT’s research program is anchored by highly trained local residents that contribute to study design, data collection, and interpretation of results. We investigate how naturally occurring and human-caused variation in environmental conditions influence ecological processes and the patterns of diversity. Our team researches a broad range of organisms and span the fields of animal behavior, community ecology, conservation biology, plant-animal interactions, and reforestation. FCAT publishes findings in peer-reviewed articles (below) and shares results with local stakeholders via educational and outreach initiatives.
This ongoing research provides an ideal venue for training developing scientists in basic field methods, and we have given dozens of young people their first tropical research experience. At the same time, we also offer rich opportunities for established scientists and graduate students to further their research agendas. Our nuanced understanding of the biological and social dynamics of our project area, extensive experience with permitting, travel and logistics, and highly trained local resident researchers have anchored many successful projects by visiting scientists. Ongoing collaborative projects with established researchers from around the world range focus on ecology of cavity nesting birds, aquatic ecology, and public health, and we have supported dozens of undergraduate and graduate thesis projects. For more information, contact us.
Research Articles by the FCAT Team (click for PDF)
46. Patterns of hummingbird diversity in a modified tropical landscape in the Chocó Biogeographic zone. (2023)
45. Impacts of flowering density on pollen dispersal and gametic diversity are scale dependent. (2023)
43. Forest cover at landscape scales increases male and female gametic diversity of palm seedlings. (2021)
42. Richness and abundance of stream fishes in a fragmented landscape. (2021)
37. Genetic diversity of dispersed seeds is highly variable among leks of the long-wattled umbrellabird (2018)
33. Rare genotype advantage promotes survival and genetic diversity of a tropical palm (2018)
31. Nocturnal bird diversity in forest fragments in north-west Ecuador (2017)
28. Frequency‐dependent selection for rare genotypes promotes genetic diversity of a tropical palm (2016)
25. Biodiversity in forest fragments of the Mache-Chindul Reserve (2015)
24. Genetic consequences of seed dispersal to sleeping trees by white-bellied spider monkeys (2015)
23. Short-term genetic consequences of habitat loss and fragmentation for the neotropical palm Oenocarpus bataua (2015)
20. 2013 Biotropica Award for Excellence in Tropical Biology and Conservation (2013)
18. Avifauna of the Mache Chindul ecological reserve, northwest Ecuador (2013)
17. Use of alpha, beta, and gamma diversity measures to characterize seed dispersal by animals (2012)
16. The pollen dispersal kernel and mating system of an insect-pollinated tropical palm, Oenocarpus bataua (2012)
14. Mating Behavior Drives Seed Dispersal by the Long‐wattled Umbrellabird Cephalopterus penduliger (2012)
13. Seed dispersal by neotropical birds: Emerging patterns and underlying processes (2012)
12. Pajaro toro: el finquero plumado de la selva (2011)
10. Destination‐based seed dispersal homogenizes genetic structure of a tropical palm (2010)
7. Effects of seed disperser social behavior on patterns of seed movement and deposition (2009)
6. Advances in sexual selection theory: insights from tropical avifauna (2008)
5. Home range and habitat preferences of the Banded Ground-cuckoo (Neomorphus radiolosus) (2008)
3. Nesting biology of the Banded Ground-cuckoo (Neomorphus radiolosus) (2007)
2. Temporal and spatial patterns of macaw abundance in the Ecuadorian Amazon (2005)
1. Nesting biology of a female Long-wattled Umbrellabird Cephalopterus penduliger in north-western Ecuador (2003)
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