Research Interests
Western Ecuador is characterized by a steep precipitation gradient. Rainfall in the northern part ranges from 2000 to 7000 mm annually, while the southern part of the region, with less than 1000 mm annually, has an eight-month dry season (Dodson and Gentry 1991) with a much higher variation of daily temperature and relative humidity. Changes in beta diversity (left figure) match the spatial distribution of climate factors (mid and right figures).
My research interests are broad, including landscape, behavioral, community, and molecular avian ecology along environmental gradients.
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Environmental gradients are natural labs useful to explore the mechanisms driving the origin and maintenance of biodiversity. Western Ecuador — a region the size of North Carolina — lies in the transition of the precipitation gradient embedded in the Tumbes-Choco-Magdalena biodiversity hotspot. My research focuses on exploring the patterns and processes driving avian communities and genomes along this gradient.
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At community level, I explore the ecological drivers of bird abundance. In collaboration with professor Dr. Denis del Valle, I intend to develop a novel N-mixture model for classifying ecological groups and determine landscape and climate factors that best explain community-wise patterns. At genomic level, I explore the role of landscape, climate, and aggressive interference driving the gene flow between Back-band Wren and Fascinated Wren, specialized in wet and dry open areas, respectively.
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I want to contribute to the understanding of the ecological and evolutive mechanisms shaping avian genomes and communities and the potential impact of climate change on biodiversity.
Publications
·Montalvo, L. D., and J. Blake. 2021. Effects of Landscape Structure on Avian Communities in Western Ecuador. In prep.
Albuja L., A. Almendáriz, R. Barriga, L. D. Montalvo, F. Cáceres, J. L. Román. 2012. Fauna de Vertebrados del Ecuador. Escuela Politécnica Nacional.
·Montalvo, L. D. 2009. New distributional bird records from south-western province of Esmeraldas, Ecuador. Check List 5(3): 629–631.