Data collection was possible thanks to the collaboration with great researchers from Ecuador and USA.
Biolg. Edith Montalvo is a researcher at the Escuela Politécnica Nacional in Quito. She participated in the collection of data and blood samples during 2017 and 2018. She is studying the effect of climate on the incidence of avian malaria on 13 locations along the pacific region of Ecuador.
Biolg. Edith Montalvo, researcher at the Escuela Politécnica Nacional in Quito, collaborated with my research during the field seasons 2017-2018. You can know and see more about all the amazing students and park rangers that helped us in our field season 2018 here.
Biolg. Edith Montalvo is currently analyzing data on the prevalence of avian malaria along the precipitation gradient in western Ecuador. DNA extraction and PCR's where carried out at the Braun-Kimball lab in the Biology Department of the University of Florida. Dr. Rebecca Kimball was an amazing collaborator and instructor on the lab techniques.
Dr. Elise Morton collaborated in the field season 2018
Dr. Elise Morton, currently assistant professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University, was of great help during the playback experiments carried out in summer and fall of 2018. The experience of Dr. Morton made possible the design of the experiments and techniques used in the field season. Also, our friend Akio (in the middle) accompanied us during the whole season.
As part of our activities in the field, we talk about our work and the importance of birds for the ecosystem with local people.
We also established a close collaboration with park rangers of El Pambilar Reserve. as part of this collaboration, I offer a couple of workshops on mist netting, data management and analysis to the personnel of the El Pambilar Reserve. They will apply this knowledge on their own data of abundance from the monitoring of mammals and birds of the reserve. In the pictures below, we see to Edgar Pianchiche, Alex Garófalo and José Bonilla, park rangers in charge of the avian monitoring at El Pambilar reserve.
