Area of concentration: Ecology

The PhD and Master’s in Ecology aim to qualify students to develop scientific studies with full conceptual and instrumental mastery of the methods applied in the Area of Concentration in Ecology. The pedagogical project of the PPG Ecology thus aims to train human resources through research and teaching, qualifying professionals to work in Ecology teaching at higher education level, in research and as professionals specializing in Ecology.

Areas of research

The PPG Ecology is currently organized into four areas of research:

• Ecology of Organisms and Populations
• Ecology of Communities and Ecosystems
• Evolutionary Ecology, Macroecology and Biogeography
• Management, conservation and human dimensions of biodiversity

Each of the areas is described below, where the main research topics, disciplines and professors involved are presented.

Ecology of Organisms and Populations

The research area in Ecology of Organisms and Populations of terrestrial and aquatic environments explores ecological and evolutionary processes that shape the dynamics, distribution and interactions of individuals and populations with the environment, at different temporal and spatial scales. With an interdisciplinary approach, it seeks to understand how abiotic and biotic factors, such as ecological and behavioral interactions, modulate the ecology of the individual and the evolutionary trajectory of different populations. Studies in this area include theoretical and experimental approaches, integrating tools such as mathematical and statistical modeling, simulation, population genetics, behavioral ecology, long-term monitoring techniques, ecological network analysis, among others. This area covers topics such as:

1. Population dynamics and life history strategies.
2. Geographical distribution patterns and habitat use.
3. Adaptive responses to environmental and climatic changes.
4. Ecological and behavioral interactions between individuals and species (e.g. competition, predation, mutualism, cooperation).
5. Impacts of human activities on life histories, population dynamics and ecosystems.

Along these areas, we believe that understanding the ecology of organisms and populations is essential to support conservation strategies. Thus, we value studies that guide sustainable management strategies and impact mitigation, promoting the translation of ecological theory into the applied world.

Courses 

1. Population Ecology [mandatory]
2. Behavioral Ecology [elective]
3. Marine Mammals: methods and applications [elective]
4. From systematics to cephalopod ecology [elective]

Faculty

Professors whose main topic of research is the Ecology of Organisms and Populations area:

1. Fábio Gonçalves Daura Jorge
2. Marta Jussara
3. Paulo César Simões Lopes
4. Renato Freitas
5. Selvino Neckel
6. Tatiana Leite

Professors who work in the area of Ecology of Organisms and Populations in a secondary way:

1. Andrea Freire
2. Bruno Figueiredo
3. Cristiano de Campos Nogueira
4. Eduardo Luís Hettwer Giehl
5. Guilherme Brito
6. Luiz Pinho
7. Malva Isabel Medina Hernández
8. Marina Hirota
9. Michele de Sá Dechoum
10. Nivaldo Peroni
11. Paulo Garcia

Ecology of Communities and Ecosystems

The Ecology of Communities and Ecosystems area emphasizes the organization of communities and the structure and functioning of ecosystems. More specifically, in the community approach, studies include the patterns and processes that affect species distribution and diversity, influenced by abiotic and biotic factors in space and time. In the ecosystems approach, studies emphasize energy flows and biogeochemical cycles, as well as the stability and complexity of ecosystems. This line covers topics such as:

1. Niche and dispersal within metacommunity dynamics.
2. Taxonomic and functional response of communities to natural and anthropogenic disturbances.
3. Influence of interspecific interactions on community assembly.
4. Climate change and resilience of terrestrial ecosystems.
5. Ecology of continental, marine and terrestrial aquatic ecosystems.
6. Human impacts and resilience.
7. Ecology of urban watersheds.
8. Functional diversity and ecosystem functioning.

Courses

1. Ecology of communities and ecosystems [mandatory]
2. Climatology and climate change [elective]
3. Plankton and oceanographic processes [elective]

Faculty

Professors whose main area of research is Community and Ecosystem Ecology:

1. Andrea Santarosa Freire
2. Bruno Renaly Souza Figueiredo
3. Eduardo Luís Hettwer Giehl
4. Fernando Joner
5. Júlia Carina Niemeyer
6. Malva Isabel Medina Hernández
7. Marina Hirota
8. Mauricio Mello Petrucio
9. Nei Kavaguichi Leite
10. Paulo Roberto Pagliosa

Professors who work in the area of Ecology of Communities and Ecosystems in a secondary way:

1. Marta Jussara Cremer
2. Michele de Sá Dechoum
3. Paulo Antunes Horta Junior
4. Sergio R. Floeter

Evolutionary Ecology, Macroecology and Biogeography 

This area aims to investigate the composition, genesis and distribution of biodiversity from an integrative and multidisciplinary approach (incorporating biotic, abiotic, ecological and historical factors) on broad spatio-temporal scales. Using macroecological, biogeographical, evolutionary and phylogenetic tools, we seek to document, understand and generate syntheses of complex biodiversity patterns. This line of research allows us to discuss and apply the knowledge acquired both in theoretical advances, in an evolutionary context, and in applied issues, providing crucial scientific subsidies for the development of well-founded public policies that are fundamental to the conservation of Neotropical megadiversity (including strategies to combat species extinction, detect priority regions, species, biotas and lineages for conservation, mitigate climate change, promote environmental health, among others). This area covers topics such as:

1. Latitudinal and altitudinal diversity gradient
2. Macrobehavior
3. Macroecology of communities
4. Historical biogeography
5. Phylogeny and comparative phylogeography
6. Evolution of life history attributes
7. Patterns and processes determining endemism and regionalization of biotas
8. Conservation Biogeography: hostpots of endemism, richness and threat
9. Distribution of functional, taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity patterns
10. Extinctions, extinction risk and biodiversity crisis

Courses

1. Biogeography, Macroecology and Evolution [elective, highly recommended]
2. Analysis in Biogeography and Conservation [elective]
3. Ecology, Evolution and Conservation of Reef Fishes [elective]

Faculty

Professors whose main area of work is Evolutionary Ecology, Macroecology and Biogeography:

1. Cristiano de Campos Nogueira
2. Guilherme Renzo Rocha Brito
3. Luiz Carlos de Pinho
4. Paulo Christiano de Anchietta Garcia
5. Sergio R. Floeter

Professors who work in the area of Ecology of Communities and Ecosystems in a secondary way:

1. Carolina Levis
2. Eduardo Luís Hettwer Giehl
3. Marina Hirota
4. Nivaldo Peroni
5. Paulo Antunes Horta Junior
6. Paulo César Simões-Lopes 
7. Paulo Roberto Pagliosa Alves
8. Renato Hajenius Aché De Freitas
9. Tatiana Silva Leite

Management, conservation and human dimensions of biodiversity

[Before: Human Ecology, Biodiversity Management and Conservation].

Biological conservation is a central theme for understanding the relationship between human activities and species, populations, communities and ecosystems, in order to overcome historical dichotomies between nature and society. Human actions are an intrinsic part of changes in the structure of populations and the composition and structure of communities and ecosystems. Understanding these actions has benefited from interdisciplinary approaches, which are emphasized in this line of research. This line of research also incorporates approaches from different indigenous and traditional knowledge systems and from historical ecology and aims to investigate and recover local ecological knowledge about biodiversity, collaborating in the participatory construction of guidelines for their use, management and conservation in Conservation Units and beyond. Such approaches are essential in the current context of climate emergency, species extinction crisis and Anthropocene/Pyrocene/Capitalocene crises. This area also seeks to understand the factors related to the conservation, loss and enhancement of biodiversity, sociobiodiversity and agrobiodiversity. In the context of the sustainable management of species populations and interspecific ecological interactions, there is a special focus on the characterization, conservation, management and autoecology of Brazilian biodiversity species, endangered species and invasive species, both from terrestrial, continental aquatic and marine-coastal environments. With regard to the ecology of biological invasions, the aim is to understand the mechanisms involved in biological invasion processes through the combined investigation of key factors in the process, including ecological, social and political factors, and to evaluate the effect of managing biological invasions on communities and ecosystems in order to provide subsidies for ecological restoration initiatives. These approaches facilitate interdisciplinary approaches with other areas of knowledge on the analysis of environmental problems. This area covers topics such as:

1. Biology of invasive alien species
2. Management and governance of biological invasions
3. Restoration ecology
4. Historical Ecology
5. Evolution of cultural landscapes
6. Human dimensions of biodiversity
7. Human Ecology
8. Indigenous and non-indigenous ecological knowledge systems
9. Traditional and indigenous knowledge in Socio-Ecological Systems

Courses

1. Human dimensions of biodiversity [elective, highly recommended]
2. Ecology of biological invasions [elective]
3. Special topics: Ecology, History and Archaeology: interdisciplinary approaches to the study of landscapes

Faculty

Professors whose main area of work is Management, conservation and the human dimensions of biodiversity:

1. Carolina Levis
2. Bárbara Segal
3. Michele de Sá Dechoum
4. Natália Hanazaki
5. Nivaldo Peroni
6. Paulo Antunes Horta Junior
7. Tatiana Leite

Professors who work in the line of Management, conservation and human dimensions of biodiversity in a secondary way:

1. Cristiano de Campos Nogueira
2. Eduardo Luís Hettwer Giehl
3. Marina Hirota
4. Marta Jussara Cremer
5. Nei Kavaguichi Leite
6. Renato Hajenius Aché de Freitas

History of research areas

In 2023, on completing 15 years of activity, as a result of the incorporation of new professors, recommendations from the Biodiversity Committee’s evaluation process and internal discussions within the program, there was a more extensive transformation of the areas of research, which moved from the previous organization, which was based on ecosystems, to a new thematic organization and also related to the different levels of ecological organization. This gave rise to the four lines of research currently in force and described above.

Until the change in 2023, the programme was organized into two research areas, Marine Ecosystems and Terrestrial Ecosystems, but it previously had a third area of research called Continental Water Ecosystems, which was later incorporated into the Terrestrial Ecosystems area.