Dr. Sergio Balaguera-Reina
Research Assistant Scientist
Wildlife
Dr. Balaguera-Reina is a Colombian marine biologist specialized in conservation biology. Specifically, his lab focusses on understanding how ecological processes are influenced by spatiotemporal attributes and how those affect phylogeographic relationships among species in an anthropogenic world. To answer these questions, Dr. Balaguera-Reina uses a combination of methods and technologies derived from fields such as ecology, molecular biology, systematics, statistics, and geosciences, to get an integrative view of effects, causes, and patterns. His current research interests include using crocodylians (crocodiles and alligators) as ecological indicators in the Greater Everglades linking population parameters and environmental attributes in a spatiotemporal frame as well as developing conservation and management research of crocodylian populations in Latin America and the Caribbean.
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Research
Research: Conservation biology
Dr. Balaguera-Reina research interest focusses on understanding the structural and functional roles crocodylians play in aquatic and coastal systems, their phylogenetic and phylogeographic relationships, and the effect of environmental (stochastic and anthropogenic) factors in current and future distribution patterns. Although his research has involved crocodylians in the last several years, he is also interested in working with other species as role models (e.g., other reptiles, mammals) to understand how these patterns and effects vary across different taxa. Currently, one of his main research goals is to understand the effects of waterscape modifications on American crocodiles and alligators and the implications of Everglades restauration on population parameters (nesting, abundance, health status, growth, and survival). To do so, he is working collaboratively with a pool of scientist across South Florida using historic (collected across the last four decades) and current data focusing on develop statistical and methodological tools that allow accurately gauge these interactions, quantify effects, and model future impacts. Another area of interest that is currently in the process to be consolidated as a research line in his lab is the use of molecular tools to identify invasive species as well as track invasion origin and understand the molecular evolution of invasive and native species in Florida.
CONTACT
3205 College Avenue
Davie West Building
Davie, FL 33314
Phone: 954-577-6305
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Education
- Ph.D. Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, TX, United States. 2018.
- GradCert Geographic Information Science and Technology. Texas Tech University, TX, United States. 2018.
- BSc. Marine Biology. Jorge Tadeo Lozano University, Bogotá, Colombia. 2007
- Publications