Seminar: "Beneath the surface: unravelling biodiversity, historical changes, and essential services of reef ecosystems"

The Oceans's Challenge groups are hosting Dr. Mariana Bender from the Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, South Brazil.

Title: "Beneath the surface: unravelling biodiversity, historical changes, and essential services of reef ecosystems"
 

Speaker: Dr. Mariana Bender from the Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, South Brazil

Date: Thursday, June 15th 2023
Time: 1pm
Venue: Room Z/023 and online https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89771418867?pwd=WWVYcjM3M0dUNjdXRmVyeXVTMWJ5QT09
 

Mariana is a biologist with a PhD in Ecology and Conservation, and, since 2017, a Professor at the Ecology and Evolution Department of Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, in South Brazil. She employs a multifaceted research approach, integrating functional ecology, macroecology, community ecology, phylogenetics, and historical ecology to explore reef ecosystem dynamics. This includes studying reef fish functional diversity across marine regions and the conservation of coral reef seascapes. She is also interested in investigating the historical changes in reef environments, focusing on fisheries trends, the occurrence of the shifting baseline syndrome and threats to marine biodiversity. Over the last four years she has coordinated (P.I.) the ReefSYN ecological synthesis group, exploring biodiversity patterns in Brazilian reefs and the importance of reef ecosystem services for the Brazilian population.