Welcome to the Romero Lab.

Our research interests are broadly in the area of ecology and evolution. We seek to understand the role of environmental variation and species interactions on food web structure and dynamics, biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. We are particularly interested in the direct, indirect and interactive effects of global change (warming, precipitation variation, stoichiometric shifts in C:N ratios, habitat loss) and community features (trophic diversity, body size, species and trait composition) on food web structure, species diversity (taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic), as well as on ecosystem stability and functioning. In addition, we are interested in density- and trait-mediated tophic cascades within and across ecosystems, and the role of allochthonous subsidies in ecosystem linkages (water-land). We have undertaken research in freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems, manipulative experiments in laboratory and field, and also surveys across latitudinal and altitudinal gradients. We have investigated a variety of natural systems, including natural microcosms (e.g., bromeliads), stream-land interfaces and plant-pollinator-herbivore-predator interactions, as model systems. We also work with databases analyzed using meta-analysis approach to test specific hypotheses of global interest.

Keywords: trophic cascade, latitudinal and altitudinal gradients, predation risk, trait- and density-mediated indirect interactions, landscape of fear, biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, ecosystem engineering, herbivory, plant indirect defences, mutualisms, global change, water-land interfaces, allochthonous subsidies, behaviour and evolution, stable isotope, meta-analysis, field work.