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Adrian Villalobos
Presentation
New scenarios in a changing world require the development of new techniques and approaches to better sustain and manage our forests worldwide. The gain of knowledge through the study of ecological interactions and ecosystem functions will provide us with significant information to develop such novel approaches highly important for society. Therefore, my major goal is to help gathering new methods to improve forest management and restoration.
In southern Sweden, direct seeding of nut-producing tree species has a great potential to reduce the costs of forest restoration projects. However, previous studies identified seed predation by granivorous rodents as a major problem upon direct sowing. Therefore, the aim of my project is to find how rodents could be deterred during foraging by volatile odorant molecules from their predators and how these predator cues could be used as repellents. This project will increase our knowledge in predator and prey interaction dynamics. The identification of such volatiles will reduce the costs of restoration programs which could also be motivation for more land owners to restore broadleaved forest to its original state using close to nature silviculture.
Additionally to my current project in southern Sweden I have also carried out research in countries such as Costa Rica, Panama, Germany and the Philippines.
Teaching
I participate in lecturing the Master level course: Broadleaves – ecology, conservation and silviculture. 2016-2018
Background
Master of Science: M.Sc. Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology – Tropical and International Forestry, 2015, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.
Bachelor of Science: B.Sc. Tropical Biology, 2010, Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica, Heredia, Costa Rica.
Selected publications
Villalobos, Adrian, et al. "Direct seeding for restoration of mixed oak forests: Influence of distance to forest edge, predator-derived repellent and acorn size on seed removal by granivorous rodents." Forest Ecology and Management 477 (2020): 118484.ONLINE
Löf, M., Castro, J., Engman, M., Leverkus, A.B., Madsen, P., Reque, J.A., Villalobos, A. and Gardiner, E.S., 2019. Tamm Review: Direct seeding to restore oak (Quercus spp.) forests and woodlands. Forest Ecology and Management, 448, pp.474-489. ONLINE
Villalobos A, Schlyter F, Birgersson G, Olsson G, Witzell J, Löf M. (2018). Deter to protect: use of predator’s odor to deter granivorous rodents from consuming acorns. 6th International Conference of Rodent Biology and Management & 16th Rodens et Spatium, 2018, Potsdam. DOI: 10.5073/jka.2018.459.000