Who am I?
PhD student in ecology at the University of the Azores
I am a PhD student at the University of the Azores, in the Faculty of Science and Technology.
My work is supervised by Professor Paulo A.V. Borges (University of the Azores, CE3C – IBBC) and Dr João Pinelo (AirCentre).
My research lies at the intersection of forest ecology, island biogeography, entomology, microclimate, remote sensing and predictive modelling. Through this interdisciplinary approach, I aim to gain a better understanding of how changes in the structure of forest habitats affect biodiversity—particularly that of arthropods—in the island ecosystems of the Azores.
My thesis topic
Why forests are essential
Forests are not merely collections of trees: they are living systems that are home to a significant proportion of the Earth’s biodiversity, store carbon, regulate the water cycle and help mitigate the effects of climate change. Their ecological importance is considerable, but not all forests function in the same way.
What sets them apart, beyond their floral composition, is also their structure: the height of the vegetation, the density of the canopy, the presence of multiple layers, and the diversity of microhabitats. This structure directly influences the environmental conditions within the forest, and therefore the species that can thrive there.
The structure of the home as a central theme
At the heart of my thesis lies a simple idea: the structure of a forest determines the biodiversity it supports. A complex forest often provides more refuges, resources and varied microclimatic conditions. Conversely, a simplified or altered forest can become more homogeneous and less favourable to certain species.
This issue is particularly important on a small scale. For many organisms, particularly arthropods, differences in temperature, humidity, light or vegetation between the ground, the undergrowth and the canopy can have a profound influence on how they are distributed across the landscape.
Why arthropods?
Arthropods are excellent models for studying the effects of environmental change. They are highly diverse, found in almost every part of the forest, and react quickly to changes in their habitat.
They also play fundamental ecological roles: breaking down organic matter, pollination, predation, nutrient recycling and shaping food webs. Studying their distribution therefore provides a better understanding of both the state of forest biodiversity and how ecosystems function.
The Azores as a natural laboratory
Islands are particularly valuable natural laboratories for ecology. Their isolation, high levels of endemism and vulnerability to disturbance make them ideal systems for studying how biodiversity responds to changes in its habitat.
In the Azores, and more specifically on the island of Terceira, the native forests now survive in fragmented patches, set amidst landscapes that have been largely transformed. There is a stark contrast between the native high-altitude forests and the exotic secondary forests, which are often dominated by Pittosporum undulatum.
This contrast provides a unique opportunity to study how land-use history, biological invasions and changes in forest structure influence arthropod communities.
The overall aim of my thesis
The aim of my PhD is to understand how changes in forest structure influence the distribution, vertical stratification and ecological organisation of arthropod communities in the forests of the Azores.
To this end, I adopt an integrated approach that links several complementary dimensions: the physical structure of forests, the microclimate, species distribution, community composition, and the ecological relationships between organisms and habitats. This approach allows us to go beyond a simple comparison of environments and to explore the mechanisms linking habitat change and biodiversity responses. *** Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version) ***
From the ground to the canopy: a forest in three dimensions
A key aspect of my work is taking into account the vertical dimension of forests.
A forest is not a uniform environment: conditions vary greatly between the forest floor, the undergrowth, the shrubs and the taller parts of the vegetation. This vertical structure plays a major role in the distribution of arthropods.
My thesis therefore seeks to understand how species are distributed across these different strata, and how this stratification varies between native and exotic forests. This enables us to assess the extent to which transformed habitats retain — or fail to retain — some of the ecological complexity of native forests.
Innovative tools for studying forests
To analyse these issues, I use a range of complementary tools that enable me to study forests at different scales. LiDAR, drone imagery, remote sensing, vegetation surveys, microclimate measurements and predictive modelling approaches allow me to link habitat structure to biodiversity dynamics.
This methodological approach is one of the key strengths of my thesis. It enables me to describe the forest as a complex system—spatial, vertical and dynamic—and to explore the links between habitat and biodiversity in greater detail.
Predicting changes in biodiversity
Part of my research is based on long-term monitoring data on arthropods in the native forest of Terceira. These time series enable us to document changes in communities over the years and to gain a better understanding of the trends in the island’s biodiversity.
I am also exploring the potential of artificial intelligence and other forecasting methods to predict future changes in arthropod communities. This predictive aspect is important in the context of global change, as it helps us better understand how ecosystems might respond to the transformations currently taking place.
My thesis publications
Publications that form part of a coherent project
My thesis is structured around a series of complementary studies that explore different aspects of the same question: how changes in forest structure influence arthropod biodiversity in the forests of the Azores. These studies range from long-term monitoring to the analysis of habitat structure, including the vertical distribution of species and predictive modelling.
Each publication adds a piece to the jigsaw. Together, they help to build a comprehensive picture of the links between forest structure, microclimate and the organisation of arthropod communities.
