• Tropical alpine ecology • Biogeography
Pronouns: she/her
My research aims to tackle ecology and global change biology questions.
I work at the interface of biogeography, functional ecology, global change biology, and ecological restoration. My research explores tropical alpine ecology, in particular how high Andean environments are changing, and what this means for local people. My work advances ecological theory and functional biogeography concepts. I have worked closely with Andean Indigenous and farming communities to design and monitor ecological restoration projects, implement climate change simulation experiments, and propose adaptation strategies.
Tropical alpine ecology: I am interested in understanding the effects of land-use change on tropical alpine landscapes. For centuries humans in the Andes have interacted closely with high mountain ecosystems. However, global environmental change is altering the way humans interact with their environment and, in turn, the feedback obtained from these ecosystems. My research looks at how high Andean ecosystems are changing and what this means for local people.
Botany: Since 2007, I have been working on the taxonomy, ecology, and biology of tropical alpine vegetation. Vegetation in these ecosystems presents adaptations that allow it to survive in harsh, variable conditions. The results of these adaptations are beautifully unique species, of which some are so rare they can only be found on specific mountain tops!
Education
- PhD, Geography and the Environment: University of Texas at Austin, 2022
- MS, Natural Resources and Environment: University of Michigan鈥揂nn Arbor, 2015
- BS, Biological Sciences, Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador鈥換uito, 2011
Awards
- Dissertation Competition Honorable Mention, Ford Foundation Fellowship Program, 2020
- Best Student Presentation, PhD Competition, Biogeography Specialty Group, AAG Washington D.C. Conference, 2019
Teaching
Dr. Duchicela will be teaching courses through the Geography Department starting in 2025.
Outreach
during Latinos in Conservation Week explores Dr. Duchicela's relationship with the outdoors, how she became involved in research for conservation and the study of plant communities:
includes comments by Dr. Duchicela: 2019. Appenzeller, T., 鈥淕lobal warming has made iconic Andean peak unrecognizable (Fire on the mountain).鈥� Science, 365(6458).
Publications
Duchicela, S. A., Llamb铆, L. D., Bonnesoeur, V., Roman, F., 2024: . Applied Vegetation Science, 27(3): e12791. DOI: 10.1111/avsc.12791
Young, K. R., Duchicela, S.A., 2024: 鈥�.鈥� In Encyclopedia of Biodiversity, third edition, vol. 7: 660-667. Elsevier. DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-12-822562-2.00035-9
Cuesta, F., Carilla, J., LLamb铆, L. D., Muriel, P., Lencinas, M. V., Meneses, R. I., Feeley, K. J., Pauli, H., Aguirre, N., Beck, S., Bernardi, A., Cuello, S., Duchicela, S. A., Eguiguren, P., Gamez, L. E., Halloy, S., Hudson, L., Jaramillo, R., Peri, P. L., Ram铆rez, L. A., Rosero-A帽azco, P., Thompson, N., Yager, K., Tovar, C., 2023: . Global Ecology and Biogeography, 32(9): 1591-1606. DOI: 10.1111/geb.13721
Su谩rez Robalino, E., Encalada, A.C., Chimbolema, S., Jaramillo, R., Duchicela, S., Segovia-Salcedo, C., Caiza, J., Pazmi帽o, G., Guam谩n, M., Riveros-Iregui, D., Hofstede, R., 2023: 鈥淓colog铆a de los p谩ramos: un paisaje altoandino integrado por multiples ecosistemas.鈥� In Los p谩ramos del Ecuador: Pasado, presente y future. USFQPress. DOI: 10.18272/usfqpress.71.c262
Duchicela, S. A., Cuesta, F., Tovar, C., Muriel, P., Jaramillo, R., Salazar, E., Pinto, E., 2021: . Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 9: 673655. DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.673655
Young, K., Duchicela, S.A., 2020: . Annals of the American Association of Geographers, 111(3): 880-888. DOI: 10.1080/24694452.2020.1785833
Bein, R., et al., including Duchicela, S. A., 2020: . Journal of Latin American Geography, 19(1): 115-131. DOI: 10.1353/lag.2020.0011
Duchicela, S. A., Cuesta, F., Pinto, E., Gosling, W., Young, K., 2019. . Ecosphere, 10(2): e02595. DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2595
听
