Francisco Molina (former MSc student, UW)

I am from central Argentina, a region characterized by mountains, creeks and dry native forests that always have stimulated my inner passion for nature. After graduation from the National University of Córdoba, I participated in several research projects, including occupancy estimation of vulnerable species (e.g. jaguar, lowland tapir) for conservation prioritization, and investigating responses of pumas to the migration of guanacos in Patagonia. Lately, I’ve worked to assess the response of the mammal community to changes in land use at the southern Chaco forest.

I am beginning my PhD studies in the Program in Ecology at the University of Wyoming (UW), thanks to the financial support of a Fulbright – Argentine Ministry of Education scholarship and UW. For my dissertation, I want to advance knowledge on the role of predators on ecosystem functioning via trophic cascades.

I believe rigorous scientific knowledge is needed for protection and good management practices for this vulnerable guild of animals and its habitats. I will conduct my fieldwork in southern South America, where predator-prey dynamics are just beginning to be studied, so novel theoretical perspectives may arise from my work.