Dr. Ludmilla Figueiredo

I am interested in the eco-evolutionary processes involved in the formation, maintenance and decay of ecosystems. It fascinates me how the spatial and temporal dynamics observed there relate to ones present in other complex systems. With that in mind, I want to use the power of mechanistic models to disclose such commonalities and thus, not only further theoretical understanding, but also inform conservation practices.

“Extinction debt of plants, insects and biotic interactions: interactive effects of habitat fragmentation and climate change”

I am investigating the mechanisms behind the persistence of extinction debts. I hope to go beyond  currently used approaches, which are mostly statistical,  and understand the impact of species extinction on  biotic interactions and ecological functions as well as its consequences across different ecological organizational levels.

I will use individual-based models to recreate the historical habitat perturbation of a landscape in the calcareous grasslands of Göttingen (Germany) and examine its impacts on plant and pollinator species. This project is the result of a partnership with the Center for Computational and Theoretical Biology and is funded by the SFB 1047 Insect timing: mechanisms, plasticity and interactions and internal funds from Zoo III department.

2013-2015: Master’s degree in Ecological Modeling – Université de Rennes 1, France

1^st year dissertation: Seasonal population dynamics and demography of Leiothrix spirallis
2^nd year dissertation: Test of the General Lake Model and the Aquatic EcoDynamics Library: Application to a meromictic lake

2008-2013: Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences – Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brasil

Dissertation: Asexual proliferation of Leiothrix vivipara (Eriocaulaceae), in a vegetational gradient at the rupestrian grasslands