Alonso Ramírez
AR
Bio
Education
Ph.D., University of Georgia (2001)
Research Interest
Tropical streams are diverse and complex ecosystems inhabited by great variety of organisms. My laboratory group works on four main topics:
- Understanding the dynamics of tropical streams and how they are affected by climate change. The research is based in Puerto Rico and Costa Rica. In Puerto Rico, we are assessing the effects for droughts and hurricanes, both forecasted to become more intense. In Costa Rica, we are studying the importance of episodic acidification, climate patterns, and inputs of solute-rich groundwater on stream ecosystem processes and on aquatic macroinvertebrates.
- Understanding urban streams as ecosystems. We study urban streams in Puerto Rico, a highly urbanized tropical island, which provides valuable information of relevance to other tropical locations. We are also starting a research program focused on urbanization and streams in North Carolina.
- Understanding the aquatic biodiversity and stream ecosystem function in fragmented tropical landscapes. We mostly work in cloud forest in Mexico, where streams drain a mosaic of forest and agricultural land uses.
- Advancing the taxonomy of aquatic insects, in particular dragonflies and damselflies (order Odonata). We focus on describing the larval stages of Odonata and also in creating identification tools (e.g., manuals, photographic guides) to facilitate research with aquatic organisms.
Social Media
Websites
Publications
- Assessing the effects of urbanization on organic matter decomposition and microbial respiration rates using cotton strip assay in a tropical watershed in Puerto Rico , Annual Meeting of the Society for Freshwater Science (2025)
- Effect of experimental flow reduction on macroinvertebrate assemblages in a rainforest stream ecosystem, Puerto Rico , Annual Meeting of the Society for Freshwater Science (2025)
- Effects of flow reduction on aquatic insect emergence in tropical streams , Annual Meeting of the Society for Freshwater Science (2025)
- Groundwater-surface water interactions drive long-term nutrient patterns in tropical streams , Annual Meeting of the Society for Freshwater Science (2025)
- Influence of disturbances on coarse particulate organic matter patterns from tropical montane streams , Annual Meeting of the Society for Freshwater Science (2025)
- Native decapod species as long- and short-term indicators of drought severity on tropical headwater streams and water supply in Puerto Rico , Annual Meeting of the Society for Freshwater Science (2025)
- Positive Feedback on Climate Warming by Stream Microbial Decomposers Indicated by a Global Space‐For‐Time Substitution Study , Global Change Biology (2025)
- Shrimp control over macroinvertebrate assemblages increases under low flow conditions in a tropical montane stream, Puerto Rico , Annual Meeting of the Society for Freshwater Science (2025)
- Stability and resilience trajectories of stream ecosystems after two major hurricanes , Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences (2025)
- The role of shrimps in mediating the responses of periphyton to an experimental flow reduction in tropical montane streams , Annual Meeting of the Society for Freshwater Science (2025)