Welcome Marco Molina-Montenegro - New SE

Submitted by editor on 20 April 2021.

We are very excited to have Marco Molina-Montenegro join our team at Oikos as a Subject Editor. He is a Professor at the University of Talca in Chile. Keep reading to learn more about him and his work!

 

1. What's your main research focus at the moment?

I am broadly interested in ecology, with an emphasis on plant ecology. Especially, I am devoted to unravelling processes and mechanisms behind plant-microorganism and plant-plant mutualistic interactions as well as assessing different trade-offs in nature and biological invasion processes.

2. Can you describe your research career? Where, what, when?

I did my undergraduate biology studies at University of Concepción, Chile and then conducted my PhD in the same university, always devoted to evaluate how plant-plant interactions and plasticity in functional traits could help explain the biological invasion process. Later, I was a researcher at the Center for Advanced Studies of Arid Zones (CEAZA) in La Serena city. Currently, I am a full professor at the University of Talca (Talca, Chile) and lead the Plant Biology Lab.

3. How come that you became a scientist in ecology?

Since my undergraduate courses, I was always fascinated by those related to ecology. I had the luck to meet enthusiastic teachers, and finally I was part of a Lab devoted to survey different aspects of the ecological sciences. There, I worked with a very good advisor and great partners that gave been very good colleagues and collaborators to this day.

4. What do you do when you're not working?

Uff! I am father of four children and I am currently the vice-chancellor of my university. So, the concept of "when I am not working" is very relative. However, I try to share the most amount of time as possible with my family, cooking with the younger children, watching a movie with my wife, or sharing a barbecue with our friends and close family.

Keywords: Ecophysiology, Functional symbiosis, Plant-plant interactions, Trade-off, Biological invasions, Plasticity, Antarctic ecosystem

 

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