Janet Raymer

University of Missouri, USA

Sandra Catalina Suarez

My research interests are Geology (especially Stratigraphy and sedimentary rocks), Paleontology (vertebrate’s paleontology, especially mammals) and Paleoecology. I am very interested in studying paleoecological and paleoclimatological conditions during important extinction periods.

Javier Luque

I am interested in understanding the ecological and macroevolutionary processes that have shaped the biodiversity of tropical decapod crustaceans throughout time, via integration of paleontological and neontological approaches. Particularly, I am interested in unraveling the phylogenetic relationships among the main crab clades, the evolution of their visual systems through time, and the role of the Neotropics in the early evolution and diversification of certain decapod clades. I have chosen decapods as a study system because they have a good fossil record and are abundant and relatively well known in modern ecosystems.

Antonia Lopez

My current research is focused on the biostratigraphy of Upper Cretaceous non-marine palynofloras in the northwestern of Mexico. I am trying to understand the palynological provincialism noted throughout the Late Cretaceous.

Oris Rodriguez

• Paleobotany.
• Paleoclimatology based on wood anatomy characters.
• Wood anatomy aiding the identification of plants.
• Plant Systematics
• Plant biogeographical aspects.
• Biodiversity and its origin (especially in the Neotropics).

Catalina Pimiento

Fossil Sharks of Panama
The Panama isthmus was formed about 3.1-2.8 Ma, is a narrow strip of land that separates the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Before the isthmus arose, the two oceans coexisted in that area forming the Central America Seaway. The fossil record indicates that in the past, different shark species inhabited this seaway. Several changes in oceanographic conditions associated with the geologic processes of the formation of the isthmus had different effects in shark fauna. I’m updating sharks fossil record of the Gatun Formation in Panama and comparing the taxa found with previous studies and with similar faunas in the Caribbean

Luis Ignacio Quiroz

University of Saskatchewan, Canada

Gabriela Doria

During my PhD studies I plan to explore issues on flowering plants evolution and the origin of Neotropical rainforests. The early stages of diversification of flowering plants, the main components of modern tropical forests, occurred during the Cretaceous (from 142 to 65 million years ago), a period of very active tectonics and redistribution of landmasses that resulted in global temperatures and sea levels much higher than today. However, the plant fossil record from the Cretaceous of northern South America is very scarce and little is known about the initial stages of diversification of Neotropical forests prior to the Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary (K/T).

Edwin Cadena

Vertebrate Paleontology, particularly on molecular paleontology of turtles. Currently, I am characterizing and sequencing bone proteins in modern turtles, for which I am using biomolecular and immunological techniques, as well as mass spectrometry and advanced bone histology. Tracking back the potential preservation of biomolecules in turtle bone from 0 (present) to 160Ma (Early Cretaceous) will give us a better understanding of molecular evolutionary rates, trends in proteins degradation and modification in past time, as well as potential phylogenetic resolution, key for projects like TimeTree of Life. Part of my previous research has been focused on systematics, evolutionary history, paleobiogeography and paleobiology of neotropical turtles, trying to understand the response of tropical vertebrates to major climatic events during the Cenozoic, as well as their potential use as proxies for establishment of paleoclimate

Fabiany Herrera

My research focuses on the evolutionary origin of the South American rainforests by looking at plant macrofossils. I am interested to know when and how the tropical rainforests appeared in the Neotropics, what mechanisms have produced the high species diversity and the characteristic family composition. I want to reconstruct the paleoclimatic, paleoecological and paleobiogeographical conditions under which the ancient Neotropical rainforest flourished, particularly during the Late Cretaceous, Paleogene and Middle Miocene. I am also interested on the systematic and taxonomy of Neotropical fossil plants.

Paula Mejia

The main objective of my research is to determine the floristic composition (abundance and diversity) of several tropical sites (Colombia, Peru and Brazil) through the use of quantitative palynology. With this information I will be able to determine floristic patterns of different plant groups in the tropics and infer major climatic conditions of tropical latitudes during the early radiation of flowering plants (using abundance of climate indicator species). The next step is to determine how the floristic composition of tropical latitudes compares to the composition of ecosystems in high latitudes and test the presence of a latitudinal diversity gradient for different plants groups during the Lower Cretaceous.