Adrian Figueroa
Adrian Figueroa is a native Hialeahan who has always had a passion for conservation. stemming from his admiration of Steve Irwin, Jeff Corwin, and Ron Magill. This passion has led him to become fascinated with interspecific interactions and how they shape ecological communities. Of all interaction types, Adrian is fascinated by mutualisms with a particular interest in seed dispersal ecology. For his dissertation research, Adrian is interested in uncovering how animal-mediated seed dispersal and natural disturbances work in relation to one another to influence plant recruitment. His research takes place in the globally imperiled pine rockland ecosystem of South Florida with gopher tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) as the focal seed disperser. Adrian has been involved with many projects in the Tropical Rivers Lab since he was and undergraduate student here at FIU. He's the Tropical Rivers Lab Cuban cafécito connoisseur, making sure his fellow labmates' batteries are always charged.
Contact: afigu083@fiu.edu