Will coral reef sustain their geo-ecological functions such as the capacity to accumulate calcium carbonate and track sea-level rise, as they shift away from historical baselines?

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I am currently focused on analyzing the historical carbonate budgets in the Caribbean reefs, in relation to the ecological change reported within the las decades, to identify the major drivers affecting the balance between production and erosion in different localities, in order to describe different scenarios of change and possible future trajectories.

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Some other research projects include the estimation of in situ erosion rates in scleractinian corals and the effect of the highly lethal Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease in coral benthic assemblages and their capacity to produce calcium carbonate.

 

​​Education:

M.Sc. in Marine  Science and Limnology at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

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Publications:

·     Estrada-Saldívar, N., Molina-Hernández, A., Pérez-Cervantes, E., Medellín-Maldonado, F., González-Barrios, F. J., & Alvarez-Filip, L. (2020). Reef-scale impacts of the stony coral tissue loss disease outbreak. Coral Reefs.https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-020-01949-z.

·     Alvarez-Filip, L., Estrada-Saldívar, N., Pérez-Cervantes, E., Molina-Hernández, A., & González-Barrios, F. J. (2019). A rapid spread of the stony coral tissue loss disease outbreak in the Mexican Caribbean. PeerJ, 7, e8069.

·     Molina-Hernández, A. L., Garza-Pérez, J. R., & Aranda-Fragoso, A. (2018). Identifying management challenges and implementation shortcomings of a new fishing refuge: Akumal reef, Mexico. Ocean & Coastal Management, 161, 127-140.

·     Molina-Hernández, A. L. y van Tussenbroek, B. I. (2015) Patch dynamics and species shifts in seagrass communities under moderate and high grazing pressure by green sea turtles. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 517:143-157.

 

Research Internships

·     Geography, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK. 2019. Advisor Prof Chris Perry.

·     Marine Macroalgae Research Laboratory, Florida International University, USA. 2012. Advisor Dr. Ligia Collado-Vides.

·     Tropical Biology Station Los Tuxtlas, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico. 2010. Dr. Victor Arrollo Rodríguez.

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