María Belén Fernández

Research Focus:

I earned my Licentiate in Biological Sciences at the University of Buenos Aires in 2017, focusing on plant morphology and systematics, specially related to passionflowers. My thesis was a study on the passionflower mburucuyá (Passiflora caerulea).

Since 2017 I have been working at FuEDEI on the invasive ant Nylanderia fulva project, studying its biology in southern South America, its native range. We would like to understand which factors are related to the success of its recent invasion and to establish its relationship with other coexisting Nylanderia species in the region by means of genetic, morphologic, ecologic (e.g. parasitism), distribution and population biology data.

Current Research Projects:

Pests:
• Nylanderia fulva (tawny crazy ant): 2017- to date