My research interests focus on animal behavior, ecology and conservation. Mainly focus on tropical amphibians, I am interested in how their behavior is linked to their spatial ecology combining laboratory and field experiments. One of my main motivations on my research career is knowing that this knowledge is key to understand amphibians’ ecology and evolution better and that it has many direct applications on their conservation. Thus, I always pursue to link my research with conservation, as well as to involve the communities on the research.
My aim during my PhD is to investigate how different parental strategies shape its space use. I will be mainly working with Hyalinobatracium valerioi, a stunning glass frog species, in Costa Rican rainforest.
EDUCATION:
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May 2021 - present
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Ph.D. Ecology and Evolution – University of Bern, Switzerland
- Ph.D. Candidate in Ecology and Evolution at the Institute of Behavioral Ecology under the supervision of Dr. Eva Ringler. Thesis part of the project “Alternative parental strategies shape space use, communication, and cognition in tropical frogs”, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF).
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Nov 2019 – Oct 2020
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M.Sc. Biodiversity and Conservation Biology - University Pablo de Olavide, Spain.
- Masters’ thesis in collaboration with the Ecology, Evolution and Development Lab and the GIS and Remote Sensing Department from Doñana Biological Station (CSIC-EBD). Thesis: “Hopping to connect: identification of the ecological niche and home range of the endemic and highly endangered Phyllobates vittatus”.
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Sept 2011 – Sept 2016
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B.Sc. Biology – University of Córdoba, Spain
- Bachelor’s thesis in collaboration with the Wild Lagomorphs Centre from the Spanish National High Council of Research (CSIC) and the Department of Ethology from the University of Córdoba. Thesis: “Analysis of the perception of predation risk in two subspecies of Oryctolagus cuniculus in semifreedom”.
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Sept 2014 – June 2015
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Study abroad program – University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Poland
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WORKING EXPERIENCE:
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Jan – Oct 2019
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Coordinator of the Herpetology Program at the NGO Osa Conservation, Costa Rica.
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Aug – Dec 2018
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Conservation Field Technician at the NGO Osa Conservation, Costa Rica.
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March 2017 – Aug 2018
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Research Field Assistant at the NGO Osa Conservation, Costa Rica.
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2016
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Research Assistant at the Department of Cinegenic and Fish Resources from the University of Córdoba, Spain
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PUBLICATIONS:
Garrido-Priego, M., Aragonés, D., Liedtke, C. H., Whitworth, A., Gómez-Mestre, I. (Under review). Elevation and forest cover determine the ecological niche of the endemic Costa Rican poison frog Phyllobates vittatus.
Whitworth, A., Whittaker, L., Huarcaya, R. P., Flatt, E., Morales, M. L., Connor, D., Priego, M. G., Forsyth, A., & Beirne, C. (2019). Spider monkeys rule the roost: Ateline sleeping sites influence rainforest heterogeneity. Animals, 9(12). https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9121052
