TJ Francisco

For my MS research, advised by Dr. Dirzo, I am investigating how reptiles and amphibians respond to biological enrichment of smallholder palm oil farms in Costa Rica. I just finished some field work in Costa Rica, conducting 192 farm surveys comparing herpetofauna in monoculture and polyculture experimental farms, the rainy and dry seasons, and diurnal/nocturnal windows. I plan to pursue a PhD. I’m eager to continue researching and sharing how reptiles and amphibians are useful indicator groups through which we can monitor and track changes in environmental health. I am especially interested in the relationships between herpetofauna diversity and ecological processes in human-altered habitats like agricultural frontiers and transition zones between farms and forests. Throughout my MS education, I have been TA’ing undergraduate courses like ‘Introduction to Earth Systems’ and ‘Biology and Global Change’.

tj74@stanford.edu