CURRICULUM VITAE
J. TUPAC OTERO Ph.D.
March 2005
Current position: Post Doctoral Fellow.
Current Address:
CSIRO Plant Industry
Australian National Herbarium
GPO Box 1600
Canberra ACT 2601
Australia
Email: tupac.otero@csiro.au
Tel: +61-2-6246 5177 Fax: +61-2-6246 5249
Date of Birth: 18 December 1969
Nationality: Colombian Citizen
Status: Married to Dr. N. S. Flanagan; two children (4 & 2 yrs).
Research Interests
I am an ecologist interested in plants, their diversity, their distributions and their interactions. Specifically, I have focused on two systems. Firstly, the role of euglossine bees as orchid pollinators, their biology, and their use as bio-indicators of forest quality. And secondly, on orchid mycorrhizae. I use this latter system, to address the following issues:
1. variation in levels of specificity between mycorrhizal fungi and their orchid hosts.
2. The role of mycorrhizal fungi in orchid distribution and speciation.
3. co-evolution between orchids and their mycorrhizal symbionts.
To address these questions I have combined molecular techniques with field and laboratory observations.
Education
Ph.D. (Biology). University of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico. 2002. Thesis advisor: Dr. James D. Ackerman and Dr. Paul Bayman. “Specificity of orchid mycorrhizae: Their role in orchid evolution” .
B.Sc. (Biology-Botany) Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia. 1996. Thesis advisor: Dr. Philip Silverstone-Sopkins and Dra. Patricia Chacón. “Euglossa nigropilosa Moure (Apidae: Euglossini): possible pollen sources and social organisation”.
Peer- Reviewed Publications
Otero, J.T. , P. Bayman & J. D. 2004. Ackerman. Individual variation in plant and fungus for mycorrhizal seed germination in an epiphytic orchid. Evolutionary Ecology . In press .
Otero, J.T. , J. D. Ackerman & P. Bayman. 2004. Differences in mycorrhizal Specificity between two tropical orchids. Molecular Ecology 13 (8) : 2393–2404 .
Vallejo, M. I., C. Samper, H. Mendoza, J.T. Otero . 2004. La Planada forest dynamics plot, Colombia. In Losos E. C. & E. G. Leigh Jr. (eds). Pp. 517-526. Forest Dynamics and Dynamism: Findings from a network of large-scale tropical forest plots. University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
Otero, J.T., & J.C. Sandino. 2003. Capture rates of male euglossine bees in a human intervention gradient, Choco region, Colombia. Biotropica 35 (4): 520-529 .
Otero, J.T. & A. Sallenave. 2003. Vertical stratification of euglossine bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in an Amazonian forest. Pan-Pacific Entomologist . 79 (2): 151-154 .
J. Farfán, Otero, J.T. & C. Luer. 2003. Lepanthes de Colombia Biota Colombiana 4 (1): 33-47 .
Otero, J.T. , J.D. Ackerman, P.Bayman. 2002. Diversity and host specificity of mycorrhizal fungi from tropical orchids. American Journal of Botany 89 (11): 1852–1858 .
Otero, J.T. and J.D. Ackerman. 2002. Is longer better? Style length does not matter in seed production of two Species of Ficus (Moraceae) in Puerto Rico. Caribbean Journal of Science 38 (3-4): 249-251 .
Bayman P., J.T. Otero , J.D. Ackerman. 2002. Hidden Transactions: the curious relationships between orchids and fungi. Orchids . 72(7): 536-537 .
Otero, J.T. 2001. Monodontomerus argentinus Brethes (Hymenoptera: Torymidae): A new parasitoid of Eglossa nigropilosa Moure (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Euglossinae). Pan-Pacific Entomologist 77 (1): 57-60 .
Otero, J.T. 1996. Biología de Euglossa nigropilosa Moure (Apidae: Euglossini) I. Aspectos de nidificación. Boletín del Museo de Entomología Universidad del Valle . 4 (1): 1-19 .
Submitted articles
Bayman, P., J.T. Otero . Microbial endophytes of orchid roots: diversity and effects on plants. For the Book: Microbial Root Endophytes [Accepted].
Otero, J.T. , J. D. Forero & E. M. Osorio. Variation in Mycorrhizal Infection among roots of Ionopsis utricularioides (Orchidaceae) on Different Substrates For: Lakesteriana .
Otero, J.T., P. Chacón, P. Silverstone-Sopkins, T. Giray. Natural history of Euglossa nigropilosa Moure (Apidae: Euglossinae). For: Insectes Sociaux .
Articles In preparation
Otero, J.T., M. Clements. Diversity of Pterostylidinae (Orchidaceae) mycorrhizal fungi in Australia. For: Mycologia . (100 % completed, in the internal editorial panel).
Otero, J.T. , N. Flanagan, M. Clements, P. Bayman , and A. Herre . Phylogeography of an orchid mycorrhizal interaction. For: New Phytologist . (80 % completed).
Flanagan N.S., R. Peakal, M Clements, J.T. Otero . Conservation of Microtis angusii (Orchidaceae) a difficult taxonomic group. For: C onservation Genetics . (80 % completed).
Flanagan N.S., R. Peakal, M Clements, J.T. Otero . A PCR-RFLP diagnostic test for molecular identification of the highly-endangered Australian orchid, Microtis angusii (D.L. Jones). For: C onservation Genetics . (50 % completed).
Otero, J.T. , M. Clements, P. Thrall & J Burdon . Coevolution of Pterostylidinae (Orchidaceae) and their mycorrhizal fungi. For: Evolution . (Data collected).
Teaching experience
2005 . Advisor. Susan Braidwood. Summer student CSIRO Plant Industry.
2004 . Co-advisor. Emma XXXX. Summer student CSIRO Plant Industry.
1999- 2002, 1997-1998, summers 2000 , 1998 . TA. Botany Lab. University of Puerto Rico.
2000 Summer, 1999 .Mentor of the students recruitment program. Biology Department, University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras . MGM-Epscor Program.
1993 . TA. Systematic Botany. Biology Department University of el Valle, Cali, Colombia.
1991 . TA. General Ecology. Biology Department University of el Valle, Cali, Colombia.
Research Experience:
April 2003-Present. Postdoctoral fellow. PI: Dr Marc Clements. CSIRO Plant Industry, Canberra, Australia. Orchid symbiotic co-evolution. Supported by Gatsby Charitable Foundation . Estimation of phylogenetic relationships among mycorrhizal fungi isolated from Australian terrestrial orchids in the tribe Pterostylidinae (Otero & Clemens in prep. For: Mycologia ) determining their level of specificity (Otero et al in prep. For: Evolution ). Develop symbiotic germination protocols for endangered Australian orchids.
June 2002 - March 2003 . PI: “Specificity of mycorrhizal fungi of Ionopsis utricularioides (Orchidaceae) in Panama, Costa Rica and Puerto Rico”. Supported by Mellon Foundation trough Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and Organization for Tropical Studies. Test of mycorrhizal specificity of I. utricularioides in Costa Rica (Otero et al. Submitted to Lankesteriana ; Otero et al. in prep. For: New Phytologist ).
June 2002 - March 2003 . Postdoctoral fellow. PI: Dr Tugrul Giray. University of Puerto Rico. Molecular analysis of social organisation in the communal orchid bee, Euglossa hyacinthina . Development and use of AFLPs and microsatellites to examine genetic relatedness between co-nesting females, and their broods .
2000. PI: “ Style length and seed production of two Species of Ficus (Moraceae) in Puerto Rico”. Correlation of the reproductive success of fig flowers with different style length (Otero & Ackerman 2002).
1997- June 2002 . Doctoral Dissertation Project. Advisor Dr. James D. Ackerman University of Puerto Rico. “Specificity of orchid mycorrhizae: Their role in seed germination success”. Estimation of phylogenetic relationships among mycorrhizal fungi isolated from a variety of epiphytic and terrestrial tropical orchids (Otero et al. AJB 2002). Use of trials of seed germination success to answer three questions: 1. the level of specificity between orchids and their mycorrhizal symbionts (Otero et al. 2004). 2. the variation in symbiotic germination success of seeds from a single orchid species using different fungal isolates from the same species (Otero et al. in press Evolutionary ecology ). 3. The variation in seed germination success among individual orchid plants on a single fungal isolate (Otero et al. Otero et al. in prep. For: New Phytologist ) .
1998-1999 . Researcher Assistant, PI: Dr. James D. Ackerman University of Puerto Rico. “Orchids from the Antilles”. Use of a data base (Biota) including information of Caribbean orchids .
1996-1997 . Co-ordinator: “The ecology of a Colombian cloud-forest”. Alexander Von Humbolt Institute, Colombia. Co-ordinated the establishment of a 25 ha. ‘permanent plot' for long-term conservation and ecological studies. Conducted the first floral census (Vallejo et al. 2004) .
1995-1996 . PI: "Two years of monitoring of orchid bees in the Anchicayá valley". This project was supported by FEN-Colombia, and the “Programme for research grants”, World Conservation Society (WCS) - FES-Institute Von Humbolt. Regular collections of euglossine bees across a human intervention gradient to assess the impact of disturbance on pollinator populations (Otero & Sandino in press Biotropica ) .
1994- 1995 . Thesis project, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia Advisors: Dr. Philip Silverstone-Sopkin and Dra. Patricia Chacón. " Euglossa nigropilosa Moure (Apidae: Euglossini): pollen sources and social organisation". This project was supported by the FES Foundation through the John D. y Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Study of the social organisation and ecology of an orchid bee, through field observations (Otero 1996, 2001, in prep for Insectes Sociaux ).
Fellowships
2004. Travel grant, CSIRO.
2003. Travel grant, CSIRO.
2002. Smithsonian Tropical Institute – Organisation for Tropical studies (OTS) A.W. MELLON Research Exploration Awards in Tropical Biology foundation. $3,000 .
2002. Travel grant, University of Puerto Rico. II Colombian, VIII Latinoamerican Congres of Botany. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales. Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Octubre 2002. Cartagena, Colombia, and Tropical Forests: Past, Present, Future. July 29 th - August 2 nd , 2002. Ciudad de Panamá, Panamá. US $1.600.
2002. EpscoR-NSF Graduate Fellowship, “Molecular identification of endophytic fungi from tropical orchids”. $15,000 .
2001. OTS post-course Fellowship, “Molecular identification of endophytic fungi from tropical orchids” . $500 .
2000. Travel grant, University of Puerto Rico. Curse Ecology of Amazonian Ecosystems. OTS. June to July 2000. $ 2.500.
1995-1996. Research fellowship WCS - FES- Instituto Von Humbolt (Colombia) and Fondo FEN. Colombian $7,000,000 (equivalent to US $3,500) .
1994-1995. Research fellowship for undergraduate thesis of Fundación FES (Colombia) and John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Colombian $1,200,000 (equivalent to US $700).
Profesional Training
Course. “Ecology of Amazonian Ecosystems (OTS 2000-13)”. June - July 2000.
Iquitos, Perú .
Training. Mentoring Graduate Education Program. July - August 1999.
Universidad de Puerto Rico, Río Piedras, Puerto Rico .
Course: “Taxonomy of Colombian mosses”. July 1995.
Javeriana University, Bogotá, Colombia .
Course “Field Curse of the Maester program in Sustainable Development in Agricultural Systems”
Instituto Mayor Campesino. February 1995. San Isidro, Ricaurte, Nariño, Colombia.
Other publications
Otero J.T. , Ackerman J.D., Bayman P. 2003. Variación en germinación simbiótica entre semillas de Tolumnia variegata y entre hongos micorríticos. Lankesteriana 7 : 145.
Otero, J.T. 2002. Specificity of orchid mycorrhizae: Their role in orchid evolution. Ph.D. Dissertation, Biology Intercampus Doctoral Program, University of Puerto Rico .
Otero, J.T. & T. Heartsill- Scalley . 2000. ¿Porqué tener lunares en el labio? Variación en características florales y adecuación de Dichea sp. Pp:50-55 En: B. Loiselle & A. Farji edd. “Ecología de ecosistemas amazónicos 2000-13”. Organización para Estudios Tropicales .
Otero, J.T. & A. Sallenave. 2000. El que primero lo huele debajo lo tiene: patrones de distribución vertical de machos euglosinos (Apidae: Hymenoptera) en un bosque amazónico. Pp: 126-131. En: B. Loiselle & A. Farji edd. Ecología de ecosistemas amazónicos 2000-13”. Organización para estudios Tropicales .
Garcia, R., M. Amaral, A. Sallenave, J.T. Otero, & H. Vasconcelos. 2000. Asociación entre hormigas y plantas mirmecofitas: Especificidad y defensa. Pp: 81-85. En: En: B. Loiselle & A. Farji edd. “Ecología de ecosistemas amazónicos 2000-13”. Organización para estudios Tropicales .
Heartsill-Scalley, T., J.T. Otero, A. Catenazzi , L. Arellano, & L.D. Gómez. 2000. Cómo las hormigas llegan al cielo? La Infección por hongos entomopatógenos en Hormigas de la amazonía peruana. Pp: 5-10. En: B. Loiselle & A. Farji edd. “Ecología de ecosistemas amazónicos 2000-13”. Organización para estudios Tropicales .
Otero, J.T. 1996. Aportes al conocimiento de la biología de Euglossa nigropilosa Moure (Apidae: Euglossini). Trabajo de grado. Departamento de Biología, Universidad del Valle .
Calle, Z., S. Qalman, P. Escobar, C. Valderrama, P. Amezquita, J.C. Bello, J.T. Otero , H. Mendoza, & C. Ríos. 1996. La Planada: Un mundo de epífitas. Guía para el Sendero Natural El Tejón. Reserva Natural La Planada. Fundación FES. Cali .
Otero, J.T. 1995. Biología de Euglossa nigropilosa Moure (Apidae: Euglossini) II. Nuevo hospedero de Monodontomerus argentinus (Torymidae) In: Memorias del Séptimo Simposio de Entomología, "El aporte de la Biología a la Agricultura", Universidad del Valle. Cali, noviembre 31.
Arenas F., J.T. Otero & M.A. Gamboa. 1994. Aproximación al estudio de la relación entre Cariodendron orinocense Karst (Inchi) y especies de la familia Formicidae. En: Naranjo L.J. (Ed.) Pp. 52-57. Ecología Cotidiana. Memorias de investigación, Curso de ecología General. 129 pp. Departamento de Biología. Universidad del Valle.
Abstracts of posters and oral presentations
Otero, J.T . , Mark Clements. 2005 . Partner Preferences in Australian Orchid Mycorrhizae: Correlation or Coevolution. 18 th World orchid Congress. Dijon France. 11-20 march 2005.
Otero, J.T. N.S. Flanagan, M. Clements, A. Herre, and P. Bayman. 2004 . Phylogeography of an orchid mycorrhizal mutualism in the Caribbean. 51 st Annual Meeting of Genetics Society of Australia. Melbourne University. 11-14 July 2004.
Otero, J.T . , Ish Sharma, Mark Clements. 2003 . Phylogenetic placement of orchid mycorrhizal Ceratobasidium from Australia and Puerto Rico . 6th Australasian Mycological Society Conference, 150 National Herbarium of Victoria. 29 September – 3 October. Melbourne, Australia .
Otero, J.T. , Bayman P. & Ackerman J.D. 2002. specificity in micorrhizae of tropical epiphytic orchids. VIII Congress Latin-American, II Congress Colombian of Botany. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales. Universidad Nacional de Colombia. 13-19 Octubre, Cartagena, Colombia.
Otero, J.T. , Bayman P. & Ackerman J.D. 2002. Host of mycorrhizal fungi from tropical orchids. Tropical Forests: Past, Present, Future: An International conference to be held. 29 July – 2 August. Panama City, Panamá .
Otero, J.T. 1999. Agregación espacial de Tolumnia variegata (Orchidaceae). Pp:48-49 En: Rangel-Ch., J.O., A. Rudas-Ll. & J. Aguirre-C. (eds). Libro de Resúmenes. Primer Congreso Colombiano de Botánica. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales. Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Bogotá .
Otero, J.T., P. Bayman & J.D. Ackerman. 1999. Orchid Mycorrhizae vs. Asymbiotic germination of seeds of an epiphytic orchid. Pp 74 In: Sietsma, J.H. (ed). Seventh International Fungal Conference. Book of Abstracts. University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands .
Otero, J.T. & C.J. Restrepo. 1999. “Distribución de machos euglosinos a lo largo de un gradiente de intervención Humana”. III Encuentro de la Sección Bolivariana, Unión Internacional para el estudio de los Insectos Sociales (IUSSI). Universidad Nacional de Colombia. 31 julio - 3 de agosto .
Otero, J.T. & P. Bayman. 1999. “Hongos endófitos de orquídeas micoheterotróficas tropicales: Wullshlaeguelia aphyla en Puerto Rico”. Primer Simposio de Micología. Sociedad Puertoriquña de Micología. Universidad de Turabo, Gurabo, Puerto Rico. 29 de mayo .
Otero, J.T., P. Bayman & J.D. Ackerman. 1998. “Diversidad de hongos endófitos en orquídeas epífitas”. Primer Simposio Internacional de Microbiología Ambiental. Ecología Microbiana y uso de microorganismos para un desarrollo sostenible. Universidad de Los Andes. Bogota, Colombia. Mayo 26-28 .
Otero, J.T ., E. Calderón, C. Ríos & I.C. Tobón. 1996. “Estudio de la vegetación de los ríos del Municipio de Cali en su parte urbana y suburbana”. IV Simposio de Biología y I Simposio Nacional de Biología de la Universidad del Valle. Cali, Mayo 16-17 .
Otero, J.T. 1995 . Características de nidificación de Euglossa nigropilosa Moure (Apidae: Euglossini) en la Reserva Natural La Planada. P 47. En "Programa y Resúmenes de la I. Reunión de la Sección Bolivariana, Unión Internacional para el estudio de los Insectos Sociales (IUSSI)". Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad del Valle. Cali de septiembre 5 - 9 .
Sandino J.C. & J.T. Otero. 1994. “Ecología urbana de abejas euglosinas”. - III Tercer simposio de Biología Universidad del Valle. Cali, Septiembre 29 .
Ad honorem activities
Reviewer Editorial Panel CSIRO Plant Industry, 2004, 2005.
Reviewer of the Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2004
Reviewer of the American Journal of Botany. 2003
Reviewer of the Australian Journal of Botany. 2003
Reviewer of the Journal Mycologia. 2002
Reviewer of proposals PROYUNGAS (Argentina) 2002.
Extracurricular Activities
Member of the Mycological Society of America.
Member of the Association for Tropical Biology.
Member of the Botanical Society of America.
Member of the Australian Systematic Botany Society.
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