IUCN SSC Earthworm Specialist Group

My research experience of more than 25 years has focused on the effects of global changes on soil biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Research interests include various aspects of invertebrate ecology, including community and functional ecology, taxonomy, and conservation biology in different agro-pedo-and climate contexts. Additionally, I study the factors that determine the assembly of invertebrate communities and the effect of these communities on soil functioning by trying to decipher how changes in climatic conditions could affect plant-soil biodiversity interactions, greenhouse gas emissions and nutrient losses.

I am Brazilian soil ecologist working for the Brazilian Corporation for Agricultural Research (Embrapa), and a professor at the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR). My research involves the use of soil invertebrates, mainly earthworms as indicators of soil health, land-use impacts and biodiversity conservation, and their role in delivering ecosystem services. My work aims to enhance knowledge on earthworm taxonomy, biology, and ecology in the neotropics, and to facilitate red-listing at national and international level.