John Edwin Lattke Bravo

Eu estou interessado pela diversidade biológica e minhas pesquisas abordam como reconhecer padrões nela e interpretá-los. Com esse fim utilizo as formigas como organismos modelo para estudos na sistematica e ecologia, particularmente taxonomia alfa. Os insetos são o coração mesmo da diversidade biológica e são ótimos para abordar muitas perguntas sobre nosso medio ambiente. Sem saber os nomes dos organismos, qualquer estudo vai ficar incompleto e até errado, daí a importância da taxonomia. As revisões taxonômicas, além de organizar e produzir conhecimentos, são convites para novas explorações e pesquisas sobre o mundo natural.

I am fascinated by biological diversity and strive to recognize patterns within it in an attempt to bring some semblance of order into its wonderful multiplicity. For this I use ants as model organisms for systematic and ecological studies, especially alpha taxonomy. If we wish to manage our environment upon a sound foundation of data we at least need to know what pieces are out there that make up our world. Insects are the quintessence of biodiversity, the most important group of animals and within insects, ants are a keystone group with a series of properties that make them simply cool for so many kinds of studies and exceptionally useful biological indicators as well. There is still much to be discovered about ants in the Americas and we must overcome the dearth of well-trained, local human resources to address studies of these organisms and other insects. Revisionary studies not only provide valuable information about our world but also open doors so others may begin to uncover and solve more mysteries in the studied groups, adding to our cultural heritage and adding to the framework needed for a whole and sustainable development.