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Daniel E. Naya Monteverde

Profesor Adjunto de Evolución / Assistant Professor of Evolution

Laboratorio de Evolución - Facultad de Ciencias - Universidad de la República - Iguá 4225, Montevideo 11400, Uruguay

Phone: (598 2) 525 8618 ext: dial 7, then 136 Fax: (598 2) 525 8617 Email: dnaya@fcien.edu.uy

Área de interés: Ecología de organismos y evolución fenotípica.

Tópicos de interés particular: Ecología Nutricional. Energética. Historia de Vida. Plasticidad e Integración Fenotípica.

Investigación actual: Estudio de la diversidad fisiológica y la evolución de la flexibilidad fisiológica, tomando como modelo el sistema digestivo de los vertebrados. Este sistema representa la interfase más relevante entre los organismos y su ambiente y por tanto es esperable que esté sometido a fuertes presiones selectivas. Bajo esta óptica, venimos estudiando: 1.- La magnitud de la respuesta digestiva, a distintos niveles de organización, frente a cambios en el ambiente, 2.- El análisis de la relación entre la flexibilidad digestiva y la variabilidad ambiental a escala global, 3.- La relación entre los ajustes digestivos y los ajustes en otros rasgos y sistemas de los organismos, 4.- La comparación de la flexibilidad digestiva entre grandes grupos (e.g., clases) de vertebrados.

Area of interest: Organism ecology and phenotpic evolution.

Specific topics of interest: Nutritional Ecology. Energetic. Life History. Phenotypic Plasticity and Integration.

Current investigation: The analysis of physiological diversity and physiological flexibility evolution, taking vertebrate’s digestive system as study model. We chose digestive system because it comprises the most relevant interfase between organisms and their environment; consequently, strong selective pressures acting upon digestive features are expected. From this perspective, we are currently studing: 1.- digestive responses, at several organizational level, displayed to cope with environmental changes, 2.- The relationship between digestive flexibility and environmental variability at a global scale, 3.- The relationship between digestive adjustments and changes in other organism’s traits and systems, 4.- The quantitative comparison of the digestive flexibility among higher taxonomics groups.

Publicaciones selectas / Selected publications:

Naya, D.E. & F. Bozinovic. 2006. The role of ecological interactions on the physiological flexibility of lizards. Functional Ecology 20: 601-608.

Naya, D.E., W.H. Karasov & F. Bozinovic. 2007. Phenotypic plasticity in laboratory mice and rats: a meta-analysis of current ideas on gut size flexibility. Evolutionary Ecology Research 9: 1363-1374.

Naya, D.E., F. Bozinovic & W. Karasov. 2008. Latitudinal trends in physiological flexibility: testing the climatic variability hypothesis with data on the intestinal length of rodents. The American Naturalist 172: E122-E134.

Naya, D.E., C. Veloso, P. Sabat & F. Bozinovic. 2009. The effect of long- and short-term fasting on phenotypic flexibility and integration in the Andean toad, Bufo spinulosus. The Journal of Experimental Biology 212: 2167-2175.
Full list of publications