Most of my Ph.D. research is with tadpole gut microbiome. At the amphibian community level, I am exploring the relative roles of regional (pond) and local (individual) effects on the gut microbiome of tadpoles (and some salamander larvae) in Brazil and East Texas.
I am also testing the stability of the tadpole gut microbiome and how it relates to their diet. Tadpole diet is still an unresolved topic, and I am approaching that with new tools such as metabarcoding and stable isotope fingerprinting. Lastly, I am investigating the interplay between diet and microbiome on the performance of tadpoles.