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Gabriela Garcia-Soto

Email: gcgarcasoto@crimson.ua.edu

CURRENT POSITION

Professor/Researcher (Category II)

Courses: Botany I (940403), Biology and Ecology of

Macroalgae (940431). Departamento de Biologia, Facultad Experimental de Ciencias,

Universidad del Zulia, Maracaibo, Venezuela. October 2008 to present

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Biology and ecology of macroalgae of the Caribbean. I am particularly interested in red macroalgae (Ceramiales), their taxonomy and phylogeny. I have been working with taxonomic identification of this group since 2005, based merely on anatomical features and I want to incorporate molecular tools to my research to obtain a more accurate identification of the taxa.

EDUCATION

  • 2011 to present. PhD. student. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA.
  • July 2011. Magister Scientiarum in Aquatic Ecology. Division de Estudios para Graduados, Facultad Experimental de Ciencias, Universidad del Zulia, Maracaibo, Venezuela.
  • March 2007. Licentiate in Biology. Departamento de Biologia, Facultad Experimental de Ciencias, Universidad del Zulia, Maracaibo, Venezuela.

PUBLICATIONS

  • Garcia G. and J. Barrios. 2011. Presencia de Centroceras gasparrinii en Venezuela: descripcion y comparacion morfoanatomica con C. clavuatum sensu stricto (in press).
  • Garcia G. and N. Ortiz. 2011. Macroalgas epifitas asociadas a rodofitas de Cabo San Roman, Peninsula de Paraguana, Estado Falcon, Venezuela. Bol. Inst. Oceanogr. Venezuela 50 (1): 9-29.
  • García, G. y M. Solé. 2010. Herbario y Ficoteca de Macroalgas: Manual de Administracion y Procedimientos. Fundación La Salle de Ciencias Naturales. Colección de Cuadernos Flasa. Serie Ciencia y Tecnología. EDIMAR Contribution Nº: 363.
  • Garcia G., Ortiz N. y J. Barrios. 2009. Nueva adicion a la ficoflora de Venezuela: Griffithsia caribaea Feldmann (Ceramiaceae, Rhodophyta). Bol. Inst. Oceanogr. Venezuela 48 (1): 53-56.

DISTINCTIONS

  • Publication Mention of the Undergraduate Thesis titled: “Taxonomic Characterization of Epiphytic Macroalgae associated to Marine Benthic Macroalgae at the Intertidal Zone of Cabo San Román, Venezuela” (November, 2006)
  • Honorific Mention. Research work presented as a promotion requisite (Category II-Assistant): “Adiciones el Genero Centroceras Kutzing de Venezuela: descripcion morfoanatomica y analisis comparativo con C. clavulatum (Agardh) Montagne sensu stricto. (July, 2010).
  • Honorific Mention. Dissertation presented as a requisite to obtain the Degree of Magister Scientiarum in Aquatic Ecology. “Variacion espacio-temporal de las comunidades de macroalgas del Malecon de Zapara, Estado Zulia, Venezuela” (July, 2011)

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

  • Member of The Phycological Society of Latin American and the Caribbean (since 2007 to the
  • present)
  • Member of The Association of Graduated in Sciences of Zulia State (AEC) (since 2008 to the
  • present)
  • Member of the Phycological Society of America (PSA) (since 2011 to present)

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

  • Graduate Teaching Assistant. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama. August 2011 to May 2012 (Fall-Spring)
  • Professor/Researcher. Courses: Botany I (940403), Biology and Ecology of Macroalgae (940431). Departamento de Biologia, Facultad Experimental de Ciencias, Universidad del Zulia, Maracaibo, Venezuela. October 2008 to present
  • October 2004 to October 2005. Lab Assistant (Botany I). Departamento de Biologia, Facultad Experimental de Ciencias, Universidad del Zulia, Maracaibo, Venezuela.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

  • Co-Principal Investigator. CONDES Project CC-0448-08: Comparative anatomical study on specimens of “Centroceras clavulatum” (C. Agardh) Montagne (Ceramiales, Rhodophyta). Maracaibo, Zulia, Venezuela. 2007-2008.
  • Co-Principal Investigator. CONDES Project CC-0612-08: Taxonomic studies on ceramiaceous epiphytic species of the rocky intertidal, San Román Cape, Falcón State. Maracaibo, Zulia, Venezuela. 2007-2008.
  • Research Assistant. Herbario y Ficoteca MOBR- EDIMAR, Fundación La Salles de Ciencias Naturales. May-July 2006.

PARTICIPATION IN CONGRESSES

  • IX Congreso Latinoamericano de Botánica, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (June, 2006).
    • Posters:
      • Taxonomic characterization of marine benthic macroalgae of the intertidal zone of Cabo San Román, Venezuela
      • Taxonomic characterization of epiphytic macroalgae associated to marine benthic macroalgae at the Intertidal Zone of Cabo San Román, Venezuela
  • XVIII Congreso Venezolano de Botánica (XVIII Venezuelan Botanical Congress), Barquisimeto, Lara, Venezuela (May, 2009).
    • Poster: Comparative anatomical study on specimens of Centroceras clavulatum (C. Agardh) Montagne (Ceramiaceae, Rhodophyta)
  • 64th Annual Meeting of the Phycological Soceity of America, Michigan, USA (July, 2010).
    • Poster: The Genus Ceramium Roth in Venezuela with emphasis on species bearing pseudoperiaxial cells.