Portrait of a Postdoctoral Researcher: Sabine Cudney-Valenzuela Investigates Forest Regeneration Dynamics

Sabine Cudney-Valenzuela is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Berkeley campus. She investigates the effects of habitat loss, invasive species, and seed dispersal on forest regeneration. In this postdoctoral researcher portrait interview, she shares insights about the significance of her work and what she hopes her research will accomplish.

Forest Regeneration and Seed Dispersal

S | What scientific problem are you attempting to solve?

My research aims to understand the multiple and interconnected effects of habitat loss and agricultural expansion on biodiversity, the long-term consequences on ecological processes, and to find solutions in which both people and nature can thrive. Currently, my research focuses on understanding how forests regenerate depending on the landscape context—including the amount of remaining forest and how interconnected the forest patches are. My work also examines seed dispersers, such as birds and mammals in southeastern Madagascar that carry seeds to regeneration areas through their droppings.

Q | What led you to environmental science?

During my doctoral studies, I investigated the cascading effects of habitat loss and agricultural expansion on arboreal mammals such as spider monkeys, kinkajous, and opossums in southern Mexico. After realizing that this group of animals—largely composed of seed dispersers—was negatively impacted by both habitat loss and habitat degradation, I couldn’t help but ask myself: What will be the long-term consequences? How will the decline of seed dispersers change the way forests regenerate?

Q | What did you learn that you didn’t expect from your research?

One thing I hadn’t anticipated was the major role invasive species play in slowing down forest regeneration and the recovery of animal communities. In this way, I’ve inadvertently become an ecologist.

S | If your research is successful, what could it change for science or society?

This research will help us determine the best conditions for forest regeneration, so that we can direct resources to the areas that need them most.

Q | What question are you most excited to answer?

How can we mitigate the negative effects of invasive species on forest regeneration?

The answers have been edited to be shorter and more understandable.