Fernando P. Gaona

I am a postdoctoral researcher specializing in insect community ecology, with a particular interest in how anthropogenic environmental changes shape ecological communities and ecosystem functioning. My research focuses especially on Lepidoptera, pollinators, and other insect communities in human-modified landscapes, combining approaches from community ecology, functional ecology, and biodiversity analysis.

I collaborate with Thomas Merckx on research related to insect diversity, urbanization, and global change ecology. My work aims to better understand the mechanisms driving biodiversity patterns and their implications for conservation and ecosystem services.

Selected publications
Gaona, F. P., Delabye, S., Maicher, V., Sáfián, S., Altman, J., Doležal, J., ... & Tropek, R. (2026). Butterfly and moth habitat specialisation changes along an elevational gradient of tropical forests on Mount Cameroon. Oikos, 2026(4), e11950.
Gaona, F. P., Delabye, S., Potocký, P., Govorov, V., Čuda, J., Foxcroft, L. C., ... & Tropek, R. (2025). Climate‐driven vegetation characteristics shape phytophagous and carnivorous insect diversity in South African savannahs. Journal of Biogeography, 52(4), e15076.
Gaona, F. P., Iñiguez-Armijos, C., Brehm, G., Fiedler, K., & Espinosa, C. I. (2021). Drastic loss of insects (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) in urban landscapes in a tropical biodiversity hotspot. Journal of Insect Conservation, 25(3), 395-405.