Composition and ecology of microgastropod assemblages

Andrew Torres is a marine biologist interested in employing barcoding approaches to identify species, inferring drivers of population genetic diversity, and elucidating how these factors influence persistence and adaptive capacity in the context of a rapidly changing marine environment. He completed both his bachelor’s (Biology) and master’s (Marine Science) degrees at the University of the Philippines in Diliman.

For this project, Andrew will be based at the Natural Museum History in London where he aims to quantify spatiotemporal changes in composition of reef-associated microgastropod communities at deep and contemporary timescales. By characterizing molluscan shell assemblages and exploring the utility of sedimentary ancient DNA, his research will determine the responses of taxonomic and functional diversity to natural and anthropogenic shifts in habitat quality of turbid reefs. He hopes to gain a better understanding of these paleoecological interactions to identify novel snail-based metrics for measuring reef health.

Publications

• Torres AF, Valino DAM and Ravago-Gotanco R (2021) Zooxanthellae Diversity and Coral-Symbiont Associations in the Philippine Archipelago: Specificity and Adaptability Across Thermal Gradients. Frontiers in Marine Science 8:731023. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2021.731023
• Tañedo MCS, Villanueva RD, Torres AF, Ravago-Gotanco R and San Diego-McGlone ML (2021) Individual and Interactive Effects of Ocean Warming and Acidification on Adult Favites colemani. Frontiers in Marine Science 8:704487. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2021.704487
• Torres AF, Forsman ZH, Ravago-Gotanco R (2020) Shifts in coral clonality along a gradient of disturbance: insights on reproduction and dispersal of Pocillopora acuta. Marine Biology 167: 161. doi: 10.1007/s00227-020-03777-9
• Torres AF, Ravago-Gotanco R (2018) Rarity of the “common” coral Pocillopora damicornis in the western Philippine archipelago. Coral Reefs 37(4): 1209-1216. doi: 10.1007/s00338-018-1729-3
• Fontanilla IKC, Torres AF, Cañasa JAD, Yap SL, Ong PS (2014) State of animal DNA barcoding in the Philippines: A review of COI sequencing of Philippine native fauna. Philippine Science Letters 7(1): 104-137.
• Luczon AU, Torres AF, Quilang JP, Ong PS, Fontanilla IKC (2013) DNA Barcoding of birds in the University of the Philippines Diliman campus, with emphasis on striated grassbirds Megalurus palustris. Philippine Journal of Science 142(1): 1-11.