Perfecto Lab

I study the community ecology and management of natural pest control in agroecosystems. My research is driven primarily by two questions: First, how do complex communities of natural enemies regulate pests? Second, how does agricultural management impact that ecology? I have investigated these questions primarily by chasing around ants in the coffee farms of southern Mexico. I also use ecological theory to model pest control community dynamics with the aim of understanding how more realistic levels of diversity, interaction complexity, and spatial components of the agricultural landscape impact pest control function. Beyond research, I find joy in exploring the scientific wonder of the cosmos and sharing this wonder with others through teaching and outreach. I also struggle to advocate for environmental and social justice but sometimes get distracted by the good food and drink in Ann Arbor and Mexico.

Keywords: Community ecology, natural pest control, ecological networks, biodiversity, coffee, Mexico

Ph.D. in Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan (2024)
M.S. in Natural Resources and Environment, University of Michigan (2016)
B.S. in Environmental Science, University of Florida (2010)

I am a former Master’s student and Postdoctoral Fellow, and now a lab-affiliated researcher. I am interested in the landscape and spatial ecology of the agricultural matrix. I am currently collaborating on a project focusing on small and medium-sized coffee farms in Puerto Rico, combining vegetation and land use data from satellite, drone, and field collection. We are investigating how the diverse management systems in these farms affect biomass and influence the spread of coffee leaf rust disease (Hemileia vastatrix). I have also worked on projects within the lab about critical transitions in the coffee leaf rust epidemic and its dispersal dynamics; the spatial distribution drivers of the keystone ant Azteca sericeasur in shade coffee; and the spatial interactions between the Michigan native ant Formica obscuripes and the invasive shrub Eleagnus umbellata. Besides being a lab affiliate, I am currently a postdoctoral fellow at the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, working with the USDA-ARS Pasture System and Watershed Management Research Unit to model tradeoffs and synergies of multiple ecosystem services associated with cropping and grazing landscapes using high performance computing.

Ph.D. University of Goettingen (Germany), Dept. of Crop Sciences, Agroecology (2020)
M.S. University of Michigan, School for Environment and Sustainability (2015)
M.L.A. University of Michigan, School for Environment and Sustainability (2015)
B.S. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Dept. of Biology (2008)

I am a conservation scientist with almost 20 years of experience of work in Central America. My main research interests have involve the role of matrix habitats (i.e., the usually degraded or human-managed lands beyond protected areas) in wildlife conservation in the Neotropics. I have served as the Director of Conservation Science for Paso Pacífico, a non-profit dedicated to biodiversity conservation and sustainable livelihoods in southwestern Nicaragua. Currently, I continue working on a couple of projects with Paso Pacífico; I am also an adjunct professor at the University of Michigan, where I focus on engaging with students interested in sustainable agriculture as I transition from inside scientist to farmer. Along with my partner, in late 2017 I started my own farm where we are establishing climate-resilient, tree-based agriculture. In my work, I draw from diverse disciplines, from ecology to anthropology to agricultural sciences.

Ph.D., New York University, Department of Anthropology (2003)
M.Phil., New York University, Department of Anthropology (2000)
M.A., New York University, Department of Anthropology (1998)
B.A., University of California Santa Cruz, Anthropology Board of Studies (1995)

http://williamsguillen.squarespace.com/