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The University of Winnipeg

Germán Ávila Sákar

Germán Ávila Sákar Title: Associate Professor
Phone: 204.786.9326
Office: 2RC039
Building: Richardson College for the Environment and Science Complex
Email: g.avila-sakar@uwinnipeg.ca

Biography:

I am from Mexico City, Mexico, which makes me a lifelong “chilango”. I studied biology at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) in the beautiful main campus of Ciudad Universitaria built in a 2000-year old lava flow where an ecological reserve was established to protect its unique biota. For my tesis de licenciatura (honours thesis) I worked on the reproductive ecology of a common shrub of the tropical dry forest in the Chamela Biological Station, on the west coast of Mexico. I worked as laboratory and field assistant at the Plant-Animal Interactions lab of the Centro de Ecología, UNAM for almost two years, after which I ventured north to conduct my doctoral studies at Penn State University, in Pennsylvania, U.S.A. For my dissertation, I studied the effects of different patterns of leaf damage on pollen and seed production in a weedy squash. I have worked as a university professor since 2000, at UNAM, Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and U of W. My current research program combines my interest in the evolution of plant sexual systems and plant-animal interactions.

Current projects

  • Caterpillar-tree interactions in urban and rural environments
  • Herbivory and reproductive output of Mexican cloud forest trees
  • Variability in the time it takes for seeds to germinate in Arabidopsis.
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Research Interests:

I study the evolution of 1) plant sexual systems, and 2) defence against herbivores. Both topics are connected through resource allocation theory. How should plants partition their resources between the male and female reproductive functions to achieve greater fitness? How much should plants invest resources on growth, defence and reproduction at the different stages of their life cycles? I approach these questions from both evolutionary and physiological perspectives.

Prospective students

Due to budgetary constraints, I am no longer considering graduate student applications. Undergraduate students interested in conducting research for their honours thesis or a directed study under my supervision are welcome to contact me at g.avila-sakar@uwinnipeg.ca.

Publications:

Recent Publications

please see my Google Scholar page