Email: Francisco

Education:

Postdoctoral Fellow, GLIER, University of Windsor:  Hull-fouling mediated ship invasions.

PhD: Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina. Topic: Feeding biology and ecology of the invasive mussel Limnoperna fortunei (Mytilidae) in the lower Paraná river and Río de la Plata. (2002-current).

B.Sc., Biological Sciences, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain. (1993-1998).

Journal Publications

5) Sylvester, F., Boltovskoy, D. and Cataldo, D. H. 2007. The invasive bivalve Limnoperna fortunei promotes growth of benthic invertebrates in South American floodplain rivers. Hydrobiologia 589:15-27.

4) Sylvester, F., Boltovskoy, D. & Cataldo, D. H. 2007. Fast response of freshwater consumers to a new trophic resource: predation on the recently introduced Asian bivalve Limnoperna fortunei in the lower Paraná river, South America. Austral Ecology 32: 403-415.

3) Boltovskoy, D., Correa, N., Cataldo, D. & Sylvester, F. 2006. Dispersion and ecological impact of the invasive freshwater bivalve Limnoperna fortunei in the Río de la Plata watershed and beyond. Biological Invasions 8: 947-963.

2) Sylvester, F., Dorado, J., Boltovskoy, D., Juárez, A. & Cataldo, D. 2005. Filtration rates of the invasive pest bivalve Limnoperna fortunei as a function of size and temperature. Hydrobiologia 534: 71-80.

1) Dellafiore, C., Sylvester, F. & Natale, E. 2002. Zonation plan for Talampaya National Park, La Rioja, Argentina. Crónica Forestal y del Medio Ambiente, 17: 23-38 (in Spanish).
 

Book Chapters

2) Sylvester, F., Cataldo, D. H. & Boltovskoy, D. 2006. Tasas de clareado: ritmos e impacto. In: “Bio-invasión del mejillón dorado en el continente americano” (G. Darrigran & C. Damborenea, eds.), Editorial de la Universidad de La Plata, La Plata. Chap. 8, pp. 129-139 (in Spanish).

1) Cataldo, D. H., Sylvester, F. & Boltovskoy, D. 2005. Desarrollo larval y tasas de filtración. In: “Invasores, invertebrados exóticos en el Río de La Plata y región marina aledaña” (P. Penchaszadeh, ed.), Eudeba, Buenos Aires, Chap. 3, pp. 103-132 (in Spanish)
 

Conference Presentations and Workshops

2006. Sylvester, F., Boltovskoy, D. & Cataldo, D. H. The Asian invasive bivalve Limnoperna fortunei promotes growth of benthic invertebrates in South American floodplain rivers. XIII Congreso de la Asociación Española de Limnología, V Congreso Ibérico de Limnología, Barcelona (Spain), 2-7 July, 2006. Oral presentation (in Spanish).

2005. Sylvester, F., Boltovskoy, D. & Cataldo, D. H. Predation of the invasive bivalve Limnoperna fortunei in the lower Paraná river: implications for prey and predators. III Congreso Argentino de Limnología, Chascomús, Buenos Aires (Argentina), 31 October - 2 November, 2005. Oral presentation (in Spanish).

2005. Cataldo, D. H., O´Farrel, I., Paolucci, E., Boltovskoy, D. & Sylvester, F. Effects of Limnoperna fortunei on the phytoplankton and nutrients. III Congreso Argentino de Limnología, Chascomús, Buenos Aires (Argentina), 31 October - 2 November, 2005 (in Spanish).

2004. Sylvester, F., Dorado, J., Boltovskoy, D., Juárez A. & Cataldo, D. Filtration rates of the invasive pest bivalve Limnoperna fortunei as a function of size and temperature. 13th International Conference on Aquatic Invasive Species, Ennis (Ireland), 20-24 September, 2004. Oral presentation.

2003. Sylvester, F., Dorado, J., Boltovskoy, D., Juárez A. & Cataldo, D. Filtration rates of the invasive pest bivalve Limnoperna fortunei as a function of size and temperature. I Jornadas de Ciencias Naturales del NOA, VIII Jornadas de Ciencias Naturales del Litoral, Salta (Argentina), 24-26 September, 2003. Poster presentation (in Spanish).

2000. Dellafiore, C. & Sylvester, F. Zonation plan for Talampaya National Park, La Rioja, Argentina, June 2000. V Congreso Internacional en Gestión en Recursos Naturales, Valdivia (Chile), 20-24 November, 2000. Poster presentation (in Spanish).

2000. Raffo, L. & Sylvester, F. Criteria for the identification and classification of management problems in protected areas, and a method for allocating priorities. V Congreso Internacional en Gestión en Recursos Naturales, Valdivia (Chile), 20-24 November, 2000. Poster presentation (in Spanish).

Honours and Scholarships

2002 -2006. Doctoral scholarship, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina.

October 1997 - July 1998. Laboratory assistant at the Department of Ecology, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain.

October 1996 - June 1997. “Erasmus” grant at the University of Manchester (UK), for the 4th year course of the degree.

1994, 1997. Special distinction in the degree subjects: Cytology and Histology (2nd year course), and Quantitative Ecology (5th year course), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain.

Teaching

May 2004 - February 2005. Teaching assistant for the graduate course “Limnology”, Universidad de Buenos Aires.

2003. Invited lecturer for the postgraduate course “Ecology, impact and control of invasive freshwater mussels: Limnoperna fortunei and Corbicula fluminea in South America”, Universidad de Buenos Aires.

2000 - 2001. Teaching assistant for the graduate course “Tourism and the environment”, Universidad CAECE, Buenos Aires.

Languages

English: “Certificate of Proficiency in English", University of Cambridge, UK (1998).
French: intermediate level.
Spanish: mother language.