Tomás López-Londoño, Ph.D.

Advancing coral reef knowledge and conservation

About me

About me image
I am a versatile scientist passionate about bridging the worlds of basic research, applied science, and government service. My work explores the role of sunlight on the physiology and ecology of marine organisms, with a particular focus on tropical symbiotic corals. These charismatic organisms rely on sunlight as an essential energy source given their obligate symbiotic relationship with photosynthetic zooxanthellae. This partnership, vital for the corals' survival, also makes them highly sensitive to human-induced changes, placing coral reefs among the most threatened ecosystems on the planet.

Through my research, I use corals and other marine organisms as models to explore a wide range of questions, from the molecular mechanisms within single cells to the complex dynamics of entire reef ecosystems, including the impacts of climate and environmental change. Beyond the lab, I am engaged in fostering international cooperation and shaping environmental policies to restore, conserve, and sustainably manage marine ecosystems and their biodiversity.

I am currently appointed at the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of Colombia, where I provide technical support for both national and international cooperation projects.

Education

Ph.D. in Biology

The Pennsylvania State University, United States. 2016-2022

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M.Sc. in Marine Sciences

Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México. 2013-2015.

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B.Sc. in Marine Biology

Universidad de Bogotá Jorge Tadeo Lozano, Colombia. 2001-2007.

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Research

Driving forces of niche partitioning

Coral reefs are among the most biodiverse ecosystems on Earth. At the heart of these vibrant ecosystems, symbiotic corals play a central role as primary engineers. Over millions of years, diverse coral species have developed unique symbiotic relationships, morphological variations, and photoacclimation abilities that allow them to thrive under specific marine conditions. My research focuses on exploring these interactions to understand the adaptive strategies that drive niche partitioning in tropical corals.

Population and community ecology

One of my research goals is to explore the repercussions of the obligatory coral-algae symbiosis at the population and community levels. The unique dependence between photosynthetic zooxanthellae and their coral hosts makes tropical corals an intriguing model for studying the relationships between environmental gradients, photosynthetic productivity, morphology, and the distribution and abundance of coral species. By unraveling these complex interactions, I aim to enhance our understanding of the factors that shape biodiversity patterns, coral community structure, and population dynamics.

Climate and environmental change impacts

One of my primary research goals is to delve into the impacts of climate change and water pollution on corals and coral reef communities. Specifically, I focus on the degradation of water optical properties caused by sedimentation and anthropogenic pollution. Through collaboration with my colleagues, our studies have shown that the gradual decline in water optical quality has a significant impact on corals' physiology and compromises their ability to construct and sustain reefs. By shedding light on these impacts, my research aims to contribute to the conservation efforts of coral reefs in the face of climate and environmental challenges.

Conservation and restoration strategies

Beyond my research, I provide technical support to international cooperation initiatives from a governmental perspective, helping to develop and implement environmental policies and projects that promote the restoration, conservation, and sustainable management of marine ecosystems. I advocate for integrated strategies that bring together scientific research, policy development, and community engagement to build effective frameworks for marine conservation and restoration.

TEACHING

TEACHING image
  • Symbiosis (BIOL 406). Lecturer. Penn State University. In this advanced course, we delved into the significance of symbiotic interactions in nature and explored the unifying concepts that transcend various forms of symbiosis and other species interactions.
  • Basic Concepts and Biodiversity (BIOL 110W). Lab TA. Penn State University. The primary focus in this course was to provide the students with the opportunity for a hands-on experience in the scientific process and to explore the incredible biological diversity of life on Earth. 
  • Population and Communities (BIOL 220W). Lab TA. Penn State University. Throughout this course, we introduced students to the fundamental principles, concepts, patterns, and processes that underpin the dynamics of populations, communities, and ecosystems.
  • Light and Photosynthesis Workshop. Instructor. UNAM and Penn State University. For nearly two decades, this international workshop has explored the effects of light on photosynthesis, energy dynamics, and the adaptive strategies of marine organisms.

Projects

Impacts of Water Turbidity

Impacts of Water Turbidity

Explore the negative effects of water turbidity on the physiology and ecology of corals.

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Evolutionary process in Corals

Evolutionary process in Corals

Study the importance of niche specialization on the origin and maintenance of corals diversity

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Bio-optical models to describe energy fluxes and budgets

Bio-optical models to describe energy fluxes and budgets

Bio-optical models as an approach to describe the energy balance in corals at different levels of biological organization

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Science & Rock Fest

Science & Rock Fest

Scenario where scientists and artists meet to teach, inspire and motivate future visionaries

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Publications

Publications image
  1. López-Londoño T*, Howe C*, Townsend J, Galindo-Martínez CT, Roitman S, Badai A, Woodley C, Enríquez S, Kitano H, Smith T, Iglesias-Prieto R, Medina M, Prada C. 2024. Robustness trade-offs: an applied ecological approach to understand niche partitioning in sibling species of reef corals. [In Review].
  2. López-Londoño T, Enríquez S, Iglesias-Prieto R. 2024. Effects of surface geometry on light exposure, photoacclimation and photosynthetic energy acquisition in zooxanthellate corals.  PLoS ONE. 19(1): e0295283. Link
  3. Shantz, AA, López-Londoño T, Gómez-Campo K, Iglesias-Prieto R, Medina M. 2024. Reassessing the role of herbivores on urban coral reefs: A case study from a heavily impacted reef near Cartagena Bay, Colombia. Urban Ecosystems 27, 689–697. Link
  4. Porras MF, Raygoza-Garay JA, Brought M, López-Londoño T, Chauta A, Crone M, Rajotte E, Ngoc P, Joshi NK, Peter K, Biddinger D. 2023. Fungicide ingestion reduces net energy gain and microbiome diversity of the solitary mason bee. Scientific Reports 14, 3229. Link
  5. López-Londoño T, Galindo-Martínez CT, Gómez-Campo K, González-Guerrero LA, Roitman S, Pollock FJ, Pizarro V, López-Victoria M, Medina M, Iglesias-Prieto R. 2023. Survival and physiological responses of  corals exposed to anthropogenic turbidity in the Varadero Reef, Colombian Caribbean. Boletín de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. 52(1): 135-158. Link
  6. López-Londoño T, Gómez-Campo K, Hernández-Pech X, Enríquez S, Iglesias-Prieto R. 2022. Photosynthetic usable energy explains vertical patterns of biodiversity in zooxanthellate corals. Scientific Reports. 12: 20821. Link
  7. Porras MF, López-Londoño T, Duque J, Navas CA, Camargo E, Cuervo J, Gamba D, Castañeda L, Pardo J, Sandoval A, Rajotte E. 2022. Science & Rock Fest: connecting people and science through music and the arts. American Entomologist. 68(3): 64. Link
  8. Prada C*, López-Londoño T*, Pollock JF, Roitman S, Ritchie KB, Levitan D, Knowlton N, Woodley C, Iglesias-Prieto R, Medina M. 2022. Linking photoacclimation responses and microbiome shifts between depth-segregated sibling species of reef corals. Royal Society Open Science. 9(3): 211591. Link
  9. López-Londoño T, Galindo-Martínez CT, Gómez-Campo K, González-Guerrero LA, Roitman S, Pollock FJ, Pizarro V, López-Victoria M, Medina M, Iglesias-Prieto R. 2021. Physiological and ecological consequences of the water optical properties degradation on reef corals. Coral Reefs 40:1243–1256. Link
  10. González-Guerrero LA, Vásquez-Elizondo R, López-Londoño T, Hernán G, Iglesias-Prieto R, Enríquez S. 2021. Validation of parameters and protocols derived from chlorophyll a fluorescence commonly utilized in marine ecophysiological studies. Functional Plant Biology. 49(6):517-532. Link
  11. Roitman S, López-Londoño T, Pollock FJ, Ritchie KB, Galindo-Martínez CT, Gómez-Campo K, González-Guerrero LA, Pizarro V, López-Victoria M, Iglesias-Prieto R, Medina M. 2020. Surviving marginalized reefs: assessing implications of the microbiome on coral physiology and survivorship. Coral Reefs 39: 795–807. Link
  12. Porras MF, López-Londoño T, Rosh J, Biddinger D, Calvin D, Rajotte EG. 2020. A method for a long-term marking of spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula Hemiptera: Fulgoridae) using a stable isotope of nitrogen. Environmental Entomology. 49(4): 993-997. Link
  13. Vega-Sequeda J, Díaz-Sánchez CM, Gómez-Campo K, López-Londoño T, Díaz-Ruiz M, Gómez-López DI. 2015. Marine biodiversity in remote areas of the Colombian Caribbean: New Shoal, Alice Shoal and Serranilla Bank. Boletín de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. 44(1): 199-224. Link
  14. López-Londoño T, Navas-Camacho R, Gil-Agudelo DL. 2011. Juvenile scleractinian coral mortality at Nuestra Señora del Rosario Archipelago, Colombian Caribbean. Boletín de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. 40(2): 419-424
  15. Gómez-Campo K, López-Londoño T, Gil-Agudelo DL, Navas-Camacho R, Rojas JA, Garzón-Ferreira J. 2011. Coral bleaching: a threat to the permanence of coral reefs in the Nuestra Señora del Rosario and San Bernardo archipelago. 319-328. In: Zarza-González, E. (Ed.) Environmental conservation in the Corales del Rosario y de San Bernardo Natural Park.
  16. Navas-Camacho R, Rodríguez-Ramírez A, Vega-Sequeda J, Gómez-Campo K, López-Londoño T, Gil-Agudelo DL, Reyes-Nivia C, Muñoz-Escobar L, Rojas JA, Duque DL, Garzón-Ferreira J. 2011. The National Monitoring System of Coral Reefs in Colombia in the Corales del Rosario y de San Bernardo Natural Park: 1998-2009. 330-350. In: Zarza-González, E. (Ed.). Environmental conservation in the Corales del Rosario y de San Bernardo Natural Park.
  17. Vega-Sequeda J, Navas-Camacho R, Gómez-Campo K, López-Londoño T. 2011. Installation and assessment of two new coral reef monitoring sites in the Colombian Caribbean. Boletín de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. 40 (1): 203-211. Link
  18. Rodríguez-Ramírez A, Garzón-Ferreira J, Batista-Morales A, Gil-Agudelo DL, Gómez-López DI, Gómez-Campo K, López-Londoño T, Navas-Camacho R, Reyes-Nivia MC, Vega-Sequeda J. 2010. Temporal patterns in coral reef, seagrass and mangrove communities from Chengue Bay, CARICOMP site (Colombia): 1993-2008. Revista de Biología Tropical. 58(3): 45-62. Link
  19. López-Londoño T, Santodomingo N, Reyes J. 2008. Presence of calcareous biogenic tubes on the coral Madracis myriaster (Scleractinia: Pocilloporidae) from deep-water in the Colombian Caribbean. Boletín de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. 37(2): 227-233. Link
  20. López-Londoño T, González-Maya J, Zárrate D, Balaguera-Reina S. 2008. Biodiversity and Cultural Conservation in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia. Mountain Forum Bulletin 8(2): 43-44. Link
  21. López-Londoño T, Navas-Camacho R, Gil-Agudelo DL. 2007. Scleractinian coral recruitment as evidence of reef maintenance and renovation in the Rosario Archipelago. 73-77. In: INVEMAR. Report of the status of the marine environment and natural resources in Colombia: year 2006.

Collaborators

Roberto Iglesias-Prieto

Professor of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University

https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=SLqBk9QAAAAJ

Susana Enríquez

Full Professor, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=X0B1VKIAAAAJ

Todd LaJeunesse

Professor of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University

https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=HsWW4tsAAAAJ

Mónica Medina

Professor of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University

https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=N5ogkesAAAAJ

Mitzy Porras

Assistant professor, San Francisco State University

https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=vYHOJdsAAAAJ

Cheryl Woodley

Coral Health and Disease Program, NOAA

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Cheryl-Woodley

Carlos Prada

Assistant Professor, University of Rhode Island

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=RU9bkfEAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao

Hiroaki Kitano

The Systems Biology Institute, Director

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=027fc-oAAAAJ&hl=ja

Tyler Smith

Associate Research Professor, University of the Virgin Islands

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=Xe0gn_YAAAAJ&hl=en

Sofia Roitman

Integrated Data Sciences Section, Research Technologies Branch

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sofia-roitman-7393b891/

F. Joseph Pollock

Senior Coral Reef Resilience Scientist, TNC

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=6C74eJ8AAAAJ&hl=en

Mateo López-Victoria

Associate Professor, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana

https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=dZxdho0AAAAJ

Valeria Pizarro

Senior Researcher, Perry Institute for Marine Science

https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=Kl6ST_8AAAAJ

Diego Zarrate-Charry

Conservation Program Director, ProCAT Colombia

https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=aidI3eIAAAAJ

Kelly Gómez Campo

Postdoctoral Researcher, Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity

https://loop.frontiersin.org/people/1323122/overview

Claudia T. Galindo-Martínez

Postdoctoral Researcher, Scripps Institution of Oceanography

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=93ZkBLYAAAAJ&hl=en

Johanna C. Vega-Sequeda

PhD student, Université du Québec à Rimouski

https://ca.linkedin.com/in/johanna-carolina-vega-sequeda-6839b9126

Raul Navas Camacho

Coordinador Monitoreo de Arrecifes Coralinos, INVEMAR

https://co.linkedin.com/in/raul-navas-camacho-46331734?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F

Colin Howe

Ph.D. Candidate in Biology at Pennsylvania State University

https://www.linkedin.com/in/colin-howe-476692152/

Gallery

Contact

  • Calle 37 #8-40, Bogotá, Colombia
  • Ministerio de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sostenible