Siria Samira Gámez
EducationMSc, 2020, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan
B.S., 2017, University of Florida Curriculum VitaeClick here for cv
Current researchMy research interests are at the intersection of tropical ecology, large carnivore conservation, and agroecology, with a particular regional focus on Latin America. I am particularly interested in the conservation challenges in Mexico and Central America, a theme I explored as a Fulbright Garcia-Robles Scholar in Mexico (2024). Given the importance of productive landscapes and secondary forests for the long-term persistence of carnivores and the well-being of local communities, a central theme of my research is understanding how anthropogenic activities influence species such as jaguars (Panthera onca) with the goal of providing sound research for conservation and coexistence plans.
The fieldwork for my dissertation is based in the El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve in Chiapas, Mexico, a multi-use protected area which includes the country's largest tract of montane cloud forest as well as cattle and coffee production. My doctoral research is focused on understanding the factors, both ecological and anthropogenic, driving vertical niche partitioning of the region's carnivores (and the vertebrate community more broadly) as well as the impacts of prey depletion on the incidence of jaguar predation on cattle. To this end, I use canopy access techniques, arboreal camera trapping, occupancy modeling, agent-based modeling, and remote sensing (LiDAR and satellite imagery) analysis pipelines to address my research questions. 
Siria during one of her first climbs during a 3-week canopy access training course in Bocas del Toro, Panama
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ContactEmail: [email protected]
Mailing Address: Yale University School of the Environment 195 Prospect Street New Haven, CT 06511 USA 
Siria descending from the canopy after installing a camera trap for her dissertation research project
A brown-throated sloth (Bradypus variegatus) spotted during Siria's first week of tree-climbing in Panama
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Publications
(2026) Gámez, S. and Harris, N. C. Wild prey availability determines efficacy of carnivore conflict mitigation. In Press, Conservation Biology.
(2025) Gonzalez, G., Gámez, S., and Harris, N. C. Carnivore activity across land use gradients in a Mexican biosphere reserve. Scientific Reports 15, 4431 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-87850-7
(2024) Richards, S., Gámez, S., & Harris, N. C. Modeling effects of habitat structure on intraguild predation frequency and spatial coexistence between jaguars and ocelots. Behavioral Ecology, 35(1), arad080.
(2022) Gámez, S., and Harris, N.C. Conceptualizing the 3D niche and vertical space use. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 37(11). 10.1016/j.tree.2022.06.012
(2022) Gámez, S., A. Potts, K. L. Mills, A. Allen, A. Holman, P. M. Randon, O. Linson, N. C. Harris. Downtown diet: a global meta-analysis of increased urbanization on the diets of vertebrate predators. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 289(1970), 20212487.
(2021) Gámez, S., and Harris, N. C. (2021) Living in the concrete jungle: carnivore spatial ecology in urban parks. Ecological Applications 31(6):e02393. 10.1002/eap.2393
(2025) Gonzalez, G., Gámez, S., and Harris, N. C. Carnivore activity across land use gradients in a Mexican biosphere reserve. Scientific Reports 15, 4431 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-87850-7
(2024) Richards, S., Gámez, S., & Harris, N. C. Modeling effects of habitat structure on intraguild predation frequency and spatial coexistence between jaguars and ocelots. Behavioral Ecology, 35(1), arad080.
(2022) Gámez, S., and Harris, N.C. Conceptualizing the 3D niche and vertical space use. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 37(11). 10.1016/j.tree.2022.06.012
(2022) Gámez, S., A. Potts, K. L. Mills, A. Allen, A. Holman, P. M. Randon, O. Linson, N. C. Harris. Downtown diet: a global meta-analysis of increased urbanization on the diets of vertebrate predators. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 289(1970), 20212487.
(2021) Gámez, S., and Harris, N. C. (2021) Living in the concrete jungle: carnivore spatial ecology in urban parks. Ecological Applications 31(6):e02393. 10.1002/eap.2393
