Dr. David Herrera-Ramirez
I am currently an G. Evelyn Hutchinson Postdoctoral fellow at Yale Intitute for Biospheric Studies working with Paulos’ Brando Lab at YSE. Previously, I was a postdoctoral scientist working the Dr. Susan Trumbore at the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry. I did my Ph.D. at the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry advised by Dr. Carlos Sierra, Dr. Henry Hartmann and Prof. Dr. Christine Römermann. There, I studied the dynamics of non-structural carbohydrates and their relationship with wood functional traits. During my Ph.D. I strengthen my ties with tree physiology digging into the mechanism that allow us explain trees response to stress under different systems from temperate to tropical trees through collaborations with scientist in Germany, Brazil and Colombia. I did my master’s degree at the National University of Colombia, where I studied tree growth and its relationship with climate using dendrochronology in tropical trees. I did my B.S. at the same university in Colombia where I started to work in dendrochronology and developed a strong curiosity about tree physiology and its response to the environment.
Research Interests and Active Projects
I focus on understanding the ecological and physiological mechanisms of the responses of trees to environmental changes, and use them as a path to understand forest functioning, forest demographics, and biodiversity patterns across different ecosystems.
Highlighted Publications
Herrera-Ramírez, D., Hartmann, H., Römermann, C., Trumbore, S., Muhr, J., Maracahipes-Santos, L., Brando, P., Silvèrio, D., Huang, J., Kuhlmann, I., and Sierra, C. A. (2023), Anatomical distribution of starch in the stemwood influences carbon dynamics and suggests storage-growth trade-offs in some tropical trees. Journal of Ecology, 111, 2532–2548. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.14209
Herrera-Ramírez, D., Sierra, C.A., Römermann, C., Muhr, J., Trumbore, S., Silvèrio, D., Brando, P.M. and Hartmann, H. (2021). Starch and lipid storage strategies in tropical trees relate to growth and mortality. New Phytol, 230: 139-154. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.17239.
Herrera-Ramírez, D., Muhr, J., Hartmann, H., Römermann, C., Trumbore, S., and Sierra, C.A. (2020). Probability distributions of nonstructural carbon ages and transit times provide insights into carbon allocation dynamics of mature trees. New Phytol, 226: 1299-1311. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.16461
Helm J. , Muhr J., Hilman B., Kahmen A., Schulze E.D., Trumbore S., Herrera-Ramírez D., Hartmann H. (2023), Carbon dynamics in long-term starving poplar trees—the importance of older carbohydrates and a shift to lipids during survival, Tree Physiology, https://doi.org/10.1093/treephys/tpad135
Hilman, B., Solly, E.F., Hagedorn, F., Kuhlman, I., Herrera-Ramírez, D., and Trumbore, S. (2025), 14C-Age of Carbon Used to Grow Fine Roots Reflects Tree Carbon Status. Plant, Cell \& Environment. https://doi.org/10.1111/pce.70154
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Dr. David Herrera-Ramirez 