Ms. Marina Bento | Causal Inference and Experimental Design | Best Researcher Award

Federal University of Minas Gerais | Brazil

Ms. Marina Bento is a dedicated Brazilian biologist whose academic and professional journey reflects a strong commitment to advancing ecological research, biodiversity conservation, and the scientific understanding of subterranean ecosystems. Holding an M.Sc. in Ecology, Conservation and Wildlife Management from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), she has built her expertise around the study of Neotropical bats, with a particular emphasis on cave-dwelling species in the Southern Espinhaço Range, a region of exceptional ecological and geological importance. Her research integrates rigorous ecological fieldwork with advanced statistical and quantitative approaches, enabling her to analyze species-habitat relationships, assess diversity patterns, and evaluate environmental and spatial drivers that shape the structure of bat communities. Throughout her graduate research, Marina conducted extensive, long-term field investigations inside iron-rich caves, areas that are both biologically unique and highly vulnerable due to expanding mining activities. Her pioneering M.Sc. project-“Diversity patterns of bats in caves of the Southern Espinhaço Range, Brazil”-provided the first comprehensive ecological evaluation of bat assemblages in this ecologically sensitive landscape. The study demonstrated that species turnover plays a dominant role in shaping community variation, while cave size, structural characteristics, and surrounding landscape changes significantly influence species richness and temporal patterns. The resulting publication in Mammalian Biology established Marina as an emerging researcher contributing high-quality scientific evidence to support conservation planning and environmental monitoring in regions threatened by habitat degradation. Beyond her academic accomplishments, Marina’s work serves an important conservation purpose: by revealing ecological dependencies and vulnerabilities within bat populations, her research offers critical insights for management strategies aimed at mitigating human impacts on subterranean wildlife. Her efforts underscore the ecological value of caves as biodiversity reservoirs and inform policies related to mining, land-use change, and species protection. Marina’s professional identity is grounded in interdisciplinary collaboration, field-based inquiry, and the application of quantitative methods to solve complex conservation challenges. With research interests spanning bat ecology, cave biology, biodiversity conservation, landscape ecology, and environmental monitoring, she has emerged as a promising scientist contributing meaningfully to the understanding of Brazil’s cave ecosystems. Her dedication to scientific integrity, conservation ethics, and evidence-based environmental stewardship continues to guide her work as she expands her research portfolio and establishes herself as a future leader in ecological and conservation sciences.

Profile:  Orcid

Featured Publication

Bento, M. M., Dias da Silva, L. H., da Silva, P. G., Dornellas, L. M. S. M., Pires, L. O., Auler, A. S., & Paglia, A. P. (2025). Diversity patterns of bats in caves of Southern Espinhaço Range, Brazil. Mammalian Biology, Advance online publication.