Hector Ortiz
PhD, Assistant Professor (adjunct)
Biography
I have an extended interest in ecology and conservation of endangered, ecological, culturally, and economically important plant species. I have focused my research on wild and cultivated species, particularly plants used by pre-Columbian groups for food, drinks, fiber, medicinal, and materials. Using field and lab experiments, I assess conservation strategies, ecological, and physiological adaptations of plant species to complex environments and ecosystems. My research covers a unique aspect of ecology and the natural history of plant species, the study of ancestral agricultural and ecological cultural practices that have shaped plant species populations in different ecosystems in northern Mexico and in the US.
Research
Ecology and conservation of endangered, ecological, culturally, and economically important plant species.