Biography:

Prof. Villalpando: Attended Elementary and Midgrade School at Instituto Mexico Catholic School Undergrad in Biology Universidad Autnoma Metropolitana Iztpalapa 1977-1981 Specialist in Applied Statistics, Universidad Nacional Autnoma de Mxico 1983-1990 Masters in Biology National University 1985-1990 Ph. D. University of Arkansas, U.S.A. 1990-1995 Dissertation "Effect of food nutrient quality on time budgets of maturing Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica). Post Doc. Dr. William Etges University of Arkansas U.S.A. Relationship of Drosophila flies form the complex robusta and their host in Mxico 1997 - 2001 Research assistant at Institute of Biology UNAM 1982-1985 Assistant professor at Metropolitan University 1985 to 1987 Associate Professor at Metropolitan University 1987 to 1996 Teacher assistantship of Botany and Human Physiology at Department. Of Biological Sciences University of Arkansas. Full professor at Metropolitan University 1996 to Now Chairperson of the Biology Department 2005 - Now Awards: Fulbright Institute Scholarship to the PH D degree National Council of Science and Technology complementary scholarship for the Ph. Degree. Best International proposal award 1987 Research Interests: I was trained originally as plant ecologist with interest in plant animal interactions, then my Ph. D. program was completely devoted to understand animal behaviour to integrate both fields of the interaction. Right now I consider myself as an Behavioural Ecologist mostly in social and feeding relationships.
Right now my research covers the ecological and physiological behaviour of Mexican wolves for their conservation, I also participate in the intense educational program about the species. However I maintain a close relation with social oriented programs working on Pitaya, a native fruit from south Mexico, to help with basic ecological studies to improve life for poor Mexican farmers.
Teaching: I mostly teach on Multivariate statistics, Populations Ecology and Animal Behavior both in grad and undergrad levels. Over 40 bachelors degree research work, (15 honours thesis) 7 masters thesis and 1 Ph.D.

Abstract:

The Ethologist, Past, Present and Future

Among many good attributes of Mr Charles Darwin maybe the most important one was his observation capacity, this attribute allowed him to detect many patterns not only on structural parts of animals and plant bodies but also on the behaviour of the first ones. He could detect similar patterns in many animals, both vertebrates and invertebrates, and made a generalization indication that such behavioural treats were as important to animals survivor as morphological ones. He also was the first on putting together the ideas that behaviour might influence animals body throughout sexual selection. These and many other observations made by Darwin was the base supporting the evolutionary importance of many of Conrad Lorenzs and Niko Tinbergens discovers about animals behaviour, both in natural and modified environments. During the last third of the twenty century a new and integrating focus to animal behaviour recollects two of the important sciences derivate from Darwins observations, Ecology and Behaviour, It was Called Behavioural Ecology. This new perspective promoted by Sir John Krebs and Charles Davies, among others, acknowledges the importance of environment to modify behaviour acting as natural selection force making modifications of such behaviour an adaptive trait of animals able to improve or reduce reproduction, at the same time, animals can change environment in an attempt to reduce (or enlarge) such impact. Trends on animal behaviour studies seems to indicate that survival and evolutionary value of behaviour will continue exploring deeper parts of animals minds as Cognitive Ethology does.