- Participation and organization of outreach events like Soapbox Science and Pint of Science
- Publication among top-cited papers in the Journal of Animal Ecology
Manuela Gonzalez-Suarez

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+44 (0) 118 378 6437
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Associate Professor
- Associate Professor
- PhD supervisor
- Researcher
- Programme Director and Admission Tutor to Ecology and Wildlife Conservation
Areas of interest
I am broadly interested in understanding and predicting the current loss of biodiversity.
My work aims to:
- Identify species' life-history, ecological and behavioural traits that can be used as predictors of extinction risk and invasion success.
- Explore the role that distinct anthropogenic impacts (in interaction with species' traits) play in current biodiversity loss.
- Understand the importance of individual variation for population dynamics.
Postgraduate supervision
PDRAs
- Ruben Bernardo-Madrid
PhD students
- Pablo Medrano-Vizcaino
- Kerry Smith
- Aditya Srinivasulu
- Simon Boulter
- Ben Howes (main supervisor Dr. Cristina Banks-Leite, Imperial College London)
- Katie Powell (main supervisor Dr. David Roy, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology)
- Pip Oppenheimer (main supervisor Dr Robin Freeman, Institute of Zoology)
- Rana Orturk (main supervisor Dr Campbell Murn, University of Reading)
Teaching
- BI1EC2 Ecology (module convener, Spring term, 20 credits)
- BI2EAB3 Tropical Biology Field Course (module convener, Summer term, 20 credits)
- BI2EC3 Ecology and Conservation Field Course (module co-convener, Summer term, 20 credits)
- BIMASA Animal Survey and Assessment (MSc, Spring term, 20 credits)
Research centres and groups
International collaborators
- Dr Margarita Mulero Pazmany, Universidad de Malaga, Spain
- Dr Clara Grilo, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
- Dr Agustin Paviolo, National Scientific and Technical Research Council, Argentina
- Dr Luca Santini, National Research Council (CNR), Italy
Background
- Co-Director of NERC-funded QMEE CDT
- Associate Editor of the Journal of Applied Ecology and BioScience
- Reviewer for 33 different ISI journals
- Fulbright and Marie Curie alumna
Websites/blogs
- More details about my research and publications can also be viewed on my personal website.
- I am the author of a public blog on being a female ecologist
- See Google Scholar and ResearchGate for further publications.
Impact, Enterprise and Outreach
Publications
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Bessesen, B.
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Garrido-Cayul, C.
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Gonzalez-Suarez, M.
ORCID: 0000-0001-5069-8900 (2023) Habitat suitability and area of occupancy defined for rare New World sea snake. Conservation Science and Practice , 5 (1). ISSN: 2578-4854 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/csp2.12865
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Johnson, T.
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Isaac, N.
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Paviolo, A.
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Gonzalez-Suarez, M.
ORCID: 0000-0001-5069-8900 (2023) Socioeconomic factors predict population changes of large carnivores better than climate change or habitat loss. Nature Communications , 14 ISSN: 2041-1723 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-35665-9
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Mulero-Pázmány, M.
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Rollán, L.
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D'Amico, M.
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Gonzalez-Suarez, M.
ORCID: 0000-0001-5069-8900 (2023) Road orientation affects the impact of roads on wildlife. Wildlife Research , 50 (1). pp. 39-46. ISSN: 1035-3712 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1071/WR21149
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Powell, K.
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Oliver, T.
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Johns, T.
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González-Suárez, M.
ORCID: 0000-0001-5069-8900 , England, J. , Roy, D. (2022) Abundance trends for river macroinvertebrates vary across taxa, trophic group and river typology. Global Change Biology ISSN: 1365-2486 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16549
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Johnson, T.
ORCID: 0000-0002-6363-1825 , Cruz, P. , Isaac, N. , Paviolo, A. , González-Suárez, M.
ORCID: 0000-0001-5069-8900 (2022) CaPTrends: a database of large carnivoran population trends from around the world. Global Ecology and Biogeography , 31 (12). pp. 2475-2482. ISSN: 1466-8238 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/geb.13587
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Bessesen, B.
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Oedekoven, C.
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Galbreath, G.
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González-Suárez, M.
ORCID: 0000-0001-5069-8900 (2022) Population abundance and density estimates for Costa Rica’s endemic sea snake, Hydrophis platurus xanthos. Frontiers in Marine Science , 9 ISSN: 2296-7745 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.924966
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Medrano-Vizcaíno, P.
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Grilo, C.
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Pinto, F.
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Carvalho, W.
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Melinski, R.
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Schultz, E.
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González-Suárez, M.
ORCID: 0000-0001-5069-8900 (2022) Roadkill patterns in Latin American birds and mammals. Global Ecology and Biogeography ISSN: 1466-8238 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/geb.13557
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Cornford, R.
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Millard, J.
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González-Suárez, M.
ORCID: 0000-0001-5069-8900 , Freeman, R. , Johnson, T. (2022) Automated synthesis of biodiversity knowledge requires better tools and standardised research output. Ecography ISSN: 0906-7590 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ecog.06068
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Cazalis, V.
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di Marco, M.
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Butchart, S.
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Akçakaya, H.
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Gonzalez-Suarez, M.
ORCID: 0000-0001-5069-8900 , Meyer, C. , Clausnitzer, V. , Bohm, M. , Zizka, A. , Cardoso, P. , Schipper, A. , Bachman, S. , Young, B. , Hoffman, M. , Benitez-Lopez, A. , Lucas, P. , Pettorelli, N. , Patoine, G. , Pacifici, M. , Jorger-Hickfang, T. , Brooks, T. , Rondinini, C. , Hill, S. , Visconti, P. , Santini, L. (2022) Bridging the research-implementation gap in IUCN Red List assessments. Trends in Ecology & Evolution ISSN: 0169-5347 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2021.12.002
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Bessesen, B.
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Gonzalez-Suarez, M.
ORCID: 0000-0001-5069-8900 (2022) Safe from sunburn: the divergent diel pattern of a Hydrophis sea snake. Ecology and Evolution , 12 (1). ISSN: 2045-7758 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3.8436
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Dawson, S.
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Carmona, C.
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Gonzalez-Suarez, M.
ORCID: 0000-0001-5069-8900 , Jönsson, M. , Chichorro, F. , Mallen-Cooper, M. , Melero, Y. , Moor, H. , Simaika, J. , Duthie, A. (2021) The traits of 'trait ecologists': an analysis of the use of trait and functional trait terminology. Ecology and Evolution , 11 (23). pp. 16434-16445. ISSN: 2045-7758 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3.8321
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Bessesen, B.
and
Gonzalez-Suarez, M.
ORCID: 0000-0001-5069-8900 (2021) El valor y limitaciones del conocimiento ecológico local: Una evaluación longitudinal y retrospectiva de especies bandera en Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica. | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.48683/1926.00100401
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Grilo, C.
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Borda-de-Agua, L.
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Beja, P.
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Goolsby, E.
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Soanes, K.
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le Roux, A.
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Koroleva, E.
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Ferreira, F.
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Gagne, S.
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Wang, Y.
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Gonzalez-Suarez, M.
ORCID: 0000-0001-5069-8900 (2021) Conservation threats from roadkill in the global road network. Global Ecology and Biogeography ISSN: 1466-8238 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/geb.13375
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Soto-Saravia, R.
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Garrido-Cayul, C.
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Avaria-Llautureo, J.
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Benítez-Mora, A.
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Hernández, C.
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Gonzalez-Suarez, M.
ORCID: 0000-0001-5069-8900 (2021) Threatened neotropical birds are big, ecologically specialized, and found in less humanized refuge areas. Avian Conservation and Ecology , 16 (2). ISSN: 1712-6568 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.5751/ACE-01948-160218
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Santini, L.
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Antao, L.
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Jung, M.
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Benitez-Lopez, A.
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Rapacciuolo, G.
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Di Marco, M.
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Jones, F.
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Haghkerdar, J.
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Gonzalez-Suarez, M.
ORCID: 0000-0001-5069-8900 (2021) The interface between macroecology and conservation: existing links and untapped opportunities. Frontiers in Biogeography , 13 (4). ISSN: 1948-6596 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.21425/F5FBG53025
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Bessesen, B.
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Gonzalez-Suarez, M.
ORCID: 0000-0001-5069-8900 (2021) The value and limitations of local ecological knowledge: longitudinal and retrospective assessment of flagship species in Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica. People and Nature , 3 (3). pp. 627-638. ISSN: 2575-8314 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10219
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Carmona, C.
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Tamme, R.
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Partel, M.
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de Bello, F.
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Brosse, S.
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Capdevila, P.
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González-M, R.
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Gonzalez-Suarez, M.
ORCID: 0000-0001-5069-8900 , Salguero-Gómez, R. , Vásquez-Valderrama, M. , Toussaint, A. (2021) Erosion of global functional diversity across the tree of life. Science Advances , 7 (13). ISSN: 2375-2548 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abf2675
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Broennimann, O.
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Petitpierre, B.
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Chevalier, M.
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Gonzalez-Suarez, M.
ORCID: 0000-0001-5069-8900 , Jeschke, J. , Gray, S. , Bacher, S. , Guisan, A. (2021) Distance to native climatic niche margins explains establishment success of alien mammals. Nature Communications , 12 (1). ISSN: 2041-1723 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-22693-0
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Johnson, T.
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Kent, H.
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Hill, B.
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Dunn, G.
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Dommett, L.
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Penwill, N.
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Francis, T.
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Gonzalez-Suarez, M.
ORCID: 0000-0001-5069-8900 (2021) Classecol: classifiers to understand public opinions of nature. Methods in Ecology and Evolution ISSN: 2041-210X | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.13596
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Gonzalez-Suarez, M.
ORCID: 0000-0001-5069-8900 , Gonzalez-Voyer, A. , von Hardenber, A. , Santini, L. (2021) The role of brain size on mammalian population densities. Journal of Animal Ecology , 90 (3). pp. 653-661. ISSN: 0021-8790 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.13397
- Johnson, T. , Isaac, N. , Paviolo, A. , Gonzalez-Suarez, M. (2020) Handling missing values in trait data. Global Ecology and Biogeography , 30 (1). pp. 51-62. ISSN: 1466-8238 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/geb.13185
- Duffett, D. , D'Amico, M. , Mulero-Pázmány, M. , González-Suárez, M. (2020) Species’ traits as predictors of avoidance towards roads and traffic. Ecological Indicators , 115 ISSN: 1470-160X | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2020.106402
- Fung, C. , González-Moreno, P. , Pratt, C. , Oliver, T. , Bourchier, R. , González-Suárez, M. (2020) Effect of humidity and temperature on the performance of three strains of Aphalara itadori, a biocontrol agent for Japanese knotweed. Biological Control , 146 ISSN: 1049-9644 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocontrol.2020.104269
- Moleon, M. , Sánchez-Zapata, J. , Donázar, J. , Revilla, E. , Martín-López, B. , Gutiérrez-Cánovas, C. , Getz, W. , Morales-Reyes, Z. , Campos-Arceiz, A. , Crowder, L. , Galetti, M. , Gonzalez-Suarez, M. , He, F. , Jordano, P. , Lewinson, R. , Naidoo, R. , Owen-Smith, N. , Selva, N. , Svenning, J. , Tella, J. , Zarfl, C. , Jähnig, S. , Hayward, M. , Faurby, S. , Garcia, N. , Barnosky, A. , Tockner, K. (2020) Rethinking megafauna. Proceedings of the Royal Society B-Biological Sciences , 287 (1922). ISSN: 1471-2954 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2019.2643
- Grilo, C. , Koroleva, E. , Andrasik, R. , Bil, M. , Gonzalez-Suarez, M. (2020) Roadkill risk and population vulnerability in European birds and mammals. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment , 18 (6). pp. 323-328. ISSN: 1540-9295 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/fee.2216
- Polaina, E. , González-Suárez, M. , Revilla, E. (2019) The legacy of past human land use in current patterns of mammal distribution. Ecography , 42 (10). pp. 1623-1635. ISSN: 0906-7590 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ecog.04406
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Bernardo-Madrid, R.
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Calatayud, J.
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Gonzalez-Suarez, M.
ORCID: 0000-0001-5069-8900 , Rosvall, M. , Lucas, P. , Rueda, M. , Antonelli, A. , Revilla, E. (2019) Human activity is altering the world’s zoogeographical regions. Ecology Letters , 22 (8). pp. 1297-1305. ISSN: 1461-0248 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ele.13321
- Lucas, P. , Gonzalez-Suarez, M. , Revilla, E. (2019) Range area matters, and so does spatial configuration: predicting conservation status in vertebrates. Ecography , 42 (6). pp. 1103-1114. ISSN: 0906-7590 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ecog.03865
- Verde Arregoitia, L. and Gonzalez-Suarez, M. (2019) From conference abstract to publication in the conservation science literature. Conservation Biology , 33 (5). pp. 1164-1173. ISSN: 1523-1739 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/cobi.13296
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Santini, L.
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Gonzalez-Suarez, M.
ORCID: 0000-0001-5069-8900 , Russo, D. , Gonzalez-Voyer, A. , von Hardenberg, A. , Ancillottto, L. (2019) One strategy doesn’t fit all: determinants of urban adaptation in mammals. Ecology Letters , 22 (2). pp. 365-376. ISSN: 1461-0248 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ele.13199
- Gonzalez-Suarez, M. , Zanchetta Ferreira, F. , Grilo, C. (2018) Spatial and species-level predictions of road mortality risk using trait data. Global Ecology and Biogeography , 27 (9). pp. 1093-1105. ISSN: 1466-8238 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/geb.12769
- Polaina, E. , Gonzalez-Suarez, M. , Kuemmerle, T. , Kehoe, L. , Revilla, E. (2018) From tropical shelters to temperate defaunation: the relationship between agricultural transition stage and the distribution of threatened mammals. Global Ecology and Biogeography , 27 (6). pp. 647-657. ISSN: 1466-8238 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/geb.12725
- Gonzalez-Suarez, M. , D'Amico, M. , Mulero-Pázmány, M. (2017) Advancing road ecology in Africa with robust analyses and cautious inferences: a response to Jackson et al. (2017). Journal of Zoology , 302 (4). pp. 224-227. ISSN: 1469-7998 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jzo.12484
- Santini, L. , González-Suárez, M. , Rondinini, C. , Di Marco, M. (2017) Shifting baseline in macroecology? Unraveling the influence of human impact on mammalian body mass. Diversity and Distributions , 23 (6). pp. 640-649. ISSN: 1472-4642 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ddi.12555
- Olalla-Tarraga, M. , Gonzalez-Suarez, M. , Bernardo-Madrid, R. , Revilla, E. , Villalobos, F. (2017) Contrasting evidence of phylogenetic trophic niche conservatism in mammals worldwide. Journal of Biogeography , 44 (1). pp. 99-110. ISSN: 1365-2699 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jbi.12823
- Polaina, E. , Revilla, E. , Gonzalez-Suarez, M. (2016) Putting susceptibility on the map to improve conservation planning, an example with terrestrial mammals. Diversity and Distributions ISSN: 1472-4642 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ddi.12452
- Gonzalez-Voyer, A. , Gonzalez-Suarez, M. , Vilá, C. , Revilla, E. (2016) Larger brain size indirectly increases vulnerability to extinction in mammals. Evolution ISSN: 0014-3820 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/evo.12943
- Mulero-Pázmány, M. , D'Amico, M. , Gonzalez-Suarez, M. (2016) Ungulate behavioral responses to the heterogeneous road-network of a touristic protected area in Africa. Journal of Zoology , 298 (4). pp. 233- 240. ISSN: 1469-7998 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jzo.12310
- Lucas, P. , Gonzalez-Suarez, M. , Revilla, E. (2016) Toward multifactorial null models of range contraction in terrestrial vertebrates. Ecography , 39 (11). pp. 1100- 1108. ISSN: 0906-7590 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ecog.01819
- Gonzalez-Suarez, M. , Bacher, S. , Jeschke, J. (2015) Intraspecific trait variation is correlated with establishment success of alien mammals. The American Naturalist , 185 (6). pp. 737-746. ISSN: 0003-0147 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1086/681105
- Polaina, E. , Gonzalez-Suarez, M. , Revilla, E. (2015) Socioeconomic correlates of global mammalian conservation status. Ecosphere , 6 (9). pp. 1-34. ISSN: 2150-8925 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1890/ES14-00505.1
- Gonzalez-Suarez, M. and Revilla, E. , eds. (2014) Generalized drivers in the mammalian endangerment process. In: Hayward, M. , (eds.) PLoS ONE , 9 (2). ISSN: 1932-6203 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0090292
- Gonzalez-Suarez, M. (2014) Is behavioral ecology important for understanding and predicting population dynamics?. Ecosistemas , 23 (3). pp. 93-97. ISSN: 1697-2473 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.7818/ECOS.2014.23-3.12
- Gonzalez-Suarez, M. , Gómez, A. , Revilla, E. (2013) Which intrinsic traits predict vulnerability to extinction depends on the actual threatening processes. Ecosphere , 4 (6). ISSN: 2150-8925 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1890/ES12-00380.1
- Gonzalez-Suarez, M. and Cassini, M. (2013) Variance in male reproductive success and sexual size dimorphism in pinnipeds: testing an assumption of sexual selection theory. Mammal Review , 44 (2). pp. 88-93. ISSN: 0305-1838 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/mam.12012
- Gonzalez-Suarez, M. , Lucas, P. , Revilla, E. (2012) Biases in comparative analyses of extinction risk: mind the gap. Journal of Animal Ecology , 81 (6). pp. 1211-1222. ISSN: 0021-8790 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2656.2012.01999.x
- Flatz, R. , Gonzalez-Suarez, M. , Young, J. , Hernández-Camacho, C. , Immel, A. , Gerber, L. , eds. (2012) Weak polygyny in California sea lions and the potential for alternative mating tactics. In: Fenton, B. , (eds.) PLoS ONE , 7 (3). ISSN: 1932-6203 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0033654
- Gonzalez-Suarez, M. and Revilla, E. , eds. (2012) Variability in life-history and ecological traits is a buffer against extinction in mammals. In: Arita, H. , (eds.) Ecology Letters , 16 (2). pp. 242-251. ISSN: 1461-0248 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ele.12035