Faculty

Tomas Carlo-Joglar

Professor of Biology
Huck Co-Hire with Eberly College of Science

414A Mueller Lab
University Park, PA 16802

Email tac17@psu.edu
Phone 814-863-8274
Pronouns He/His

Areas of Expertise

Seeds Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Seed Dispersal Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Frugivory Keyphrases
Frugivore Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Seed Dispersal Keyphrases
Aves Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Plant Species Keyphrases
Fruiting Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Limited contribution from soil seed banks and high spatial turnover characterize early plant communities in overgrazed tropical pastures
Samantha A. Allbee, Danilo S. Gissi, Paulo H.S.A. Camargo, Tobias N. Rojas, Marco A. Pizo, Tomás A. Carlo, May 2026, In: Basic and Applied Ecology
Date: May 2026

Effects of Recurrent Fires on the Interactions Between Frugivorous Birds and Plants
Marco A. Pizo, Ícaro Gabriel S. Gilbert, Tomás A. Carlo, Aarón González-Castro, May 2026, In: Austral Ecology
Date: May 2026

Fruit-quality tradeoffs generate asymmetry in plant reliance on mutualistic frugivores
João Vitor S. Messeder, Tomás A. Carlo, 2026, In: Oikos
Date: 2026

Species adaptation in urban environments
Kristin M. Winchell, Ariel E. Lugo, Tomás A. Carlo, Jan 1 2026, In: Encyclopedia of the Anthropocene
Date: Jan 1 2026

Isolated Trees in a Fragmented Tropical Landscape
Samantha A. Allbee, Paulo H.S.A. Camargo, Adriana J. Jordan, Tomás A. Carlo, Sep 2025, In: Biotropica
Date: Sep 2025

Rethinking the role of colour in avian fruit choices and foraging mechanisms
João Vitor S. Messeder, Benjamin Scott Vizzachero, Juan M. Morales, Hong Ma, Tomás A. Carlo, 2025, In: Functional Ecology
Date: 2025

A highly resolved nuclear phylogeny uncovers strong phylogenetic conservatism and correlated evolution of fruit color and size in Solanum L.
João Vitor S. Messeder, Tomás A. Carlo, Guojin Zhang, Juan David Tovar, César Arana, Jie Huang, Chien Hsun Huang, Hong Ma, Jul 2024, In: New Phytologist
Date: Jul 2024

Negative density dependence characterizes mutualistic interactions between birds and fruiting plants across latitudes
Tomás A. Carlo, João Vitor S. Messeder, Wálter D. Espíndola, Benjamin S. Vizzachero, Brady W. Boyer, Jacqueline Hernández-Mejía, E. Adrián Torres-Páucar, Antonio Fontanella, Marco A. Pizo, Guillermo Amico, Letty Salinas, César Arana, Teresa Morán-López, Juan M. Morales, Jun 24 2024, In: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Date: Jun 24 2024

Seabird guano inputs increase impacts from introduced mammals on the native plants and animals of an oceanic island
Walter D. Espíndola, Tomás A. Carlo, Apr 2024, In: Oecologia
Date: Apr 2024

Revisiting ecological specialization
Tomás A. Carlo, João Vitor S. Messeder, Samantha A. Allbee, Alberto C. Cruz-Mendoza, Sebastián G. Velázquez, Christi M. Andrzejewski, Tyson J. Jenkins, Norbert J. Cordeiro, 2024, In: Oikos
Date: 2024

View All Publications →

Generalist birds promote tropical forest regeneration and increase plant diversity via rare-biased seed dispersal
Tomás A. Carlo, Juan M. Morales, Jul 1 2016, In: Ecology
Citations: 184

Inequalities in fruit-removal and seed dispersal
Tomás A. Carlo, Juan M. Morales, Jul 2008, In: Journal of Ecology
Citations: 178

Evolutionary ecology of pungency in wild chilies
Joshua J. Tewksbury, Karen M. Reagan, Noelle J. Machnicki, Tomás A. Carlo, David C. Haak, Alejandra Lorena Calderón Peñaloza, Douglas J. Levey, Aug 19 2008, In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Citations: 164

Where do seeds go when they go far? Distance and directionality of avian seed dispersal in heterogeneous landscapes
Tomás A. Carlo, Daniel García, Daniel Martínez, Jason M. Gleditsch, Juan M. Morales, Feb 2013, In: Ecology
Citations: 136

The effects of plant distribution and frugivore density on the scale and shape of dispersal kernels
Juan Manuel Morales, Tomás A. Carlo, 2006, In: Ecology
Citations: 129

Fruit quantity of invasive shrubs predicts the abundance of common native avian frugivores in central Pennsylvania
Jason M. Gleditsch, Tomás A. Carlo, Mar 2011, In: Diversity and Distributions
Citations: 123

Avian fruit preferences across a Puerto Rican forested landscape
Tomás A. Carlo, Jaime A. Collazo, Martha J. Groom, Jan 2003, In: Oecologia
Citations: 112

Crop size and fruit neighborhood effects on bird visitation to fruiting Schefflera morototoni trees in Puerto Rico
James F. Saracco, Jaíme A. Collazo, Martha J. Groom, Tomás A. Carlo, Mar 2005, In: Biotropica
Citations: 106

Interspecific neighbors change seed dispersal pattern of an avian-dispersed plant
Tomás A. Carlo, Sep 2005, In: Ecology
Citations: 90

Fruit traits of pioneer trees structure seed dispersal across distances on tropical deforested landscapes
Paulo H.S.A. Camargo, Marco A. Pizo, Pedro H.S. Brancalion, Tomás A. Carlo, 2020, In: Journal of Applied Ecology
Citations: 75

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Centers & Institutes

Plant Institute

Ecology IGDP

A new family tree of the plant genus Solanum, created by Penn State biologists, helps explain the striking diversity of their fruit color and size. Credit: João Vitor Messeder / Penn State. Creative Commons

June 20, 2024

New tomato, potato family tree shows that fruit color and size evolved together

Three projects have been awarded seed grants as part of the Penn State-Belize Foundation for Research and Environmental Education initiative. Faculty and students from Penn State will research agricultural and ecological sustainability, preservation of tropical rainforest ecosystems, and sustainable development in Belize. Credit: Contributed photo. All Rights Reserved.

October 16, 2023

Tomas Carlo-Joglar

Areas of Expertise

New tomato, potato family tree shows that fruit color and size evolved together

Grants awarded to Penn State faculty for tropical ecosystems research in Belize

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