Academic Work

• ORCID
• Google scholar
• ResearchGate
• Scopus

Sustainable Development Goals

Research interests

• Conservation biology
• Disease ecology
• Mammals ecology and conservation
• Landscape ecology
• Macroecology

Profile

Professor Heliot Zarza Villanueva was born in Mexico City in March 1973. He received his B.Sc. in Biology, M.Sc. in Biological Sciences, and Ph.D. in Sciences from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM).

In the last 25 years, his projects have focused on managing and conserving wild mammals, with more than 20 years of experience in studying jaguar ecology. He has published 30 articles in indexed journals, five books (co-author), 18 book chapters, and 24 popular articles. He has directed ten research projects in the last five years. He has directed five undergraduate theses and three master's theses, in addition to participating in more than 14 graduate committees at UNAM and UAM. He has more than ten years of teaching experience at UNAM and UAM, teaching courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels, his teaching work has been recognized with the Teaching Award by the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM) Lerma Campus in 2015 and 2017.

He belongs to scientific organizations including the Society of Conservation Biology, American Society of Mammalogy, Wildlife Disease Association, Asociación Mexicana de Mastozoología and Asociación Mexicana de Medicina de la Conservación KALAANKAB. He is also a founding member and vice-president of the National Alliance for Jaguar Conservation. He is a member of the National System of Researchers, Level I. He has a PRODEP profile.

His research interests focus on conservation biology, mammal ecology, landscape ecology, disease ecology, and the effects of climate change on natural ecosystems. He is Professor at the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana and is currently the Head of the Department of Environmental Sciences at the Lerma Campus.

Information provided by the academic staff

Research interests

• Conservation biology
• Disease ecology
• Mammals ecology and conservation
• Landscape ecology
• Macroecology

Academic Work

On the following pages you can consult the research work:

• Google scholar

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• ResearchGate

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• Scopus

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• ORCID

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Some examples of publications

Select the bibliographic reference to consult each publication:

Open Access	References	UN SDGs
OA	Cruz-Oropeza, O., Bárcenas, H., Zarza, H. and 1 more (...) (2026).Diversity and conservation status of terrestrial mammals in a wind farm in Tamaulipas, Mexico. Check List,22(2) 369-388	7\|15
OA	Arias-Alzate, A., Flores-Raíz, N., Acevedo-Quintero, J.F. and 2 more (...) (2026).Wild Seasons, Urban Stasis: Anthropogenic Food Subsidies Buffer Seasonal Dietary Shifts for Coyotes (Canis latrans) in a Wildland-Urban Landscape South of Mexico City. Ecology and Evolution,16(6)	11
OA	González-Morales, J.C., Suárez-Varón, G., Bastiaans, E. and 2 more (...) (2026).Living in the city has its advantages: thermoregulation behavior and activity time in the Torquate lizard. Journal of Thermal Biology,136	11\|15
OA	Torres-Romero, E.J., Eppley, T.M., Woolrich-Piña, G.A. and 4 more (...) (2026).Effectiveness of conservation lands in Mexico for safeguarding terrestrial endemic species from the human-induced extinction crisis. Conservation Science and Practice,8(8)	15
OA	Arnathau, C., Garchitorena, A., Roche, B. and 14 more (...) (2026).Bat–rodent–human interfaces in the Americas: a synthesis of zoonotic pathways. Critical Reviews in Microbiology,
OA	Alvarenga, G.C., Sartor, C.C., Cushman, S.A. and 35 more (...) (2026).Correction: Range-wide assessment of habitat suitability for jaguars using multiscale species distribution modelling (Scientific Reports, (2025), 16, 1, (759), 10.1038/s41598-025-30512-5). Scientific Reports,16(1)	15
OA	Alvarenga, G.C., Sartor, C.C., Cushman, S.A. and 35 more (...) (2026).Range-wide assessment of habitat suitability for jaguars using multiscale species distribution modelling. Scientific Reports,16(1)	14\|15
OA	Alvarenga, G.C., Sartor, C.C., Srbek-Araujo, A.C. and 36 more (...) (2026).Jaguar Range-Wide Connectivity: Prioritising Core Areas and Corridors Between and Within Protected Areas and Indigenous Lands. Global Change Biology,32(9)
OA	Zarza, H., Esteban, M., Acosta, R. (2025).Diversity of fleas (Siphonaptera) on small mammals within a subalpine ecosystem in the Nevado de Toluca Protected Area, State of Mexico. Zootaxa,5693(3) 405-413	14
OA	González-Morales, J.C., Rivera-Rea, J., Suárez-Varón, G. and 2 more (...) (2025).Bluer in the city: urban male lizards exhibit more intense sexual coloration and lower parasite loads than non-urban males. Integrative Zoology,20(4) 894-908
OA	Suárez-Varón, G., Tovar-Alva, I., Granados-González, G. and 3 more (...) (2025).AMELY IN A FEMALE OF PHRYNOSOMA ORBICULARE (SQUAMATA: PHRYNOSOMATIDAE). Revista Latinoamericana de Herpetologia,8(2) 286-289
OA	Méndez-Rodríguez, A., Horta, P., Zarza, H. and 4 more (...) (2024).Surveying Bat-Hosted Adenoviruses and Herpesviruses: A Comprehensive Analysis. Diversity,16(1)
OA	Van de Vuurst, P., Díaz, M.M., Rodríguez-San Pedro, A. and 8 more (...) (2022).A database of common vampire bat reports. Scientific Data,9(1)
OA	Lopez-Apodaca, L.I., Zarza, H., Zamudio-Moreno, E. and 9 more (...) (2022).Molecular survey of Zika virus in the animal-human interface in traditional farming. Frontiers in Veterinary Science,9	2\|3
	Orozco, L., López-Pérez, A.M., Zarza, H. and 2 more (...) (2022).Dog demography and husbandry practices facilitate dog-wildlife conflict in a suburban-forest interface. Urban Ecosystems,25(6) 1725-1734	3\|15
	López-Pérez, A.M., López-Fernández, O., Backus, L. and 12 more (...) (2022).Spatial distribution patterns of tick community structure in sympatric jaguars (Panthera onca) and pumas (Puma concolor) from three ecoregions in Mexico. Medical and Veterinary Entomology,36(3) 371-380	15
OA	Cruz, C., Zarza, H., Vidal-Mateo, J. and 2 more (...) (2021).Top predator ecology and conservation: Lesson from jaguars in southeastern Mexico. Conservation Science and Practice,3(2)	15
OA	Mateus-Anzola, J., Gaytan-Cruz, L., Montoya-Carrillo, C. and 4 more (...) (2021).Molecular identification and phylogenetic characterization of influenza A virus at a wildlife–livestock interface in Mexico. Transboundary and Emerging Diseases,68(6) 3563-3573	3
OA	Ceballos, G., Zarza, H., González-Maya, J.F. and 17 more (...) (2021).Beyond words: From jaguar population trends to conservation and public policy in Mexico. PLoS ONE,16(10)	11\|15
	Ceballos, G., de la Torre, J.A., Zarza, H. and 14 more (...) (2021).Jaguar distribution, biological corridors and protected areas in Mexico: from science to public policies. Landscape Ecology,36(11) 3287-3309	9\|15
	Gaytan-Cruz, L., Mateus-Anzola, J., Montoya-Carrillo, C. and 3 more (...) (2020).Phylogenetic characterization of a reassortant H5N2 influenza A virus from a resident Mexican duck (Anas diazi). Infection, Genetics and Evolution,84	3
OA	Padilla-Aguilar, P., Romero-Callejas, E., Ramírez-Lezama, J. and 5 more (...) (2020).Gastrointestinal helminths of waterfowl (Anatidae: Anatinae) in the Lerma marshes of central Mexico: Some pathological aspects. International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife,1372-79
OA	Ojeda-Robertos, N.F., González-Garduño, R., Cornelio-Cruz, S. and 8 more (...) (2020).Factors associated with the seizure of livers positive to Fasciola sp. in an endemic area of southeastern Mexico. Revista Mexicana De Ciencias Pecuarias,11(2) 565-575

Courses taught by the professor in recent trimesters

*Courses are conducted in spanish

Num.	Trim.	Course Name	Level
1	26P	Trabajo de Investigación V	Posgrado
2	26P	Seminario V	Posgrado
3	26P	Trabajo de Investigación III	Posgrado
4	26P	Seminario III	Posgrado
5	26P	Desarrollo, Sustentabilidad y Manejo de Socioecosistemas	Licenciatura
6	26I	Introducción a la Geomática	Licenciatura
7	26I	Biología de la Conservación	Licenciatura
8	26I	Seminario II	Posgrado
9	26I	Seminario IV	Posgrado
10	26I	Trabajo de Investigación II	Posgrado
11	26I	Trabajo de Investigación IV	Posgrado
12	25O	Política y Legislación Ambiental	Licenciatura
13	25O	Trabajo de Redacción de Tesis III	Posgrado
14	25O	Introducción a la Geomática	Licenciatura
15	25O	Seminario I	Posgrado
16	25O	Seminario III	Posgrado
17	25O	Trabajo de Investigación I	Posgrado
18	25O	Trabajo de Investigación III	Posgrado
19	25P	Desarrollo, Sustentabilidad y Manejo de Socioecosistemas	Licenciatura
20	25P	Restauración y Rehabilitación de Ecosistemas	Licenciatura
21	25P	Seminario II	Posgrado
22	25P	Trabajo de Investigación II	Posgrado
23	25P	Trabajo de Redacción de Tesis II	Posgrado
24	25I	Mastozoología	Licenciatura
25	25I	Biología de la Conservación	Licenciatura
26	25I	Eje Integrador: Ordenamiento e Impacto Ambiental	Licenciatura
27	25I	Seminario I	Posgrado
28	25I	Taller de Técnicas Básicas de Exploración de Campo	Licenciatura
29	25I	Trabajo de Investigación I	Posgrado
30	25I	Trabajo de Redacción de Tesis I	Posgrado
31	24O	Política y Legislación Ambiental	Licenciatura
32	24O	Introducción a la Geomática	Licenciatura
33	24O	Seminario IV	Posgrado
34	24O	Seminario VII	Posgrado
35	24O	Trabajo de Investigación IV	Posgrado
36	24O	Trabajo de Investigación IX	Posgrado
37	24P	Mastozoología	Licenciatura
38	24P	Desarrollo, Sustentabilidad y Manejo de Socioecosistemas	Licenciatura
39	24P	Seminario III	Posgrado
40	24P	Trabajo de Investigación III	Posgrado
41	24P	Trabajo de Investigación VIII	Posgrado
42	24I	Seminario II	Posgrado
43	24I	Eje Integrador: Ordenamiento e Impacto Ambiental	Licenciatura
44	24I	Ordenamiento Territorial	Licenciatura
45	24I	Trabajo de Investigación II	Posgrado
46	24I	Trabajo de Investigación VII	Posgrado
47	23O	Seminario I	Posgrado
48	23O	Introducción a la Geomática	Licenciatura
49	23O	Mastozoología	Licenciatura
50	23O	Política y Legislación Ambiental	Licenciatura
51	23O	Seminario VI	Posgrado
52	23O	Trabajo de Investigación I	Posgrado
53	23O	Trabajo de Investigación VI	Posgrado
54	23P	Restauración y Rehabilitación de Ecosistemas	Licenciatura
55	23P	Desarrollo, Sustentabilidad y Manejo de Socioecosistemas	Licenciatura
56	23P	Eje Integrador: Ecosistemas	Licenciatura
57	23P	Seminario V	Posgrado
58	23P	Temas Selectos II	Posgrado
59	23P	Trabajo de Investigación V	Posgrado
60	23I	Seminario IV	Posgrado

Information provided by the Dirección de Sistemas Escolares

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