Bruno Buzatto was born in Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil. He completed a B.Sc. in Biology at the Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp) in 2004 and, between 2003 and 2006, he studied the evolution of maternal care using the harvestman Acutisoma proximum as model organism to investigate the costs and benefits of maternal egg-guarding behavior. After two years working with A. proximum, he discovered the existence of two adult male morphs in the species, with clearly distinct morphologies and reproductive strategies. During his master thesis, also at Unicamp, he conducted intensive field observations about A. proximum mating system and investigated the two morphs’ behavior, penis and secondary sexual characters morphology, and amount of sperm produced. Currently, he is conducting molecular studies (AFLP) to investigate the relative reproductive success of the two male morphs.

Papers by Buzatto

Requena, G.S.; B.A. Buzatto & G. Machado. 2007. Habitat use, phenology, and gregariousness of the neotropical psocopteran Cerastipsocus sivorii (Psocoptera: Psocidae). Sociobiology, 49:197-214.

Buzatto, B.A.; G.S. Requena; E.G. Martins & G. Machado. 2007. Effects of maternal care on the lifetime reproductive success of females in a neotropical harvestman. Journal of Animal Ecology, 76: 937–945.

Contreras-Garduño, J.; B.A. Buzatto; L. Abundis; K. Najera; A. Córdoba-Aguilar. 2007. Wing colour properties do not reflect male condition in the American rubyspot (Hetaerina americana). Ethology, 113:944-952.

Machado, G.; G.S. Requena; B.A. Buzatto; F. Osses & L.M. Rossetto. 2004. Five new cases of paternal care in harvestmen (Arachnida: Opiliones): implications for the evolution of male guarding in the neotropical family Gonyleptidae. Sociobiology, 44: 577-598.