Jacob Moutouama

Jacob Moutouama is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Botany at the University of British Columbia's Faculty of Science. He holds a Ph.D. in Ecology (2022) from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and a Master's degree in Botany (2016) from the University of Parakou, Benin. His current postdoctoral work at Rice University (2023–2025) extends his research on species distribution drivers.

• Education: M.Sc. University of Parakou (2016), Ph.D. University of Tennessee (2022)
• Lab: Moutouama Lab

His research focuses on:

• Abiotic and Biotic Drivers: Investigating climatic, soil, and ecological factors shaping species distributions
• Global Change Impacts: Modeling climate change effects on tropical plant ranges and extinction risk
• Indigenous Ethnobotany: Quantifying traditional plant use patterns in African and tropical ecosystems
• Methodological Innovation: Developing hypothesis-driven frameworks for ethnobotanical research

Publications demonstrate expertise in PNAS, Ecology, Biotropica, and Biological Reviews, covering climate change impacts on dioecious plants, niche position analysis, soil-herbivory interactions, and ethnobotanical methodology. The Moutouama Lab combines demographic data, field experiments, and mathematical models to address conservation challenges.