Current Research Focus and ExpertiseI am currently a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Museum of Geological History of Rio Grande do Sul (MHGEO), affiliated with Unisinos University. My primary research interest lies in plant-arthropod interactions within modern ecosystems and their implications for interpreting the fossil record of plant-arthropod associations. My doctoral research focused on plant-fern interactions in extant fern communities to infer past climate conditions from the fossil ResearchIn addition to my work on modern plant-arthropod interactions, I conduct research in paleobotany, focusing on plant-arthropod interactions preserved in fossil deposits from the Upper Paleozoic to the Mesozoic (Triassic-Jurassic) of the Paraná Basin. My paleontological research also encompasses applied paleontology, particularly the study of paleoecological processes as reflected in the fossil record of invertebrates, plants, and taphonomic processes. Here, I emphasize th
EDUCATION
PhD in Geology and MSc in Sedimentary Geology.
RESEARCH, TEACHING, or OTHER INTERESTS
Paleontology, Earth and Planetary Sciences, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
7
Scopus Publications
Scopus Publications
Insect herbivory on ferns from a midland Atlantic Rainforest locality, southern Brazil: implications for interpreting fossil plant–insect interaction Romulo Cenci, Rodrigo Scalise Horodyski Historical Biology, 2025 This work contains the results of fern–arthropod interactions from a midland Atlantic Rainforest locality and addresses the taphonomic, morphological and ecological implications of insect damage on ferns to interpret them on fossil plant assemblages. Six functional feeding groups – margin feeding, hole feeding, surface feeding, piercing and sucking, mining and galling – are present on the three fern species inhabiting the understory of an Araucaria Forest in the Atlantic Forest biome, southern Brazil. We recognised 19 damage types (DTs), including 14 arthropod-induced DTs, three of which are newly proposed herein. Five of the DTs found were first recorded on ferns. Of the DTs found, the proportion of guilds such as mining and galling shows a significant similarity with those of an upland locality. Products of arachnids and insect behaviour on ferns made up 25% of all fern–arthropod interactions in the midland locality, which included dead bodies and byproducts from processes of arthropod life cycle, which are unlikely to be preserved in the fossil record. This rate of arthropod products consists of significant evidence of interactions to unveil deep-time relationships between arthropods and plants. Lastly, leaf damage on living ferns is more frequent than those occurring in fossil plant assemblages.
Linha São Luiz Geosite, Rio Grande do Sul State: 25 years of discoveries, and a unique window to the Brazilian Mesozoic Flavio Pretto, Leonardo Kerber, Agustín Martinelli, João Pedro Saldanha, Romulo Cenci, Rodrigo Horodyski, Gustavo Corrêa De Almeida, Helena da Silva Bertol, Daniel de Simão Oliveira, Debora Moro, Marina Soares, Cesar Leandro Schultz Journal of the Geological Survey of Brazil, 2024 The Linha São Luiz Geosite is one of the most remarkable outcrops from the central region of Rio Grande do Sul state, southern Brazil. With more than 20 meters of vertical exposure, the locality preserves records of distinct sedimentary episodes, and one of the richest fossil assemblages known in southern Brazil. After a quarter of a century from the first expeditions to the site, the Linha São Luiz still yields new discoveries, registering exquisitely preserved fossils from micro and macrovertebrates, invertebrates, and plants, as well as trace fossils generated by these groups. In this contribution, we assembled representatives from distinct fields of paleontological study to provide a summary of the fossil assemblage from this site. We also briefly discuss the history of research and report geoconservation strategies, which are being implemented at the locality, in order to preserve this important window to the Brazilian Mesozoic.
INSECT HERBIVORY ON FERNS FROM A MODERN MARSH LOWLAND LOCALITY, SOUTHERN BRAZIL: IMPLICATIONS FOR INTERPRETING FOSSIL PLANT–INSECT INTERACTIONS ROMULO CENCI, RODRIGO SCALISE HORODYSKI Palaios, 2024 Ferns are a model plant group for comparing insect herbivory between modern and deep time assemblages. We assessed fern–arthropod interactions in a modern marsh to reveal the taphonomic, morphological, and ecological implications of insect herbivory on fossil plant assemblages. Six functional feeding groups—hole feeding, margin feeding, surface feeding, piercing and sucking, galling, and pathogens—are present in eight fern species. We identified a total of 23 distinct damage types (DTs) on ferns, comprising 16 insect-mediated DTs, two of which are newly described in this study, and seven pathogen DTs, including one new addition. Among these, we present six arthropod-induced DTs that were previously undocumented in ferns. Furthermore, we report five DTs with fossil analogs. External foliage feeding, consisting of hole feeding, margin feeding, and surface feeding functional feeding groups, is the principal factor for DT richness on ferns in this lowland locality. We found products of arthropods behavior on ferns, such as instar molts and dead bodies and the byproducts from reproductive processes, which are unlikely to preserve in the fossil record. The taphonomic implications of these arthropod behavioral products are inferred by considering the substances that attach these structures to leaf tissues, potentially enhancing their preservation potential in the fossil record. Relatively mesic conditions support ferns in the lowland locality, resulting in a greater richness of insect herbivory compared to ferns in cooler xeric habitats from a previously surveyed upland locality.
Neoichnology of Rhinella dorbignyi (Bufonidae) burrows: improving the recognition and interpretation of toad burrows Diego Luciano Nascimento, Renata Guimarães Netto, Romulo Cenci, Jorge Villegas-Martín Ichnos an International Journal of Plant and Animal, 2024 A neoichnological characterization of toad burrows from organic-rich soils is presented in order to establish key ichnological signatures for their recognition in the geological record. Dorbigny’s Toad (Rhinella dorbignyi) produces J-shaped burrows with a single elliptical opening resembling the ichnogenus Macanopsis. The burrow varies from 15 to 20 cm in length and has a constant diameter along the shaft, enlarged in the chamber. The shaft is elliptical with a diameter of 2.5-3.0 cm in the major axis and 1.0–1.5 cm in the minor axis. The chamber is semicircular, with a distinct floor, and an average diameter of 5 cm in the major axis. A thick (3–5 mm), compacted, smooth, and uniform inorganic lining made of soil covers the burrow throughout its length. Surficial features, such as horizontal and vertical millimeter-scale striations and ridges, occur in the burrow surface and are produced by keratinized granules and spikes on the skin of R. dorbignyi. Those surficial features are generated during the toad’s movements inside the burrow as well as anchoring during ambush predation behavior. The main distinct features observed on the burrow surface are well-developed circular pit impressions produced by the keratinized tubercles present in the toad’s ankles during climbing activity. These characteristics encompass useful ichnotaxobases for recognition and distinguishing toad burrows from J-shaped, Macanopsis-like burrows produced by other soil-dwelling animals. The burrow architecture of R. dorbignyi suggests that J-shaped burrows are efficient structures for ambush predatory behavior in terrestrial ecosystems, as observed in spiders and scorpions.
FERN-ARTHROPOD INTERACTIONS FROM THE MODERN UPLAND SOUTHEAST ATLANTIC RAINFOREST REVEALS ARTHROPOD DAMAGE INSIGHTS TO FOSSIL PLANT-INSECT INTERACTIONS ROMULO CENCI, RODRIGO SCALISE HORODYSKI Palaios, 2022 Ferns were among the first broadleaved plants in the fossil record. We assessed fern-arthropod interactions in modern ferns (Monilophyta) as a model for comparison with damage on ferns in the fossil record. We found that the functional feeding groups of margin feeding, hole feeding, surface feeding, piercing and sucking, oviposition, mining, and galling was present on 13 species of ferns at elevations ranging from 750 to 900 meters along mountain slopes of the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest. We recognized 17 damage types (DTs), including one new DT, and provide implications for interpreting damage on leaves in the fossil record. Nine fossil DTs with modern analogues were found on ferns. Evaluation of damage on modern ferns demonstrate that the variation in the abundance and damage signatures of external feeding, piercing and sucking, galling, and mining enhances understanding of damage patterns on fossil leaves. The taphonomic implications to fossil plant-insect interactions are provided based on the sampling of modern arthropod damage and the preservation biases on ferns. Arthropod remains that are poorly attached to ferns, such as silk webs, eggs, and spider egg sacs, as well as insect exuviae, pupae, and body parts, might provide an important feature for arthropod preservation associated with fern leaves in the plant fossil record. This integrative method demonstrates that DT signatures on modern ferns indicate that ferns are an important host plant for herbivorous arthropods. Consequently, the same importance of ferns as host plants of arthropod herbivores likely was present in deep time.
Record of gall abundance as a possible episode of radiation and speciation of galling insects, triassic, Southern Brazil Romulo Cenci, Karen Adami-Rodrigues Revista Brasileira De Paleontologia, 2017 A possible episode of coevolution between galling insects and plants is reported. It was identified by a high infestation (density) of fossil gall found on the compressed Dicroidium Flora from the Triassic (Ladinian–Carnian) Passo das Tropas Member, Santa Maria Formation, Parana Basin. The galls were found on phytofossils in 2.2 m thick mudstones with horizontal lamination, intercalated between coarse and medium-grained sandstones with clasts and cross-lamination at the base and top of the section. The associations were identified with a stereomicroscope, after which they were quantified within each botanical group, along with their type, in order to calculate the average number of galls per leaf (density). The overall density found was 4.018. Corystospermales was the predominant botanical group (87.81%), with a gall density of 4.281, followed by Ginkgoales, Equisetales, and Incertae sedis. Current ecological studies indicate that a xerophytic paleoenvironment correlates with high infestations of galling insects. However, many taphonomic, biological, and ecological factors may be involved, resulting in different hypotheses from the same data. On the other hand, they support the interpretations of this record in other aspects discussed. Furthermore, the identified gall density can be interpreted from a paleobiogeographical perspective, showing dispersion at low altitudes and intermediate subtropical latitudes (25o to 38o S or N).
