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Research |
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We are interested in the following non-exclusive topics:
The ecology and genetics of floral evolution
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Flower form is widely considered as an adaptation to increase the interaction with the most efficient pollinators, expressing both at microevolutionary (flower form affects plant fitness) and macroevolutionary level (inter-specific differences in flower form correlated to differences in pollinator assemblage). See more |
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Geographic mosaic of coevolution in generalized pollination systems
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The Geographic Mosaic Theory of Coevolution is a central theory in evolutionary biology nowadays. Most information, however, comes from specialized organisms. In contrast, an accurate understanding of the effect of geographically varying evolutionary dynamics on the evolution of generalist organisms is lacking, although these organisms are the most frequent in nature. Our lab is currently working in the consequences of the spatial variation in selective regimes for the occurrence of geographic mosaic in generalized pollination systems. |
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Effects of pollinator diversity on plant reproduction and conservation
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The role of biological diversity in maintaining ecosystem functioning is a central issue in ecology and conservation. Most studies on diversity-functioning relationships have focused on ecosystem and community levels, but a challenging and still unsolved issue is determining whether it can be generalized to other organization levels, such as populations and individuals. In our lab we are currently exploring this question both from an experimental and a theoretical perspective. See more |
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Pollinator-mediated speciation
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Pollinators can drive adaptive speciation in some plant groups. Accurately determining the role of pollinators in mediating plant speciation requires an integrated approach where microevolutionary studies focusing on the analysis of pollinator-mediated selection be complemented with macroevolutionary studies exploring the evolution of floral traits between phylogenetically-related species. In our lab, we are using this inclusive approach in order to investigate the possibility of adaptive speciation between Erysimum mediohispanicum and E. nevadense. |
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Evolutionary ecology of invasive species |
There are increased interests in studies of invasive species due to possibilities of some invaders having strong negative impacts on natives. We are presently using Brassica nigra (Brassicaceae), a native of the Mediterranean region, as a model plant to investigate ecological and evolutionary mechanisms that enable it to invade North and South America. See more. |
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| StruGen - Structured Generalization: evolutionary dynamics at fine spatial scales in a generalist system |
In pollination generalist systems, all plant genotypes in a population are assumed to interact with random subsets of
the overall pollinator pool. We think that the generalization degree of a given plant could be non random, but related
with some intrinsic and extrinsic factors, such as its microenvironment, its spatial location in the population, and most
important, its phenotype and genotype. Plants exhibiting different values for those factors would attract different subset
of pollinators, and plants showing different values of those traits would share similar subgroups of pollinators. These
inter-individual differences could promote a structured pattern of interaction among the plant and its pollinators, a
phenomenon that we call structured generalization. We propose that structured generalization occurs when there are
non-random inter-individual differences in generalization and the intraspecific pollination and mating networks at
population level are divided in subgroups of plants sharing similar pollinators (i.e., network is clustered). The main aim of this project is to explore the occurrence of pollinator-mediated structured generalization, the factors favouring or cancelling it, and their potential evolutionary and functional consequences. More Info |
| J.D. Fernández Agosto 2008 |  |
