Ecology and evolution of plant-animal interactions
Estación Biológica de Doñana,
CSIC,
Isla de La Cartuja,
Americo Vespucio 26
E-41092 Sevilla, Spain
Phone: + 34 954466700
Fax: + 34 954621125
The study of interactions between plants and animals, and their leading role in the micro and macroevolutionary processes underlying the astounding variety of morphological, functional, reproductive and chemical traits associated with the spectacular diversification of Angiosperms, provide the conceptual basis for our research.
We aim to contribute to solve the seemingly paradox represented by the strong historical and ecological constraints on reciprocal adaptations found at the microevolutionary level, on one side, and the myriad cases that, on the other side, illustrate reciprocal adaptive radiations between plants and herbivores, pollinators and seed predators at a macroevolutionary scale. More recently, we have incorporated also into our research program the study of microbes potentially consequential for the interactions linking plants and their animal pollinators, as well as approaches from population and molecular genetics, molecular phylogenetics, phylogeography, and chemistry.
Current research projects at our lab include:
Gynodioecy, herbivory and secondary compounds in Daphne laureola
Reproductive biology and diversification in Iberian species of Aquilegia
Floral biology, mating system and genetic differentiation in southern Spanish Narcissus
Interactions with animals, gene flow and genetic structure at Daphne laureola's distribution edges
Ecology, genetics, epigenetics and evolution of nectar-living yeasts
Plant-pollinator interactions in biodiversity hotspots
Javier Puy
Recent associates/grad students/postdocsOur study systemsTia-Lynn Ashman - Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, USA
Teresa Boquete
María Azucena Canto - Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, Mexico
Víctor Parra-Tabla, Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, Mexico
Juli G. Pausas, Centro de Investigaciones sobre Desertificación (CIDE), CSIC-UV, Valencia, Spain
Ricardo Pérez - Instituto de Investigaciones Químicas, CSIC, Sevilla
Christina Richards - Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida,USA
Anupoma Niloya Troyee
Clara de Vega
Javier Valverde
Pictures, natural history information, links to publications and a synopsis of our past and current research on:
Pollination in three highly diverse plant communities (a transcontinental project funded by BBVA Foundation, 2009-2012)
Aquilegia | Daphne laureola | Helleborus foetidus | Lavandula latifolia | Narcissus longispathus | Nectar yeasts | Viola cazorlensis
Calendario Polinizadores 2024
Investigaciones sobre plantas y animales en las Sierras de Cazorla, Segura y Las Villas. A book summarizing the results of 25 years of research by scientists of the CSIC on plants, animals and their interactions in the Sierras de Cazorla-Segura-Las Villas Natural Park (in Spanish).
Literature on the natural history of Sierras de Cazorla, Segura and Las Villas - A compilation of literature references, with pdf files of many of them, on the geology, soils, climate, botany, zoology and ecology of this southeastern Spanish Natural Park where most of our lab fieldwork is carried out.