We have started a new field campaign visiting a Moricandia foetida population in the Desert of Tabernas (Almería). This campaign will develop part of the project Hidden extinctions: Losing plant diversity in Iberian arid zones as a consequence of the anthropic-mediated expansion of weedss.
This time we went south, to the Antiatlas Mountains in search for Moricandia and Erysimum.
We have met to think about evoflor new paths, specifically to address new ways of increasing the collaboration between evoflor members and how to interact even better. Read more
Este proyecto financiado por el Programa Iberoamericano de Ciencia y Tecnología para el Desarrollo (CYTED) y coordinado por el Profesor Rodrigo Medel (Universidad de Chile) aborda la gestión de las áreas naturales protegidas (ANPs en adelante) desde el dominio de las interacciones interespecíficas planta-animal. Read more
We present in this paper a molecular phylogeny of the genus Moricandia (Brassicaceae). We have found that a Spanish population previously ascribed to Rytidocarpus moricandioides is indeed a Moricandia species, and we propose to name it as M. rytidocarpoides sp. nov. In addition, M. foleyi appeared outside the Moricandia lineage but within the genus Eruca. Therefore, M. foleyi should be excluded from the genus Moricandia and be ascribed to the genus Eruca. Read more
A core interest in studies of mutualistic interactions is the ‘effectiveness’ of mutualists in providing benefits to their partners. In plant-animal mutualisms it is widely accepted that the total effect of a mutualist on its partner is estimated as (1) a ‘quantity’ component multiplied by (2) a ‘quality’ component, although the meanings of ‘effectiveness,’ ‘quantity,’ and ‘quality’ and which terms are applied to these metrics vary greatly across studies. In addition, a similar quantity × quality = total effect approach has not been applied to other types of mutualisms, although it could be informative. Lastly, when a total effect approach has been applied, it has invariably been from a phytocentric perspective, focussing on the effects of animal mutualists on their plant partner. This lack of a common framework of ‘effectiveness’ of mutualistic interactions limits generalisation and the development of a broader understanding of the ecology and evolution of mutualisms. Read more
In this project, funded by the Fundación BBVA (PR17-ECO-0021), we evaluate the consequences of the expansion of weeds associated to human environments on the arid vegetation from the Iberian Peninsula. The specific goal is to check whether the presence of the ruderal species Moricandia arvensis is having a harmful effect on its three co-generic species endemic to arid habitats, namely, M. moricandioides, M. foetida and M. rytidocarpoides. Read more
In a paper recently published in Plant Biology, we have identified environmental differences between niches occupied by diploids and tetraploids Erysimum mediohispanicum.
To evaluate the adaptive significance of the geographic distribution of cytotypes, we characterized the ploidy level of 118 populations across the Iberian Peninsula and obtained their interpolated climate variables from the Worldclim 1.4. In addition, we also characterized floral phenotype of both cytotypes. Read more
Javier Valverde is now a rookie Doctor in Biology. He obtained his PhD in the University of Granada the past 9th of June, 2017. His PhD dissertation was entitled “Structured generalization: Evolutionary dynamics at a fine spatial scale in a generalist system” (“Generalización Estructurada: Dinámica Evolutiva a Escala Espacial Fina en un Sistema Generalista”).
We have just published a paper in Scientific Reports about the maintenance of the fine scale (< 20m) genetic structure in Erysimum mediohispanicum. Read more