Staff directory

Biosystematics, phylogeny and biogeography of vascular plants (Euphorbia, Campanula, Erodium, Asteraceae). Conservation Biology of endemic and rare plants of the Iberian Peninsula. Flora vascular Ibero-North African. Paraguay flora.

Our research is split in two areas: plant ecophysiology and agri-food biotechnology. Studies on plant ecophysiology focus on mechanisms of abiotic stress tolerance, the ecophysiology of invasive plants, proxies of mortality at the ecosystem level, seed banks, sexual dimorphism in plants, and hormonal profiling.

Study of flora and vegetation, primarily a functional ecology of communities in constraint environment, high mountain Mediterranean meadows, coastal vegetation ... Interdependence between specific composition and functioning of vegetation.

Ecologist specialized in carbon cycle in aquatic systems. My research uses carbon biogeochemistry as a proxy to understand how aquatic ecosystems work. I work in rivers, lakes, reservoirs and lagoons, addressing various aspects of the carbon cycle such as: ecosystem metabolism, carbon dioxide and methane fluxes into the atmosphere, carbon sinking in lacustrine sediments, or biogeochemistry of the organic and inorganic carbon dissolved in river networks.

My current research is focused on the coastal communities of echinoderms Mediterranean, more specifically in the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus. With the help of several funded projects have worked many aspects of their biology, ecology, phylogeography and population structure using genetic tools in many cases. I also approached the group of ascidians, X. Turon in co-directing with a thesis on biology and population genetics of the species Pycnoclavella.

My main interest focuses on the analysis of evolutionary processes and population genetic studies with different native and introduced taxa, including Drosophila as a model organism as well as with marine invertebrates and vertebrates, non-model yet ecologically very interesting species. Population genetic structure of marine organisms, phylogeography, phylogeny and conservation genetics. In marine environments one of the main problems in management is the presence of cryptic species, either endemic or of recent invasion that can be detected using a phylogeographic approach by phylogenetic reconstruction with multiple genes. 

My main research line consists in the study of patterns of distribution of vascular plants and bryophytes in the Pyrenean mullets. I have also participated in several floristic projects in the Pyrenees and in numerous herbivization campaigns in the western Mediterranean. In addition, I work on the elaboration of cartography of CORINE habitats and vegetation in the projects of the research group.

Landscape pattern and effects on species richness, diversity and structure of isolated populations, especially island: variability of life histories, demographics, genetic and biometrics in relation to the type and connectivity of habitats at the community level.

Seabird ecology

Conservation of Bonelli Eagle Hieraaetus fasciatus through applied research, implementation of conservation measures and disclosure.

Systematics, taxonomy, fauna, ecology, biogeography, ultrastructure and ecotoxicology of helminths (trematodes, cestodes, nematodes, acanthocephala) parasites of vertebrates. Taxonomy, fauna and ecology of helminth parasites of vertebrates. I am currently focused on helmintofauna rodents and amphibians of Southeast Asia from a systematic point of view.

Historical biogeography of the Mediterranean basin. Dynamics of colonization and speciation on oceanic islands. Systematics and evolution of the cave fauna.

Our main research interest is to characterize the major events and processes creating and shaping the diversity and distribution of living organisms. With this objective, we are using as model organisms freshwater and terrestrial planarians in two hotspots of biodiversity: The Mediterranean basin and the Atlantic Forest of Brazil. Through collaborations with other research teams, other study organisms have also been incorporated into our focus, such as birds or whales, expanding the range of possibilities for the evolutionary study of different taxa.

Behavioral mechanisms in evolutionary biology and behavioral aspects related to the conservation and management of species. The common quail, the badger and the lowland gorilla are used as a model species, and are analyzed both from a theoretical and applied aspects, the use of space, orientation and navigation, mating systems, social structure and emerging diseases , ecotourism and hunting management of migratory species.

My main interest in research is summarized in a carry word: Ecology. I fascinaba ecology probablemente from much before the number of conocer algo fue primero that a sentimiento confused, after a Passion, and that evolved Finalmente up a structured Knowledge and an endless field of Intellectual activity and discovery.

Biosystematics of vascular plants of the western Mediterranean. Reproductive biology of vascular plants in the western Mediterranean, with special attention to the biology of endemic species of small populations.

Analysis of the impact of natural selection and other evolutionary forces, such as migration and genetic drift, in natural populations. Population genetics and genomics; phylogeography. Comparative Genomics and Molecular Evolution of multigene families and gene networks in complete genomes. Bioinformatics.

Comparative genomics of unicellular organisms phylogenetically close to animals, to discover molecular causes of the unicellular-multicellular transition. Study of the origin of multicellularity in metazoa.

Marine phycology (macroalgae). Florisitic and phytosociological studies of population or phytobenthic communities of the Mediterranean. Biosystematic studies of different taxonomic groups focused on the implementation of the 'Flora Iberica Phycologica. Crops in germination chambers of early stage development of germ cells to give birth. Cytogenetic studies on the quantification of nuclear DNA from marine macroalgae.