Modelling species range dynamics
Since my PhD I became interested in modelling approaches to estimate species' niches and predict species distributions (from past to future). I am particularly interested in developing methods that provide more rigorous reconstructions of species range dynamics under past climate changes, through assimilation of diverse sources of information in a Bayesian framework.
Posts
Climate refugia: from the Last Glacial Maximum to the 21st century
A report of the wonderful workshop held in Eugene, OR last summer about climate refugia has now appeared in New Phytologist. There we summarise the interesting discussions we had between a varied group of palaeoecologists, climatologists, modellers, phylogeographers and geneticists.
Palaeo50: The Pressing Questions in Palaeoecology
In December 2012 there will be a two-day workshop in Oxford (UK) to discuss the 50 most pressing questions in palaeoecology. I am really fortunate to having been selected to participate and share two days with eminent palaeoecologists and scientists from related disciplines.
A trip through the vegetation of the Iberian Peninsula, from the Devonian to the present
The Mediterranean region is a renowned hotspot of plant biodiversity. It hosts some 25000 plant species, about half of them being endemics. Some species have been present for many million years, or even originated here, whilst others arrived much more ‘recently’.
Publications
Widespread latitudinal asymmetry in the performance of marginal populations: A meta-analysis
Aim
Range shifts are expected to occur when populations at one range margin perform better than those at the other margin, yet no …
Niche estimation above and below the species level
Ecological niches reflect not only adaptation to local circumstances but also the tendency of related lineages to share environmental …
Cracking the code of biodiversity responses to past climate change
How individual species and entire ecosystems will respond to future climate change are among the most pressing questions facing …
Pliocene-Pleistocene ecological niche evolution shapes the phylogeography of a Mediterranean plant group
Estimating species ability to adapt to environmental changes is crucial to understand their past and future response to climate change. …
Niche shifts after long-distance dispersal events in bipolar sedges (Carex, Cyperaceae)
Bipolar species represent the greatest biogeographical disjunction on Earth, raising many questions about the colonization and adaptive …
A second horizon scan of biogeography: Golden Ages, Midas touches, and the Red Queen
Are we entering a new ‘Golden Age’ of biogeography, with continued development of infrastructure and ideas? We highlight recent …
Climate refugia: joint inference from fossil records, species distribution models and phylogeography
Climate refugia, locations where taxa survive periods of regionally adverse climate, are thought to be critical for maintaining …
Looking forward through the past: Identification of 50 priority research questions in palaeoecology
Priority question exercises are becoming an increasingly common tool to frame future agendas in conservation and ecological science. …
Uncertainty in thermal tolerances and climatic debt
The inherent variability of species’ thermal tolerances and the uncertainty in its estimation profoundly affect inferences about …
Past tree range dynamics in the Iberian Peninsula inferred through phylogeography and palaeodistribution modelling: a review
The forests in the Iberian Peninsula have been strongly influenced by past climatic changes, but reconstructing their historical …
Late Neogene history of the laurel tree (Laurus L., Lauraceae) based on phylogeographical analyses of Mediterranean and Macaronesian populations
The post-glacial range dynamics of many European plant species have been widely investigated, but information rapidly diminishes as one …
Reconstructing the demise of Tethyan plants: climate-driven range dynamics of Laurus since the Pliocene
Climate changes are thought to be responsible for the retreat and eventual extinction of subtropical lauroid species that covered much …
Talks
Incorporating evolution in ecological niche modelling
En este seminario se discutirán distintas aproximaciones metodológicas (Smith et al. 2018) para intentar mejorar nuestras estimaciones …
