Research labs
Phylogeny and Phylogeography of Mammals lab
The application of phylogenetic and genomic analyses to the study of animal biodiversity and evolution, with a specific focus on mammals, is the main goal of the Phylogeny and Phylogeography of Mammals lab. Using next-generation sequencing techniques and advanced bioinformatics tools, the population divergence and speciation process in different species complexes are analysed in order to obtain a better description of our biological diversity. These modern methodologies are also used to study kinship relationships and connectivity between populations in some species of great conservation importance, such as the Pyrenean desman.
Principal investigator: José Castresana
Members of the lab: Alfonso Balmori, PhD Student, and Lídia Escoda, PhD Student
Main publications and other research activities:
Escoda, L., González-Esteban, J., Gómez, A., and Castresana, J. (2017). Using relatedness networks to infer contemporary dispersal: application to the endangered mammal Galemys pyrenaicus. Molecular Ecology 26, 3343-3357.
Querejeta, M., Fernández-González, A., Romero, R., and Castresana, J. (2017). Postglacial dispersal patterns and mitochondrial genetic structure of the Pyrenean desman (Galemys pyrenaicus) in the northwestern region of the Iberian Peninsula. Ecology and Evolution 7, 4486-4495.
García, K., Melero, Y., Palazón, S., Gosálbez, J., and Castresana, J. (2017). Spatial mixing of mitochondrial lineages and greater genetic diversity in some invasive populations of the American mink (Neovison vison) compared to native populations. Biological Invasions 19, 2663-2673.
Funding (active projects in 2017 only):
Name of the project | Estudios de divergencia genómica y zonas de contacto de poblaciones de micromamíferos de la Península Ibérica mediante técnicas de secuenciación de alto rendimiento (CGL2014-53968-P) |
Principal investigator | Jose Castresana |
Funding institution | Plan Nacional I+D+I del Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad |
Name of the project | Biodiversitat Animal i Evolució (2014 SGR 1532) |
Principal investigator | Salvador Carranza |
Funding institution | Generalitat de Catalunya |
More information: Phylogeny and Phylogeography of Mammals lab’s website