PhD, Tenured Scientist
Address: Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology
Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas Crtra. de Sacramento s/n La Cañada de San Urbano, E-04120 Almería Spain Phone: +34 950 281045 Fax: +34 950 277100
Since 2006: Tenured Scientist, Experimental Station of Arid Zones (Spanish Council for Scientific Research), Almería, Spain
2004-2005: Research Fellow, Ramón y Cajal Programme (granted by MEC) and Programme for Returning Scientists, (granted by Junta de Andalucía), Experimental Station of Arid Zones (Spanish Council for Scientific Research), Almería, Spain.
2002-2003: Hired Research Staff, Experimental Station of Arid Zones (Spanish Council for Scientific Research), Almería, Spain.
1999-2001: Hired Research Staff, National Natural Sciences Museum (Spanish Council for Scientific Research), Madrid, Spain.
1997-1998: Post-doc Fellow (granted by MEC), Konrad Lorenz Institute for Ethology (Austrian Academy of Sciences), Vienna, Austria.
1993-1995: Assistant and Associated Professor, Department of Animal Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, Granada University (Granada, Spain) and Department of Animal and Vegetal Biology and Ecology, Jaén University (Jaén, Spain).
1992: Post-doc Fellow (granted by Granada University), Konrad Lorenz Institute for Ethology (Austrian Academy of Sciences), Vienna, Austria.
1992: PhD, Department of Animal Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, Granada University, Granada, Spain.
1988-1991: Pre-doc Fellow (granted by MEC), Department of Animal Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, Granada University, Granada, Spain.
1988: Degree in Biology, Granada University, Granada, Spain.
Behavioural and evolutionary biology with main focus on:
* Evolution and ecology of host-parasite interactions, with particular emphasis on parasite specialization.
I am interested in exploring this topic both from the host and the parasite’s point of view. I consider the proximate mechanisms regulating host-parasite interactions, like host health status and ecological factors such as host size and sociability. I also pay attention to relevant features of the natural history of the parasite that are noteworthy to understand host-parasite relationships (e.g. diapause and environmental factors that influence it). In cooperation with Dr. A. Barbosa I am studying the effect of climate change on parasite distribution and host-parasite relationships.
* Sexual selection, the evolution of secondary sexual characters and intersexual conflicts.
My main interests are:
- Evolution of secondary sexual characters on both male and females and mutual mate choice.
- The nest as a secondary sexual character.
- Intersexual conflict: mate and brood desertion, extra-pair paternity and related male and female strategies (paternity assurance strategies, manipulation of information, male coercive strategies such as aggresion and punishment).
- Influence of ecological factors on extra-pair paternity rates.
* Interspecific interactions and its implications for conservation.
I study the consequences of interspecific interactions in terms of conservation. Human activity (specially agricultural practices) is also considered in relation to its influence on diet, foraging behaviour and breeding biology of birds in agroecosystems and expansive and regressive processes of birds.
Specialization and Speciation in Host-Parasite Relationships: Synchronization of Life Cycles and Allochronic Isolation. 2006-2007 (Main researcher: F. Valera)
Phenotypic Variability and Patterns of Connection among Populations of the Trumpeter finch Bucanetes githagineus. 2006-2008 (Main researcher: Dr. E. Moreno, EEZA, CSIC).
Host-Parasite Interactions and Immune Response in Three Species of Antarctic Penguins: Effect of Global Climate Change I. 2006-2008. (Main researcher: Dr. A. Barbosa, EEZA, CSIC).
The relationship between courtship feeding, life-history and sexual selection in the European roller, Coracias garrulus. In cooperation with Dr. R. Václav (Slovak Academy of Sciences) and Dr. A. Barbosa (EEZA, CSIC).
Estudio de una especie de reciente colonización, Bucanetes githagineus, indicadora de zonas áridas: ecogenética, ecomorfología, ecofisiología e implicaciones para su conservación. (Main researcher: Dr. E. Moreno, EEZA, CSIC).
Biodiversity and Conservation in Arid Zones. (Main researcher: F. Valera).