PROYECTOS DE INVESTIGACIÓN/RESEARCH PROJECTS
Studying and classifying flowering plants in arid and semi-arid regions not only advances scientific knowledge but also supports local biodiversity conservation. Our research focuses on the taxonomy of angiosperms in the northern Yucatán Peninsula. Through a systematic approach, we strive to identify and document the most important species, highlighting their remarkable adaptations to the region’s extreme climatic conditions.
Plant systematics and floristics of the northern Yucatan peninsula
Ecological patterns in plant communities
Understanding what shapes plant communities is a central challenge in ecology. Our research explores how both predictable (deterministic) and random (stochastic) factors influence the phylogenetic structure of these communities, and how plant traits drive interactions with their neighbors.
We focus on the coastal plant communities of the Yucatán Peninsula, where extreme environmental conditions test the resilience and adaptability of plant life.
Phylogeography and evolution of desert plants
The Chihuahuan Desert is recognized as a hotspot of endemic species and a center of origin for modern desert biota. Historical events, such as the uplift of mountain ranges and climatic fluctuations, have created both physical and ecological barriers that limit gene flow among the plants and animals inhabiting this desert. Our research aims to understand the processes shaping the geographic patterns of genetic variation and to predict how ongoing global climate change may affect plant distributions within Chihuahuan Desert habitats.
The orchid family is one of the largest families of the flowering plant, which is characterized by a high diversity of life forms and colorful flowers. We are interested in investigating how the climatic conditions changes have influenced the niche evolution of tropical orchids of the tribe Epidendreae, mainly those distributed in the dry forests as Barkeria and Bletiinae members.