In the mid 1990’s, several researchers originally affiliated at the Applied Biology
Department of EBD started to ask themselves about the role of carotenoid pigments
in avian communication, as these substances were very prevalent in colourful ornaments,
and also seemed to be important physiological modulators.
Lacking appropriate equipment at EBD, the first analyses were carried out in external
laboratories.
A few years later, other researchers from the Evolutionary Ecology Department became
interested in analysing natural variation in the chemical composition of different
plant tissues, with an emphasis in secondary compounds and sugars. They were aimed
at studying the influence of those variations on the interactions of plants with
herbivores, pollinators and seed dispersers.
This emerging interest in chemical analyses, coming concurrently from two research
Departments at EBD and requiring similar equipment, resulted in the creation of
the Laboratory of Chemical Ecology (LEQ) in 2004.
The lab is currently specialised in liquid chromatographic analyses (HPLC). From
a very modest beginning (running just an old-fashioned spectrophotometer shared
with the Molecular Ecology Lab), we have grown to a slightly more respectable facility
that provides access to a wider range of analytical tools to accomplish the research
objectives of several projects and Research Lines at EBD. Nowadays, we analyse nectar
sugars, plant coumarins, bird carotenoids, and also bird melanins, for which we
have contributed to develop and patent -along with other CSIC researchers- a novel
extraction and quantification method. This patent is, by the way, the first ever
registered by an EDB scientist.
Head Scientists: Juan José Negro y Conchita
Alonso
Head Technician: Isabel María García Jiménez
Technician: Rosario Quintero
Equipment:
HPLC System with UV-vis detector. Rotary evaporator with vacuum pump and thermostatic bath. Ultrasonic bath. Portable spectrometer for measuring colour on surfaces (i.e.,
plumage or skin). UV-vis scanning spectrophotometer.