Vicente
García-Navas
I am an ecologist and I am interested in the evolutionary and ecological processes that determine patterns of diversification and of phenotypic and life-cycle variation in nature. My research lies at the interface between evolution and ecology. My work examines how historical, phylogenetic and spatial patterns of ecomorphological and lineage diversity are influenced by biotic and abiotic factors and by the interaction between them. Consequently, some of the questions I seek to address through my work are: why do some groups exhibit such exuberant ecological and morphological diversity, why many others do not display such remarkable diversity or show less success in colonising environments, why some biogeographical regions harbour greater diversity than others, what role niche conservatism plays in shaping distribution patterns, and how ecological opportunity influences rates of speciation, extinction and morphological diversification in vertebrates.
My research may help to identify those sites or environments that harbour unique biological communities, as well as those species or clades that exhibit unique functional traits and/or have a significant effect on the environment or other species, and their consequent implications for management and conservation.
