Research lines

Mechanisms of evolutionary change and adaptation encompass a broad and interdisciplinary field within evolutionary biology, integrating multiple research areas such as ecological genetics, gene expression regulation in natural environments, ecological epigenetics, environmentally induced developmental modifications, ecophysiology, experimental evolution, and both genetic and non-genetic transgenerational inheritance mechanisms. Through ecological genetics we investigate how genetic variation interacts with environmental factors to drive evolutionary processes in natural populations, often through selection and resulting in adaptive divergence among populations. Further, we study the regulation of gene expression in ecological contexts, revealing how organisms modulate phenotypic traits in response to fluctuating environmental conditions, manifesting phenotypic plasticity. Ecological epigenetics then tries to elucidate how such changes in gene expression may be at least partially heritable, even if independent of alterations in the primary DNA structure, and how this may impact the evolutionary dynamics.

Within this research line we can also make use of experimental evolution to observe evolutionary change over generational timescales under controlled environmental conditions, offering insights into the mechanisms of adaptation. Experimental evolution is also contributing to the study of transgenerational inheritance, encompassing both genetic transmission and non-genetic elements, assessing the extent to which adaptive traits and environmentally induced modifications can be passed from one generation to the next. Collectively, studying mechanisms of evolutionary change requires highly integrative approaches combining fieldwork with experimental approaches, comparative standardized methodologies and the implementation of genomic tools.

The Evolutionary Patterns and Processes line integrates landscape genetics, biogeography, macroevolution, and behavioural ecology to understand how biological diversity and patterns of variation arise and are maintained across space and time. A central focus is the study of species radiations and their biogeographic history. The team investigates the diversification of Cataglyphis desert ants across the Iberian Peninsula and North Africa, revealing how geological events such as the Messinian Salinity Crisis have shaped phylogenetic structure and geographic distribution.

At a broader geographic scale, the line includes research on the phylogenies and biogeographic patterns of small mammals across Sundaland (Southeast Asia), a region of exceptional diversity where fluctuating sea levels and island configurations have driven complex patterns of speciation and faunal exchange. The BURSTS project further extends this macroevolutionary perspective by merging comparative and community phylogenetic approaches to explore links between ecological processes and evolutionary radiations in the New World across both deep-time and observable timescales. Landscape genetics and conservation genomics form another cornerstone of the line, with studies on genetic connectivity, gene flow, and local adaptation in iconic species including the Iberian wolf, Iberian lynx, and bearded vulture.

The line also encompasses behavioural ecology and ethology, examining how individual and social behaviours shape fitness and evolutionary trajectories across taxa. To address these questions, the team deploys a broad methodological toolkit spanning long-term fieldwork, genomics and phylogenomics, stable isotope analyses, laboratory and field-based experiments, and biogeographic and phylogenetic modelling.

The “Ecology of Populations and Conservation of Endangered Species” research line at the Doñana Biological Station (EBD-CSIC) seeks to advance the mechanistic understanding of population dynamics while providing the scientific basis for the conservation and management of threatened species. Combining long-term ecological studies with approaches from movement ecology, functional ecology, ecophysiology, and conservation genomics, this research line has generated knowledge that supports evidence-based conservation and policy decisions.

A strong commitment to applied research and knowledge transfer underpins all activities within this line. Long-term studies at EBD-CSIC have been central to understanding how individual behaviour, environmental conditions, and demographic processes shape population dynamics. Studies of migratory birds have provided unique insights into the ecological and evolutionary mechanisms underlying migration, survival, and population persistence. An important component of this research has focused on insular and highly unpredictable systems.

This research line has also played a fundamental role in providing science-based support to regional, national, and international institutions in the management of endangered species such as the Iberian lynx, the Spanish imperial eagle, and the marbled teal. Research in conservation genomics has improved understanding of genetic erosion, inbreeding, demographic history, and adaptive potential in threatened populations, providing critical guidance for population management.

This research line has also addressed the conservation of species that perform key ecological functions. Long-standing work on scavenger ecology has advanced understanding of the role of vultures and facultative scavengers in ecosystem functioning while informing policy on issues such as carcass management, poisoning, veterinary pharmaceuticals, and human–wildlife interactions. Studies of large carnivore populations have made major contributions to understanding the covariates of human-wildlife conflicts and developing strategies to minimize them. The conservation of aquatic species represents another major area of activity. Long-term studies on sea turtles combine research, monitoring, and citizen science to improve understanding of population connectivity, reproductive ecology, and emerging conservation challenges associated with changing environmental conditions. Additional research investigates the ecology of marine predators and the effects of fisheries on polar ecosystems. Historical ecology has also contributed to identifying factors associated with the decline of populations of critically endangered fish species.

By linking fundamental ecological processes with practical conservation solutions, this research line contributes to the recovery of endangered species, the maintenance of ecosystem functions, and the development of effective biodiversity conservation strategies in the face of global change.

This research line examines how biotic interactions across multiple scales—from molecular and within‑individual processes to populations and complex communities—shape the stability, functioning, and evolution of ecosystems, with a strong empirical and theoretical focus on Doñana and other Mediterranean landscapes, as well as in tropical areas. We focus on plant–animal–microbe interactions, including pollination, seed dispersal, herbivory, host–parasite and host–pathogen dynamics, intra‑guild predation, conspecific interactions, and plant–plant and animal–animal competition and facilitation.

At the community scale, we analyse assembly and coevolutionary processes, the structure of complex interaction networks and food webs, and how defaunation, habitat change, and species invasions drive interaction loss, rewiring, cascading effects, and the resilience of interaction assemblages.

At the population scale, we quantify dispersal processes, seed and pollen flow, and reproductive success as explicit outcomes of interactions, using effectiveness frameworks (e.g. seed dispersal and resource provisioning effectiveness) that integrate quantitative and qualitative components, as well as links between pathogen load, body condition, and fitness.

 At the individual and within‑individual scales, we study intra‑specific interactions in social organisms, patterns of phenotypic variability, among‑individual variation in resource use and interaction outcomes, movement ecology, and epigenetic signatures associated with long‑term variation in interaction regimes.

Our study systems encompass higher plants; arthropods, birds, amphibians, and mammals; fungi and yeasts; and microbiome pathogens and other host–symbiont systems. Methodologically, we combine network theory and other theoretical models with detailed fieldwork, molecular genetics and epigenetics, omics tools, chemical and microbiological analyses, and large‑scale automatic sampling at individual and community levels. We generate multi‑method, open datasets on interaction networks (e.g., wild bee–flower and plant–frugivore interaction networks in Doñana) to enable long‑term monitoring and comparative analyses.

Future challenges include quantifying cascading effects and keystone interactions, improving assessments of network resilience, leveraging historical records, and applying next‑generation omics and high‑throughput sampling to interaction biodiversity monitoring.

The “Global Change and Biodiversity conservation” line of research of Doñana Biological Station - CSIC employs a multidisciplinary approach to study the connections between anthropogenic change, its impact on biodiversity and the conservation strategies adopted to manage such impact.

This extremely broad research line incorporates research groups that: (1) examine and forecast the demographic impact of global change on threatened species, populations and assemblages; (2) analyze macroscale patterns in ecosystem functioning, conservation biogeography and biodiversity impacts and threats; and (3) evaluate the effectiveness of biodiversity conservation, such as the efficacy of protected areas, ecological management and restoration, including rewilding and adaptive management.

The studies conducted at the institute tackle an extremely wide number of anthropogenic threats. These range from large-scale drivers, such as climate change, chemical contamination, biological invasions, infectious diseases and habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation, to more localized factors affecting a more restricted range of species, such as wildlife harvest, human-wildlife conflicts, the pet trade, electrocution, or wind-farm and traffic collisions.

The study systems cover all continents and most bioregions and ecosystems, from arctic to tropical and from forested, to aquatic to urban. The target taxa range widely, from plants (especially invasive and crop species), to invertebrates (especially pollinators, vectors of infectious diseases and invasive species), to all major vertebrate groups of fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, including humans.

Overall, this line of research integrates elements of biogeography, demography, genetics, ecophysiology, landscape ecology and conservation biology to provide society with solutions improving the resilience of biodiversity to growing anthropogenic impacts.

The One Health and Biodiversity research line at the Doñana Biological Station (EBD-CSIC), adopts an integrative approach to understanding the links between human, animal, and environmental health. In a global context where around 75% of emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic and closely tied to ecosystem health, this research focuses on uncovering the ecological and evolutionary mechanisms underlying disease emergence, transmission, and persistence.

This line combines studies on different pathogens (both vector-borne and directly transmitted), vectors (particularly blood-feeding insects such as mosquitoes), and hosts (notably birds and bats), and their interactions with the environment. Key processes include transmission dynamics, host–parasite coevolution, and the influence of environmental factors, such as climate change and urbanization, on disease spread.

Research covers important pathogens including West Nile virus, avian influenza, rabies, and other zoonotic agents, as well as the interactions between the microbiota, temperature and disease transmission. In parallel, a strong focus is placed on environmental toxicology, addressing emerging pollutants such as heavy metals, plastics, and antibiotics. Research examines their sources, distribution, dispersal pathways, and impacts on biodiversity, particularly in aquatic ecosystems.

The approach integrates advanced tools such as genomics, molecular ecology, and epidemiological modelling, alongside surveillance programs and knowledge transfer activities. Overall, this research line aims to improve the prediction, prevention, and control of infectious diseases, contributing to public health strategies and biodiversity conservation within a One Health framework.

In the context of rapid anthropogenic global change, the research line “Human Societies and Biodiversity” at the Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC) examines human–nature relationships to inform biodiversity management. This research is strongly applied and closely linked to decision-making and policy design. Spanning temporal scales from past to present, and organisational levels from species to landscapes, we investigate how these relationships are shaped, perceived, and valued, and how they may be restored to support biodiversity conservation and human well-being. Through historical ecology, we analyse how human perceptions and interests have driven species use, decline, and biological invasions, while reconstructing past species distributions and ecosystem states. By assessing the ecological and economic impacts of invasive species, alongside their effects on human well-being and their invasion potential, we contribute to improved prioritisation and management strategies. Addressing climate change as a key driver of global change, we quantify both direct and ecosystem-mediated effects on human health, as well as evaluate the effectiveness of heat–health action plans and early warning systems. At the landscape scale, we employ spatial modelling to examine connectivity between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, assess ecological status, and identify conservation priorities that guide restoration and protection efforts. Restoration strategies are supported and evaluated across natural and agricultural systems within adaptive management frameworks, emphasising participatory design and implementation. Social–ecological approaches underpin long-term monitoring and the facilitation of agroecological transitions in the Doñana region and beyond. This research integrates diverse data sources, including historical documents and paintings, surveys, interviews, deliberative processes (e.g. Living Labs), mental models, satellite imagery, and large-scale health and socio-economic datasets.

The "Theoretical and Computational Ecology" research line at the Doñana Biological Station (EBD-CSIC), brings together a diverse group of researchers interested in mathematical models, statistical approaches, field studies, and the synthesis of large databases. Their research encompasses a range of topics, from evolutionary to ecological, with the main unifying factor being the role of biotic interactions in the origin and maintenance of biodiversity.

The approaches are highly varied and include digital evolution to understand the prevalence and control of genes that can lead to diseases; the role of macroevolution in understanding interaction processes between species in stressful environments; the determinants of the stability of ecological communities under common environmental fluctuations in stochastic environments such as the Mediterranean; and finally, the construction of more refined models that can be used to predict future dynamics of species and ecosystems within a context of global change.

The research conducted within this group includes advanced modelling tools, the use of supercomputing clusters, long-time series sampling for inferring ecological processes in protected and agricultural systems, and the development of new theoretical concepts applicable to both competitive and mutualistic systems.

Collectively, this line of research contributes to a greater mechanistic understanding of the basic processes operating within ecological communities, largely considering the evolutionary and macroevolutionary context to predict the dynamics of agents at the level of genes, genotypes, populations, ecological communities, and sets of evolutionary lineages with a shared past.