Senior Lecturer

My research focuses on the interplay between behavioral, evolutionary and population ecology under the umbrella of biodiversity conservation. I investigate the role played by variation in genetic and phenotypic correlated traits and its relation to plasticity in the way in which organisms interact among each other and cope with environmental changes. I am also fascinated by discrete phenotypic polymorphisms, i.e. plumage color polymorphisms, their adaptive functions and selection underpinnings in natural populations. Genetic color polymorphism often correlates with many other life-history traits, which bring together my field of interest. I combine diverse methods, ranging from behavioral observation to using individual-based data, experiments, long-term population and genetic analyses, richly garnished with loads of fieldwork. Although I work with different organisms, birds have always interested me in a special way. In recent years my main study system is the Eleonora’s falcon population breeding on the Canary Islands.

Teaching

Having just landed on this new stage in my professional life, at the moment my teaching activity in the Degree in Biology focuses on the subject of Experimental Biology, at the laboratory practice level. In postgraduate studies, I participate in the Evolution of Behavior course of the Master in Zoology. In particular, I participate in the thematic blocks 1) sexual selection and ecology of reproductive behavior and 2) evolution of social behavior. I believe that quality teaching is essential to stimulate new restless minds that will take over in future actions and decisions about the functioning of our planet. I hope to be able to pass on everything that I have been able to learn during my career –and I continue to learn every day- and my passion for biology and, at the same time, I am confident that I will learn from the new visions and ideas that students can contribute. I love to discuss theoretical aspects and explore the paths of new concepts and case studies in a dynamic and, above all, interactive way.