Periodic Reporting for period 2 - MAPAS (Mapping biodiversity cradles and graves)
Berichtszeitraum: 2022-06-01 bis 2023-11-30
Climate is tightly linked to life in our Planet. Species have specific climatic requirements, and these climatic requirements constraint their distributions. MAPAS project aims to close the gap between biogeography and palaeontology. We are running set of computational experiments to explore how niche requirements, dispersal, niche evolution and competitive exclusion can trigger speciation or extinction events. We aim to understand how species distributed across space and through time, and how past climatic changes constraint the evolutionary history of lineages.
Our work show how temperature can constraint the distribution and macroevolutionary pathways of animals. Among other things, we investigated how dinosaur distribution during the Mesozoic was mainly constraint by temperature (Chiarenza et al., 2021), how open access databases can allow us to incorporate new information on species occurrences (Galván et al, 2021), and how species specialization can promote speciation (Gamboa et al, 2022). Results from MAPAS project will allow us to predict how the ongoing climate change will affect current and future biodiversity, and how to define strategies to decrease impacts.
During the evaluated period (December 2020 - May 2023), we have published 19 papers and we have generated 3 different datasets: 1) on citizen science vs professional bird databases to work in macroecology (https://github.com/SofiaGalv/SpanishBirdDatabases 2) on population genetic diversity for a plant species https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.17708434.v1(öffnet in neuem Fenster) and 3) on plate tectonic models https://zenodo.org/record/7615203(öffnet in neuem Fenster). All together, we have participated in 66 outreach activities (the 56 most important ones recorded at the dissemination and output tab), 2 field expeditions for paleontological research (Spain and USA), 1 research stay at The University of Vienna, and 2 research visits to museums and collections (Italy and Austria). Our team members won 2 prizes at our research institution (Universidade de Vigo), 1 presentation prize at an international conference (USA), and 1 poster prize at a national conference (Spain). Apart from that, I am part of two equality committees, one at the Spanish Association of Ecology (AEET), and other at the Marine Research Centre of the Universidade de Vigo (CIM-UVigo).
During the evaluated period (December 2020 - May 2023), we have published 19 papers and we have generated 3 different datasets: 1) on citizen science vs professional bird databases to work in macroecology (https://github.com/SofiaGalv/SpanishBirdDatabases 2) on population genetic diversity for a plant species https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.17708434.v1(öffnet in neuem Fenster) and 3) on plate tectonic models https://zenodo.org/record/7615203(öffnet in neuem Fenster). All together, we have participated in 66 outreach activities (the 56 most important ones recorded at the dissemination and output tab), 2 field expeditions for paleontological research (Spain and USA), 1 research stay at The University of Vienna, and 2 research visits to museums and collections (Italy and Austria). Our team members won 2 prizes at our research institution (Universidade de Vigo), 1 presentation prize at an international conference (USA), and 1 poster prize at a national conference (Spain). Apart from that, I am part of two equality committees, one at the Spanish Association of Ecology (AEET), and other at the Marine Research Centre of the Universidade de Vigo (CIM-UVigo).
We mapped the biogeographic dynamics of dinosaurs during the Mesozoic for the first time, testing hypothesis on how temperature constraints are linked to the observed biogeographic and macro-evolutionary pathways. For the first time, we linked specialization with speciation, in a phylogenetic analysis, with cold-adapted species. Also, we quantified how Global Plate Model choice impacts reconstructions of the Earth’s continental surface using five different rotation models. Results from this methodological paper are expected to have a large impact in palaeontology and biogeography.
In 2023 and half 2024, we will be running theoretical experiments. Our expected outcomes include quantifying to which extent the geographic context of lineages constraint their evolutionary histories. Expected results include predicting the relative number of species a set of lineages, based on their traits, where they originated, and distribution and dynamic of 5 large climatic regions (cold, polar, temperate, tropical, arid). Finally, we plan to compare marine and continental biodiversity, to understand how land biodiversity accumulate more species than the oceans.
In 2023 and half 2024, we will be running theoretical experiments. Our expected outcomes include quantifying to which extent the geographic context of lineages constraint their evolutionary histories. Expected results include predicting the relative number of species a set of lineages, based on their traits, where they originated, and distribution and dynamic of 5 large climatic regions (cold, polar, temperate, tropical, arid). Finally, we plan to compare marine and continental biodiversity, to understand how land biodiversity accumulate more species than the oceans.