Overview

Qualifications

2001: PhD Biology, University of Oviedo, Spain). 

1996: MSc Biology, University of Oviedo, Spain).

1991: BSc Biology, University of Oviedo (Spain).

Career

2012-present: Postdoctoral researcher. College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of
Exeter (UK).

2011-2012: Postdoctoral researcher. Departamento de Biología de Organismos y Sistemas. Universidad de Oviedo (Spain).

2004-2011: Postdoctoral researcher. College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of
Exeter (UK).

2002‐2004: Postdoctoral researcher. Behavioural Ecology Group. School of Biosciences,
University of Leeds (UK).

1996‐2001: PhD fellowship. Área de Zoología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Oviedo (Spain).

1993‐1996: INDUROT, Universidad de Oviedo (Spain).

1991‐1993: Environmental consultancy, Ecoplan (Spain).

Links

• Educational website on cricket research
• See publications in Google Scholar
• Long-term project on cricket evolution in the wild

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Research

Research interests

Sexual Selection: I am interested on the wide diversity of processes influencing individual fitness within the scope of sexual selection: indicator traits, mate choice, polyandrous behaviour, pre and post-reproductive barriers, etc.

Conservation Biology: Species conservation relies on an accurate understanding of the causes of decline of endangered populations. I am particularly interested on the development and implementation of general methods to assess the sources of decline of threatened populations and on the application of the acquired knowledge into practical conservation actions.

Nature Conservation Policies: Nature conservation and sustainable development are two key targets of the European Union environmental policy. However, management actions depend usually on regional and local decisions that are generally not under the control of higher rank institutions. I am interested on evaluating the effectiveness of the European environmental legislation and the existence of the Nature 2000 network on the preservation of the European natural heritage.

Research projects

Evolution and behaviour in wild field crickets
Over the last twelve years, I have been working as a postdoctoral researcher in collaboration with Tom Tregenza, Paul Hopwood and Jon Slate, in a series of projects funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) are the basis of what has become the WildCrickets project. Combining a powerful method for behavioural monitoring with the genetic determination of individual relatedness, we are producing a detailed data-set to study behaviour and to test many of the key hypotheses on natural and sexual selection in a wild population of Gryllus campestris.

Conservation genetics of the Cantabrian Capercaillie
The Cantabrian Range, in North Spain, holds the Southernmost capercaillie population in Europe, and the only living in pure deciduous forests at present. In collaboration with Patricia Mirol, Maria José Bañuelos and Mario Quevedo, we are using non-invasive sampling techniques to help clarifying the taxonomic status of the Cantabrian capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus cantabricus), and to assess the role of population genetics on the dramatic decline suffered by this population during the last 30 years.

Research networks

Tom Tregenza (University of Exeter, UK)
Paul Hopwood (University of Exeter, UK)

Jelle Boonekamp (University of Exeter, UK)

David Fisher (University of Guelph, Canada)
Mariajo Bañuelos (INDUROT, Spain)
Mario Quevedo (University of Oviedo, Spain)
Alfredo Ojanguren (University of Oviedo, Spain)

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Publications

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Supervision / Group

Postgraduate researchers

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