VERTEBRATE GENOMICS AND BIODIVERSITY

We use molecular tools to study the processes that have produced the impressive vertebrate diversity of Mesoamerica and we use this species diversity to answer evolutionary questions. Additionally, we try to apply the results of evolutionary and ecological studies of Mesoamerican vertebrates to promote their conservation.
Lab projects currently use Neotropical lungless salamanders as a biological model, but we are open to working with other vertebrates.

Research lines:

• Salamander speciation in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt: in this project, we use thousands of genetic markers generated by transcriptome sequencing to test geographic and demographic hypotheses from the formation of Pseudoeurycea. salamander species.
• Microbiomes of salamanders of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt: we use massive amplicon sequencing to characterize bacterial and fungal diversity present in the salamander skin. Also, we investigate which factors (evolutionary history, environment, geographic space) have a major impact on the microbiome composition between sites and salamander species.
• Bacterial and fungal microbiomes of cave-dwelling salamanders of Mexico: we characterize the microbiome of cave-dwelling Mexican salamanders with genomic and metagenomic tools and will look for bacteria with antifungal properties that could protect amphibians against outbreaks of fungal diseases.

Recent projects:

• “Speciation and evolution modes of salamanders and their cutaneous microbiome in volcanic mountain ranges of Mesoamerica”. SEP – CONACYT – Basic Science no. 221614 (2015-2018).
• “Development of a conservation strategy against infectious fungal diseases through the characterization and use of the salamanders’ skin microbiome”. CONACYT – National Problems Attention no. 2250-6 (2017-2018).
• “Speciation genomics in terrestrial vertebrates from the Revillagigedo Islands”. UC Mexus – CONACYT (2017-2018).

Most relevant publications:

• 1. Testing models of refugial isolation, colonization and population connectivity in two species of montane salamanders. Heredity 119: 265–274. 2017.
• 2. The geography of speciation in neotropical salamanders. Herpetologica 73: 229–241. 2017.
• 3. Biology of tiny animals: three new species of minute salamanders (Plethodontidae: Thorius) from Oaxaca, Mexico. PeerJ 4:e2694. 2016.
• 4. Neotropical plethodontid biogeography: insights from molecular phylogenies. Copeia 104: 222–232. 2016.
• 5. Diversification and biogeographic history of Neotropical plethodontid salamanders. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 175: 167–188, 2015.

Recent publications:

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