From 17 Apr 2026 until 19 Apr 2026 - Cineteatro de Mértola, Mértola, Portugal
It is a pleasure to announce the second edition of Mértola Evolution Conferences (MECs), which will occur in the Spring at the beautiful historical town of Mértola, Southern Portugal.
Mértola Conferences aim to bring researchers and students from all over the world to discuss cutting-edge studies in biology focusing on evolution (each year a specific topic), fostering new ideas and collaborations. Mértola Conferences are promoted by EBM – Biological Station of Mértola, in collaboration with the Faculty of Sciences and CIBIO-BIOPOLIS from the University of Porto, and other national and international institutions.
Mértola is located in the Southeast Alentejo region of Portugal, near the Spanish border, crossed by the Guadiana River and in the center of the Natural Park of Guadiana Valley. It is a biodiversity hotspot - a prime Mediterranean ecosystem. The antiquity of Mértola is attested by the many archaeological remains that prove the continuous human occupation of this territory. The first traces of human presence date back to the Neolithic period, five thousand years ago, with different civilizations, like Iberians, Phoenicians, Greeks and Carthaginians represented. More information here.
The MEC 2026 edition, entitled "Natural Selection in the Wild”, is focused on research on adaptation, where we revisit the title of the influential book by John Endler published in 1986 under
Among other participants, MEC 2026 is pleased to announce the following prominent speakers in evolutionary biology:
Rosemary Gillespie (University of California, Berkeley, USA)
Jeremy Searle (Cornell University, USA)
Matthew P. Hare (Cornell University, USA)
Silvia Matesanz García (Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Spain)
Jose Melo-Ferreira (University of Porto, Portugal)
Sofia Gabriel (CE3C, FCUL, University of Lisbon, Portugal)
See you in Mértola !!!
PROGRAM
DAY 1, Friday 17 April
Chair: Paulo C Alves
14:00-14:30 – Opening Ceremony
14:30-15:30 – PLENARY: Rosemary Gillespie - "From Colonizer to Endemic: Evolution of Island Communities Under Siege”
15:30-16:00 – Coffee Break
16:00-16:45 – PLENARY: Jeremy Searle - "Climate and climate change and its selective impact: a case study”
16:45-17:05 – Contributed Talk 1: Cheng Ma - "On the origin of Baltic herring by means of natural selection”
17:30-19:30 – Visit to Mértola historical town, including Castle and Archaeological Camp
FREE TIME FOR DINNER
DAY 2, Saturday 18 April
Chair: Rui Faria
09:30-10:30 – PLENARY: Silvia Matesanz García -"Adaptive evolution and phenotypic plasticity on Mediterranean gypsum endemics: insights into climate change response”
10:30-10:55 – Contributed Talk 2: Joel M. Alves – "Natural selection favours ginger rabbits in the red dunes of the Australian desert”
10:55-11:15 – Coffee Break
11:15-12:15 – PLENARY: José Melo-Ferreira - "Natural selection for seasonal camouflage in hares and weasels”
12:15-14:00 – FREE TIME FOR LUNCH
Chair: Jeremy Searle
14:00-14:45 - PLENARY: Matthew Hare - "Genomic footprints of within-generation selection due to acute stress at an oysters' range edge”
14:45-15:05 – Contributed Talk 3: Menno de Jong – "Are outlier loci truly under selection? Insights from a SNP data meta-analysis”
15:05-15.25 – Contributed Talk 4: Lars Poorthuis – "A statistical proposal on how to study the environmental causes of natural selection”
16:15-17:00 – PLENARY: Sofia Gabriel - "Genetically mediated rodenticide resistance in pest mice and rats impacts on wildlife predators”
17:00-17:20 – Contributed Talk 6: Abosede Olarewaju – "Genome-wide association of host susceptibility to helminth and blood pathogens in spatially structured wild Rodent populations”
17:20-17:40 – Contributed Talk 7: Lurdes Gomes – "Same but different: latitudinal variation in worm
pipefish phenotype has no clear genomic signature”
17:40 – Closing
18:30-19:30 – Visit to the EBM – Biological Station of Mértola
19:30 – Conference Dinner at EBM – Biological Station of Mértola
DAY 3, Sunday 19 April
Birdwatching excursion – all day, details to be announced (LIMITED, need pre-registration for defining transportation)
