Biogeography and Evolution of Plants and Ecosystems - BEPE

BEPE delves into the characterization of the biotic component that sustains Habitats on Earth. With a strong background on Natural History and Botanical Expertise, our group aims to describe and explore the magnificent diversity and evolutionary journeys of sessile organisms across space and time.

We employ a top-down approach dissecting the intricate relationships, from vast biomes and landscapes all the way down to genomes. Drawing upon the foundational pillars of Systematics and Plant development, we encompass the entire spectrum of life under The Shenzhen Code – Vascular Plants, the fascinating world of Fungi, and the diverse realm of Algae – not forgetting the vital Soil Microbial life beneath our feet. 

Our overarching goal is to empower Habitat Conservation and Restoration through the lens of Applied Biogeography. 

We are committed to unlock the eco-evolutionary processes by using sessile-living components of ecosystems as models, we generate critical knowledge that informs impactful conservation policies and actions. This knowledge enables us to address the "what," "when," and "how" of preserving the remarkable diversity encapsulated within our habitats.

We weave together the enduring legacy of classical taxonomy and vegetation ecology with the cutting-edge Genome Sequencing, Computational Modelling and GIS tools of today, to assess the evolutionary processes shaping species distribution ranges and aid in biodiversity conservation efforts in a nexus of Natural History, Biogeography, Functional Ecology and Ecological Modelling. 

Our primary focus lies within the circummediterranean habitats. Here, we adopt an integrative, multi-taxonomic approach. This approach is sustained by the breadth of classical botanical disciplines, including taxonomy, syntaxonomy, phytogeography, and the anatomy of both Phanerogams and Cryptogams. We seamlessly integrate these well-established disciplines with state-of-the-art molecular approaches, ensuring a comprehensive and robust approach.

1) Conservation and Evolution in Action: We champion the conservation and evolution of native Western Mediterranean forests, with a particular focus on oak-dominated landscapes. However, our commitment extends to all neighboring habitats, including riparian and aquatic ecosystems, xerophytic dry-adapted vegetation, and everything in between, forming a complete picture from rivers to mountaintops.

2) Revealing the Botanical Collections: We embark on captivating natural history research journeys, meticulously studying and reviewing museological botanical collections and their accompanying literature. Museomics and Herbariomics become our tools to investigate the fascinating botanical history of science and fuel evolutionary and taxonomic exploration of specific taxonomic groups. We have a particular dedication to Portuguese-speaking countries, fostering a deeper understanding of their unique botanical heritage.

3) Bridging the Gap Between Past and Present: We connect the study of evolutionary processes – like speciation, hybridization, and adaptation – with the established Linnaean system of taxonomy. Through this unified approach, we illuminate the historical biogeography of a vast array of organisms, from vascular plants to bryophytes, algae, fungi, and lichens.

4) A Window from the Past, and towards the Future: We strive to comprehend the dynamics of both natural and human-induced past events. This is achieved by the combination of archaeo and paleobotanical data, holding both micro and macrofossil remains. These findings are then woven together with reconstructions of past climates and environments, as well as future climate scenarios. This holistic approach allows us to assess species range fluctuations, turnover, and the key drivers that shape the systematics and biogeography of both present-day and fossil plants.

5) A Developmental Perspective on Plant Evolution: We integrate a developmental perspective into the reconstruction of plant morphological evolution. This is achieved by combining classical anatomical studies with cutting-edge molecular approaches, such as gene expression analysis. Additionally, we establish robust molecular and bioinformatic tools for the discovery, characterization, and monitoring of biodiversity across various levels, from entire communities to populations and individual organisms.

6) Understanding Species Interactions: We explore the intricate patterns of plant diversity, aiming to unravel the abiotic and biotic factors that shape the populations of endemic, threatened, and rare species. We focus on employing whole-community approaches to illuminate the critical role of species interactions in fostering and safeguarding the diversity of rare species.

7) Crisscrossing Vegetation Ecology with Alien Plants Invasions and the Emergence of Novel Ecosystems:  We confront the challenge of ecosystem invasions, focusing on recent alien plants introductions and meticulously untangling the taxonomy of complex groups. We further aim to unravel hostile invasive patterns by shedding light on the underlying abiotic and biotic factors that govern the emergence of novel ecosystems. Our approach to peri-urban ecosystems focuses the interaction of ornamental and native flora and its impact. We also strive to enhance public awareness by providing comprehensive information through Habitat characterization, assessment, and monitoring. 

Our goal is to become a national and international reference group in the field. Therefore, we are interested in establishing collaborations with research groups from other institutions and countries, but especially in close association with other BIOPOLIS research groups focused on plants as primary empirical study system. BEPE aims to address questions related to all realms of plant diversity and conservation, providing solid scientific hypotheses applicable across various areas of Plant Biology, including agrobiodiversity, wild crops, alien plants invasion and adaptation to abiotic stress. We are interested in theoretical and methodological research too, so we are open to collaborations on other organisms, especially those with low dispersal rates and analogous bio and phylogeographical patterns (e.g., insects and amphibians). In this sense, our aim is to foster a fruitful exchange of ideas and to optimize the use of the technical and intellectual resources of our Centre.