AN INTEGRATIVE APPROACH TO THE STUDY OF SPECIATION IN IBERIAN AMPHIBIANS

How do species originate? We know quite a bit about speciation mechanisms in a few model species but very little about the larger majority of them. However, for some groups we are rapidly accumulating information about phylogenetic relationships and geographic patterns of intraspecific diversity, which, at least in groups where allopatric speciation is the norm, are prerequisites for understanding the process of species formation. In this talk I will review the current knowledge about the evolutionary history of Iberian amphibians, including new results of ongoing studies, and discuss the potential of integrating demographic and landscape genetic studies to provide new insights into an old problem.

Iñigo Martínez-Solano has recently joined CIBIO for a two-year postdoc. His major research interests include molecular systematics, phylogeography and conservation genetics of amphibians.

Image credits: Iñigo Martínez-Solano