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Biodiversity and evolution through bioinformatics

Basic information

Why is it important to know what species are on the planet and how they have evolved throughout history? The first life forms originated almost 4 billion years ago. Since then, and surviving several mass extinctions, a huge diversity of organisms has been generated, of which only about 2 million species have been catalogued. Currently, we are in the midst of a major biodiversity crisis where the rate of extinction is about a thousand times greater than that of natural causes. In this project we learn about biodiversity and the evolutionary processes that generate and maintain it over time, the genetic structure of the species and their ability to adapt to the environment, vital aspects in order to preserve the planet's wealth and ensure its future, and ours.

 

Dates: 23 June - 5 July 2020

Location: MónNatura Pirineus

What will you learn?

According to many scientists, environmental pressure on humans has triggered the sixth major extinction. This, coupled with the lack of experts and the current political and economic situation, make it difficult to discover and describe the 10 million species that are estimated to inhabit the Earth before they completely disappear. In this project we work the bases of the evolution and of the genetics from a theoretical, functional and conservationist point of view, emphasising the genetic and morphological particularities that allow us to differentiate and to analyse the different organisms.

During this process, you will obtain the knowledge and tools needed to design and develop your own research. You will learn how to identify organisms in situ, in the vicinity of the MónNatura Pirineus centre, using the latest molecular biology tools to extract and sequence the DNA of the samples obtained, as well as cutting edge technology and computational tools to be able to analyse them. Through fieldwork and lab experiments, you can validate, from a genetic point of view, the identification you had previously made using bioinformatics methods. Who knows, maybe there will be a few surprises! If we find a new species, we will have to name it, so think about what you would call it!

All the concepts are explained through case studies, the project also includes scientific discussions and challenges about biodiversity and evolution in order to stimulate the critical spirit and your passion for science.

Research team

Project led by researchers of the Animal Biodiversity and Evolution Programme of the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE) of Barcelona, a mixed centre of the Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), of the Research Institute for Insect Biology (IRBI) (CNRS-University of Tours) in France and the University of Washington, (United States). Project developed in Spanish and Catalan.

 

 

Roger Anglada

PICTOR
Roger is a Senior Analyst and Senior Research Support Technician at the Genomics Department at Pompeu Fabra University, where he has worked since 2002. He is responsible for equipment and apparatus, capillary electrophoresis sequencers, maintenance and quality control, sample processing and results analysis, as well as pre- and post-project advice to users. He has co-authored a number of scientific publications since 2002, as well as giving talks and teaching at Pompeu Fabra University, participating in the Teachers and Science Programme at the Catalunya La Pedrera Foundation, and taking part in the ESCOLAB project for ESO and Baccalaureate students.

Bernat Burriel

PICTO
Bernat holds a degree in Environmental Biology from the Autonomous University of Barcelona and a Master’s in Biodiversity from the University of Barcelona. His final thesis, completed at the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-UPF), ended with the publication of an atlas of reptiles found in the United Arab Emirates. He is currently pursuing a doctorate at the same institute, where he is researching the different patterns of colonisation and diversification of reptile species that inhabit mountains in arid areas, using phylogenetic and biogeographic analyses. In addition to his research, he combined his studies with complementary education in the field of leisure and environmental education, which has allowed him to work on different outreach projects. He was in charge of coordinating outreach activities at the Science Dissemination Observatory at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, and he directed several scientific outreach activities himself, including talks, courses, exhibitions and leisure activities.

Joan Garcia-Porta

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Joan holds a degree in Biology from the Autonomous University of Barcelona and a doctorate from the University of Barcelona. His dissertation, which he completed at the Institute for Evolutionary Biology (CSIC - UPF), researches processes to generate biodiversity in island-continent systems and awarded him the extraordinary doctoral prize. After a post-doctoral contract at the 'Institute for Evolutionary Biology' he went on to work at the University of New South Wales (Australia) and then returned to Barcelona as a 'Juan de la Cierva' researcher at CREAF (UAB). He is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Washington (USA) where he studies, among other topics, the ecological and evolutionary factors that explain the wide variation in brain sizes in birds. In terms of teaching, he has worked as a visiting professor at the University of Barcelona, the Autonomous University of Barcelona and the Complutense University of Madrid.

Natàlia Pérez-Ruiz

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Natàlia has a degree in Biology from the Autonomous University of Barcelona and a Master's in Biodiversity Management from the University of Barcelona. She is a bird banding scientist with an extensive research career at the Catalan Ornithological Institute (ICO). She has worked on a number of national and international research projects, including stints at the Ayrshire Rivers Trust (UK), the Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich (LMU), and the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology (MPIO) in Seewiesen (Germany). Natàlia is currently collaborating on a number of bird monitoring projects, including the Monitoring of Common Birds in Catalonia (SOCC) and the New Atlas of Nesting Birds in Catalonia, among other projects.

Marina Querejeta

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Marina studied biology at the University of Oviedo and the University of Hanover. Her first job as a biologist was at a European mink reintroduction project in Saar Hunsrück in Germany, where her passion for biodiversity and conservation was born. She then studied a Master's in Conservation Biology in Madrid and a Master's in Teaching at the University of Oviedo. She went on to receive a PhD in Genetics, submitting a project on evolutionary history and the relationships between Iberian mammals such as the Pyrenean desman and the water shrew. In addition, she has worked on scientific outreach events and congresses such as the Iberian Congress of Animal Systematics (CISA) where he received an award for best oral presentation. She has worked at the Bavarian State Zoological Collection (ZSM). She is currently working as a postdoctorate researcher at the Institute for Research in Insect Biology (IRBI), in Tours (France).

Marc Simó

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Marc holds a Biology degree from the University of Barcelona, ​​where he was awarded an extraordinary award. He later completed his Master's in Biodiversity, carrying out his Final Project at the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-UPF), where he completed his PhD thesis with Pompeu Fabra University and where he worked as a postdoctoral researcher. His field of research focuses on systematics, biogeography and evolution, while applying phylogenetic analyses to explain the evolutionary processes that have led to the current range of reptiles that are extremely well adapted to the most arid regions on earth. He has carried out extensive fieldwork on reptile conservation in Arabia, where he gained much of his experience in wildlife identification and wildlife management, and which has allowed him to make formal descriptions of several species of reptiles. He currently co-directs numerous final dissertations and Master’s theses, and is on the teaching faculty of a number of university and postgraduate courses, as well as actively participating in a range of scientific outreach activities, including talks, courses and exhibitions.

Collaborating entities

Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (IBE)
Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE)
Collaborating entities
Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (IBE)
Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE)

The Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE) is a joint research centre between Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) that was founded in 2008. The IBE's research focuses on the processes and mechanisms that generate biodiversity. The topics it covers include genetic and molecular evolution, population biology, complex systems biology and the retrieval of ancient DNA. The IBE is the only research centre in Catalonia and Spain that focuses entirely on evolutionary biology, and it is a leading centre in the field in Southern Europe. The IBE employs around thirty people, who work in the neighbouring buildings of the Biomedical Research Park (PRBB) and the Mediterranean Centre for Marine and Environmental Research (CMIMA).

Washington
University of Washington in St. Louis
Collaborating entities
Washington
University of Washington in St. Louis

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