Evolutionary Ecology of Plant-Insect Interactions
Why plants?
Plants are the primary producers from which all energy flow in the trophic chain. Directly or indirectly, all organisms on this planet depend on plants.
Why insects?
Insects are the most biodiverse group of multicellular organisms in this planet, with an estimate of more than 2 million species! They fulfill essential ecological roles as predators, herbivores, pollinators, seed dispersers, etc.
Why interactions?
Interactions sustain ecosystem functioning and provide essential services like pollination and pest control, supporting human well-being and prosperity.
Summer 2025
The permanent exhibition “Plants Talk” was finally opened to the public as part of the Natural History Museum of University of Zurich! Link here
As the museum director pointed out during the inauguration, plants usually are not shown in natural history museums around the world, and this exhibition aimed at filling this gap, by showing to the public how fascinating plants are!
I am grateful to have been invited to be part of this exhibition and contribute to it. You’ll see my face if you go there!
Spring 2025
My recent New Phytologist paper was featured in a beautiful newspaper article in El País, the Spanish journal of record! It is very gratifying when journalists pick up our scientific work and present it in a unique and broad context that reaches non-specialist audiences.
In this journalistic piece, Miguel Ángel Criado discusses our findings within the broader context of plant honesty and cheating toward their pollinators. He also includes the perspectives of other experts in the field, such as Prof. José María Gómez from the Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas (EEZA-CSIC), Spain. Prof. Gómez notes that most research on honest signals has focused on animals (such as the signals males use to attract females), while much less work has been done on plants.
On the other hand, Prof. Florian Schiestl from the University of Zurich in Switzerland observes that floral honesty may be favored when flowers require multiple visits to achieve optimal fitness. In contrast, floral dishonesty may evolve when few visits suffice due to efficient pollination, or when resources for seed production are limited.
I truly appreciate such valuable insights and hope this article sparks curiosity in the fascinating world of plant–pollinator and plant–insect interactions!
here is the link: https://elpais.com/ciencia/2025-04-23/las-plantas-tambien-pueden-ser-deshonestas.html
New paper published at the New Phytologist!
Are plants honest to their pollinators about how much nectar they can find in a flower? Is such floral honesty heritable? Do pollinators prefer honest plants?
Together with my collaborators Karina Boege, César Dominguez, and Juan Fornoni from the Ecology Institute at UNAM, México, we show that floral honesty -given by the genetic correlation of flower size and sugar content in the plant Turnera velutina (Passifloraceae)- has a genetic basis. This means that floral honesty can be inherited, and because pollinators prefer honest plants, honesty can evolve via pollinator-mediated selection.
In the picture, from left to right, César Dominguez, Sergio Ramos and Juan Fornoni happily celebrating the publication. Unfortunately, Karina Boege could not join.
Check out the full paper here: https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nph.70043
Evolutionary Ecology of Plant-Insect Interactions 