Person:
Mairal Pisa, Mario José

First Name

Mario José

Last Name

Mairal Pisa

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/74400

Affiliation

Universidad Complutense de Madrid

Faculty / Institute

Ciencias Biológicas

Department

Biodiversidad, Ecología y Evolución

Area

Botánica

Identifiers

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 18

Project number: 10
Materiales para la comprensión y conservación de la biodiversidad olvidada de los bosques ibéricos
(2024) Mairal Pisa, Mario José; Vila Viçosa, Carlos; Molino De Miguel, Sonia; Rubiales Jiménez, Juan Manuel; Sánchez Hernández, Héctor; Medina Bujalance, Rafael; Santos Rivilla, Guillermo; Aguado Lara, Ángela; López Teixido, Alberto
El proyecto tuvo como objetivo principal reconectar la sociedad con el medio ambiente, promoviendo la conservación de la biodiversidad y enfrentando los desafíos del cambio climático. Específicamente, se centró en aumentar el conocimiento y la conciencia sobre la biodiversidad de los árboles y arbustos ibéricos del género Quercus, fortalecer las habilidades científicas de los estudiantes, mejorar la educación en biodiversidad, desarrollar herramientas para la conservación, fomentar la inserción laboral y el emprendimiento, internacionalizar la docencia universitaria y promover la educación ambiental y la sostenibilidad. Los hitos alcanzados incluyen expediciones de campo para recolectar y documentar muestras vegetales, la integración de estos materiales en prácticas educativas, y el desarrollo de recursos educativos innovadores. La metodología empleada abarcó desde la planificación de las expediciones y recolección de muestras, hasta su análisis en laboratorio e integración en el plan educativo. El equipo multidisciplinar que llevó a cabo el proyecto demostró un compromiso excepcional, logrando un impacto significativo en la investigación y educación en biodiversidad vegetal.
Multiple introductions, polyploidy and mixed reproductive strategies are linked to genetic diversity and structure in the most widespread invasive plant across Southern Ocean archipelagos
(2022) Mairal Pisa, Mario José; García‐Verdugo, Carlos ; Le Roux, Johannes ; Chau, John ; van Vuuren, Bettine; Hui, Cang; Münzbergová, Zuzana ; Chown, Steven ; Shaw, Justine
Biological invasions in remote areas that experience low human activity provide unique opportunities to elucidate processes responsible for invasion success. Here we study the most widespread invasive plant species across the isolated islands of the Southern Ocean, the annual bluegrass, Poa annua. To analyse geographical variation in genome size, genetic diversity and reproductive strategies, we sampled all major sub‐Antarctic archipelagos in this region and generated microsatellite data for 470 individual plants representing 31 populations. We also estimated genome sizes for a subset of individuals using flow cytometry. Occasional events of island colonization are expected to result in high genetic structure among islands, overall low genetic diversity and increased self‐fertilization, but we show that this is not the case for P. annua. Microsatellite data indicated low population genetic structure and lack of isolation by distance among the sub‐Antarctic archipelagos we sampled, but high population structure within each archipelago. We identified high levels of genetic diversity, low clonality and low selfing rates in sub‐Antarctic P. annua populations (contrary to rates typical of continental populations). In turn, estimates of selfing declined in populations as genetic diversity increased. Additionally, we found that most P. annua individuals are probably tetraploid and that only slight variation exists in genome size across the Southern Ocean. Our findings suggest multiple independent introductions of P. annua into the sub‐Antarctic, which promoted the establishment of genetically diverse populations. Despite multiple introductions, the adoption of convergent reproductive strategies (outcrossing) happened independently in each major archipelago. The combination of polyploidy and a mixed reproductive strategy probably benefited P. annua in the Southern Ocean by increasing genetic diversity and its ability to cope with the novel environmental conditions.
Biotic Interactions as Mediators of Biological Invasions: Insights from South Africa
(Biological Invasions in South Africa, 2020) Le Roux, Johannes ; Clusella-Trullas, Susana ; Mokotjomela, Thabiso ; Mairal Pisa, Mario José; Richardson, David ; Skein, Lisa ; Wilson, John ; Weyl, Olaf ; Geerts, Sjirk
Ecological interactions, especially those that are beneficial (i.e. mutualism) or detrimental (i.e. parasitism), play important roles during the establishment and spread of alien species. This chapter explores the role of these interactions during biological invasions in South Africa, covering a wide range of taxonomic groups and interaction types. We first discuss the different ways in which interactions can be reassembled following the introduction of alien species, and how these depend on the eco-evolutionary experience of the alien species. We then discuss documented examples of parasitism and mutualism associated with invasions in South Africa and how these relate to various ecological and evolutionary hypotheses aimed at explaining species invasiveness. Selected examples of how invasive species impact on native species interactions are provided. A diverse array of biotic interactions (e.g. pollination, fish and mollusc parasitism, plant-soil mutualistic bacteria, seed dispersal) have been studied for various invasive species in South Africa. Surprisingly, only a few of these studies explicitly tested any of the major hypotheses that invoke biotic interactions and are commonly tested in invasion ecology. We argue that many invasions in South Africa are promising candidates for testing hypotheses related to species interactions and invasiveness.
The loss of dispersal on islands hypothesis revisited: Implementing phylogeography to investigate evolution of dispersal traits in Periploca (Apocynaceae)
(Journal of Biogeography, 2017) García‐Verdugo, Carlos; Mairal Pisa, Mario José; Monroy, Pedro; Sajeva, Maurizia; Caujapé‐Castells, Juli
The loss of dispersal on islands hypothesis (LDIH posits that wind‐dispersed plants should exhibit reduced dispersal potential, particularly if island populations are old. In this study, we tested this hypothesis using a detailed phylogeographical framework across different geographical scales. Location Mainland and island areas of the Atlantic and Mediterranean regions, including Macaronesia (Canary Islands and Cape Verde) and Mediterranean islands in the strait of Sicily. Methods Forty‐five populations of Periploca laevigata, a wind‐dispersed shrub, were sampled. Plastid and nuclear microsatellite data were used to reconstruct spatio‐temporal patterns of island colonization, and estimates of seed terminal velocity used as a surrogate for dispersal ability under both field and common garden conditions. Results Our findings did not provide evidence of loss of dispersability in any island lineage. In all of the regions considered, dispersal ability was similar on island and mainland populations, or higher on islands. Contrary to expectations, lineages inferred as the oldest (western Canaries and Cape Verde) converged towards the most dispersive seed phenotype. This pattern was supported by data obtained under common garden conditions. Within the western Canarian lineage, successful dispersal was shown to be very rare among islands and extensive within islands, but dispersability did not vary significantly from older to more recent sublineages. Considering all the study islands, we found a strong, positive correlation between dispersal ability and estimates of within‐island habitat availability. Main conclusions This study suggests that dispersal ability can be favoured on islands, possibly because traits enhancing wind dispersal are positively selected when habitat availability is high. Our results challenge broad generalizations of the LDIH, but we discuss how overlooking species′ phylogeographical history may give rise to misleading conclusions.
Project number: 10
Materiales para la comprensión y conservación de la biodiversidad olvidada de los bosques ibéricos
(2024) Mairal Pisa, Mario José; Vila Viçosa, Carlos; Molino De Miguel, Sonia; Casal Calvar, Celia; Rubiales Jiménez, Juan Manuel; Sánchez Hernández, Héctor; Medina Bujalance, Rafael; Santos Rivilla, Guillermo; Aguado Lara, Ángela; López Teixido, Alberto
El proyecto tuvo como objetivo principal reconectar la sociedad con el medio ambiente, promoviendo la conservación de la biodiversidad y enfrentando los desafíos del cambio climático. Específicamente, se centró en aumentar el conocimiento y la conciencia sobre la biodiversidad de los árboles y arbustos ibéricos del género Quercus, fortalecer las habilidades científicas de los estudiantes, mejorar la educación en biodiversidad, desarrollar herramientas para la conservación, fomentar la inserción laboral y el emprendimiento, internacionalizar la docencia universitaria y promover la educación ambiental y la sostenibilidad. Los hitos alcanzados incluyen expediciones de campo para recolectar y documentar muestras vegetales, la integración de estos materiales en prácticas educativas, y el desarrollo de recursos educativos innovadores. La metodología empleada abarcó desde la planificación de las expediciones y recolección de muestras, hasta su análisis en laboratorio e integración en el plan educativo. El equipo multidisciplinar que llevó a cabo el proyecto demostró un compromiso excepcional, logrando un impacto significativo en la investigación y educación en biodiversidad vegetal.
The influence of landscape, climate and history on spatial genetic patterns in keystone plants (Azorella) on sub‐Antarctic islands
(2019) Chau, John; Born, Céline; McGeoch, Melodie; Bergstrom, Dana; Shaw, Justine; Terauds, Aleks; Mairal Pisa, Mario José; Le Roux, Johannes; Jansen van Vuuren, Bettine
The distribution of genetic variation in species is governed by factors that act differently across spatial scales. To tease apart the contribution of different processes, especially at intermediate spatial scales, it is useful to study simple ecosystems such as those on sub‐Antarctic oceanic islands. In this study, we characterize spatial genetic patterns of two keystone plant species, Azorella selago on sub‐Antarctic Marion Island and Azorella macquariensis on sub‐Antarctic Macquarie Island. Although both islands experience a similar climate and have a similar vegetation structure, they differ significantly in topography and geological history. We genotyped six microsatellites for 1,149 individuals from 123 sites across Marion Island and 372 individuals from 42 sites across Macquarie Island. We tested for spatial patterns in genetic diversity, including correlation with elevation and vegetation type, and clines in different directional bearings. We also examined genetic differentiation within islands, isolation‐by‐distance with and without accounting for direction, and signals of demographic change. Marion Island was found to have a distinct northwest–southeast divide, with lower genetic diversity and more sites with a signal of population expansion in the northwest. We attribute this to asymmetric seed dispersal by the dominant northwesterly winds, and to population persistence in a southwestern refugium during the Last Glacial Maximum. No apparent spatial pattern, but greater genetic diversity and differentiation between sites, was found on Macquarie Island, which may be due to the narrow length of the island in the direction of the dominant winds and longer population persistence permitted by the lack of extensive glaciation on the island. Together, our results clearly illustrate the implications of island shape and geography, and the importance of direction‐dependent drivers, in shaping spatial genetic structure.
Strengths and Challenges of Using iNaturalist in Plant Research with Focus on Data Quality
(2024) López-Guillén, Eduard ; Herrera, Ileana ; Bensid, Badis ; Gómez-Bellver, Carlos ; Ibáñez, Neus ; Jiménez-Mejías, Pedro ; Mairal Pisa, Mario José; Mena-García, Laura ; Nualart, Neus ; Utjés-Mascó, Mònica ; López-Pujol, Jordi
iNaturalist defines itself as an “online social network of people sharing biodiversity information to help each other learn about nature” and it is likely one of the largest citizen science web portals in the world, as every year millions of observations across thousands of species are gathered and collectively compiled by an engaged community of nearly 3 million users (November 2023). The strengths and potentialities that explain the success of the platform are reviewed and include, among others, its usability and low technical requirements, immediacy, open-access, the possibility of interacting with other users, artificial-intelligence-aided identification, versatility and automatic incorporation of the validated records to GBIF. iNaturalist has, however, features that scientists need to carefully consider when using it for their research, making sure that the quality of observations does not limit or hinder its usefulness in plant research. While these are identified (e.g., the lack of representative photographs for many observations or the relatively frequent identification errors), we provide some suggestions to overcome them and, by doing so, improve the use and add value to iNaturalist for plant research.
Ancient vicariance and climate‐driven extinction explain continental‐wide disjunctions in Africa: the case of the Rand Flora genus Canarina (Campanulaceae)
(Molecular Ecology, 2015) Mairal Pisa, Mario José; Pokorny, Lisa; Aldasoro, Juan José; Alarcón, Marisa; Sanmartín, Isabel
Abstract Transoceanic distributions have attracted the interest of scientists for centuries. Less attention has been paid to the evolutionary origins of ‘continent‐wide’ disjunctions, in which related taxa are distributed across isolated regions within the same continent. A prime example is the ‘Rand Flora’ pattern, which shows sister taxa disjunctly distributed in the continental margins of Africa. Here, we explore the evolutionary origins of this pattern using the genus Canarina, with three species: C. canariensis, associated with the Canarian laurisilva, and C. eminii and C. abyssinica, endemic to the Afromontane region in East Africa, as case study. We infer phylogenetic relationships, divergence times and the history of migration events within Canarina using Bayesian inference on a large sample of chloroplast and nuclear sequences. Ecological niche modelling was employed to infer the climatic niche of Canarina through time. Dating was performed with a novel nested approach to solve the problem of using deep time calibration points within a molecular dataset comprising both above‐species and population‐level sampling. Results show C. abyssinica as sister to a clade formed by disjunct C. eminii> and C. canariensis. Miocene divergences were inferred among species, whereas infraspecific divergences fell within the Pleistocene–Holocene periods. Although C. eminii and C. canariensis showed a strong genetic geographic structure, among‐population divergences were older in the former than in the latter. Our results suggest that Canarina originated in East Africa and later migrated across North Africa, with vicariance and aridification‐driven extinction explaining the 7000 km/7 million year divergence between the Canarian and East African endemics.
Unmasking cryptic biodiversity in polyploids: origin and diversification of Aster amellus aggregate
(2018) Mairal Pisa, Mario José; Šurinová, Mária; Castro, Sílvia; Münzbergová, Zuzana
Geographic barriers and Pleistocene climate change shaped patterns of genetic variation in the Eastern Afromontane biodiversity hotspot
(Scientific Report, 2017) Mairal Pisa, Mario José; Sanmartín, Isabel; Herrero, Alberto; Pokorny, Lisa; Pablo Vargas, Pablo; Aldasoro, Juan ; Alarcón, Marisa
The Eastern African Afromontane forest is getting increased attention in conservation studies because of its high endemicity levels and shrinking geographic distribution. Phylogeographic studies have found evidence of high levels of genetic variation structured across the Great Rift System. Here, we use the epiphytic plant species Canarina eminii to explore causal explanations for this pattern. Phylogeographic analyses were undertaken using plastid regions and AFLP fragments. Population genetic analyses, Statistical Parsimony, and Bayesian methods were used to infer genetic diversity, genealogical relationships, structure, gene flow barriers, and the spatiotemporal evolution of populations. A strong phylogeographic structure was found, with two reciprocally monophyletic lineages on each side of the Great Rift System, high genetic exclusivity, and restricted gene flow among mountain ranges. We explain this pattern by topographic and ecological changes driven by geological rifting in Eastern Africa. Subsequent genetic structure is attributed to Pleistocene climatic changes, in which sky-islands acted as long-term refuges and cradles of genetic diversity. Our study highlights the importance of climate change and geographic barriers associated with the African Rift System in shaping population genetic patterns, as well as the need to preserve the high levels of exclusive and critically endangered biodiversity harboured by current patches of the Afromontane forest.