Alfredo García-FernándezKing Juan Carlos University | URJC · Biology and Geology
Alfredo García-Fernández
Associated professor
About
62
Publications
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Introduction
Additional affiliations
April 2012 - April 2013
September 2007 - December 2011
Publications
Publications (62)
Background and aims:
Within-population genetic and phenotypic variation play a key role in the development of adaptive responses to environmental change. Between-population variation is also an essential element to assess the evolutionary potential of species in response to changes in environmental conditions. In this context, common garden experi...
Citation: Torres, E.; García-Fernández, A.; Iñigo, D.; Lara-Romero, C.; Morente-López, J.; Prieto-Benítez, S.; Rubio Teso, M.L.; Iriondo, J.M. Facilitated adaptation as a conservation tool in the present climate change context: A methodological guide. Plants 2023, 12, 1258. https://doi. Abstract: Climate change poses a novel threat to biodiversity...
The Mediterranean Basin is one of the World’s plant diversity hotspots and a region prone to several anthropic pressures, besides being one of the World’s areas most susceptible to climate change. In this region, which hosts a high percentage of threatened species, there has been a large increase in practical conservation actions to prevent the ext...
Current climate change may impede species to evolutionary adapt quickly enough to environmental changes, threatening their survival. In keystone populations, it may be necessary to consider the introduction of adaptive alleles through assisted gene flow. Considering that flowering time is a crucial trait in plant response to global warming, the obj...
In the present framework of global warming, it is unclear whether evolutionary adaptation can happen quick enough to preserve the persistence of many species. Specifically, we lack knowledge about the adaptive potential of the different populations in relation to the various constraints that may hamper particular adaptations. There is evidence indi...
The change in allele frequencies within a population over time represents a fundamental process of evolution. By monitoring allele frequencies, we can analyze the effects of natural selection and genetic drift on populations. To efficiently track time-resolved genetic change, large experimental or wild populations can be sequenced as pools of indiv...
Lathyrus is an important agronomic and economic crop. In this study, we evaluated for the first time the potential of intron 2 of the NAD7 mitochondrial gene for assessing intraspecific genetic diversity in six Lathyrus species. A high polymorphism in intron length and nucleotide composition was detected. The 22 accessions examined could be classif...
Many species cannot either migrate or adapt at the rate of temperature increases due to climate warming. Therefore, they need active conservation strategies to avoid extinction. Facilitated adaptation actions, such assisted gene flow, aim at the increase of the evolutionary resilience of species affected by global change. In elevational gradients,...
In the context of climate change, populations are increasingly being subjected to the extreme selective pressures that define environmental
marginality. The determination of the evolutionary value and adaptive potential of marginal populations is still a challenge of great relevance and has
direct implications on biodiversity conservation. To face...
Premise:
Gypsum soils in the Mediterranean Basin house large numbers of edaphic specialists that are adapted to stressful environments. The evolutionary history and standing genetic variation of these taxa have been influenced by the geological and paleoclimatic complexity of this area and the long-standing effect of human activities. However, lit...
Although the number of plant translocations has been rapidly increasing for two decades, no study is available to date that examines the directions and distances of plant displacements, which is essential (though not sufficient) information for considering translocations as a management tool to enable species to cope with the consequences of climat...
Background
Gypsum ecosystems are edaphic islands surrounded by a matrix that is inhospitable to gypsum soil plant specialists. These naturally fragmented landscapes are currently exacerbated due to man-made disturbances, jeopardising their valuable biodiversity. Concomitant action of other fragmentation drivers such as linear infrastructures may in...
The evolutionary potential of populations inhabiting marginal areas has been extensively debated and directly affects their conservation value. Gene flow is one of the main factors influencing selection, adaptive potential and thus, local adaptation processes in marginal areas. The effects of differential gene flow provenance are still not well und...
Habitat fragmentation is one of the greatest threats to biodiversity conservation and ecosystem productivity mediated by direct human impact. Its consequences include genetic depauperation, comprising phenomena such as inbreeding depression or reduction in genetic diversity. While the capacity of wild and domestic herbivores to sustain long-distanc...
Las aproximaciones genéticas son esenciales en los estudios de biología de conservación relacionados con las plantas. La evaluación de factores como la diversidad genética y su impacto en la conservación, los niveles de endogamia o el flujo genético han permitido conocer mejor el estado de las poblaciones amenazadas y adecuar las acciones de manejo...
Silene ciliata (Caryophyllaceae) is a key species to test evolutionary hypotheses in a global warming context. The recent advances in Next Generation Sequencing technologies can help in providing clues about climate-mediated local adaptation. In the present study, we analysed the full transcriptome of six individuals of S. ciliata from Central Spai...
Although the hydrocoral Millepora alcicornis is a prominent and ecologically relevant amphi-Atlantic reef builder, little attention has been given to its endosymbionts which are also involved in the survival and adaptation success of the species in different environments. In this study, we resolve the genetic relationships between M. alcicornis and...
Although the hydrocoral Millepora alcicornis is a prominent and ecologically relevant amphi-Atlantic reef builder, little attention has been given to its endosymbionts which are also involved in the survival and adaptation success of the species in different environments. In this study, we resolve the genetic relationships between M. alcicornis and...
The study of the drivers that shape spatial genetic structure across heterogeneous landscapes is one of the main approaches used to understand population dynamics and responses in changing environments. While the Isolation-by-Distance model (IBD) assumes that genetic differentiation increases among populations with geographical distance, the Isolat...
Habitat fragmentation is one of the greatest threats to biodiversity conservation and productivity, that are mediated by direct human impact. Its consequences include genetic depauperation, including phenomena such as inbreeding depression or reduction in genetic diversity. While the capacity of wild and domestic herbivores to sustain long-distance...
Habitat fragmentation is one of the greatest threats to biodiversity conservation and productivity, that are mediated by direct human impact. Its consequences include genetic depauperation, including phenomena such as inbreeding depression or reduction in genetic diversity. While the capacity of wild and domestic herbivores to sustain long-distance...
Gypsum endemics occur in naturally-fragmented habitats, which may lead to genetic erosion and higher vulnerability to the genetic effects of anthropogenic fragmentation. Conversely, evolution in a fragmented landscape could increase their resilience to the effects of further fragmentation, but no evidence is available in either direction. In this s...
Fragmentation is one of the most important human-induced threats to biodiversity. Linear infrastructures, together with agriculture intensification, alter migration patterns, inducing isolation and/or affecting the connectivity between populations. The combined effect of these drivers has, as far as we know, never been explored. A population geneti...
Mediterranean mountains are extraordinarily diverse and hold a high proportion of endemic plants but they are particularly vulnerable to climate change and most species distribution models project drastic changes in community composition. Retrospective studies and long-term monitoring also highlight that Mediterranean high-mountain plants are suffe...
The effect of population size on population genetic diversity and structure has rarely been studied jointly with other factors such as the position of a population within the species’ distribution range or the presence of mutualistic partners influencing dispersal. Understanding these determining factors for genetic variation is critical for conser...
Entre las principales amenazas para la conservación de la flora están aquellas que tienen una base genética. Frecuentemente se recurre a actuaciones de restitución sensu lato para intentar paliar o reducir el impacto que están teniendo sobre las especies y/o poblaciones. El objetivo de este estudio es evaluar la problemática de las poblaciones desd...
Las restituciones sensu lato son herramientas muy empleadas por parte de las administraciones públicas para realizar actuaciones de mejora y gestión de todo tipo de flora amenazada. En el marco de la asignatura de Restitución Genética de poblaciones del Máster de Postgrado de Técnicas de Conservación de la Biodiversidad y Ecología de la Universidad...
The study of fragmentation processes should be tackled using different approaches, in order to obtain solid and robust evidence that could help in identifying potential barriers and threats for species. In this study, we have evaluated the spatial fragmentation patterns in Artemisia crithmifolia (Asteraceae) along its current distribution along the...
Habitat fragmentation, i.e., fragment size and isolation, can differentially alter patterns of neutral and quantitative genetic variation, fitness and phenotypic plasticity of plant populations, but their effects have rarely been tested simultaneously. We assessed the combined effects of size and connectivity on these aspects of genetic and phenoty...
Spatial patterns of plant species are determined by an array of ecologica factors including biotic and abiotic environmental constraints and intrinsic species traits. Thus, an observed aggregated pattern may be the result of short-distance dispersal, the presence of habitat heterogeneity, plant-plant interactions or a combination of the above. Here...
Fine-scale genetic structure (FSGS) can vary among populations within species depending on multiple demographic and environmental factors. Theoretical models predict that FSGS should decrease in high-density populations and increase in populations where individuals are spatially aggregated. However, few empirical studies have compared FSGS between...
Silene ciliata Pourr. (Caryophyllaceae) is a species with a highly disjunct distribution which inhabits the alpine mountains of the Mediterranean Basin. We investigated the phylogeny and phylogeography of the species to (a) clarify the long-suggested division of S. ciliata into two subspecies, (b) evaluate its phylogenetic origin and (c) assess whe...
Cheirolophus uliginosus is a rare species, endemic to the south-western Iberian Peninsula, and listed as a characteristic taxon from the temperate Atlantic wet heaths, a priority habitat for conservation by the European Union. The conservation status of this species in most of its distribution area is poorly known, but, in recent times, some popula...
The southwestern Iberian Peninsula is an important biogeographic region, showing high biodiversity levels and hosting several putative glacial refugia for European flora. Here, we study the genetic diversity and structure of the Mediterranean, thermophilous plant Cheirolophus sempervirens (Asteraceae) across its whole distribution range in SW Iberi...
Silene ciliata Pourr. (Caryophyllaceae) is a species with a highly disjunct distribution that inhabits the alpine mountains of the Mediterranean Basin. We investigated the phylogeny and phylogeography of the species in an attempt to a) clarify the long suggested division of S. ciliata into two subspecies, b) evaluate its phylogenetic origin and c)...
Silene ciliata Pourr. (Caryophyllaceae) is a species with a highly disjunct distribution that inhabits the alpine mountains of the Mediterranean Basin. We investigated the phylogeny and phylogeography of the species in an attempt to a) clarify the long suggested division of S. ciliata into two subspecies, b) evaluate its phylogenetic origin and c)...
Helianthemum squamatum (L.) Dum. Cours. (Cistaceae) is an endemic specialist plant that inhabits the gypsum soils of the semi-arid Iberian Peninsula, one of the ecosystems most vulnerable to climate change. In this study, eight microsatellite markers were isolated and developed using next-generation sequencing data in order to provide a validated t...
Silene ciliata is a species that inhabits the alpine mountains of the Mediterranean Basin, but with a highly disjunct distribution. We focused on testing the chloroplast DNA variation in order to explain the observed disjunction and evaluate its phylogenetic origin. Particularly, we were interested in clarifying the long suggested division of S. ci...
The radiation of the genus Cheirolophus (Asteraceae) in Macaronesia constitutes a spectacular case of rapid diversification on oceanic islands. Twenty species - nine of them included in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species - have been described to date inhabiting the Madeiran and Canarian archipelagos. A previous phylogenetic study revealed that...
Cold stratification provided by snow cover is essential to break seed dormancy in many alpine plant species. The forecast reduction in snow precipitation and snow cover duration in most temperate mountains as a result of global warming could threaten alpine plant populations, especially those at the edge of their species distribution, by altering t...
Hybridization has played an important role in Saxifraga evolution causing reticulation and a high number of described hybrids, but little is known about how hybrid speciation had occurred in the genus. We focus on a group of closely related Saxifraga species of the subsection Triplinervium from Pyrenees, the phylogenetic relationships of which rema...
Background:
Plant recruitment depends among other factors on environmental conditions and their variation at different spatial scales. Characterizing dispersal in contrasting environments may thus be necessary to understand natural intraspecific variation in the processes underlying recruitment. Silene ciliata and Armeria caespitosa are two repres...
The species of the genus Calligonum L. (Polygonaceae) that appear in Tunisian deserts play an important ole in maintaining local ecosystems and supply important natural resources in these regions. In this study, 31 individuals belonging to the 3 hypothetical species of the genus Calligonum (Calligonum arich Le Houér., Calligonum azel Maire, and Cal...
Premise of the study:
Mountain plants are among the species most vulnerable to global warming, because of their isolation, narrow geographic distribution, and limited geographic range shifts. Stochastic and selective processes can act on the genome, modulating genetic structure and diversity. Fragmentation and historical processes also have a grea...
Climate change is imposing warmer and more arid conditions on high-mountain Mediterranean pastures. The severity of these conditions is more intense in lower elevation populations and may be critical for their survival. In this context, we asked whether local adaptation plays an important role in the response of these populations to climate change,...
Plant communities of Mediterranean high-mountain pastures are one of the most vulnerable groups to global change. The elevational shift towards higher altitude experimented by shrubs is causing a reduction of the habitat available for the pasture and threatening its persistence. In this work we present the studies carried out by our research group...
Background and aims:
In mountain plant populations, local adaptation has been described as one of the main responses to climate warming, allowing plants to persist under stressful conditions. This is especially the case for marginal populations at their lowest elevation, as they are highly vulnerable. Adequate levels of genetic diversity are requi...
Silene ciliata Poiret is a small perennial that presents several ploidy levels and inhabits the mountain ranges of the European Mediterranean basin. Recent studies have shown evidence of local adaptation in populations located across an altitudinal gradient in Sierra de Guadarrama (Central Spain) at the species’ southernmost distribution limit. In...
Edge populations are frequently small and subject to stressful conditions that may compromise their long-term viability. Inbreeding can play an important role in small populations by reducing genetic diversity, leading to the fixation of deleterious mutations and, finally, carrying populations to an extinction vortex through inbreeding depression....
Premise of the study:
The main aim of this study was to isolate and characterize microsatellite loci in Cneorum tricoccon (Cneoraceae), a Mediterranean shrub relict of the early Tertiary, which inhabits western Mediterranean islands and coasts. Microsatellites will be useful for investigating biogeography and landscape genetics across the species...
The focus of this study is to develop microsatellite markers in Armeria caespitosa, a narrow endemic of central Spain. Microsatellite loci are sought to clarify population structure and estimate gene flux among populations.
Enriched microsatellite genomic libraries were used for microsatellite isolation. Sixteen microsatellite loci were characteriz...
A pesar de la poca extensión que ocupan en la superficie terrestre, las montañas son de vital importancia, tanto para el
mantenimiento de la biodiversidad como por los servicios ecosistémicos que proporcionan, por lo que resultan esenciales para
multitud de especies, entre ellas la humana (Körner 2007). Existe un gran consenso sobre el impacto que...
Bird mortality as a result of collisions with power lines has been of increasing concern in recent decades, but the real impact on bird populations requires an experimental assessment of scavenger removal rates and searcher detection errors. Farmland and steppe birds, two of the most threatened avian groups, have been shown to be particularly vulne...