1).In a collaboration with my colleagues from the Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid,  Dr. Jaime Chaves and Dr. Ross McCauley we are are assembling phylo-biogeographical patterns of the endemic genera of the Galapagos. As a first step, we are working on a detailed description of phylo-biogeographical aspects of Scalesia, one of the seven genus found only in Galapagos. Scalesia members are widely distributed along the archipelago but many species are endemic for only one island or even one ecosystem. We are allowed to perform this kind of analyses, which involve accessing genetic resources, due to a special permit conferred to us by the Ministry of Environment. 

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2.)Also in collaboration with Dr. Maria de Lourdes Torres from USFQ COCIBA we are investigating what were the origins in the continent of main invasive plants in Galapagos. Presently, we are working to map original continental populations of the tree Cedrela odorata, that has been focus of my investigations in invasion ecology for the last 8 years.

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