Castilla Lab

Research at Castilla Lab focuses on the ecological and evolutionary processes affecting the genetic and phenotypic variability of plant populations. We are particularly interested in plant dispersal and how this ecological process enables plant species to cope with environmental change. We use an interdisciplinary approach that combines genomics, field experimentation, high-performance computing, and integrative modeling to address our questions.

Research Topics

• Plant Ecology
• Molecular Ecology
• Landscape Genomics
• Conservation Genomics
• Biogeography
• Global Change

Big Questions

• Under a climate change scenario, what determines whether species adapt, shift their ranges, or go extinct?
• How does data integration affect our estimates of postglacial movement estimates?
• What are the evolutionary and ecological mechanisms that govern species' range margins?
• What are the evolutionary consequences of species becoming less connected through habitat fragmentation?
• How do species and population traits and landscape configuration interact to determine realized dispersal distances?
• What is the conservation value of geographically disjunct plant distributions?
• Does adaptive introgression play an important role in adaptation to rapid environmental change?