New paper in Scientific Reports 🌳 We use past climate dynamics to anticipate future range shifts in 8 Mediterranean oaks, linking niche conservatism with East–West vicariance and highlighting vulnerable Q. canariensis, Q. kotschyana & Q. vulcanica. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Past projections of submediterranean oaks unveil future range shifts of vulnerable taxa under climate change - Scientific Reports

Scientific Reports - Past projections of submediterranean oaks unveil future range shifts of vulnerable taxa under climate change

nature.com

Proud to share new work led by our PhD student Hugo Afonso, with CBMA–UMinho and BIOPOLIS-CIBIO, uncovering recurrent hermaphroditism and its molecular basis in the Iberian oak Quercus orocantabrica (Q. robur s.l.). doi.org/10.64898/202... #Quercus #PlantScience

Recurrent Hermaphroditism and Sex-Biased ABCDE Gene Expression Reveal Latent Floral Plasticity in the Pedunculate Oak Lineage (Q.robur s.l.)

Background and Aims: The development of unisexual flowers relies on the tight coordination of flower organ identity and sex determination. The genus Quercus is typically considered strictly monoecious...

doi.org

New preprint online. We use RAD-seq data from 38 Iberian white-oak taxa to investigate the evolutionary history of the white-oak syngameon, revealing extensive introgression, hybrid swarms and reticulate evolution across southern Europe. doi.org/10.64898/202...

The Iberian white-oak syngameon as a legacy of introgression in southern Europe

Oaks ( Quercus L.) are among the most ecologically important tree genera in the northern hemisphere, with an intricate evolutionary history reflected in a reticulated phylogeny. Oak diversity has been...

doi.org

Great work by Simone De Santis on Arbutus. Integrating fossil presences and absences improved past distribution models, reinforcing links between palaeobotany, biogeography and vegetation science. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Incorporating Fossil Data Into Ecological Niche Models Enhances Predictions of the Past Distribution of Macaronesian‐Mediterranean Strawberry Trees

We demonstrate that fossil-informed SDMs not only improve spatial accuracy and ecological realism in past projections, but also provide an external form of validation that traditional hindcasts often...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Fifth paper from Isabel Passos’ PhD, now in @remotesensing mdpi. Q. pyrenaica forests may be expanding in area, but mostly via small fragmented patches with weak connectivity. A sharp reminder: more cover ≠ better forest. mdpi.com/2072-4292/18... #RemoteSensing #oakforests #quercus

Climate change may drive different oak transitions across Iberia: Quercus robur giving way to Q. pyrenaica in some areas, Q. pyrenaica to Q. suber in others, and in the driest zones both may lose suitability, making cork oak the best restoration option. link.springer.com/article/10.1... #Forests

Exploring turnover dynamics in Iberian Oak forests under climate change scenarios - Discover Conservation

Discover Conservation - Mediterranean forests have evolved over millennia under the combined influence of long-term climatic variability, which, together with natural and human disturbances,...

link.springer.com

A new #toadflax endemic to Almada (#Portugal) !!! A new species, Linaria almadensis, has been described from the cliffs of Gargalo do Tejo, in Almada, just across from Lisbon. Although first collected in 1843, it was only recently recognized as distinct by João Farminhão during a taxonomic revision.

In Tracking submediterranean ecotone shifts under climate change scenarios using marcescent oaks as indicators, ecological modelling reveals how this forest transition zone may shift in the future. 🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s41... #ClimateChange #VegetationEcology #EcologicalModelling

Tracking submediterranean ecotone shifts under climate change scenarios using marcescent oaks as indicators - Scientific Reports

Scientific Reports - Tracking submediterranean ecotone shifts under climate change scenarios using marcescent oaks as indicators

nature.com

New paper in Forests using @gbif.org mediated data: Climate-Driven Habitat Shifts and Conservation Implications for the Submediterranean Oak Quercus pyrenaica Willd. #CiteTheDOI: ✅ #OpenAccess: ⭐️ https://doi.org/10.3390/f16081226

Great participation of LusoQuercus at ENE24 🔬 New WGS genomic insights on Quercus lusitanica: population structure and diversity patterns. 🌱 JSDM modelling reveals how climate and soils shape its plant communities and guide restoration. Advancing the conservation an Iberia’s neglected oak #Ecology

From past reconstructions 🌍 to future forecasts 🌳 Our PhD student Isabel Passos takes the next step. Her new paper shows how the submediterranean ecotone may shift under climate change, supporting better forest conservation. 🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s41... #ClimateChange #Forests #EcotoneShift

Tracking submediterranean ecotone shifts under climate change scenarios using marcescent oaks as indicators - Scientific Reports

Scientific Reports - Tracking submediterranean ecotone shifts under climate change scenarios using marcescent oaks as indicators

nature.com

My journey began with the flora & vegetation of Monchique 🌿and now leads to Mediterranean oaks! 🌳 Join me for “The Oaks’ Odyssey: Bridging Botany, Ecology & Evolution for Conservation” 🗓️ 30 Oct 2025 | 10:00–11:00 | CCMAR + online 🔗 ccmar.ualg.pt/activity/oak...

The Oaks’ Odyssey: Bridging Botany, Ecology, and Evolution for Conservation

Rooted in the oak forests of southwestern Iberia, my work began with botanical studies of local flora and vegetation. These first steps grew into a broader natural history and ecological exploration, ...

ccmar.ualg.pt

🌳 From Mexico to Lusitania! The BEPE/BIOPOLIS team presented Quercus pyrenaica research at the #11thInternationalOakSocietyConference 🇲🇽 and will host the next one in Iberia 🇵🇹🇪🇸. Oaks unite science & conservation 🌿 #Quercus #Biodiversity #ForestConservation #Lusitania2028

Honoured to see our group BEPE (BIOPOLIS / CIBIO-InBIO, Portugal) featured in the Sept 2025 Odissea Seminum by GENMEDA 🌿 Proud to belong to this Mediterranean network for plant conservation. 👉 www.genmeda.net/en/resources... #Botany #Biodiversity #Mediterranean #PlantConservation

At #EuroGard10 we present LusoQuercus project. Lusitanian dwarf-oak (Quercus lusitanica) projected models predict major habitat loss by 2100, with shifts to NW Atlantic refugia and upslope. Priorities: connect & innovate. lusoquercus.pt #Biodiversity #ClimateChange #EcosystemRestoration #LaSapienza

Our BEPE group (BIOPOLIS-CIBIO) joined #SEBOT2025 in Seville. Representing the team, Manuel Curto presented work on the hybridization and conservation of Oaks in Iberian Peninsula. Thanks to the organization #Botany #Conservation #Quercus #BIOPOLIS #BEPE @sebot.bsky.social @spbotanica.bsky.social

🌳 Honored to have our research on cork oak–holm oak hybrids featured on the journal’s cover! Pictured under a Quercus ×avellaniformis in Campinho, Reguengos de Monsaraz (Portugal), while analyzing morphological traits for our study. 📄 www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1...

Front Cover | International Journal of Plant Sciences: Vol 186, No 5

journals.uchicago.edu

🌳Our paper on the Pyrenean oak (Quercus pyrenaica) made the cover of the August issue of Forests! 👏 Congrats to PhD student Isabel Passos for this great achievement! 📖 www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/16... 🎬 Take a look at the trailer!

🌳The final version of our study on cork oak–holm oak hybrids is finally out! A journey through the genetics and identification of these two iconic Iberian trees and its remarkable hybrid. 📄Take a look at the Trailer: www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...

The future of the Pyrenean Oak (Quercus pyrenaica Willd.), by the (tiny but mighty) Isabel Passos - small in stature, huge in science! 🌳👏 Proud of our PhD student’s new paper. www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/16... 🎬 Take a look at the trailer!

New record! We report Sarga purpureosericea for the first time in Saudi Arabia, expanding its known range and clarifying its taxonomy via second-step lectotypification. A small but meaningful step for desert flora. 🌿 🔗 oaj.fupress.net/index.php/we...

🌿 Entoloma daegae joins the Portuguese Funga! Proud to co-author this new species in Fungal Planet, thanks to the amazing Fungos de Portugal team. Shout-out to Vasco Fachada & “amateur” (not really!) Hélder Rodrigues. 📖 www.ingentaconnect.com/content/wfbi...

🌿 Macaronesian laurel forests are hotspots of fungal diversity. On the mainland, lauroid communities persist in humid, mild spots, anachronic with today’s climate, mixing with oak forests. BEPE seminar sheds light on their biogeography & evolution! 🍄 #BEPE #BIOPOLIS www.cibio.up.pt/en/events/at...

🌳 Já assinaste a Petição pela Lei de Proteção dos Carvalhos Autóctones? É urgente proteger os nossos carvalhais — habitats únicos ameaçados por cortes, invasoras e ausência de legislação. 📝 Assina e partilha: participacao.parlamento.pt/initiatives/...

Lei de proteção dos carvalhos autóctones

Exmo. Senhor Presidente da Assembleia da República, Os signatários vêm por este meio solicitar a V. Ex.ª que submeta à consideração desse hemiciclo, a casa da democracia portuguesa, a urgente necessi...

participacao.parlamento.pt

A new study published in Applied Spectroscopy explores the use of FT-Raman spectroscopy for the chemical characterization of oak pollen. The authors compare its performance with FT-IR and find that both methods classify pollen with high accuracy. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Evaluating the Use of Fourier Transform Raman Spectroscopy for Pollen Chemical Characterization - Florian Muthreich, Valeria Tafintseva, Boris Zimmermann, Achim Kohler, Carlos M. Vila-Viçosa, Alistair...

Vibrational spectroscopy is gaining popularity for understanding ecological and evolutionary patterns in plants, particularly in relation to the analysis of pol...

journals.sagepub.com

Vem descobrir as espécies invasoras que estão a mudar o nosso dia a dia! 🌿 No dia 7 de maio, junte-se ao BIOCHANGE #BIOBLITZ — uma atividade organizada pela equipa BIOCHANGE (CEG/IGOT-ULisboa) com a participação da @spbotanica.bsky.social , integrada na Semana sobre Espécies Invasoras #SEI2025

Riding the Wave of "De-Extinction" At the 5MPCW in Cyprus, we spotlight the return of the Algerian oak (Q. canariensis) once near extinction, now recovering via molecularly informed information. We also explore Barroso EcoRegion ethnobotanical heritage and native flora sustain local culture.

📣We help to share the results of a new study in southwestern Portugal:⛰️🌊 Checklist of the #Cistus #hybrids occurring in #SouthernPortugal. 💮 #MediterraneanBotany 46(1). 🔽 doi.org/10.5209/mbot... 🌸 💐 Congratulations to the authors #nothotaxa #Cistusxdaveauanus #Cistusxaljezurensis nothosp. nov.

🌿✨ DO YOU WANT TO PURSUE A PhD IN EVOLUTIONARY AND APPLIED BOTANY?✨🌿 Join BEPE, our research group on plant biogeography and evolution! We are looking for Master's in Environmental Sciences interested in ecosystem restoration and plant/fungi ecology. 📄 FCT Info: www.fct.pt/fct-publicou...

FCT publicou o Aviso de Abertura do Concurso de Bolsas de Doutoramento de 2025 - FCT

Prevista a atribuição de um total de 1.550 bolsas

fct.pt

Ana Leitão @anavleitao.bsky.social is a MSCA postdoctoral researcher at #BIOPOLIS. Her work has been focused in understanding the evolution of elaborate (or lack of) traits such as plumage colors and bird song, in both female and male birds. 🪶🐦 4/5