Plant-Animal Interactions Lab Daniel García Associate Professor Depto. Biología de Organismos y Sistemas, Universidad de Oviedo Instituto Cantábrico de Biodiversidad (CSIC-UO-PA) C/ Rodrigo Uría s/n, Oviedo 33006, Asturias, Spain Phone: 34 985 104784 E-mail: danielgarcia[at]uniovi.es

Index	News
Research	The lab
Study systems	Teaching
Ongoing projects	ICAB
Publications	Ecology Unit

	Lab's news
	Two papers from J M Herrera's PhD recently accepted, in Landscape Ecology, and Ecography, evaluating the effects of habitat fragmentation on the functioning of frugivory by birds and seed predation by rodents in Cantabrian forests.
	We recently attended to the FSD 2010 (Frugivores and Seed Dispersal Symposium) at Montpellier (France), presenting lab recent work in several talks (including a plenary speech and a plenary symposium) and posters. Dani Martínez got a David W. Snow award with his poster.
	The Lab Tour Have a look on our current core research project and some recent results

Research We study the ecological and evolutionary consequences of plant-animal interactions, such as pollination, frugivory, seed dispersal, seed predation and herbivory, from two major approaches: 1. Plant-animal interactions are processes with effects across different levels of biological organization, from population to ecosystems 2. Plant-animal interactions are processes dependent on the  landscape configuration and on the spatial scale UP

Study systems We carry out our research in secondary and mature forests of the Cantabrian range (Asturias, N Spain). Our study systems are fleshy-fruited trees like Crataegus monogyna, Ilex aquifolium, and Taxus baccata, mostly dispersed by frugivorous birds (thrushes and blackbirds, Turdus sp.), and whose dispersed seeds are preyed upon by small rodents (Apodemus sp.). We also study several forest perennial herbs like Primula vulgaris, wich is pollinated by flies and bumblebees and dispersed by ants. Occasionally, we also work in temperate forests of Austral South America (Patagonia, Argentina), studying also frugivory and seed dispersal of understorey fleshy-fruited woody plants like Aristotelia chilensis by birds like Elaenia albiceps, as well as the peculiar mutualism between the mistletoe Tristerix corymbosus and the endemic marsupial Dromiciops gliroides. UP

Ongoing and recent projects Landscape configuration and demographic outcomes of plant-animal interactions in Cantabrian montane forests. CGL2008-1275/BOS (MICINN). 2008-2010. Participants: Daniel García (LR), Juan Manuel Morales, José Manuel Herrera, Alicia Valdés, Daniel Martínez. Climate change and spatio-temporal disruptions of life-cycles in the Cantabrian range. IB08-039 (FICYT). Participants: Daniel García (LR), Alfredo Glez. Nicieza, David Álvarez, Magdalena Choda, José Manuel Herrera, Alicia Valdés, Daniel Martínez. Plant-animal interactions in fragmented habitats II: the role of matrix on seed dispersal. CGL2006-272872/E (MEC). 2007-2008. Participants: Daniel García (LR), José Manuel Herrera, Juan Manuel Morales, Alicia Valdés, Daniel Martínez. Plant-animal interactions in fragmented habitats: from individual to landscape. CGL2004-02936 (MEC). 2004-2007. Participants: Daniel García (LR), José Manuel Herrera, Isabel Martínez, José Ramón Obeso. Habitat degradation and conservation of plant-animal interactions: a comparative geographic and multi-scaled analysis. BIOCON03-162 (Fundación BBVA). 2004-2007. Participants: Daniel García (LR), Alicia Valdés, Daniel Martínez, Diego Vázquez, Valeria Aschero, Natacha P. Chacoff, Guillermo Amico, Mariano Rodríguez-Cabal, Marcelo Aizen, Regino Zamora, Luis Matías UP

García D, Zamora R & Amico GC (2010) Birds as suppliers of seed dispersal in temperate ecosystems: conservation guidelines from real-world landscapes. Conservation Biology 24: 1070-1079.

García D & Chacoff NP (2007) Scale-dependent effects of habitat fragmentation on hawthorn pollination, frugivory and seed predation. Conservation Biology 21: 400-411.

García D, Obeso JR & Martínez I (2005) Spatial concordance between seed rain and seedling establishment in bird-dispersed trees: does the scale matter? Journal of Ecology 93: 693-704

García D & Ortiz-Pulido R (2004) Patterns of resource tracking by avian frugivores at multiple spatial scales – two case studies on discordance among scales. Ecography 27: 187-196.

García D (2001) Effects of seed dispersal on Juniperus communis recruitment on a Mediterranean mountain. Journal of Vegetation Science 12: 839-848.

García D, Zamora R, Gómez JM, Jordano P & Hódar JA (2000) Geographical variation in seed production, predation and abortion in Juniperus communis throughout its range in Europe. Journal of Ecology 88: 436-446.

The lab Alicia Valdés (M Sc, Ph D student, FPU Programme) Daniel Martínez (M Sc, Ph D student, FPI Programme) Vanesa Rivera (Technician) Juan Rodríguez (Technician, PTA Programme) Other students Valeria Aschero (Ph D, co-supervised with D Vázquez) Rocío Jaña (Ph D, co-supervised with D Kelly at Canterbury University NZ) Former people José Manuel Herrera (Ph D) Javier Rodríguez-Pérez (Post-doc) Isabel Martínez (Ph D, co-supervised with JR Obeso) Luis Matías (M Sc, co-supervised with R Zamora) Susana García (Technician) Carlos Guardado (Technician) René Pérez (Technician) UP