research
Ongoing research
Assesing survival of the Rice’s whale
Rice’s whale (Balaenoptera ricei) is a recently identified species of baleen whale. These whales inhabit the Gulf of Mexico and were officially described in 2019. Despite their recent discovery, Rice’s whales are already facing conservation concerns. The Gulf of Mexico is a region characterized by extensive human activities, including shipping, oil and gas extraction, and fishing, which pose threats to the whales through potential collisions with vessels, habitat degradation, and entanglement in fishing gear. Given their limited population size and restricted habitat range, Rice’s whales are particularly vulnerable to these anthropogenic pressures. Conservation efforts are essential to mitigate these threats and safeguard the survival of this newly identified species. Through genetic studies, we aim to gain a deeper understanding of Rice’s whales, unraveling insights that can inform effective conservation strategies. Our research endeavors are focused on assessing the genetic diversity within their population, with the ultimate goal of demonstrating their capacity for recovery when appropriate conservation measures are implemented. By delving into their genetic makeup, we aspire to provide compelling evidence that underscores the resilience and adaptability of Rice’s whales, offering a scientific foundation for targeted and sustainable conservation efforts.
Strawberry poision frog genomics
Oophaga pumilio is the scientific name of the strawberry pison frog. Oophaga comes from the greek phagos (eat) and oon (egg), this type of frog feeds their tadpoles with unfertilized eggs. Pumilio means pigmy in greek, which is very descriptive, these frogs are the size of my fingernails. O. pumilio is red throughtout its continental distribution. This is an aposematic signal to warn its potential predators of its toxicity. However there is an archipelago in Panama called Bocas del Toro where there is a lot of phenotypic variation. There are several island and almost each one of them has their own frog color (yellow, green, orange, red, blue, etc). I study their evolution and population history. How are different evolutionary forces acting on this polymorphism? What are the genes behind this trait?
Evaluating the genomic rescue in Florida Panthers
Populations of puma Puma concolor a native feline from the Americas are suffering from genomic inbreeding and small population sizes. Humans have reduced their habitats and isolated the populations. Particularly, a population in Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida was very affected. In 1995, eight pumas from Texas were introduced to the population with the purpose of genomic rescue. I am interesed in understanding how successful the rescue was. Is the local genetic diversity from Big Cypress preserved? Is selection helping preserve variation from a specific ancestry in different parts of the genome?
Genomic adaptation to free diving in the Haenyeo
When an activity is strenuous and essential for a population’s survival, selection might shape genomic adaptation to this type of livelihood. The Haenyeo are female divers from Jeju Island in South Korea that have been diving to harvest sea products for centuries without scuba gear. We hypothesized that selection might have allowed the Haenyeo to adapt to a lifestyle of free diving. In collaboration with Dr. Melissa Ilardo and Dr. Joo-Young Lee from Seoul National University, we took physiological measurements from the Haenyeo, other Jeju citizens, and individuals from Seoul. We generated genomic data for each participant with low-coverage sequencing and imputation using the Korea1K Project. We inferred ancestry, population history, and potential loci under selection that might underlie an adaptation to diving.
Previous research
Lizard adaptation genomics
I do populations genetics of the multicolor toad-headed lizard (Phrynochephalus versicolor). This lizard is originary from the Gobi Desert in China and Mongolia. There are different populations that vary in how much pigment they have in their skin. Most of the populations have light brown/yellow skin, same color as the sand they live in. There is a population that is black, matching the black sand of the region where it lives. I study the genetic basis of this adaptation.
Microfluidics and transcriptional memory
During my undergrad I had the opportunity to work with Robert Schneider. I was working under the supervision of Poonam Bheda. We worked together on her transcriptional memory postdoc project. We induced the GAL1 gene in yeast by adding galactose to the media where the yeast where growing. Then we repressed the expression by changing the media to glucose. A second time the galactose was added and the expression of the GAL1 gene was faster and higher. Using a microfuidics set up we would run experiments where we could track single cells for hours as we induced and repressed them several times. We studied the inheritance of this transcriptional memory and some mutants that would result in gain or loss os memory. Articles we published associated to this research:
Evolution of sex chromosomes
My first bioinformatics and fieldwork experiences were with Diego Cortez. In fact, I was his first student ever. One of the projects that I worked on was testing male mutation bias in monotremes (mammals that lay eggs like the platypus). Comparing mutation rates at autosomal versus sex chromosomes we estimated whether there was male mutation bias. The X, Y, and autosomes spend different proportions of time in each germline, and since the male germline (sperm) replicates a lot more, there is more room for generating mutations. We tested whether the bias existed in this particular system (venom-producing, egg-laying mammal, 5 pairs of sex chromosomes).
Another project I participated was in basilisks from the Yucatan peninsula. We found a new XY sex chromosome system in this family: