PLANT  DIVERSITY        TAXONOMY        GENOMICS

​My research aims to understand the mechanisms behind the rapid speciation processes that produce high species richness in specific areas. Combining classical taxonomy with an array of modern molecular techniques, my research focuses in three main, complementary lines: (i) understanding to what extent geological factors drive speciation using islands as models, (ii) characterizing the morphological variation associated with rapid diversifications, and ​(iii) the applications of DNA metabarcoding in combination with high-throughput sequencing 

Current research

Plants used by alfalfa leafcutter bees

This project aims to identify the diversity of plant species used by the solitary bee Megachile rotundata to construct their nests and feed their larvae.

Micromeria (Lamiaceae) in the Canary Islands

This project tries to understand the influence of the islands' geological history and inter-island colonization on the diversification of insular taxa using genus Micromeria (Lamiaceae) in the Canary Islands as an example.

Taxonomy of Calceolaria (Calceolariaceae)

I have been working on the taxonomy of genus Calceolaria L. (Calceolariaceae) since my undergraduate studies. Calceolaria is a diverse genus with ca. 250 species distributed from Central Mexico to Chile and Southern Argentina.

 Latest publications

  • Egeter B, BC Robertson, C Roe, S Peixoto, P Puppo, L Easton, PJ Bishop. 2019. Using molecular diet analysis to inform invasive species management: A case study of introduced rats consuming endemic New Zealand frogs. Ecology and Evolution 9:5032-5048. DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4903
  • Curto M, C Schachtler, P Puppo, H Meimberg. 2018. Using a new RAD-sequencing approach to study the evolution of Micromeria (Lamiaceae) in the Canary Islands. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 119:160-169. DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2017.11.005
  • Puppo P, H Meimberg, PL Pérez de Paz, C Bräuchler. 2017. Nomenclatural Notes on Macaronesian Micromeria (Lamiaceae). Phytotaxa 317: 79-80. DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.317.1.9
  • Romero-Hernández C, RW Bussmann, P Puppo. 2017. New species of Calceolaria (Calceolariaceae) from Northern Peru. Novon 25: 316-321. DOI: 10.3417/D-16-00013