Graduate student (PhD)
Research interests:
- Molecular phylogenetics and the evolution of morphological traits, specially those involved in pollinator attraction
- The molecular and genetic basis of the evolution of traits involved in pollinator attraction
- Flower color evolution and shifts in pollinators
- Flower evolution in legumes
Research topic:
The evolution of bird pollination in the Macaronesian Lotus section Rhyncholotus (Loteae, Leguminosae)
Email address: ac.cbu.egnahcretni|ordisi#ac.cbu.egnahcretni|ordisi
Education
- MSc, Centro de Investigacion Cientifica de Yucatan, Mexico 2003
- BSc, Universidad Autonoma de Yucatan, Mexico 1999
Research project
I am currently studying the evolution of bird pollination in four species of Lotus section Rhyncholotus in the Macaronesia region (a group of five archipelagos, Cape Verde, Salvagen islands, Madeira, Azores and Canary Islands). I am using several approaches (phylogenetic analysis, molecular evolution, morphological comparisons, flower color perception, pigment composition and gene expression comparisons) in order to understand how some of the traits associated with bird pollination (flower color, size, and nectar composition) evolved from bee pollinated species.
The four bottom species belong to section Rhyncholotus, Lotus berthelotii, L. eremiticus, L. maculatus and L. pyranthus. Photo credit: I. Ojeda and Felicia Oliva-Tejera.
- Flower color evolution in Rhyncholotus
- Molecular phylogeny in Pedrosia and Rhyncholotus
- Petal epidermal micromorphology in Legumes
Collaborators:
- Arnoldo Santos Guerra, Jardin de Aclimatacion de la Orotova, Tenerife, Spain
- Felicia Oliva-Tejera, Ruth Jaen Molina and Juli Caujape, Jardin Canario Viera y Clavijo Gran Canaria, Spain
- Javier Francisco Ortega, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International, Miami, USA and Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Florida, USA
- Alfredo Valido, Integrative Ecology Group, Estación Biológica de Doñana, Sevilla, Spain
Publications:
- Ojeda, I, Francisco-Ortega, J. and Cronk Q.C.B. 2009. Evolution of petal epidermal micromorphology in Leguminosae and its use as a marker of petal identity. Annals of Botany 104: 1099-1110; doi:10.1093/aob/mcp211
- Ojeda, I, Carnevali, G, and Romero-Gonzales, G. 2009. Nitidobulbon, a New Genus of Maxillariinae (Orchidaceae). Novon 19, 96-101
- Cronk, QCB, Ojeda, I. 2008. Bird-pollinated flowers in an evolutionary and molecular context. Journal of Experimental Botany 59, 715-27
- Blanco, MA, Carnevali, G, Whitten, M, Singer, R, Koehler, S, Williams, NH, Ojeda I, Neubig, KM and Endara, L. 2007. Generic realignments in Maxillarinae (Orchidaceae). Lankesteriana 7, 515-537.
- Cronk, Q, Ojeda, I, Pennington, RT. 2006. Legume comparative genomics: progress in phylogenetics and phylogenomics. Current Opinion in Plant Biology 9, 99-103.
- Ojeda I, Carnevali, G. and Romero, G. 2005. New species and combinations in Heterotaxis Lindley (Maxillariinae; Orchidaceae). Novon 15, 572-582.
- Ojeda I, and Carnevali, G. 2005. Heterotaxis. In: Vanish and Beauty. Native Costa Rican Orchids Vol. 1. Pupplin F. (ed). Editorial de la Universidad de Costa Rica (Ed), 364-367
- Carnevali, G. and Ojeda I. 2005. Caulathron. In: Vanish and Beauty. Native Costa Rican Orchids Vol. 1. Pupplin F. (ed). Editorial de la Universidad de Costa Rica (Ed), 92-95
- Ojeda I, Carnevali G, Whitten M and Williams N. 2003. Phylogeny of Heterotaxis Lindl. complex (Maxillariinae): evolution of vegetative architecture and pollination syndromes. Lankesteriana 7: 45-47.