Xoaquín Moreira

🏝️Plants follow the island rule for leaf size: small-leaved mainland species grow bigger on islands, large-leaved species shrink, producing no net change overall. Herbivory and climate had little effect @xmoreira.bsky.social

🔍 Article: buff.ly/Gd5sazI
📰 Blog: buff.ly/WEpau1Z

Global insular leaf size shifts follow the island rule, independently of insect herbivory and macroclimate We found a positive, non-linear, saturating relationship between mainland and island leaf sizes, reflecting an island rule-like pattern. Small-leaved mainland species tend to develop larger leaves on...

New paper published at @journalofecology.bsky.social
testing the Island Rule in plants

besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

I just read it this morning. Amazing book! I will share with young researchers in my group

Just received @martin-nunez.bsky.social book from my institution!

The effect of herbivory on pollinators: a revisited meta-analysis

🌿 Join us to learn about the newly published review ‘The effect of herbivory on pollinators: a revisited meta-analysis’ in @annbot.bsky.social by Stephanie Haas-Desmarais and co-authors. 🧵(1/9)

👉 doi.org/qd2p

@xmoreira.bsky.social

#FloralBiology #PollinationEcology #Plantscience #AoBpapers

Quiroga et al (2025) Bottom–up and top–down drivers influence urbanization effects on insect herbivory in oaks @oikosjournal.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1002/oik....

@xmoreira.bsky.social

PhD applications are now open @treesdla.bsky.social for 2026 intake. Have a look at a project on effects of forest diversity on floral reward production for pollinators that we advertise with @philstevenson.bsky.social. Do apply/get in touch if you are interested! www.trees-dla.ac.uk/projects/eff...

More research on serpentine soils! Authors incorporated plant trait and herbivory measurements to better understand how serpentine soils influence aboveground plant-herbivore interactions and community structure! Thanks @xmoreira.bsky.social and team for sharing your work!

It is one of the most invasive species in my region...without marks of insect herbivores

Soil phosphorus mediates trade-offs between constitutive and induced defences in young pine trees - Planta Main conclusion Nutrient availability, namely soil phosphorus, modulates trade-offs between constitutive and induced defences in maritime pine, with high phosphorus weakening these trade-offs and shap...

New paper about trade-offs between defensive strategies

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Complex interactions in ant–plant mutualisms: The role of multiple ant food resources in mediating plant defence, pollination and fitness in a tropical shrub Our results show that ants reduced leaf herbivory on plants offering both EFN and trophobiotic insects. Although ants did not directly affect pollinator behaviour, leaf herbivory in plants hosting t.....

📰New paper from #ECOEVO group @xmoreira.bsky.social @mbgcsic.bsky.social in #EcologicalEntomology.

🔥Tittle: "Complex interactions in ant–plant mutualisms: The role of multiple ant food resources in mediating plant defence, pollination and fitness in a tropical shrub"

Link 🔗 doi.org/10.1111/een....

To meet the targets of the #UN Rio Conventions (#UNCCD, #UNFCCC & #CBD) we must bend the curve of land degradation. Our latest Review in @natureportfolio.nature.com #Nature discusses how to do it by 2050 by urgently transforming global food systems rdcu.be/eACfr #KAUST

Serpentine soils naturally have few nutrients & lots of heavy metals—a new #OpenAccess Report in "Ecology" considers how these rough conditions shape ecosystems from California to Sweden⬇️

The impact of serpentine soils on plant traits and plant–herbivore interactions Serpentine soils, known for high heavy metal content and low nutrients, create harsh conditions for plants and herbivores. Although previous research has explored how serpentine soils affect herbivor....

Our new study about plant-herbivore interactions in serpentine soils

The impact of serpentine soils on plant traits and plant–herbivore interactions - Moreira - 2025 - Ecology - Wiley Online Library esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Macroevolutionary Patterns of Phytochemical Diversity in a Macaronesian Archipelago Aim Plant specialised metabolites are highly diverse and serve various functions, yet the different forms of phytochemical complexity and their drivers are often not fully understood. In this contex...

New paper testing how island residence time drives phytochemical diversity in the Canarian flora

Macroevolutionary Patterns of Phytochemical Diversity in a Macaronesian Archipelago - Moreira - 2025 - Global Ecology and Biogeography - Wiley Online Library onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

My first trip to the Canary Islands was with a group of friends when we were 19 years old—we went there to hike up Mount Teide. Now, every summer, the islands have become my "field office" for research

Please share.
We have a fully-funded PhD position on animal migration. If interested, please apply by 27 July. More about us: shawanchowdhury.com. @idiv-research.bsky.social @monashbiol.bsky.social @uq-cbcs.bsky.social

#PhDposition #Ecology #Conservation #Migration #Rstats #AcademicTwitter

Incredible news! Our lab mate Carla Vázquez González has been awarded a 5-yr contract from the prestigious Ramón y Cajal program!

www.aei.gob.es/sites/defaul...

¡ULTIMOS DÍAS!

Venga, animaros a pedir algo para hacer en Cazorla. Os aseguro que nadie se arrepiente de trabajar allí. ¡Nos vemos por los barrancos!

Insect herbivory and leaf defensive traits in native and non-native populations of an endemic plant in a Macaronesian archipelago The spread of island endemic plants to new islands is an emerging topic, yet the mechanisms driving such invasions remain unclear. While herbivory-rel…

New paper accepted showing that the invasion of the island endemic Rumex lunaria to Lanzarote challenges typical enemy release expectations, as non-native populations experienced higher herbivory

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...