RESEARCH
.jpg)
Our principal effort devoted to study the ecological an evolutionary patterns of morphological diversification in animals, principally insects exploring the way in which morphological variation occurs, and which is the evolutionary origin.
The principal effort of the lab is the combination of the different biological areas that linked morphological adaptation and diversification, using principally one tool called Geometric Morphometrics.
Geometric Morphometrics Tool
​
The principal and most important analysis of geometric morphometrics is called Procrustes superimposition, where only the shape information is extracted and the other components of variation in size, position and orientation can be removed, while taking care not to alter shape in any step of the procedure (Rohlf & Slice 1990, Dryden & Mardia 1998).
​
See a Geometric Morphometric Spanish Review from our lab HERE
​
Most of my research efforts in geometric morphometrics have concentrated on landmark data Morphological landmarks are points that can be located precisely on each specimen under study with a clear correspondence in a one to one manner from specimen to specimen (Klingenberg 2008a, Zelditch et al 2012).
EME LAB RESEARCH AREAS
I - Pattern of Animal adaptation to extreme enviroments
One of the strengths of Geometric Morphometrics is that it allows us to study the association between shape and other kinds of data, such as ecological, genetic, biomechanical, or environmental factors. This makes GM especially useful in evolutionary ecology, where a traditional interest is to connect phenotypic variation with environmental gradients and selective pressures.
Ecomorphological studies have revealed how constraints and selective forces shape phenotypic responses to challenging environments, how morphology influences ecological distributions (Morphometrics and Biogeography), and how evolutionary trends such as conserved morphologies emerge across lineages.
Currently, the Lab is working with multiple organisms, mainly invertebrates but also vertebrates, from the Northern Chilean Altiplano, Patagonia, Magallanes, Subantarctic islands, and Antarctica. These efforts are supported by major projects including the ANID Anillo PIC2 (Insect Pests and Climate Change), the HORIZON-MSCA ACROPIS consortium, and our roles as associate institution in the Millennium Institute BASE and the Cape Horn International Center (CHIC)
A major line of our research addresses the shape adaptation of invasive and agricultural pests. Through long-term collaboration with the University of Zagreb, Croatia, we have published over 20 articles on the invasive Western Corn Rootworm (Diabrotica virgifera virgifera). More recently, we expanded to invasive species in Chile and Antarctica, including Bagrada hilaris, Halyomorpha halys, and the extreme exotic flies from Antarctica Trichocera maculipennis, and Psychoda albipennis.
We integrate morphometrics, genomics, and ecological data to understand how invasive species adapt and spread. This work is central to the ANID Anillo PIC2 Project (Insect Pests and Climate Change) and the European HORIZON-MSCA ACROPIS consortium.
We also study developmental stability and fluctuating asymmetry as bioindicators of environmental stress, especially pesticide exposure.
II- Invasive pest adaptation (Biological Invasions)
Organism shape evolution
Understanding the evolution of organismal form requires integrating studies of morphological diversification with phylogenetic history and developmental biology. At EME Lab we combine geometric morphometrics, phylogenetics, and genomics to uncover the processes that drive shape evolution across diverse taxa.
A flagship focus of the lab is the evolution of butterflies (Lepidoptera). Through collaborations with the University of Cambridge, and the ButterflyNet Consortium an international consortium of butterfly researchers, we have contributed to major advances in the field. Recent highlights include the global phylogeny of butterflies and the identification of their ancestral hostplants (Nature Ecology & Evolution, 2023) and the role of inter-island dispersal in the diversification of Delias, the world’s largest butterfly genus (Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 2024). Together with our studies on Vanessa carye migration (Molecular Biology and Evolution, 2025), these efforts provide a comprehensive view of how morphology, genetics, and environment interact to shape butterfly evolution at both global and regional scales.
Beyond Lepidoptera, our research extends to marine invertebrates (barnacles, chitons, echinoderms), vertebrates (fish, amphibians, dolphins), and fossil lineages such as ammonites, where we explore morphological disparity across geological transitions.
​
The Lab is also interested in understand the origins of the morphological evolution, for this reason have been incorporating the use of GM for studies of Morphological Integration and Modularity understanding integration and modularity is essential to comprehend the evolution of shape since the coherence of recognizable parts of most organisms is dependent on their developmental origin, structure and function (Klingenberg 2008, Klingenberg 2010). Integration is the cohesion among traits that results from interactions of the biological processes producing the phenotypic structures under study. Morphological integration and modularity, as well as channelling, novelties and constraints, represent fundamental paths where development would have the main role to explain evolution (evo-devo).
Pattern to adaptation to Migration (Animal Migrations)
Animal migration is one of the most remarkable evolutionary strategies, allowing organisms to cope with spatial and temporal heterogeneity by exploiting temporary or seasonal resources. Our lab studies the morphological, genetic, and ecological bases of migration across diverse taxa.
A flagship focus is the Painted Lady (Vanessa carye), a butterfly with an extraordinary distribution from Venezuela to Tierra del Fuego. By integrating geometric morphometrics and population genomics, we recently demonstrated that V. carye is indeed a true migrant in South America (Molecular Biology and Evolution, 2025). Complementary studies along extreme elevational gradients in the Chilean Altiplano reveal how migration and adaptation interact under harsh environments.
We also investigate high-altitude Andean butterflies, such as Phulia nymphula, to understand how morphology and dispersal strategies are shaped by fragmented habitats and climatic stress.
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
See our latest article on the migration of Vanessa carye, part of the PhD Thesis of Dr. Amado Villalobos-Leiva here ​https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf212
​
In marine systems, our work with green turtles (Chelonia mydas) by the Dr. Rocio Alvarez former PhD student of the EME LAB, integrates genomic and morphometric tools to study shape variation and migration routes across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, highlighting conservation challenges in a rapidly changing world.
Beyond these focal species, EME Lab contributes to broader comparative studies of migratory strategies across insects, birds, mammals, fish, and reptiles, often combining classical ecological perspectives with modern morphometric and genomic approaches.
.
​
​
​
​
​
