Dr. Jesus Villellas

Research interests

I am interested in global patterns in plant demography. By analysing multiple populations across the native and introduced ranges of the cosmopolitan Plantago lanceolata in natural sites and in a common garden experiment, I aim to understand 1) the variation in life-history traits and demographic performance within the species, and 2) the importance of local adaptation and phenotypic plasticity in populations with different histories and current environmental conditions.

Selected publications

Villellas, J., D. Doak, M.B. García & W.F. Morris (2015). Demographic compensation: what is it, how does it arise, and what are its implications? Ecology Letters.

Pironon, S., J. Villellas, W.F Morris, D.F. Doak & M.B. García (2014). Do geographic, climatic or historical ranges differentiate the performance of central versus peripheral populations? Global Ecology and Biogeography 24: 611- 620.

Villellas, J., R. Berjano, A. Terrab & M.B. García (2014). Divergence between phenotypic and genetic variation within populations of a common herb across Europe. Ecosphere 5: Art 56.

Villellas, J., W.F. Morris & M.B. García (2013). Variation in stochastic demography between and within central and peripheral regions in a widespread short-lived herb. Ecology 94:1378-1388.

Villellas, J., J. Ehrlén, J.M. Olesen, R. Braza & M.B. García (2013). Plant performance in central and northern peripheral populations of the widespread Plantago coronopus. Ecography 36:136-145.