Dr. David Peris
Research Scientist at Botanical Institute of Barcelona
A short description
I am Ramón y Cajal Research Scientist at the IBB (Botanical Institute of Barcelona, Spain).
As a paleoentomologist, I am focused on the study of the past insect diversity, and its relationship with the environment, to better understand the origin and evolution of modern terrestrial ecosystems, namely its biodiversity. My target group is Coleoptera (beetles), the most diverse group of organisms on Earth, particularly those preserved in Cretaceous amber worldwide.
I have established a research line aiming to elucidate the role that insects had in the transformation of the Cretaceous forests through mutualistic and antagonistic relationships with different groups of plants. More specifically, I study (1) the origin and evolution of pollination strategies and (2) the behaviors of wood-boring insects and their capacity to transmit pathogens. These two factors had a remarkable impact on ancient ecosystems and shaped the ecosystems that we know today.
I update twice a year a list of species described in Coleoptera from the Cretaceous ambers at: https://daperce.wixsite.com/beetlesinamber.
NEWS!
06/09/24
New publication in Nature Plants
The impact of thermogenesis on the origin of insect pollination
05/08/24
The project FLOW has been FUNDED!!
Title: The establishment and consequences of mutualistic plant-insect relationships for the evolution of terrestrial ecosystems
PhD and Research assistant positions available. Contact me for more details!
21/05/24
Looking for 3-year-PhD motivated student
Project: Macroevolutionary history of the beetle fossil record
Contact me for more details!
21/05/24
PhD student Zuluan Chen arrives to the IBB
He joins us to work on paleoecology and early evolution of Neuropetara Chrysopoidea preserved in amber
02/05/24
Invited keynote at the 9th International Conference on Fossil Insects, Arthropods and Amber, in Xi'an (China)
Talk entitled: Insect-Angiosperm Coevolution
23/02/24
TOP 10 articles in PNAS from 2023
Our publication been selected in the TOP 10 articles published in PNAS from 2023!! 🥳 https://www.pnas.org/post/update/selected-highlights-2023
Peñalver, E.; Peris, D. et al. PNAS, 120(17): 9 pp. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2217872120
05/01/24
Starting
It is official, I will start my new position as researcher Ramon y Cajal in February this year for the next five years. I am thrilled about this opportunity.
10/10/23
Logo premier!
I have created this nice logo to illustrate my work and the work for the new lab I am creating. Are you interested in paleoecology? See below 👇
30/09/23
CALL for PhD CANDIDATES!
Do you like fossils? Are you interested in insect-plant relationship?
Seeking for motivated candidates to apply for PhD scholarships (or alternative collaborations).
Contact me for more details!
14/09/23
Ramón y Cajal 2022 position FUNDED!! New opportunities for the next 5 years!
Thanks to all the researchers who have bet on me and have dedicated time to teaching me.
It's time to start my own path and demonstrate everything I've learned!
At the top is a picture with representation of Coleoptera from the Insectarium Montreal