Alicia Gómez-Fernández
Departamental II – 217 Phone: +34 91 488 8288 2013 – 2014 MsC in Techniques of Characterization and Conservation of Biological Diversity, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (URJC) 2008 – 2013 BsC in Biology, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM)
PhD student.
Area of Biodiversity and Conservation
Universidad Rey Juan Carlos
c/ Tulipán, s/n.
E-28933 Móstoles
E-mail: alicia.gomez at urjc.es
Homepage at URJC
ORCID: 0000-0003-3422-0047
ResearcherID: AAN-1979-2021
PhD title: Evolution of plant size during domestication: causes, mechanisms and implications.
After thousands of years of evolution under cultivation, we have obtained ever larger and more productive crop plants. Our starting hypothesis is that crop plants have probably acquired more acquisitive traits during domestication, allowing rapid growth to maturity, increased resource uptake, and improved competitive ability.
The main objective of my Ph.D. is to explain the causes of variation in plant size and other related traits during domestication and to investigate the consequences of plant size on crop yield and competitive dynamics. To this end, we have conducted growth and competition experiments including domesticated plants and their wild progenitors in a common garden.