Research interests

I am broadly interested in evolutionary and conservation biology and, in particular, the study of speciation, population history and identifying adaptation mechanisms of organisms to their environment, as well as contributing research results to the development of management strategies for the conservation of species. My research involves using genetic approaches to study the evolution of organisms through space and time in the face of selection, mutation, drift and migration. More recently, I have incorporated genomics to these studies. Ongoing research involves evolutionary genomics of wolves and dogs, adaptation in ruddy ducks to high altitude and genetic diversity in bullfinches. In the past I have studied differentiation of coastal wolves in British Columbia as well as their hybridization with dogs, the phylogeography of white-headed ducks in Eurasia and ruddy ducks in Europe and North America, as well as hybridization of these two species in Spain, and assessed monitoring methods for the Mallorcan midwife toad, the most endangered amphibian in Europe.

Publications

Peer-reviewed articles

13. Muñoz-Fuentes V, Cortazar-Chinarro M, Lozano M, McCracken KG (2012) Stepwise colonization of the Andes by Rddy Ducks and the evolution of novel β-globin variants. Molecular Ecology (accepted)

12. Muñoz-Fuentes V, Green AJ, Negro JJ (2012) Genetic studies facilitated management decisions on the invasion of the ruddy duck in Europe. Biological Invasions (in press) doi: 10.1007/s10530-012-0331-9 Link

11. Cruz F, Brennan AC¹, Gonzalez-Voyer A¹, Muñoz-Fuentes V¹, Eaaswarkhanth M¹, Roques S¹, Picó X (2012) Genetics and Genomics in Wildlife Studies: Implications for Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology. BioEssays 34, 245-246 Link
  (¹Equal Contribution).

10. Muñoz-Fuentes V, Di Rienzo A, Vilà C (2011) Prdm9, a major determinant of meiotic recombination hotspots, is not functional in dogs and their wild relatives, wolves and coyotes. PLoS ONE 6, e25498. Link
Recomended by Faculty of 1000 (F1000)

9. Muñoz-Fuentes V, Darimont CT, Paquet P, Leonard JA (2010) The genetic legacy of extirpation and re-colonization in Vancouver Island wolves. Conservation Genetics, Special Issue 11, 547-556. Link

8. Reichart LM, Anderholm S, Muñoz-Fuentes V, Webster MS (2010). Molecular identification of brood parasitic females reveals opportunistic egg laying in ruddy ducks. Molecular Ecology 19, 401-413. Link

7. Bryan HM, Sim KA, Darimont CT, Paquet PC, Wagner B, Muñoz-Fuentes V, Smits JE, Chilton NB* (2010) Identification of Parelaphostrongylus odocoilei (Nematoda: Protostrongylidae) first-stage larvae in the feces of gray wolves (Canis lupus) by molecular methods. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 46, 297-302. Link

6. Muñoz-Fuentes V, Darimont CT, Wayne RK, Paquet P, Leonard JA (2009) Ecological factors drive differentiation in British Columbia grey wolves. Journal of Biogeography 36, 1516-1531. Link
  Article selected for the cover. Journal of Biogeography Editor's Choice highlighted articles

5. Muñoz-Fuentes V, Green AJ, Sorenson MD (2008) Comparing the genetics of wild and captive populations of white-headed ducks: consequences for recovery programmes. Ibis 150, 807-815. Link

4. Muñoz-Fuentes V, Vilà C, Green AJ, Negro JJ, Sorenson MD (2007) Hybridization between white-headed ducks and introduced ruddy ducks in Spain. Molecular Ecology 16, 629-638. Link

3. Muñoz-Fuentes V, Green AJ, Sorenson MD, Negro JJ, Vilà C (2006) The ruddy duck Oxyura jamaicensis in Europe: human introduction or natural colonisation? Molecular Ecology 15, 1441-1453. Link

2. Muñoz-Fuentes V, Green AJ, Negro JJ, Sorenson MD (2005) Population structure and loss of genetic diversity in the endangered white-headed duck, Oxyura leucocephala. Conservation Genetics 6, 999-1015. Link

1. Muñoz-Fuentes V, Gyllenstrand N, Negro JJ, Green AJ, Vilà C (2005) Microsatellite markers for two stifftail ducks, the white-headed duck, Oxyura leucocephala, and the ruddy duck, O. jamaicensis. Molecular Ecology Notes 5, 263-265. Link

Other publications in scientific journals

2. Muñoz V, Green AJ, Negro JJ, Sorenson MD (2003) Studies of the population genetics of white-headed ducks and North American ruddy ducks – preliminary results using mitochondrial DNA. Threatened Waterfowl Specialist Group News 14, 54-57.

1. Muñoz V (2001) Genetic introgression of ruddy ducks in wild populations of white-headed ducks. Threatened Waterfowl Specialist Group News 13, 28-30.

Scientific reports

2. Muñoz V, Green AJ (2004) Caracterización y control genético de la población de malvasía cabeciblanca en la Generalitat Valenciana. Generalitat Valenciana. Unpublished report. 13 pp.

1. Muñoz V, Green AJ, Negro JJ (2002) Estudio de la introgresión genética de la malvasía canela, Oxyura jamaicensis, en la población española de malvasía cabeciblanca, O. leucocephala. Junta de Andalucía. Unpublished report. 58 pp.

Popular Science

Muñoz-Fuentes V, Negro JJ, Green AJ (2008) Malvasía canela, un invasor al que temer y contener (The ruddy duck, an invader to fear and to contain, in Spanish). Quercus, July 2008.

Collaborators

Chris Darimont, University of California Santa Cruz
Anna di Rienzo, University of Chicago
Jennifer Leonard, Estación Biológica de Doñana CSIC
Tomás Marqués-Bonet, Institut de Biologia Evolutiva UPF-CSIC
Kevin McCracken, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Paul Paquet, University of Calgary
Michael Sorenson, Boston University
Carles VilàEstación Biológica de Doñana CSIC
Robert Wayne, University of California Los Angeles

Press Coverage

2010 Coverage of research. Uppsala Nya Tidning, 14 January 2010 - “Vargar kom utan testiklar och svans” (“Lobos sin testículos ni colas”, en sueco). Sweden.

2009 Coverage of paper: The genetic legacy of extirpation and re-colonization in Vancouver Island wolves. Times Colonist (Victoria), 29 September 2009 - “British Columbia's wolf cull on the Island led to 'monster' hybrid study”. Canada.

2009 Coverage of paper: The genetic legacy of extirpation and re-colonization in Vancouver Island wolves. The Vancouver Sun, September 29, 2009 - “Cross-bred animals found on Vancouver Island 'aren't fit as pets or wild creatures,' study finds.” Canada.

2009 Coverage of paper: Ecological factors drive differentiation in British Columbia grey wolves. Times Colonist, 11 March 2009 - “Unique coastal wolves merit protection, study concludes”. Canada.

2008 Coverage of paper: Malvasía canela, un invasor al que temer y contener. La Garcilla (SEO/BirdLife’s Magazine), Summer 2008. “Aves de España. Últimas noticias sobre Avifauna”. Spain.

2007 Coverage of paper: The ruddy duck in Europe and Hybridization between white-headed ducks and introduced ruddy ducks in Spain. Birding (American Birding Association’s Magazine), March/April 2007 - “Ruddy Duck Hybrids”. United States of America.

2006 Coverage of paper: The ruddy duck in Europe. World Birdwatch (BirdLife’s Magazine), June 2006 – “Ruddy ducks”. United Kingdom.

Links

The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online

Sociedad Española de Biología Evolutiva (SESBE)

Urdiales C, Pereira P (1993) Identification key of O. jamaicensis, O. leucocephala and their hybrids. Instituto Nacional para la Conservación de la Naturaleza (ICONA), Spain