Mi investigación focaliza en la ecología evolutiva de interacciones planta-animal. Más específicamente, estudio interacciones mutualistas (polinización, dispersión de semillas) y antagonistas (parásito-hospedero y herbivoría floral)en un marco coevolutivo para comprender la forma en que procesos históricos y contemporáneos han influido en la evolución fenotípica, diversificación, y extinción de las interacciones planta-animal en Chile Mediterráneo. Para este fin, combino trabajo de campo con diversas metodologías que incluyen morfometría geométrica, análisis de redes ecológicas, selección fenotípica, genética cuantiutativa y análisis filogenéticos. Un interés adicional es historia y filosofía de la ciencia, con especial referencia a ecología, evolución y biología general.

Intereses de investigación


Rodrigo Medel

Profesor titular

Departamento de Ecología

Facultad de Ciencias

Universidad de Chile

Casilla 653, Santiago, Chile

Email: rmedel@uchile.cl

Phone: 562-9787355

Fax: 562-2727363

Laboratorio de Ecología Evolutiva

Roxana Cares

(Est. Magíster)

Rocío Cares

(Est. Magíster)

Gabriel Esterio

(Est. Magíster)

Francisca Flores

(Est. Magíster)

Francisco Fonturbel

(Est. Doctorado)

Catalina González

(Est. Magíster)

Maureen Murúa

(Est. Doctorado)

Carmen G. Ossa

(Est. Doctorado)

Paulina Salas

(Est. Doctorado)

Alina Candia

(Est. Licenciatura)

Marce Espinoza

(Asistente)

My research focuses on the evolutionary ecology of plant-animal interactions. More specifically, I study mutualistic (pollination, seed dispersal) and antagonistic (host-parasite, flower herbivory) interactions  in a coevolutionary framework to understand the way historical and contemporary processes have influenced the evolution, diversification, and extinction processes of plant-animal interactions in Mediterranean Chile. To this end, I combine fieldwork with diverse methodological approaches that include geometric morphometrics, ecological network analysis, phenotypic selection, quantitative genetics, and phylogenetic analysis. An additional interest consists on history and philosophy of science, with special emphasis on ecology, evolution and general biology.

Research interests

Pablo Céspedes

(Est. Magíster)

20 PUBLICACIONES REPRESENTATIVAS (*) Tesis de estudiantes de Magíster, Doctorado, Postdoc


Rivera-Hutinel, A., R.O. Bustamante, V.H. Marín & R. Medel. 2012. Effects of sampling completeness on the structure of plant - pollinator networks. Ecology 93: 1593-1603. (*)


Nattero, J., R. Malerba, R. Medel & A.A. Cocucci. 2011. Factors affecting pollinator movement and plant fitness in a specialized pollination system. Plant Systematics and Evolution 296: 77-85. (*)


Cuartas-Domínguez, M. & R. Medel. 2010. Pollinator-mediated selection and experimental manipulation of the flower phenotype in Chloraea bletioides (Orchidaceae). Functional Ecology 24:1219-1227. (*)


Nattero, J., A.A. Cocucci & R. Medel. 2010. Pollinator-mediated selection in a specialized pollination system: matches and mismatches across populations. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 23: 1957-1968. (*)


Murúa, M., C. Espinoza, R.O. Bustamante, V.H. Marín & R. Medel. 2010. Does human-induced habitat transformation modify pollinator-mediated selection? a case study in Viola portalesia (Violaceae). Oecologia 163: 153-162. (*)


Medel, R., M.A. Mendez, C.G. Ossa & C. Botto-Mahan. 2010. Arms-race coevolution: the local and geographic structure of a host-parasite interaction. Evolution: Education and Outreach 3: 26-31.


Carvallo, G. & R. Medel. 2010. Effects of herkogamy and inbreeding on the mating system of Mimulus luteus in the absence of pollinators. Evolutionary Ecology 24: 509-522. (*)


Medel, R., M.A. Aizen & R. Zamora (Eds). 2009. Ecología y evolución de interacciones planta-animal. Editorial Universitaria, Chile, 400 pp.


Gonzáles, W.L., L.H. Suárez & R. Medel. 2007. Outcrossing increases infection success in the holoparasitic mistletoe Tristerix aphyllus (Loranthaceae). Evolutionary Ecology 21: 173-183. (*)


Gonzáles, W.L., L.H. Suárez, R. Guiñez & R. Medel. 2007. Phenotypic plasticity in the holoparasitic mistletoe Tristerix aphyllus (Loranthaceae): consequences of trait variation for successful establishment. Evolutionary Ecology 21: 431-444. (*)


Pérez, F., M.T. Kalin-Arroyo & R. Medel. 2007. Phylogenetic analysis of floral integration in Schizanthus (solanaceae): do pollinators truly increase the integration of corolla traits? Journal of Evolutionary Biology 20: 1730-1738. (*)


Medel, R., A. Valiente, C. Botto-Mahan, G. Carvallo, F. Pérez, N. Pohl & L. Navarro. 2007. The influence of insects and hummingbirds on the geographical variation of the flower phenotype in Mimulus luteus. Ecography 30: 812-818.


Pérez, F., M.T. Kalin-Arroyo, R. Medel  & M.A. Hershkovitz. 2006. Ancestral reconstruction of flower morphology and pollination systems in Schizanthus (Solanaceae). American Journal of Botany 93: 1029-1038. (*)


Pohl, N., G. Carvallo, C. Botto-Mahan & R. Medel. 2006. Non-additive effects of flower damage and hummingbird pollination on the fecundity of Mimulus luteus. Oecologia 149: 648-655. (*)


Medel, R., E. Vergara, A. Silva & M. K. Arroyo. 2004. Effects of vector behavior and host resistance on mistletoe aggregation. Ecology 85: 120-126.


Medel, R., C. Botto-Mahan & M. K. Arroyo. 2003. Pollinator-mediated selection on the nectar guide phenotype in the Andean monkey flower, Mimulus luteus. Ecology 84: 1721-1732.


Medel, R. 2001. Assessment of correlational selection in tolerance and resistance traits in a host plant-parasitic plant interaction. Evolutionary Ecology 15: 37-52.


Medel, R. 2000. Assessment of parasite-mediated selection in a host-parasite system in plants. Ecology 81: 1554-1564.


Martinez del Río, C., A. Silva, R. Medel & M. Hourdequin. 1996. Seed dispersers as disease vectors: bird transmission of mistletoe seeds to plant hosts. Ecology 77: 912-921.


Medel, R. 1995. Convergence and historical effects in harvester ant assemblages of Australia, North America, and South America. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 55: 251- 272.


Medel, R., F. Bozinovic & F.F. Novoa. 1995. The mass exponent in population energy use: the fallacy of averages reconsidered. American Naturalist 145: 155-162.

Carlitos Pino

(Asistente)