Dr James Richardson

My main interest is to understand how global geological and climatic change affects plant diversity.

We use dated molecular phylogenies in order to understand historical diversification processes. The research integrates the disciplines of phylogenetics, taxonomy, palaeobotany, geology and palaeoclimatology. We have demonstrated that elements of lowland tropical forest have diversified comparatively recently as a result of Miocene geological changes and that the high alpine Paramo flora has the fastest rate of plant speciation on the planet. Current projects investigate the evolution of taxa restricted to particular biomes within Colombia to demonstrate their adaptability to historical climatic changes. We use this information to indicate the threats to plant diversity from current human influenced changes in temperature and precipitation regimes.

All of our activities including public communication are detailed on our blog at http://www.rbgecolombia.wordpress.com and publications on google scholar.

 

Publications

Revell, L.J., Schliep, K., Valderrama, E. & Richardson, J.E. 2018. Graphs in phylogenetic comparative analysis: Anscombe’s quartet revisited. Methods in Ecology and Evolution. DOI: 10.1111/2041-210X.13067

Clerici, N., Salazar, C., Pardo-Díaz, C., Jiggins, C., Richardson, J.E. & Linares, M. 2018. Peace in Colombia is a critical moment for Neotropical connectivity and conservation: save the northern Andes-Amazon biodiversity bridge. Conservation Letters. DOI: 10.1111/conl.12594

Serrano, J., Richardson, J.E., Pennington, T.D., Cortes-B, R., Cardenas, D. & Jimenez, I. 2018. Biotic homogeneity of putative biogeographic units in the neotropics: a test with Sapotaceae. Diversity and Distributions 2018, 1-15. DOI: 10.1111/ddi.12752

Richardson, J.E., Madriñán, S., Gómez, M.C., Valderrama, E., Luna, J., Banda-R., K., Serrano, J., Torres, M.F., Jara, O.A., Aldana, A.M., Cortes-B., R., Sanchez, D., Montes, C. 2018. Using dated molecular phylogenies to help reconstruct geological, climatic, and biological history: Examples from Colombia. Geological Journal. 2018: 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1002/gj.3133

Yap, J-Y.S., Rossetto, M. Costion, C., Crayn, D., Kooyman, R.M., Richardson, J.E., Henry, R. 2018. Filters of floristic exchange: How traits and climate shape the rain forest invasion of Sahul from Sunda. Journal of Biogeography. DOI: 10.1111/jbi.13143

Valderrama, E., Richardson, J.E. Kidner, C.A., Madriñán, S. & Stone, G.S. 2018. Transcriptome mining for phylogenetic markers in a recently radiated genus of tropical plants (Renealmia L.f., Zingiberaceae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2017.10.001

Gómez-Gutiérrez, M.C., Pennington, R.T., Neaves, L.E., Milne, R.I., Madriñán, S. & Richardson, J.E. 2017. Genetic diversity in the Andes: variation within and between the South American species of Oreobolus R. Br. (Cyperaceae). Alpine Botany 127: 155-170. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00035-017-0192-z

Jara-Muñoz, O.A., Richardson, J.E. & Madriñan, S. 2017. A new species of Begonia section Casparya from the Colombian Eastern Cordillera and a key to the Colombian Casparya. Phytotaxa 321: 208–212. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.00.0.0

Richardson, J.E. & Pennington, R.T. 2017. Origin of tropical diversity: from clades to communities. Frontiers in Genetics e-book. ISBN 978-2-88945-050-3. Link to e-book.

Clerici, N., Richardson, J.E., Escobedo, F.J., Posada, J.M., Linares, M., Sanchez, A. & Vargas, J.F. 2016. Colombia: dealing in conservation. Science 354: 190. DOI: 10.1126/science.aaj1459

Richardson, J.E. & Pennington, R.T. 2016. Editorial: Origin of tropical diversity: from clades to communities. Frontiers in Genetics 5-8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2016.00186

Kümpers, B.M.C., Richardson, J.E., Anderberg. A.A., Wilkie, P. and Ronse de Craene, L.P. 2016. The significance of meristic changes in the flowers of Sapotaceae. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 180: 161–192

Richardson, J.E., Whitlock, B.A., Meerow, A.W. and Madriñán, S. 2015. The age of chocolate: a diversification history of Theobroma and Malvaceae. Frontiers in Genetics http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2015.00120

Twyford, A.D. and Richardson, J.E. 2015. Molecular phylogenetics and biogeography. In Rhododendrons of subgenus Vireya. G. Argent. Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

Moonlight, P., Richardson, J.E., Tebbitt, M.C., Thomas, D.C., Hollands, R., Peng, C.I. & Hughes, M. 2015. Continental scale diversification patterns in a mega-diverse genus. Journal of Biogeography 42: 1137-1149. DOI: 10.1111/jbi.12496.

Onstein, R.E., Carter, R.J., Xing, Y., Richardson, J.E. & Linder, H.P. 2015. Do Mediterranean-type ecosystems have a common history? Insights from the Buckthorn family (Rhamnaceae). Evolution 69: 756-71. doi: 10.1111/evo.12605.

Costion, C.M., Edwards, W., Ford, A.J., Metcalfe, D.J., Cross, H.B, Harrington, M.G., Richardson, J.E., Hilbert, D.W., Lowe, A.J. & Crayn, D.M. 2015. Using phylogenetic diversity to identify ancient rain forest refugia and diversification zones in a biodiversity hotspot. Biodiversity and Distributions 21: 279-289. DOI: 10.1111/ddi.12266.

Armstrong, K., Stone, G., Nicholls, J., Valderrama Escallón, E., Anderberg, A.A., Smedmark, J., Gautier, L., Naciri, Y., Milne, R & Richardson, J.E. 2014. Patterns of diversification amongst tropical regions compared: a case study in Sapotaceae. Frontiers in Genetics. DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2014.00362.

Winterton, C., Richardson, J.E., Hollingsworth, M., Clark, A., Zamora, N. & Pennington R.T. 2014. Historical biogeography of the Neotropical legume genus Dussia: The Andes, The Panama Isthmus and the Chocó. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden Alan Graham Festschrift, pp 389-404.

Richardson, J.E., Bakar, A.M., Tosh, J., Armstrong, K., Smedmark, J., Anderberg, A., Slik, F. & Wilkie, P. 2014. The influence of tectonics, sea-level changes and dispersal on migration and diversification of Isonandreae (Sapotaceae). Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 174: 130-140. https://doi.org/10.1111/boj.12108

Madriñán, S., Cortés, A.J. & Richardson, J.E. 2013. Páramo is the world’s fastest evolving and coolest biodiversity hotspot. Frontiers in Genetics. DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2013.00192.

Richardson, J.E. and Harris, S. 2013. Colombia. Botanics.

Staats, M., Erkens, R.H.J., van de Vossenberg, B., Wieringa, J.J., Kraaijeveld, K., Geml, J., Richardson, J.E. & Bakker, F.T. 2013. Exploring genomic treasure troves: whole genome sequencing of herbarium and insect museum specimens. PLoS One. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0069189.

Sarkinen, T., Staats, M., Richardson, J. E., Cowan, R. & Bakker, F. T. 2012. How to open the treasure chest: Optimizing DNA extraction from herbarium specimens. PLoS One. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0043808.

Gower, D.J., Johnson, K.G., Richardson, J.E., Rosen, B.R., Rüber, L. & Williams, S.T. 2012. Introduction. In: Gower, D. J., Richardson, J.E., Rosen, B.R., Rüber, L. & Williams, S.T. Biotic Evolution and Environmental Change in Southeast Asia, pages 1-15. Cambridge University Press.

Richardson, J.E., Costion, C.M. & Muellner, A.M. 2012. The Malesian Floristic Interchange. In: Gower, D.J., Richardson, J.E., Rosen, B.R., Rüber, L. & Williams, S.T. Biotic Evolution and Environmental Change in Southeast Asia, pages 138-163. Cambridge University Press.

Chatrou, L.W., Erkens, R.H.J., Richardson, J.E., Saunders, R.M.K. & Fay, M.F. 2012. The natural history of Annonaceae. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 169: 1-4. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8339.2012.01242.x

Staats, M., Cuenca, A., Richardson, J.E., Vrielink-van Ginkel, R., Petersen, G., Seberg, O. & Bakker, F.T. 2012. DNA damage in plant herbarium tissue. PLoS One. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0028448.

Thomas, D.C., Hughes, M., Phutthai, T., Ardi, W.H., Rajbhandary, S., Rubite, R., Twyford, A.D. & Richardson, J.E. 2012. West to east dispersal and subsequent rapid diversification of the mega-diverse genus Begonia (Begoniaceae) in the Malesian archipelago. Journal of Biogeography 39: 98-113. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2699.2011.02596.x 

Thomas, D.C., Hughes, M., Phutthai, T., Rajbhandary, S., Rubite, R., Ardi, W.H. & Richardson, J.E. 2011. A non-coding plastid DNA phylogeny of Asian Begonia (Begoniaceae): Evidence for morphological homoplasy and sectional polyphyly. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 60: 428-444. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2011.05.006

Warren, B.H., Bakker, F.T., Bellstedt, D.U., Bytebier, B., Claßen-Bockhoff, R., Dreyer, L.L., Edwards, D., Forest, F., Galley, C., Hardy, C.R., Linder, H.P., Muasya, A.M., Mummenhoff, K., Oberlander, K.C., Quint, M., Richardson, J.E., Savolainen, V., Schrire, B.D., van der Niet, T., Verboom, G.A., Yesson, C. & Hawkins, J.A. 2011. Consistent phenological shifts in the making of a biodiversity hotspot: the Cape flora. BMC Evolutionary Biology 11: 39. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2148-11-39

Couvreur, T.L.P., Pirie, M.D., Chatrou, L.W., Saunders, R.M.K., Su, Y.C.F., Richardson, J.E. & Erkens, R.H.J. 2011. Early history of the flowering plant family Annonaceae: steady diversification and boreotropical geodispersal. Journal of Biogeography 38: 664-680. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2699.2010.02434.x

Bartish, I.V., Richardson, J.E., Antonelli, A. & Swenson, U. 2010. Vicariance or long-distance dispersal: historical biogeography of the pantropical subfamily Chrysophylloideae (Sapotaceae). Journal of Biogeography 38: 177-190. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2699.2010.02389.x

Couvreur, T.L.P., Gort, G., Richardson, J.E., Sosef, M.S.M., & Chatrou, L.W. 2010. Insights into the influence of priors in posterior mapping of discrete morphological characters: a case study in Annonaceae. PLoS One 5: 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0010473

Auvray, G, Harris, D.J., Richardson, J.E., Newman, M.F. & Sarkinen, T.E. 2010. Phylogeny and dating of Aframomum (Zingiberaceae). In Diversity, Phylogeny and Evolution in the Monocotyledons (Seberg, O, Petersen, G, Barfod, A. and Davis, J.L. eds.), pp. 297-305. Aarhus University Press, Denmark.

Cody, S, Richardson, J.E., Rull, V., Ellis, C. & Pennington, R.T. 2010. The great American biotic interchange revisited. Ecography 33: 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0587.2010.06327.x 

Richardson, J.E. 2009. Botanizing in the land of Garcia-Marquez. Botanics 39: 8-9.

Kursar, T.A., Dexter, K.G., Lokvam, J., Pennington, R.T., Richardson, J.E., Weber, M.G., Murakami, E.T., Drake, C., McGregor, R. & Coley, P.D. 2009. The evolution of anti-herbivore defenses and their contribution to species coexistence in the tropical tree genus Inga. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 106: 18073-18078. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0904786106

Chatrou, L.W., Escribano, M.P., Viruel, M.A., Maas, J.W., Richardson, J.E. & Hormaza, J.I. 2009. Flanking regions of monomorphic microsatellite loci provide a new source of data for plant species-level phylogenetics. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 53: 726-733. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2009.07.024

Chatrou, L.W., Couvreur, T.L.P. & Richardson, J.E. 2009. Spatio-temporal dynamism of hotspots enhances plant diversity. Journal of Biogeography 36: 1628–1629. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2699.2009.02179.x

Haston, E., Richardson, J.E., Stevens, P.F., Chase, M.W. & Harris, D.J. 2009. The Linear Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (LAPG) III: a linear sequence of the families in APG III. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 161: 128–131. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8339.2009.01000.x

Hollingsworth, P.M., Forrest, L.L., Spouge, J.L., Hajibabaei, M., Ratnasingham, N., van der Bank, M., Chase, M.W., Cowan, R.S., Erickson, D.L., Fazekas, A.J., Graham, S.W., James, K.E., Kim, K.J., Kress, W.J., Schneider, H., van Alphen Stahl, J., Barrett, S.C.H., van den Berg, C., Bogarin, D., Burgess, K.S., Cameron, K.M., Carine, M., Chacón, J., Clark, A., Clarkson, J.J., Conrad, F., Devey, D.S., Ford, C.S., Hedderson, T.A.J., Hollingsworth, M.L., Husband, B.C., Kelly, L.J., Kesanakurti, P.R., Kim, J.S., Kim, Y.D., Lahaye, R., Lee, H.L., Long, D.G., Madriñán, S., Maurin, O., Meusnier, I., Newmaster, S.G., Park, C.W., Percy, D.M., Petersen, G., Richardson, J.E., Salazar, G.A., Savolainen, V., Seberg, O., Wilkinson, M.J., Yi, D.K. & Little, D.P. 2009. A DNA barcode for land plants. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 106: 12794-12797. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0905845106

Hollingsworth, M.L., Clark, A., Forrest, L.L., Richardson, J.E., Pennington, R.T., Long, D.G., Cowan, R., Chase, M.W., Gaudeul, M. & Hollingsworth, P.M. 2009. Selecting barcoding loci for plants: evaluation of seven candidate loci with species level sampling in three divergent groups of land plants. Molecular Ecology Resources 9: 439-457. doi: 10.1111/j.1755-0998.2008.02439.x

Couvreur. T.L.P., Chatrou, L.W., Sosef, M.S.M. & Richardson, J.E. 2008. Molecular phylogenetics reveal multiple tertiary vicariance origins of African rain forest trees. BMC Evolutionary Biology 6: 54-63. https://doi.org/10.1186/1741-7007-6-54

Swenson, U., Richardson, J.E. & Bartish, I.V. 2008. Multi-gene phylogeny of the pantropical subfamily Chrysophylloideae (Sapotaceae): Evidence of generic polyphyly and extensive morphological homoplasy. Cladistics 24: 1006-1031. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1096-0031.2008.00235.x

Couvreur, T.L.P., Richardson, J.E., Sosef, M.S.M., Erkens, R.H.J. & Chatrou, L.W. 2008. Evolution of syncarpy and other morphological characters in African Annonaceae: a posterior mapping approach. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 47: 302-318. doi: 10.1016/j.ympev.2008.01.018

Chase, M.W., Cowan, R.S., Hollingsworth, P.M., van den Berg, C., Madriñán, S., Petersen, G., Seberg, O., Cameron, K.M., Kress, W.J., Hedderson, T.A.J., Conrad, F., Salazar, G., Carine, M., Barraclough, T.G., Richardson, J.E., Hollingsworth, M., Jørgsensen, T., Kelly, L. & Wilkinson, M. 2007. A proposal for a standardized protocol to barcode all land plants. Taxon. 56: 295-299.

Särkinen, T.E., Newman, M.F., Maas, P.J.M., Maas, H. Poulsen, A.D., Harris, D.J., Richardson, J.E., Clark, A., Hollingsworth, M. & Pennington, R.T. 2007. Recent oceanic long-distance dispersal and divergence in the amphi-Atlantic rain forest genus Renealmia L.f. (Zingiberaceae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 44: 968–980. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2007.06.007

Haston, E., Richardson, J.E., Stevens, P.F., Chase, M.W. & Harris, D.J. 2007. A linear sequence of angiosperm phylogeny group II families. Taxon 56: 7-12. DOI: 10.2307/25065731

Pennington, R.T., Richardson, J.E. & Lavin, M. 2006. Insights into the historical construction of species-rich biomes from dated plant phylogenies, neutral ecological theory and phylogenetic community structure. New Phytologist 172: 605–616. DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2006.01902.x

Couvreur T.L.P., Gereau, R.E., Wieringa, J.J. & Richardson, J.E. 2006. Description of four new species of Monodora and Isolona (Annonaceae) from Tanzania and an overview of Tanzanian Annonaceae diversity. Adansonia, sér. 3, 28: 243-266.

Pirie, M.D., Chatrou, L.W., Erkens, R.H.J., Maas, J.W., van der Niet, T., Mols, J.B. & Richardson, J.E. 2005. Phylogeny reconstruction and molecular dating in four Neotropical genera of Annonaceae: the effect of taxon sampling in age estimations. Regnum Vegetabile 143, A.R.G. Gantner Verlag, Liechtenstein, pp.149-174.

Hollingsworth, P.M., Dawson, I.K., Goodall-Copestake, W.P., Richardson, J.E., Weber, J.C., Sotelo Montes, C. & Pennington, R.T. 2005. Do farmers reduce genetic diversity when they domesticate tropical trees? A case study from Amazonia. Molecular Ecology 14: 497-501. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294X.2005.02431.x

Pennington, R.T., Cronk, Q.C.B. & Richardson, J.E. 2004. Introduction and synthesis: plant phylogeny and the origin of major biomes. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society London B59: 1455–1465. DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2004.1539

Richardson, J.E., Chatrou, L.W. Mols, J.B., Erkens, R.H.J. & Pirie, M.D. 2004. Historical biogeography of two cosmopolitan families of flowering plants: Annonaceae and Rhamnaceae. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society London B59: 1495–1508. DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2004.1537

Calsbeek, R.G., Thompson, J.N. & Richardson, J.E. 2003. Patterns of molecular evolution and diversification in a biodiversity hotspot: the California Floristic Province. Molecular Ecology 12: 1021-1029. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-294X.2003.01794.x 

Richardson, J.E., Fay, M.F., Cronk, Q.C.B. & Chase, M.W. 2003. Species delimitation and the origin of populations in island representatives of the genus Phylica L. (Rhamnaceae). Evolution 57: 816-827. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0014-3820.2003.tb00293.x 

Richardson, J.E., Pennington, R.T., Pennington, T.D. & Hollingsworth, P.M. 2001. Rapid diversification of a species-rich genus of neotropical rain forest trees. Science 293: 2242-2245. DOI: 10.1126/science.1061421

Fay, M.F., Lledó, M.D., Richardson, J.E., Rye, B.L. & Hopper, S.D. 2001. Molecular data confirm the affinities of Granitites with Alphitonia (Rhamnaceae). Kew Bulletin 56: 669-675. DOI: 10.2307/4117693

Richardson, J.E., Weitz, F.M., Fay, M.F., Cronk, Q.C.B., Linder, H.P., Reeves, G. & Chase, M.W. 2001. Rapid and recent origin of species richness in the Cape flora of South Africa. Nature 412: 181-183. https://doi.org/10.1038/35084067

Richardson, J.E., Weitz, F.M., Fay, M.F., Cronk, Q.C.B., Linder, H.P., Reeves, G. & Chase, M.W. 2001. Phylogenetic analysis of Phylica L. with an emphasis on island species: evidence from plastid trnL-F DNA and nuclear internal transcribed spacer (ribosomal DNA) sequences. Taxon 50: 405-427. DOI: 10.2307/1223889

Richardson, J.E. 2000. In Walters et al. (eds.) European Garden Flora VI: Accounts of Myoporaceae, selected genera in Apocynaceae, Asclepiadaceae, Bignoniaceae, Boraginaceae, Buddleiaceae and Compositae.

Richardson, J.E., Fay, M.F., Cronk, Q.C.B. & Chase, M.W. 2000. A revision of the tribal classification of Rhamnaceae. Kew Bulletin 55: 311-340. DOI: 10.2307/4115645

Richardson, J.E., Fay, M.F., Cronk, Q.C.B., Bowman, D. & Chase, M.W. 2000. A phylogenetic analysis of Rhamnaceae using rbcL and trnL-F plastid DNA sequences. American Journal of Botany 87: 1309-1324. https://doi.org/10.2307/2656724 

Thulin, M., Bremer, B., Chase, M.W., Niklasson, J., Richardson, J.E. & Fay, M.F. 1998. Barbeya and Dirachma - family relationships of two enigmatic genera. Plant Systematics and Evolution 213: 103-119. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00988911

Fay, M.F., Olmstead, R.G., Richardson, J.E., Santiago, E., Prance, G.T. & Chase, M.W. 1998. Molecular data support the inclusion of Duckeodendron cestroides in Solanaceae. Kew Bulletin 53: 203-212. DOI: 10.2307/4110460

Richardson, J.E. 1997. In Walters et al. (eds.) European Garden Flora V: Accounts of Primula, Anacardiaceae, Sapotaceae, Leeaceae, Alangiaceae, Corynocarpaceae, selected genera in Cistaceae, Ericaceae, Myrtaceae, Sterculiaceae, Thymelaeaceae, Umbelliferae and Vitaceae.

Williams, C.A., Richardson, J.E., Greenham, J. & Eagles, J. 1993. Correlations between leaf flavonoids, taxonomy and plant geography in the genus Disporum. Phytochemistry 34: 197-203. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(00)90805-7

Selected Popular Press

http://www.scotsman.com/news/colombian-biodiversity-hotspot-needs-scotland-s-help-1-3141013
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/12/science/high-above-sea-level-evolutionary-hot-spots.html?_r=0
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3312187/Cocoa-10m-years-OLDER-thought-possibly-leading-new-flavours.html
http://www.express.co.uk/news/nature/618507/chocolate-made-10m-year-old-plant
http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2015/1112/Cacao-evolution-study-could-yield-sweet-results-for-chocolate-industry
http://www.semana.com/especiales-comerciales/especial-universidad-del-rosario-fasciculo-8/articulo/el-mundo-podria-registrar-un-deficit-de-cacao-en-el-2020/459049
http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/our-region/edinburgh/inverleith/botanist-on-the-front-lines-of-battle-to-save-chocolate-1-4172453

Students

Thomas Couvreur (Wageningen University). Systematics and biogeography of Monodora and Isolona (Annonaceae) in tropical Africa (2004-2008).

Kate Armstrong (Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and University of Edinburgh). Systematics and biogeography of the pan-tropical disjunct genus Manilkara (Sapotaceae) (2006-2009).

Daniel Thomas (Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and University of Glasgow). Systematics and historical biogeography of Sulawesi Begonia L.: Dispersal across Wallace’s Line? (2007-2010).

Nicola Harrison (Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and University of Edinburgh). Evolution of Diversity in Begonia section Gireoudia (2007-2012).

Jane Droop (Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and the University of Aberdeen). Taxonomic and phylogenetic studies in the genus Amomum (Zingiberaceae) in Sumatra (2008-2012).

Maria-Camila Gomez Gutierrez (Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and University of Edinburgh). Evolution of High Andean lineages of flowering plants (2010-2014).

Eugenio Valderrama Escallón (Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and University of Edinburgh). Comparing diversification rates among Neotropical and African lineages of Renealmia (Zingiberaceae) (2011-2016).

Roosevelt Garcia (Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and University of Edinburgh). Origin of South American white sand forests (2011-2015).

Ana Maria Aldana (University of the Andes). Secondary forests: structure, biodiversity and carbon sequestration (2011-2016).

Lakmini Kumarage (Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and University of Edinburgh). Biogeography of Sri Lankan angiosperms (2012-2016).

Javier Luna Castro Garcia (Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and University of Edinburgh). Evolution of Gesneriaceae (2012-2016).

Adolfo Jara Munoz (Universidad de Los Andes). Systematics and biogeography of Colombian Begonia (2012-2016).

Julieth Serrano (Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and University of Edinburgh). Biogeography of Sapotaceae in Chocó (2013-2017).

Maria Fernanda Torres (Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and University of Edinburgh). Tococa-Ant interactions (2014-2018).

Carlos Alberto Vargas (2016-2021). Floristic relations amongst Colombian cloud forests.