Initially my research has been focused on some aspects of the behavioral ecology of different groups of vertebrates. In my Master thesis I studied the structure of the bird community living in some fir forest in the Pyrenees. I was mainly interested in the way the habitat was used by each species and in the changes in the structure of guilds induced by different sorts of environmental factors.

The research for my Ph.D. was centered on the behavioral ecology of Iberian wolves (Canis lupus). We were trying, using telemetry techniques, to get some insight on the habitat selection and spatial and temporal ecology. As part of my dissertation I included a morphological analysis of Eurasian wolf populations.

My interest for the wolf and other endangered carnivores, as well as for the comparison of the different populations led my interest towards the conservation biology, and more specifically towards conservation genetics. During the last few years I have been involved in studies with clear implications for the conservation and management of different taxa, specially carnivores: gray wolves, African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus), arctic foxes (Alopex lagopus), Blanford's foxes (Vulpes cana), Darwin's foxes (Dusicyon fulvipes), Pampas deer (Ozotoceros bezoarcticus) … Some of these studies are still in progress.

Most of my research in this field has been centered on the wolves. I studied their hybridization with dogs, domestication of the dog, genetic variability of wolves and population structure using mitochondrial DNA. I am currently involved in a similar study involving nuclear markers, microsatellites.

Finally, the need for a deeper understanding of evolutionary processes that led to the differentiation of taxa and population has also directed my interest towards the study of the evolution of groups of animals. In this sense, the study of the domestication of animals (and plants) represents the largest experiment ever done in evolutionary biology. During thousands of generations strong selective pressures have been applied to domestic populations. The speciation processes that led to the origin of the extant diversity can in this way be simulated over a shorter time period by the processes leading to the generation of new breeds and varieties. I have been studying genetic evidence to reconstruct the domestication process for dogs and horses.


Selected Publications:

Arrendal, JSE, Walker, CW, Sundqvist, A-K, Hellborg, LC & Vilà, C (2004) Genetic assessment of an otter translocation program. Conservation Genetics (in press).

Vilà, C, Leonard, JA, Iriarte, A, O’Brien, SJ, Johnson WE & Wayne, RK (2004) Detecting the vanishing populations of the highly endangered Darwin’s fox, Pseudalopex fulvipes. Animal Conservation (in press).

Vilà, C, Sundqvist, A-K, Flagstad, Ø, Seddon, J, Björnerfeldt, S, Kojola, I, Casulli, A, Sand, H, Wabakken, P & Ellegren, H (2003) Rescue of a severely bottlenecked wolf (Canis lupus) population by a single immigrant. Proceedings of the Royal Society London, Series B 270: 91-97.

Vilà, C, Walker, CW, Sundqvist, A-K, Flagstad, Ø, Andersone, Z, Casulli, A, Kojola, I, Valdmann, H, Halversone J and Ellegren H (2003) Combined use of maternal, paternal and bi-parental genetic markers for the identification of wolf-dog hybrids. Heredity 90: 17-24.

Leonard, JA, Wayne, RK, Wheeler, J, Valadez, R, Guillén, S & Vilà, C (2002) Ancient DNA evidence for Old World origin of New World dogs. Science 298: 1613-1616.

Maldonado, JE, Vilà, C & Wayne RK (2001) Tripartite genetic subdivisions in the ornate shrew (Sorex ornatus). Molecular Ecology 10: 127-147.

Sundqvist, A-K, Ellegren, H, Olivier, M & Vilà, C (2001) Y chromosome haplotyping in Scandinavian wolves (Canis lupus) based on microsatellite markers. Molecular Ecology 10: 1959-1966.

Vilà, C, Leonard, JA, Götherström, A, Marklund, S, Sandberg, K, Lidén, K, Wayne, RK & Ellegren, H (2001) Widespread origins of domestic horse lineages. Science 291: 474-477.

Vilà, C, Amorim, IR, Leonard, JA, Posadas, D, Castroviejo, J, Petrucci-Fonseca, F, Crandall, KA, Ellegren, H & Wayne, RK (1999) Mitochondrial DNA phylogeography and population history of the gray wolf Canis lupus. Molecular Ecology 8: 2089-2103.

Vilà, C, Maldonado, JE & Wayne, RK (1999) Phylogenetic relationships, evolution and genetic diversity of the domestic dog. Journal of Heredity 90: 71-77.

Vilà, C & Wayne, RK (1999) Hybridization between dogs and wolves. Conservation Biology 13: 195-198.

Vilà, C, Savolainen, P, Maldonado, JE, Amorim, IR, Rice, JE, Honeycutt, RL, Crandall, KA, Lundeberg, J & Wayne RK (1997) Multiple and ancient origins of the domestic dog. Science 276: 1687-1689.

Vilà, C, Rodríguez-Teijeiro, JD & Oliva, F (1996) Circadian cycles in microhabitat use by forest passerines: consequences for community structure. Ibis 138: 308-314.

Vilà, C & Rodríguez-Teijeiro, JD (1992) Resource partitioning in forest passerines: the temporal dimension. Ardea 80: 383-388.