I work at the Australian Tropical Herbarium in Cairns, Queensland, and I am broadly interested in the evolutionary ecology of plants.  My main focus of research is on the rapid evolution of locally adapted traits of invasive species across broad biogeographical scales, with a special focus on reproduction, reproductive systems, and seed ecology.

PhD and Postdoc opportunities. I am always open to expressions of interest for motivated students and researchers willing to take advantage of the ideal conditions offered by the ATH and JCU in the Australian tropics. Contact me to explore potential areas of mutual interest and feasible funding sources. JCU's PhD scholarships for both domestic and international candidates usually close in September, interested candidates need to contact well in advance to assess suitability and to prepare a viable proposal. The Australian Research Council offers several opportunities for Postdoctoral research in Australia, including the DECRA for early-career, and Future Fellowships for mid-career researchers. I am also a suitable host for the European Marie Sklodowska-Curie global postdoctoral fellowships, and for other calls and organisations.

I am the Editor in Chief of Web Ecology (JIF=2.00) a Platinum Open Access journal (free to publish, free to read) published by the European Ecological Federation.

Teaching

• BZ3235: Biological Invasions (Level 3; CNS & TSV)
• BZ5235: Biological Invasions (Level 5; CNS & TSV)

Interests

Research

• Invasive plant ecology: Invasive plants are unique unplanned experiments that allow us to study in real time how local adaptation and evolution in allopatry develop, and how natural communities respond to them. My approach is based on three angles: biogeography, reproductive ecology, and seed ecology.
• Biogeography: Biogeographic comparisons of closely related invasive and non-invasive species provide novel insights into invasive ecology. My work exemplifies how even non-invasive exotic species are adapting constantly to their non-native ranges, and that many of the trait-shifts detected between native and non-native ranges of invasive species are frequently found also for less successful non-invasive exotics. My studies indicate that local adaptation and reproductive isolation can occur at fastest rates than it was previously thought, and have broad biogeographic implications for the understanding of allopatry and speciation processes.
• Reproductive ecology: I have pioneered the discovery of reproductive barriers arising between native and non-native populations of an invasive species. These incipient reproductive barriers can result from the accumulation of locally adaptive traits. Locally adapted traits themselves can be inherited in different ways, and the mode of inheritance contributes to determine the of evolutionary dynamics that will follow. My work has shown that some locally adapted invasive traits present intermediate inheritance; e.g., the offspring of a strong and a weak competitor presents intermediate competitive ability. In the presence of significant gene flow, this would be consistent with homogenising gene flow, in which population admixture leads to individuals with intermediate fitness. However, some other invasive species present dominant inheritance of at least some fitness traits, when admixture between strong and weak competitor genotypes results in an offspring of strong competitors.
• Seed ecology: Seeds are crucial for the establishment and persistence of invasive weeds. Seed ecology and soil seed bank management is thus an essential component of plant invasions, and my research aims to understand weed seed dynamics and to take advantage of that knowledge to be able to effectively and efficiently manage plant invasions.

Experience

• 2019 to present - Invited Associate Professor, University of Coimbra - Centre for Functional Ecology (Coimbra, Portugal)
• 2019 to present - Senior Research Fellow, James Cook University - Australian Tropical Herbarium (Cairns, Australia)
• 2013 to 2018 - Assistant Researcher, University of Coimbra - Centre for Functional Ecology (Coimbra, Portugal)
• 2011 to 2013 - Post-doctoral Researcher, University of Coimbra - Centre for Functional Ecology (Coimbra, Portugal)
• 2009 to 2011 - Post-doctoral Fellow, The University of Montana (Missoula, Montana , USA)
• 2007 to 2009 - Natural Park Technician, Generalitat Valenciana - Vaersa (Ballestar, Castelló, Spain)
• 2002 to 2007 - Ph.D. Student, CSIC (Albal, Valencia, Spain)
• 1999 to 2001 - Research Technical Assistant, CSIC (Albal, Valencia, Spain)

Research Disciplines

• Evolutionary biology (3104)
• Ecological applications (4102)
• Ecology (3103)

Socio-Economic Objectives

• Terrestrial systems and management (1806)

Fellowships

• 2012 to 2016 - Marie Curie Fellowship - Career Integration Grant, by the European Commission
• 2011 to 2013 - Post-doctoral Fellowship, by the Portuguese Government
• 2009 to 2011 - Post-doctoral Fellowship, by the Spanish Government
• 2002 to 2006 - Ph. D. scholarship, by the Spanish Government

Memberships

• 2023 - Wet Tropics Management Authority's Scientific Advisory Committee
• 2019 - Ecological Society of Australia - ESA
• 2018 - Iberian Ecological Society - SIBECOL. Founding member.
• 2017 - Sociedade Botânica Broteriana
• 2014 - Portuguese Ecological Society - SPECO. Former Board member (2017-18).
• 2003 - Spanish Terrestrial Ecology Society - AEET

Other

• 2013 - Editor in Chief of Web Ecology, www.web-ecology.net
• 2019 to 2021 - Coordinating Editor, Nordic Journal of Botany, www.nordicjbotany.org

These are the most recent publications associated with this author. To see a detailed profile of all publications stored at JCU, visit ResearchOnline@JCU. Hover over Altmetrics badges to see social impact.

Journal Articles

• Irimia R, Montesinos D, Chaturvedi A, Sanders I, Hierro J, Sotes G, Cavieres L, Eren Ö, Lortie C, French K and Brennan A (2023) Trait evolution during a rapid global weed invasion despite little genetic differentiation. Evolutionary Applications, 16 (5). pp. 997-1011
• Montesinos D (in press) Invasive neo-species and how to name them. Taxon,
• Montesinos Torres D (2022) Fast invasives fastly become faster: invasive plants align largely with the fast side of the plant economics spectrum. Journal of Ecology, 110 (5). pp. 1010-1014
• Santamarina S, Montesinos Torres D, Alfaro-Saiz E and Acedo C (2022) Drought affects the performance of native oak seedlings more strongly than competition with invasive crested wattle seedlings. Plant Biology, 24 (7). pp. 1297-1305
• Irimia R, Hierro J, Branco S, Sotes G, Cavieres L, Eren Ö, Lortie C, French K, Callaway R and Montesinos Torres D (2021) Experimental admixture among geographically disjunct populations of an invasive plant yields a global mosaic of reproductive incompatibility and heterosis. Journal of Ecology, 109 (5). pp. 2152-2162
• Ferreira B, Montesinos D and Sales F (2020) Mucilage in Portuguese Lamiaceae. Botany Letters, 167 (4). pp. 430-438
• Hierro J, Eren Ö, Montesinos D, Andonian K, Kethsuriani L, Özkan R, Diaconu A, Török K, Cavieres L and French K (2020) Increments in weed seed size track global range expansion and contribute to colonization in a non-native region. Biological Invasions, 22 (3). pp. 969-982
• Montesinos Torres D and Callaway R (2020) Soil origin corresponds with variation in growth of an invasive Centaurea, but not of non-invasive congeners. Ecology, 101 (10).
• Irimia R, Lopes S, Sotes G, Cavieres L, Eren Ö, Lortie C, French K, Hierro J, Rosche C, Callaway R, Pinho e Melo T and Montesinos D (2019) Biogeographic differences in the allelopathy of leaf surface extracts of an invasive weed. Biological Invasions, 21 (10). pp. 3151-3168
• Montesinos D, Graebner R and Callaway R (2019) Evidence for evolution of increased competitive ability for invasive Centaurea solstitialis, but not for naturalized C. calcitrapa. Biological Invasions, 21 (1). pp. 99-110
• Becerra P, Catford J, Inderjit , McLeod M, Andonian K, Aschehoug E, Montesinos D and Callaway R (2018) Inhibitory effects of Eucalyptus globulus on understorey plant growth and species richness are greater in non‐native regions. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 27 (1). pp. 68-76
• Montesinos D and Callaway R (2018) Traits correlate with invasive success more than plasticity: a comparison of three Centaurea congeners. Ecology and Evolution, 8 (15). pp. 7378-7385

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ResearchOnline@JCU stores 22+ research outputs authored by Dr Daniel Montesinos Torres from 2015 onwards.

Current and recent Research Funding to JCU is shown by funding source and project.

Advisory Accreditation: I can be on your Advisory Panel as a Primary or Secondary Advisor.

These Higher Degree Research projects are either current or by students who have completed their studies within the past 5 years at JCU. Linked titles show theses available within ResearchOnline@JCU.

Current

• Plant-animal interactions of invasive and native tropical Senna species. (PhD , Primary Advisor)

The map shows research collaborations by institution from the past 7 years.
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