Personal information

systematics, biogeography, Neotropics, Arecaceae, comparative phylogenetics, phylogenetic community structure, plant traits, conservation and management
Canada

Biography

l completed my Baccalaureate and Licenciature degrees in Biology at Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia and the International Potato Center in Lima Peru. I then moved to Miami, U.S.A. to pursue my PhD in Biology at Florida International University. I worked as a Plant Ecologist at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden U.S.A. until 2007 and as a post-doc at Aarhus University in Denmark until 2009. I obtained a Marie Curie Intraeuropean Fellowship award to conduct research at the Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement in France until 2012. I finally settled in Canada where I joined Memorial University of Newfoundland as an assistant professor in May 2013.

My research focuses on understanding the patterns and processes underlying the evolution of the high plant species richness in tropical America. To achieve this goal I use fossil-calibrated molecular phylogenies, species distributions, phylogenetic comparative methods and biogeographic modeling. I use species-level phylogenies within the palm family (Arecaceae) as case studies to address numerous questions in systematics, on the biogeographical history of south, central America, and the Caribbean, and to analyze the phylogenetic use of morphological characters. These phylogenies have been used in combination with species distribution data to address the time-for-speciation effect and the role of in-situ speciation on plant community composition in tropical America. I have conducted fieldwork in Peru, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, French Guiana, Puerto Rico, Bolivia, U.S.A and Canada.

Activities

Employment (4)

Memorial University of Newfoundland: Saint John's, NL, CA

2013-05 to present | Assistant Professor (Biology)
Employment
Source: Self-asserted source
Julissa Roncal

Institut de recherche pour le développement France-Sud: Montpellier, Languedoc-Roussillon, FR

2011-01 to 2012-12 | Postdoc
Employment
Source: Self-asserted source
Julissa Roncal

Aarhus Universitet: Aarhus, DK

2008-01 to 2009-12 | Postdoc (Biosciences)
Employment
Source: Self-asserted source
Julissa Roncal

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden: Miami, FL, US

2005-09 to 2007-12 | Postdoc
Employment
Source: Self-asserted source
Julissa Roncal

Education and qualifications (3)

Florida International University: Miami, FL, US

1999-09 to 2005-08 | Ph.D. (Biology)
Education
Source: Self-asserted source
Julissa Roncal

International Potato Center: Lima, PE

1997-04 to 1999-04 | Licenciatura
Education
Source: Self-asserted source
Julissa Roncal

Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia Facultad de Ciencias y Filosofía: Lima, PE

1993-01 to 1997-04 | BSc (Biology)
Education
Source: Self-asserted source
Julissa Roncal

Professional activities (1)

Canadian Botanical Association: Ottawa, CA

2015-08 to present | Board of Directors - Eastern Representative
Service
Source: Self-asserted source
Julissa Roncal

Funding (7)

Models of suitable habitat for corals for a better planning of offshore activities in Newfoundland

2018-06 to 2018-12 | Grant
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (Ottawa, CA)
Source: Self-asserted source
Julissa Roncal

Predicting habitat suitability for rare plants in Labrador for a better management and mitigation recommendation

2016-05 to 2016-11 | Grant
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (Ottawa, CA)
Source: Self-asserted source
Julissa Roncal

A molecular phylogenetic study of the palm tribe Euterpeae

2015 to 2016 | Grant
The International Palm Society (The Hills, Texas, US)
Source: Self-asserted source
Julissa Roncal

Explaining the biological diversity in tropical America: a phylogenetic and biogeographic approach

2014-05 to 2019-04 | Grant
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (Ottawa, CA)
Source: Self-asserted source
Julissa Roncal

Knowledge of the factors affecting the antioxidant properties in partridgeberry will lead to a more profitable berry harvest in NL

2014-05 to 2016-04 | Grant
Research and Development Corporation of Newfoundland and Labrador (NL, NL, CA)
Source: Self-asserted source
Julissa Roncal

A multilocus approach to the phylogenetic inference of an island and continental plant radiations

2011-01 to 2012-12 | Award
European Commission (Brussels, BE)
Source: Self-asserted source
Julissa Roncal

Genotypic variation of wild partridgeberry in Newfoundland and Labrador

Grant
Forestry and Agrifoods Agency, Agriculture Business Development Division (St. John's, CA)
Source: Self-asserted source
Julissa Roncal

Works (34)

Historical Biogeography of Caribbean Plants Revises Regional Paleogeography

Neotropical Diversification: Patterns and Processes
2020 | Book chapter
Part of ISBN: 9783030311667
Part of ISBN: 9783030311674
Part of ISSN: 2509-6745
Part of ISSN: 2509-6753
Source: Self-asserted source
Julissa Roncal

Relationships of song structure to phylogenetic history, habitat, and morphology in the vireos, greenlets, and allies (Passeriformes: Vireonidae)

Evolution
2020-10-10 | Journal article
Part of ISSN: 0014-3820
Part of ISSN: 1558-5646
Source: Self-asserted source
Julissa Roncal

Targeted Capture of Hundreds of Nuclear Genes Unravels Phylogenetic Relationships of the Diverse Neotropical Palm Tribe Geonomateae

Frontiers in Plant Science
2019-07-12 | Journal article
Part of ISSN: 1664-462X
Source: Self-asserted source
Julissa Roncal

Phylogeny, historical biogeography and diversification rates in an economically important group of Neotropical palms: Tribe Euterpeae

Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution
2019-04 | Journal article
Part of ISSN: 1055-7903
Source: Self-asserted source
Julissa Roncal

Fruit morphology and yield of Bactris gasipaes in Tumupasa, Bolivia

Palms
2018 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
Julissa Roncal

Genetic variation associated with healthy traits and environmental conditions in Vaccinium vitis-idaea

BMC genomics
2018 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
Julissa Roncal

Dry season characteristics in western Amazonia underlie the divergence of Astrocaryum section Huicungo (Arecaceae) and evaluation of potential anatomical adaptations

Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society
2017 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
Julissa Roncal

Historical Biogeography of endemic seed plant genera in the Caribbean: Did GAAR landia play a role?

Ecology and Evolution
2017 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
Julissa Roncal

Uses of Parajubaea torallyi, a vulnerable palm from Bolivia

Palms
2017 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
Julissa Roncal

Active transposable elements recover species boundaries and geographic structure in Madagascan coffee species

Molecular genetics and genomics
2016 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
Julissa Roncal

Environmental conditions affect phenolic content and antioxidant capacity of leaves and fruit in wild partridgeberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea)

Botany
2016 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
Julissa Roncal

Palm diversification in two geologically contrasting regions of western Amazonia

Journal of Biogeography
2015 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
Julissa Roncal

Edaphic and light conditions of sympatric plant morphotypes in western Amazonia

Biodiversity data journal
2014 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
Julissa Roncal

Geological and climatic control of the Andean-Amazonian system and its biodiversity

El Peru frente al cambio climatico. Resultados de investigaciones franco-peruanas
2014 | Book chapter
Source: Self-asserted source
Julissa Roncal

Multi-scale phylogenetic structure in coastal dune plant communities across the globe

Journal of Plant Ecology
2014 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
Julissa Roncal

Can phylogenetic signal, character displacement, or random phenotypic drift explain the morphological variation in the genus Geonoma (Arecaceae)?

Biological Journal of the Linnean Society
2012 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
Julissa Roncal

Cenozoic colonization and diversification patterns of tropical American palms: evidence from Astrocaryum (Arecaceae)

Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society
2012 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
Julissa Roncal

Differential response to soil salinity in endangered key tree cactus: implications for survival in a changing climate

Plos One
2012 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
Julissa Roncal

Optimal locations for plant reintroductions in a changing world

Plant reintroduction in a changing climate
2012 | Book chapter
Source: Self-asserted source
Julissa Roncal

Testing appropriate habitat outside of historic range: the case of Amorpha herbacea var. crenulata (Fabaceae)

Journal for nature conservation
2012 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
Julissa Roncal

A dated phylogeny complements macroecological analysis to explain the diversity patterns in Geonoma (Arecaceae)

Biotropica
2011 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
Julissa Roncal

Divergence times in the tribe Geonomateae (Arecaceae) coincide with Tertiary geological events

Diversity, Phylogeny and Evolution of Monocotyledons
2010 | Book chapter
Source: Self-asserted source
Julissa Roncal

Characterizing environmental gradients and their influence on vegetation zonation in a subtropical coastal sand dune system

Journal of Coastal Research
2008 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
Julissa Roncal

Conservation genetics of Jacquemontia reclinata (Convolvulaceae), an endangered species from southern Florida: implications for restoration management

Biotropica
2008 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
Julissa Roncal

Molecular phylogenetic studies of Caribbean palms (Arecaceae) and their relationships to biogeography and conservation

The Botanical Review
2008 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
Julissa Roncal

An evaluation of the taxonomic distinctness of two Geonoma macrostachys (Arecaceae) varieties based on intersimple sequence repeat (ISSR) variation

Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society
2007 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
Julissa Roncal

Conservation of south Florida endangered and threatened flora: 2005 program at Fairchild Tropical Garden

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden
2006 | Report
Source: Self-asserted source
Julissa Roncal

Habitat differentiation of sympatric Geonoma macrostachys (Arecaceae) varieties in Peruvian lowland forests

Journal of Tropical Ecology
2006 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
Julissa Roncal

Propagation protocol for Jacquemontia reclinata House, a federally endangered species of South Florida

Native plants journal
2006 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
Julissa Roncal

Propagation protocol for the endangered Crenulate Lead Plant Amorpha herbacea var. crenulata

Native plants journal
2006 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
Julissa Roncal

Calyptrogyne plumeriana, a new name for a familiar palm

Palms
2005 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
Julissa Roncal

Molecular phylogenetics of tribe Geonomeae (Arecaceae) using nuclear DNA sequences of phosphoribulokinase and RNA polymerase II

Systematic Botany
2005 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
Julissa Roncal

Molecular phylogenetics of the palm tribe Geonomeae, and differentiation of Geonoma macrostachys western Amazonian varieties.

Florida International University
2005-08 | Dissertation or Thesis
Source: Self-asserted source
Julissa Roncal

Rapid differentiation of strains of Ralstonia solanacearum by restriction analysis of PCR-amplified fragments

Bacterial Wilt Newsletter
1999 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
Julissa Roncal

Peer review (1 review for 1 publication/grant)

Review activity for Nature ecology & evolution. (1)