Oscar Alejandro Pérez-Escobar

Ancient DNA reveals early use of melons in China's Song Dynasty

This study uses ancient DNA from Song Dynasty melon seeds to show they were likely consumed as fresh or culinary fruits, not sweet dessert melons, and supports their introduction from the Asian domestication pool.

Dissetangling the Vine: Phylogenomics and Historical Biogeography of Vanilla (Orchidaceae)

This study constructs a comprehensive phylogenomic framework for Vanilla, revealing evolutionary relationships, historical biogeography, and hybridization patterns.

Exceptional diversification of floral form in a specialized orchid pollination system

The paper analyzes floral evolution in orchids to show that specialized pollination by scent-collecting bees leads to faster floral shape evolution than other pollination strategies.

A highly contiguous, scaffold-level nuclear genome assembly for the Fever tree (Cinchona pubescens Vahl) as a novel resource for research in the Rubiaceae

The paper presents the first highly contiguous nuclear and organelle genome assemblies for C. pubescens, enabling research on alkaloid biosynthesis and evolutionary relationships within the Rubiaceae family.

The improbable journeys of epiphytic plants across the Andes: Historical biogeography of Cycnoches (Catasetinae, Orchidaceae)

This study investigates the historical biogeography of Cycnoches orchids, finding that the Andes did not act as a dispersal barrier due to the species' anemochorous seeds.