26.1.14

Sampling Phoenicean Juniper in Cabrera Island

Last week, a team of six researchers undertook the main field activity of project Gensabina in the 2013-14 wintering season: sampling the gentic structure of a population of Phoenicean Juniper (Juniperus phoenicea) in Cabrera Island.

The work took place at Cala Santa María, one of the most isolated Juniper populations present on the island. It  involved accurate geo-referencing and sampling >1,100 junipers of different life stages (from saplings to reproductive adults), a challenging task given rough slopes were they grow - as you may appreciate in some of the pictures.

The sampling team included three members of Gensabina: Carles Molina (who joined us as field and lab technician last October: welcome!), Pablo Guitian (USC) and Luis Santamría (EBD); and three Master students of the Anglia Ruskin University: Sarah J. Evans, Suzanne Makki and Martina J. Bristow.  It was a week of intense work but, despite a couple of days of heavy wind, we were able to enjoy Cabrera's sunny weather and awsome landscapes.