Welcome to the Castilla Molecular Ecology Lab!

At Castilla Lab, we are molecular ecologists. Our work is grounded in population genomics, brought into ecological context through fieldwork and experiments, and extended in space and time through integrative modeling and simulation. We ask how plant and animal populations respond to environmental change and habitat fragmentation, and how the signatures of that response can be read from their genomes and phenotypic traits.

We work in both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, and with both plants and animals, along three lines of research: the genetic and epigenetic consequences of habitat fragmentation and environmental gradients, genetic monitoring of aquatic ecosystems, and biogeographic data integration through integrative modeling.

​We have two overarching goals. The first is to improve our understanding of how ecological and evolutionary processes shape genetic and epigenetic variation across space and time. The second is to generate evidence that conservation and monitoring programs can act on: identifying populations at risk, informing where and how to intervene to improve genetic connectivity, and provide molecular tools to track whether those interventions work.

See our ​research lines and ​​publications to learn more about our research. Check our ​join us page for opportunities to join our team! Feel free to reach out if you are interested in joining the lab or collaborating.

Contact information

Dr. Antonio R. Castilla

Assistant Professor 
Department of Biology
Oklahoma State University

​Email: [email protected]