AP
GROUP MEMBERS
Harris, D James
Group member since ever
Senior researcher
Researcher ID: A-1478-2013
e-mail: james[at]cibio.up.pt
Although my background is in phylogenetics and herpetology, essentially I like playing with DNA sequences from just about anything – I have worked on various organisms from lizards to hares and from protozoans to plants. Anything except humans basically.
Personal pages:
Carretero, Miguel A
Group member since the beginning of the group and even earlier
Senior researcher
Researcher ID: A-1472-2013
e-mail: carretero[at]cibio.up.pt
I am an integrative biologist using reptiles as main (but not exclusive) model organisms. My interests embrace ecology, physiology, behaviour, morphology, life history, biogeography, interspecific relationships and conservation if under an evolutionary framework.
Personal pages:
Perera, Ana
Group member since 2007
IF researcher
Research ID: I-3021-2012
e-mail: perera[at]cibio.up.pt
My current research is focused on the study of host-parasite relationships, specifically on the study of co-phylogenetic patterns, host-specificity and factors that promote it, as well as disentangling the role of parasites on hosts communities.
Personal page:
Crottini, Angelica
Group member since 2011
IF researcher
Research id: I-7680-2013
e-mail: tiliquait[at]yahoo.it
I am an evolutionary biologist with a strong interest in European and Malagasy herpetofauna. I mostly use molecular tools, and my current research activity focus on the integration of new cutting-edge methodologies to study the evolutionary radiations of frogs from Madagascar, in order to investigate the patterns and processes of species formation and diversification. I'm involved in numerous conservation activities in Madagascar, I'm currently organizing the ACSAM2 (http://www.amphibians.org/acsam2/) and I'm one of the leading researchers responsible of the National Monitoring Plan for chytrid detection in Madagascar, aiming at preventing the spread of the lethal chytridiomicosis in case it should arrive to the island. Last but not least, I love to devote part of my time to the taxonomic description of the numerous new species of amphibians and reptiles that we are keep identifying in Madagascar.
Personal pages:
http://cibio.up.pt/people/details/acrottini
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Angelica_Crottini/?ev=hdr_xprf
GarcÃa Muñoz, Enrique
Group member since 2009
Post-doctoral researcher
Research ID: A-7419-2012
e-mail: engamu[at]gmail.com
My research interest comprises the effects of contaminants in life histories and their impact on population when contaminants are combined with changes in temperature. In addition, I am also interested in how important is individual variation in chemical tolerance to population, community and ecosystem dynamics. In this sense, the study of the effect of pollutants on individual variation is the raw material on which natural selection acts. Consequently, understanding the underlying mechanisms that produce this variation among populations and species is a central goal in evolutionary biology. The environmental problems generated by this worldwide contamination are an ideal scenario to test the influence of contaminant on evolution.
Personal page:
Kaliontzopoulou, Antigoni
Group member since 2005
IF researcher
Researcher id: L-8345-2013
e-mail: antigoni[at]cibio.up.pt
I am interested in understanding the processes that drive the evolution of phenotypic diversity. I use Podarcis wall lizards as the main model organism to answer questions about how ontogenetic factors, environmental variation and evolutionary history determine the degree of variation we observe across individuals, populations and species in morphology and other phenotypic traits.
Personal page:
Pérez i de Lanuza, Guillem
Group member since 2014
Post-doctoral researcher
Research ID: D-1160-2014
e-mail: guillemlanuza[at]gmail.com
As ethologist and evolutionary biologist, I am interested in animal communication and in the evolution of animal coloration and animal colour vision. My research is focused in several relevant issues related to colour evolution in lacertids, such as colour perception, colour production, or the mechanisms involved in the maintenance of the colour variability in this extremely complex and variable lizard family. I adopt an interdisciplinary approach that includes visual modelling, behavioural tests, physiology, molecular analyses and comparative analysis. Currently, my main interest is the study of the evolutionary mechanisms that may explain the maintenance of population polychromatisms in the common wall lizard (Podarcis muralis).
Personal page:
Pinho, Catarina
Group member since the beginning of the group
IF researcher
Research id: A-7541-2010
e-mail: catarina[at]cibio.up.pt
I am broadly interested in speciation, particularly in contexts where gene exchange occurs throughout divergence. I study genetic variation on natural populations in two well-suited model organisms: wall lizards belonging to genus Podarcis and cichlid fish from Lake Malawi. These two systems provide complementary views on the process of speciation: wall lizards include several relatively old forms which diverged presumably in allopatry and show varying degrees of admixture upon secondary contact; Malawian cichlids are a text-book example of a very recent explosive radiation led by natural and/or sexual selection. I have also performed literature revisions of studies fitting the Isolation-with-migration model of divergence in order to evaluate the magnitude of gene flow in divergence across taxa and investigate the utility of population genetics parameters in assisting species delimitation. I am also working on a project related to the coevolution between mitochondrial and nuclear DNA-encoded proteins.
Personal page:
Rato, Catarina
Group member since 2007
Post-doctoral researcher
Research ID: F-5784-2012
e-mail: catarina.rato[at]cibio.up.pt
My main interests are focused on several aspects of evolutionary biology and ecology, using reptiles as model species. Currently, my line of research consists on the investigation of the divergence patterns, taxonomy and evolutionary history of the Mediterranean geckos of the genus Tarentola, as well as a more thermophysiological approach to the Tarentola mauritanica species complex, focusing on the effects that environmental temperature has on the sex determination of this species and genes involved.
Personal pages:
Rocha, Sara
Group member since 2004
Post-doctoral researcher
e-mail: sprocha[at]gmail.com
I am broadly interested in phylogenetic inference and its use on understanding the processes that lead to genes, populations and species divergence. Most of my work has been focused on colonization and diversification patterns of reptiles from Western Indian Ocean Islands (Madagascar, Comoros and the Seychelles). Currently I am a shared postdoctoral fellow between CIBIO and the phylogenomics group at the University of Vigo, where I am collaborating in several projects related to phylogenetic and specie-tree inference from closely related genomes using next-generation sequencing (NGS) data, and mostly using mollusks as model organisms.
Personal pages:
Salvi, Daniele
Group member since 2010
Post-doctoral researcher
Research ID: I-6360-2013
e-mail: danielesalvi.bio[at]gmail.com
My main research interests are in evolutionary biology. I use phylogeography and phylogenetics to investigate the processes shaping current and past biodiversity patterns. I mostly used reptiles as a model organism, but so far I have worked also on amphibians, fishes, mammals, insects, and molluscs.
Personal page:
van der Meijden, Arie
Group member since 2009
Post-doctoral researcher
We study the functional morphology of scorpions and other arachnids from an evolutionary perspective.
Personal page:
Appearance on Discovery Channel:
Borges-Nojosa, Diva
Group member since 2011
Professor
e-mail: dmbnojosa[at]gmail.com
I am currently developing several research projects in partnership with CIBIO. One project encompasses a line of studies with the genus Hemidactylus (evolutionary history in South America; study of host-parasite relationships; and phylogeography of H.mabouia). The other project is the study of priority areas in Brazil (biogeography of relict areas of rainforest in northeastern Brazil; altitudinal gradients; threatened and endemic species). At the moment, I also coordinate a partnership research project between NUROF-CFU and CIBIO-UP, in Brazil.
Cocca, Walter
Group member since 2015
PhD student
e-mail: walter.cocca85[at]gmail.com
I approached herpetology during my master thesis, as a student of the University of Pavia (Italy), working on the reproductive success of the Italian common wall lizard, Podarics muralis, in relation to the ventral color polymorphism. After my graduation, I worked in the genetic laboratory of the Department of Earth and Environmental Science of the University of Pavia. This experience provided me the opportunity to deepen my knowledge on molecular biology techniques and on the principles of phylogeny and phylogeography data analyses, taking part in several research projects focused on different species like Podarics muralis, Tarentola mauritanica and Pelophylax ridibundus. My PhD project is focused on the study of the successful adaptive radiation of mantellid frogs of Madagascar.
Supervisor: Angelica Crottini
Personal page:
Dias, Guilherme
Group member since 2013
PhD student
e-mail: guilhermedias[at]cibio.up.pt
I have particular interest in study herpetofauna's origin, evolution and conservation, mainly Iberian herpetofauna exploring investigation fields as Population Genetics, Phylogeography and Phylogenetics. Currently I am developing my PhD project where I am employing a multidisciplinary approach exploring molecular tools together with the analysis of morphological and ecological data across different contact zones between Iberian Podarcis forms to identify barriers to gene flow, if present, understand how prezygotic and postzygotic isolation mechanisms act across different time scales, define potential patterns of introgression and identify phenotypic characters more prone to be under selection, expecting to contribute to better understand the emergence of reproductive isolation within Iberian wall lizards and elucidate the mechanisms involved in biological diversification in general.
Supervisors: Catarina Pinho and Pierre-André Crochet
Personal page:
Freitas, Susana
Group member since 2010
PhD student
Research ID: I-8842-2014
e-mail: s.defreitas[at]sheffield.ac.uk
The diversity of all living beings is fuelled by mutation, adaptation events and complemented by sexual reproduction. Organisms that evolved from sexual to asexual, such as the parthenogenetic animals, are considered a faux pas under current evolutionary trends. However, these organisms can show great success, and in some situations even achieve higher prevalence than their closest bisexual relatives, outcompeting them in nature. The focus of my research is to try to understand how bisexual animals can give rise to parthenogenetic lineages, within a phylogeographic standpoint, using as a biological model a complex of rock lizards, with bisexual and parthenogenetic lineages.
Supervisors: Miguel A Carretero, D James Harris and Roger Butlin
Personal page:
Gomes, Verónica
Group member since 2009
PhD student
Research ID: I-3662-2014
e-mail: veronica.a.s.g[at]gmail.com
My research interests are Ecology, Conservation Biology, Landscape Ecology, Ecophhysiology and Behaviour Ecology. My Master thesis focused on how fragmentation of habitat in urban environment affects the small mammal communities, using the Porto Metropolitan Area of Portugal as a case study. Currently, I have a PhD grant here I will be studying the interplay between morphology, performance, behaviour, and environmental variation in lizards in a functional morphology framework.
Supervisors: Antigoni Kaliontzopoulou and Miguel A Carretero
Personal page:
Gonçalves, Duarte V
Group member since 2009
PhD student
Research ID: H-7868-2012
e-mail: duartegoncalves[at]cibio.up.pt
My areas of interest lye around Biodiversity in general, and biogeography and evolutionary biology in particular. At present I am using GIS, ecological niche-based models and genetic tools in order to study evolutionary patterns in desert vertebrates. Agamid lizards in West Africa were the main model during MSc. A BTI in 2010/2011 allowed expanding my focus to other classes of vertebrates, mostly in Mauritania. In my PhD I propose an integrative study to further investigate evolutionary patterns in desert herpetofauna from West Africa, directing my research to biogeographical patterns at different spatial and time scales. I have participated in three field expeditions in Africa, totalling over 200 days, mostly in Mauritania and Morocco. Other achievements include the successful application to a MBZ grant.
Supervisors: José Carlos Brito, D James Harris and Salvador Carranza
Personal pages:
http://cibio.up.pt/people/details/duartenuno
http://biodeserts.cibio.up.pt/
Jorge, Fátima
Group member since 2008
PhD student
e-mail: fatima.esperanca[at]cibio.up.pt
My research interests focus mainly on host-parasite associations from an evolutionary perspective, understanding how parasites and their hosts have coevolved since their origins. The main goals of my PhD is to investigate the evolutionary link between host-specificity and cospeciation in Spauligodon parasites (Nematoda) with their reptile hosts, from a geographic perspective. To investigate such links, we use an integrative approach relying on phylogenetic, morphological and ecological traits of host-parasite associations. I hope with our study we can uncover a little bit more of the huge (and neglected) world behind host parasite interactions.
Supervisors: Miguel A Carretero, Robert Poulin and Vicente Roca
Personal page:
Lobo Coelho, Pedro
Group member since 2010
PhD Student
e-mail: plobocoelho[at]gmail.com
I am interested in studying why is animal performance so diversified and how much it affects their fitness. I use comparative biomechanics and functional morphology to investigate these questions across different environments - ecomorphotypes. I started using scorpions as model organism during my MSc degree but I have also worked with other invertebrates.
Supervisor: Arie van der Meijden
Personal page:
Machado, LuÃs
Group member since 2011
PhD student
e-mail: luismachado[at]cibio.up.pt
I am a PhD student at CIBIO and IBE-CSIC, currently working on species delimitation, biogeographic and evolutionary patterns in the gecko's genus Tropiocolotes. My main interest as a researcher is in the evolutionary process that shape biodiversity, using Phylogeography and Phylogeny as the major tools. So far, I have been working with reptiles as model organism, which started during my master in which I worked in the phylogeography of the mediterranean snakes Rhinechis scalaris, Malpolon monspessulanus and Hemorrhois hippocrepis (2012).
Supervisors: James Harris, Daniele Salvi e Salvador Carranza
Maia, João P
Group member since 2009
PhD student
e-mail: jpmaiapt[at]cibio.up.pt
My research interests are epidemiology, parasite-host interactions, genetics, and evolution. Currently, I am a PhD student supervised by Dr. James Harris at CIBIO-UP (Portugal), Dr. Salvador Carranza and Elena Gómez-DÃaz at IBE-CSIC (Spain) and my work focuses on apicomplexan parasites. It involves screening using traditional (i.e. microscopy) and molecular methods (i.e. DNA sequencing and Real-Time PCR) for detection and quantification of hemoparasites, such as Hepatozoon and Plasmodium).
Supervisors: D James Harris, Salvador Carranza, Elena Goméz-DÃaz
Personal page:
Mulder, Kevin
Group member since 2014
PhD student
e-mail: kvpmulder[at]gmail.com
Following my masters degree at Uppsala University and a year as a molecular technician at the Smithsonian National zoo I am now a first PhD year student in the CIBIO BioDiv programme. I am broadly interested in using genetics to understand the many different levels of reptile and amphibian biodiversity. More specifically I want to use NGS techniques to help explain species’ distributions, the associated genetic variation and the impact of host-pathogen evolution on the genome.
Supervisors: Labrotations with D James Harris and José Carlos Brito
Mendes, Joana
Group member since 2010
PhD student
Research ID: I-4380-2014
e-mail: joanamendes[at]cibio.up.pt
Currently, my research interests focus on the phylogeny of reptiles and, as a PhD student, I am studying the evolutionary history of the Lacertid lizards, particularly the palaearctic tribe. I have been developing my work in CIBIO-UP and in IBE-CSIC (Spain).
Supervisors: Daniele Salvi, D James Harris and Salvador Carranza
Personal page:
Sannolo, Marco
Group member since 2015
PhD student
e-mail: marco.sannolo[at]gmail.com
My background lies in herpetology and evolutionary biology and my research topics focus mainly on lizards and snakes ecology and physiology. I am particularly interested in studying reptile ecophysiology and thermal biology in relation to several life-history traits and in response to the global trends of climate change. I've also experiences with amphibian population dynamics studies
Supervisor: Miguel A Carretero
Silva Rocha, Iolanda
Group member since 2010
PhD student
Research ID: I-1989-2014
e-mail: irocha[at]cibio.up.pt
Science is the area that attracted me since all the time, since it could bridge some of my curiosity. Like a roller coaster, science is a game of questions and answers that are generating constantly more questions, and this is what makes science such an enthusiastic field to work. As a scientist, I defend the integration of several tools and methods to answer the several questions that arise. Nowadays, my research interest encompasses the biological invasions phenomena. Being biological invasions one of the major causes of biodiversity loss, it is priority to understand the factors that shape the current distribution of alien species and to assess their impact on the novel environment and native biota. On the other hand, biological invasions present interesting evolutionary problems since they are stochastic events often involving small populations that can survive rapid habitat transitions.
Supervisors: Miguel A Carretero, Daniele Salvi and Francesco Ficetola
Personal page:
Sousa, Pedro
Group member since 2007
PhD student
Research ID: N-3015-2013
e-mail: prsousa[at]gmail.com
I have a wide variety of interests in Biology, extending from Biodiversity and Ecology to Evolution. I have long been interested in Arachnids. I started by studying the Portuguese Araneae fauna but moved to Scorpiones during my MSc, researching the diversity and phylogeny of Iberian and Maghrebian Buthus scorpions. I am very interested in North Africa with its rich scorpion fauna and past climatic history. I have collaborated in the study of several Maghrebian scorpion genera, focusing on Moroccan diversity. While pursuing my PhD I am studying the "Iberian" diversification of Buthus, combining molecular, morphological and ecological modelling.
Supervisors: D James Harris, Paulo Célio Alves and Miquel Arnedo
Personal page:
Tomé, Beatriz
Group member since 2011
PhD student
Research ID: I-3698-2014
e-mail: beatome[at]cibio.up.pt
Ever since I first learned about it, I thought Evolution to be a rather fascinating phenomenon. And the more I got to know, the more passionate I became. End result: I am now a PhD student studying the evolutionary process in parasites of reptiles. I find this to be an interesting model as one gets to explore how the lifecycle characteristics and host relations shape the parasites’ evolutionary pathways, telling us a story integrated by a variety of characters and scenarios.
Supervisors: Ana Perera and D James Harris
Personal page:
Žagar, Anamarija
Group member since 2011
PhD student
Research id: I-5722-2014
e-mail: anamarija.zagar[at]gmail.com
My main scientific areas of interest are animal ecology with the emphasis on species interactions, ecological modelling and conservation biology. Areas covered in my PhD study include also biodiversity, biogeography, geographical information systems (GIS) and climate change. I currently work on interspecific competition between species of two genera of lizards (Podarcis and Iberolacerta) in Slovenia and Portugal. Research focus is on eco-physiology, biogeography, behaviour, life history traits in connection to species interaction and understanding its conservational implications in the frame of future climate changes.
Supervisors: Miguel A Carretero and Al Vrezec
Personal pages:
http://cibio.up.pt/people/details/anamarija
http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=215271934&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile
Damas Moreira, Isabel
Group member since 2012
PhD student
Research id: I-3740-2014
e-mail: isabeldamas.m[at]gmail.com
During the Master thesis, my research focused on understanding the effects of Apicomplexan blood parasites (haemogregarines) on lacertid lizards: I assessed the parasite impacts on lizards’ immune system, performance, behaviour and ecophysiology. I have joined several field expeditions through Portugal, Spain, Morocco and Greece over the last years, and I am very keen to combine field research with my desire of becoming a behavioural ecologist in reptiles. For my PhD I will be studying behaviour in lizards at the Lizard Lab, Macquarie University in Sydney.
Supervisors: Martin Whiting and James Harris
Pedroso, Diana
Group member since 2011
Research Technician, MSc
Research ID: C-6598-2014
e-mail: diana.opedroso[at]gmail.com
My research interests focus on evolutionary genomics and phylogeography of Scorpions. These are ancient organisms, members of Arachnida class and have thrived through different kinds of habitats, occurring on all continents except Antarctica. One of the most remarkable features in scorpions is their venom. More recently, my interests have focused on the evolution of venom genes in scorpions within a phylogenetic framework.
Supervisor: Arie van der Meijden
Personal page:
http://cibio.up.pt/people/details/dpedroso
Serén, Nina
Group member since 2012
Research Technician, MSc
Research ID: C-6598-2014
e-mail: ninagseren[at]gmail.com
I am interested in everything regarding evolutionary processes in life, in going to field expeditions, and most important of all, do research for conservational purposes. At moment my research area is focused on the colouration and pattern variability of a rodent desert species, the Lesser Egyptian jerboa (Jaculus jaculus).
Supervisors: Ylenia Chiari, Miguel A Carretero and Enrique GarcÃa Muñoz
Personal pages:
Estrela, Henrique
Group member since 2013
Research Collaborator, MSc
e-mail: henrique_estrela[at]hotmail.com
My master thesis focused on Hepatozoon blood parasites of Podarcis spp. About this topic of research, I am interested in correlating parasite prevalence with thermo-geographic variants as well as comparing between different host species, especially on contact zones.
Supervisors: D James Harris and Ana Perera
Personal page:
Rosado, Daniela
Group member since 2013
Research Technician, MSc
e-mail: de.frosado[at]gmail.com
My MSc thesis focused on the phylogeography of a gecko endemic to Morocco, Saurodactylus brosseti and also modeling of the species distribution. My overall interests are evolutionary biology, mainly phylogeography and phylogenetics of reptiles, but also any aspect that can involve morphology or ecology.
Supervisors: D James Harris, Catarina Rato and Angelica Crottini
Personal page:
Cortada, Àlex
Group member since 2013
Master student
e-mail: cortada.salas[at]gmail.com
Among ecology, ethology and evolutionary biology as general fields of interest, my research is specifically focused in predator-prey interactions by means of studying antipredatory tactics in lacertid lizards. I started working with some species of the genus Podarcis, in which I am studying diverse antipredatory strategies and its variability both within and across species. At the same time, I am working in some aspects of brain lateralization in the same taxa. With my MSc thesis is intended to extend this work into an insular framework, where the study of antipredatory tactics in scenarios of predatory release becomes of great interest in terms of conservation.
Supervisors: Miguel A Carretero and Enrique GarcÃa-Muñóz
Personal page:
Litsi, Victoria
Group member since 2014
Master student
e-mail: victorialitsi[at]msn.com
I have graduated from the University of Athens in 2013 where I first discovered my interest for the study of lizards as model organisms. Currently, during my master thesis I am going to focus on the Podarcis genus, studying the phylogeographic patterns as well as the morphological variation of the endemic Sicilian lizard, Podarcis wagleriana. Based on the obtained results, hypotheses are going to be made about evolutionary processes, possible geographical barriers, ecological and demographical events that could have contributed to the formation of the observed genetic and morphological variation.
Supervisors: James Harris, Daniele Salvi and Antigoni Kaliontzopoulou
Personal page:
de Sousa, Amanda
Group member since 2014
Master student
e-mail: amandadesousa_[at]hotmail.com
My main research interest is to investigate the co-phylogenetic patterns between Parapharyngodon spp. and the three different host genera – Gallotia spp., Chalcides spp. and Tarentola spp. – in the Canary Islands. My work pretend to clarify the current genus taxonomy and genetic diversity, infer specific patterns of speciation and colonization of the Canary Islands and assess cospeciation events, with the ultimate goal of inferring how the species evolved together.
Supervisors: D James Harris and Ana Perera
Personal page:
Couto, Alvarina
Group member 2013-2014
Master degree
Research id: M-4606-2013
e-mail: alvarinacouto[at]hotmail.com
My mastere research focused in the complex group of the Iberian and North African endemic lizards, Podarcis. These cryptic incipient species offers significant challenges in the definition of evolutionary entities and its taxonomy has been under constant revision. So, I performed comprehensive analyses using summary statistics and full probabilistic methods for species tree inference, taking into account the evolutionary processes that can cause incongruence like ILS. This will provide new evidences about speciation dynamics of this group while enabling comparisons among the performances of different and recent methodologies.
Previous Supervisors: Catarina Pinho and Sara Rocha
Personal page: