Raquel Vasconcelos
Researcher
Conservation Genetics and Wildlife Management
CIBIO, Centro de Investigacao em Biodiversidade e Recursos Geneticos
Portugal
Biography
"My PhD focused on using integrative approaches to revise the systematics of the reptiles of the Cape Verde Islands and on combining predicted species richness with genetic diversity to optimise reserve design in that archipelago. The collected data clarified taxonomy, provided inferences of colonization and speciation processes and established the first atlas of the capeverdian herpetofauna, and proposed protected areas to conserve all evolutionarily significant units of endemic reptiles. My post-doc also focus on the conservation of genetic diversity in insular biodiversity hotspot systems, this time using Socotra archipelago as model. The idea is to use a multi-disciplinary approach integrating phylogenetics, geostatistics, species distribution modelling, and reserve selection algorithms to assist the conservation of the genetic diversity of reptiles under climate change scenarios on that world heritage site. "
Research Interest
Conservation of genetic diversity in insular biodiversity hotspot systems, this time using Socotra archipelago as model
Publications
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Sancho V, Vasconcelos R, Llorente G, Santos X (2017) Morphological differentiation of the complex Pristurus sokotranus (Squamata: Sphaerodactylidae) from Socotra (Yemen). Zootaxa, 4324(1): 63-84.
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MartÃn N, MartÃneza S, Pujol-Buxó E, Viñolas A, Llorente GA, Sanpera C, Vasconcelos R, Carranza S, Santos X (2017) Stable isotopes and diet uncover trophic-niche divergence and ecological diversification processes of endemic reptiles on Socotra Island. Zoologischer Anzeiger, 267: 69-81
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GarcÃa C, Vasconcelos R (2017) The beauty and the beast: endemic mutualistic interactions promote community-based conservation on Socotra Island (Yemen). Journal for Nature Conservation, 35: 20-23.
