About
49
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Introduction
As a conservation biologist focusing on cetaceans, my research integrates a combination of molecular, ecological and demographic approaches to understand the evolution and interconnectedness of whales and dolphins and their habitats. These includes determine population boundaries and drivers of population structure and local adaptation. I am also interested in understand how genetic diversity partitions over time and space occurs in dynamic populations and how these species adapt to both natural and anthropogenic stressors (e.g. chemical pollution).
Presently, I am a postdoctoral researcher at Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência.
Additional affiliations
September 2014 - September 2017
February 2013 - present
Position
- PhD Student
Description
- Project: Assessing the molecular, toxicological and ecological status of the bottlenose dolphin from the Sado estuary (Portugal), a highly human-impacted environment
January 2005 - February 2012
Position
- PhD Student
Description
- PhD project: Population structure of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in west coast of Africa
Publications
Publications (49)
Consumo de carne de cetáceos silvestres en Santo Tomé y Príncipe (Golfo de Guinea)
Se sabe relativamente poco sobre los cetáceos de Santo Tomé y Príncipe y, en los últimos años, se han descrito algunos episodios de captura incidental y consumo humano de cetáceos. Con objeto de aportar conocimientos sobre la dependencia de los cetáceos como fuente d...
The Gulf of Guinea is a marine biodiversity hotspot, but cetacean fauna in these waters is poorly studied and our knowledge is documented mostly from opportunistic (sightings and strandings) and whaling data. This chapter presents a short review of historical whaling in the Gulf of Guinea and an update of cetacean biodiversity in the waters of São...
This report summarizes current threats to the Tagus estuary and adjacent ecosystems, presented in Lisbon in June 2021, and prioritizes actions to maintain or improve ecosystem services for a densely populated area close to the deep ocean.
Many species are structured in social groups (SGs) where individuals exhibit complex mating strategies. Yet, most population genetic studies ignore SGs either treating them as small random-mating units or focusing on a higher hierarchical level (the population). Empirical studies acknowledging SGs have found an overall excess of heterozygotes withi...
Marine megafauna has always elicited contrasting feelings. In the past, large marine animals were often depicted as fantastic mythological creatures and dangerous monsters, while also arousing human curiosity. Marine megafauna has been a valuable resource to exploit, leading to the collapse of populations and local extinctions. In addition, some sp...
Elucidating patterns of population structure for species with complex life histories, and disentangling the processes driving such patterns, remains a significant analytical challenge. Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) populations display complex genetic structures that have not been fully resolved at all spatial scales. We generated a data s...
Boat-based behavioural studies of cetaceans can be difficult and sometimes observations are insufficient to fully evaluate the actual behaviour of animals. Nowadays, researchers have been developing alternative approaches to study behaviour of aquatic animals using new technologies, such as drones and underwater cameras. This study aimed to review...
São Tomé and Príncipe is a small African equatorial archipelago where few marine conservation efforts have been accomplished so far. By-catch, the use of certain fishing methods such as explosives, direct hunting and recent hydrocarbon exploration constitute major threats for cetaceans in this country. Since 2002, a total of 10 species of cetaceans...
Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in the Southeastern Atlantic Ocean (International Whaling Commission ‘Breeding Stock B’—BSB) are distributed from the Gulf of Guinea to Western South Africa. Genetic data suggest that this stock may be sub-structured, but it remains unknown if this is due to reproductive segregation. This paper evaluates the...
(Supplementary material) - STRUCTURE clustering results for K = 2, 3 and 4. Group labels are B1 = TSA, combined samples from Gabon, São Tomé, and Angola; B2 = WSA, samples from the West coast of South Africa. Each individual is represented by a vertical column partitioned into colour segments that represents its estimated admixture fraction in each...
(Supplementary material) - Median-joining network of control region mtDNA haplotypes of humpback whales, implemented in NETWORK 4.6. (Bandelt et al. 1999). Circle size is proportional to the number of individuals exhibiting the corresponding haplotype. Each location within each haplotype is coloured according to the legend: TSA region: green circle...
The environmental plasticity of bottlenose dolphins leads to a range of inter-specific variations in ecological parameters that make worldwide generalizations difficult. Thus, regional studies about bottlenose dolphins are important to the overall conservation of this species. The aim of this study was to characterize for the first time bottlenose...
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Site fidelity is common among migratory cetaceans, including humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). In the Northern Hemisphere it has been found that fidelity to humpback whale feeding grounds is transferred maternally but this has never been shown for the species in the Southern Hemisphere. We examined this in a unique feeding area off west Sou...
Recent studies indicate that bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) that occur on the coast of Arrábida and Tróia do not belong to the resident population of the Sado Estuary. Considering this fact, the present study aims to characterize the coastal population of bottlenose dolphins in Arrábida and Tróia, using two temporally separate datasets (1...
Predictive habitat models can provide relevant information to design Marine Protected Areas and management strategies. The Gulf of Guinea is known to have a diverse cetacean fauna but is an area that has been poorly studied, especially with regard to small odontocetes. In São Tomé and Príncipe scientific research about cetacean occurrence has been...
West African waters have a diverse cetacean fauna but they are also one of the most poorly studied areas worldwide. São Tomé and Príncipe, a volcanic archipelago, located near the equator, seems to be an important marine area for small cetaceans probably due to prey abundance and the existence of shallow and protected bays. However, research in thi...
Recent studies indicate that coastal bottlenose dolphins occurring in the Arrábida’s coast are
not part of the Sado estuary resident population. Moreover, in 2011, preliminary data
indicated that some coastal individuals were seen more than once over the years, which
suggested some level of residency. Considering these aspects, as well as the proxi...
A edição "Alterações climáticas e suas repercussões sócio-ambientais" é o resultado dos trabalhos desenvolvidos no decurso do Seminário Internacional sob a mesma temática, realizado no Palácio dos Congressos da cidade de São Tomé, República Democrática de São Tomé e Príncipe, em agosto de 2012. Assim é uma obra em coautoria, viabilizada pela colabo...
Para estudar a ecologia e o comportamento de uma espécie ou população numa determinada área temos de ser capazes de identificar os diferentes animais. Assim temos de arranjar métodos e técnicas que nos permitam distinguir os diferentes indivíduos de um determinado grupo. Os cetáceos (golfinhos e baleias), podem ser identificados usando a fotoidenti...
Os cetáceos são animais amplamente distribuídos pelos oceanos do mundo, capazes de se deslocarem por grandes distâncias mas também de demonstrarem fidelidade a certas áreas por onde ocorrem. A maioria das espécies de cetáceos surge em zonas tropicais. A informação sobre a distribuição de cetáceos e a sua relação com o ambiente tem um papel relevant...
Since 2002, an effort has been made in order to study the occurrence, distribution and behaviour of cetaceans in São Tomé waters. For the present study, we present data from 2002-2006 of bottlenose dolphin’s sightings in order to study the behavioural patterns and its relation with group size and type. A total of 210 boat-based surveys were conduct...
The orca (Orcinus orca) is the most cosmopolitan cetacean species and it is believed to be the most widely distributed marine mammal. In the Atlantic Ocean, distribution and population studies have been made in several areas of the North Atlantic, but there is a lack of information in some regions such as the Western Iberian coast. This study aims...
Os cetáceos em Portugal continental O conhecimento sobre a ocorrência de cetáceos ao longo da costa continental portuguesa tem sido, ao longo do tempo, escasso e fragmentado. Várias compilações de dados históricos de baleação e arrojamentos, bem como observações de oportunidade, apontam para uma extensa lista de misticetos e odontocetos. Os resulta...
Humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae found off west South Africa (WSA) are known to display an atypical migration that may include temporary residency and feeding during spring and summer. At a regional scale there is uncertainty about how these whales relate to the greater West African Breeding Stock B as a whole, with evidence both for and agai...
In the Southern Hemisphere, humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae feed in Antarctic waters during the austral summer and migrate to their breeding grounds in subtropical and tropical waters during the winter. Historical whaling records suggest that the Archipelago of São Tomé and Príncipe, located in the Gulf of Guinea, serves as a possible breedi...
Killer whales Orcinus orca are considered to be relatively uncommon in tropical waters. Few sightings have been reported from the west coast of Africa due to a paucity of survey coverage. We present data on 32 killer sightings from tropical waters off Angola (N = 18), Gabon (N = 7), São Tomé (N = 6) and Cameroon (N = 1), comprising a combination of...
IWC breeding Stock B extends along the west coast of Africa from South Africa (Olsen 1914;
Matthews 1938) to the Gulf of Guinea (Budker and Collignon 1952; Gambell, 1976; Best 1994;
Walsh et al. 2000; Findlay 2001; Rosenbaum and Collins 2004). The precise geographic area
utilized by the stock remains undefined and uncertain (see Figure 1). There ar...
Humans and cetaceans are both part of complex marine ecosystems and large ocean mega fauna, such as marine mammals, are often used to direct conservation efforts. São Tomé and Príncipe is an African equatorial archipelago situated in the Gulf of Guinea, which seems to be an important marine area for cetaceans. However, as in many parts of the world...
In the eastern South Atlantic Ocean (Region B) humpback whales are distributed along the west coast of South Africa and winter in the Gulf of Guinea. The most recent data available suggest that Breeding stock B is possibly sub-structured, with B1 considered a breeding ground and B2 a summer feeding ground and a winter migration corridor. However qu...
The migration of Southern Hemisphere humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae between their feeding and breeding areas has thus far been considered a highly predictable and seasonal event. However, previous observations on the humpbacks that pass through the nearshore waters of the west coast of South Africa have revealed deviations from the behaviou...
São Tomé and Príncipe is an archipelago located in the Gulf of Guinea. This archipelago seems to be an important area for cetaceans, probably due to large concentrations of prey, as well as the existence of several small bays and shallow water that constitute preferred rest areas. In comparison to other areas of the world, little is known about cet...
Throughout the years some researchers have dedicated their efforts to the study of cetaceans' occurrence off Portugal mainland. However, it is still missing a systemic scientific methodology for studying the presence of coastal small cetaceans. This work is a recent approach to the occurrence and relative abundance estimative of cetaceans and espec...
Throughout the years some researchers have dedicated their efforts to the study of cetaceans' occurrence off Mainland Portugal. However, it is still missing a systemic scientific methodology for studying the presence of coastal dolphins and whales. This work intends to be a first approach on the occur- rence of cetaceans off the west central coast...
Projects
Projects (5)
The goal of META is to study how cumulative anthropogenic threats affect population dynamics of cetaceans which are used as environmental status indicators considering their top predator position, reflecting lower trophic levels. Specific objectives will characterize and define the distribution of maritime traffic, whale watching activity, ambient noise and marine litter as potential spatio-temporal stressors to cetaceans. Further, we need to evaluate cetacean health status using three parameters: genomic variation, contaminant loads and hormones levels to estimate how all these stressors impact long-term survival and reproduction rates of cetaceans and rank them to prioritize management actions and public awareness. Finally, we want to evaluate the socio-economic impact and carrying capacity of whale watching activity.
META is a project cofinanced by the Portuguese Ministry of the Sea through the Program Fundo Azul.
Promoter: Museu da Baleia da Madeira
Partners: IMAR - Instituto of Marine Research, University of the Azores; Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência; Mar Ilimitado
Website: https://meta.madeirawhalemuseum.org/index.php/en/
