Rita Gomes Rocha

• PhD
• PostDoc Position at Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources

The Earth Hologenome Initiative (EHI) is a global collaboration to generate and analyse hologenomic data from wild animals and associated microorganisms using standardised methodologies underpinned by open and inclusive research principles. Initially focused on vertebrates, it aims to re-examine ecological and evolutionary questions by studying hos...

The Amazon region is a mosaic of distinct areas of endemism (AoE), each with its evolutionary relationships and biotic assemblages. Among them, the Tapajós AoE is one of the least sampled, and it has been identified as one of the regions with the lowest conservation value. Here we provide a checklist of small mammals based on field and molecular-ba...

Although leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) are highly migratory and have a wide oceanic distribution, the South West Atlantic (SWA) subpopulation comprises few reproductive females and is listed as Critically Endangered. Herein, we present temporal genetic assessment of the poorly known subpopulation of the D. coriacea from SWA subpopulati...

A data set of terrestrial, volant, and marine mammal occurrences in Portugal

Genomic tools have greatly enhanced our ability to uncover ancient interspecific gene flow, including cases involving allopatric lineages and/or lineages that have gone extinct. Recently, a genomic analysis revealed the unexpected gene flow between the African wild dog (Lycaon pictus) and the dhole (Cuon alpinus). The two species have currently hig...

Mammals are threatened worldwide, with ~26% of all species being included in the IUCN threatened categories. This overall pattern is primarily associated with habitat loss or degradation, and human persecution for terrestrial mammals, and pollution, open net fishing, climate change, and prey depletion for marine mammals. Mammals play a key role in...

The invasive Vespa velutina has been widely referred as an effective predator of honeybees. Despite the potential risk to pollination services provision and honey production, there is no accurate quantification and assessment of its real consequences for honeybees. To date, the identification of the honeybee and other insects in the diet of V. velu...

The Brazilian squirrel Guerlinguetus brasiliensis is the only sciurid species occurring in the Atlantic Forest. We investigated the geographical distribution of the genetic diversity of this sciurid species across the Central Corridor of the Atlantic Forest, using two mitochondrial markers and one nuclear marker. We also inferred the demographic hi...

Marmosops is one of the most speciose genera of didelphid marsupials, is widely distributed in the Neotropical region, and has been the subject of several taxonomic and systematic revisions. Within the genus, the Pinheiroi complex is distributed in eastern Amazonia and recently has been split into three species, based only on morphology. We analyse...

Simple Summary The Iberian Peninsula is considered a reservoir of genetic diversity and the source for the recolonization of continental Europe by several mammal species, after the last glaciation period. Here, we intended to characterize the genetic patterns and origins of one of those species, the roe deer, through the analysis of different genet...

Invasive species pose a major threat for biodiversity conservation. Their impacts affect not only the native species and habitats, but also the national and international economies. In Europe, squirrels are among the most popular exotic pets and are often intentionally or accidentally released into the wild. Currently, six invasive, or potentially...

Reliability of population size and density estimates is one of the most contentious issues when evaluating the conservation status of species. Non-invasive DNA monitoring, combined with spatially explicit capture-recapture approaches (SCR), is recurrently presented as a reliable procedure to achieve accurate, precise and feasible estimates. However...

Resumo: A natureza "exótica" e as suas riquezas naturais tornaram o Brasil um dos destinos mais desejados pelos exploradores europeus. Apesar do controle rigoroso ao território brasileiro por Portugal, vários exploradores estrangeiros descreveram a flora e fauna do Brasil durante o início do período colonial. Poucos são os documentos oficiais de or...

The diffusion of Neolithic technology together with the Holocene Climatic Optimum fostered the spread of human settlements and pastoral activities in North Africa, resulting in profound and enduring consequences for the dynamics of species, communities and landscapes. Here, we investigate the demographic history of the African wolf (Canis lupaster)...

Disruptive coloration, such as striped pelage, is a form of camouflage that breaks out the animal outline and makes it hard to be visually detected in the background. As consequence, it diminishes the chances of being caught by predators and confers adaptive advantage to its possessor, thus being referred as a classic example of natural selection....

Background: Different population trajectories are expected to impact the signature of neutral and adaptive processes at multiple levels, challenging the assessment of the relative roles of different microevolutionary forces. Here, we integrate adaptive and neutral variability patterns to disentangle how adaptive diversity is driven under different...

The Atlantic Forest biodiversity hotspot in eastern South America has been the focus of several phylogeographic studies concerning relationships between populations and areas and how taxa respond to environmental changes. We infer and compare the demographic and biogeographic histories of two didelphid marsupial species, Gracilinanus microtarsus an...

Oecomys tapajinus (Tapajós Oecomys) is currently a junior synonym of Oecomys roberti (Robert's Oecomys), a widely distributed Amazonian mouse, which probably represents a complex of cryptic species. We investigated the taxonomic status of O. tapajinus by integrating phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequences and morphological analyses of museum specime...

Related publication abstract: ”Human population expansion has promoted contact between wildlife and domestic animals with severe ecological consequences, such as anthropogenic hybridization. In Portugal, Iberian wolf (Canis lupus signatus) populations are considered “Endangered” and co-habit with humans so the risks of hybridization with free-rangi...

After centuries of absence, the Eurasian red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) is recolonizing and expanding throughout Portugal. We implemented an online community-based project, which enabled us to obtain unprecedented records on the Eurasian red squirrel distribution, not only allowing us to map its current extent area but also to reconstruct its sout...

Human population expansion has promoted contact between wildlife and domestic animals with severe ecological consequences, such as anthropogenic hybridization. In Portugal, Iberian wolf (Canis lupus signatus) populations are considered “Endangered” and co-habit with humans so the risks of hybridization with free-ranging dogs, and livestock depredat...

The family Sciuridae is one of the most widespread and ecologically diverse lineage of rodents and represents an ideal model for investigating the evolution of locomotion modes and the historical biogeography of terrestrial mammals. We used a comprehensive database on locomotion modes, an updated phylogeny and novel biogeographic comparative method...

In the last three decades, the range of the Egyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon) has increased in the Iberian Peninsula. A panel of microsatellites was used to confront the patterns of genetic diversity of the species with the scenario of its recent northward expansion in its Iberian range. Evidence of substructure and significant genetic differ...

One or two diversification models alone cannot explain biodiversity evolution in the Atlantic Forest, or any other megadiverse biome, as we (1, 2) pointed out long before Raposo do Amaral et al. (3). In our recent paper (4), we present the Atlantis Forest hypothesis (AFH), which is an additional perspective to the Atlantic Forest evolution, beyond...

Significance The tropical forests of South America are among the most diverse and unique habitats in the world in terms of plant and animal species. One of the most popular explanations for this diversity and endemism is the idea that forests retracted and fragmented during glacial periods, forming ecological refuges, surrounded by dry lands or sav...

Elaborado com enorme rigor científico e devidamente ilustrado, este Atlas vem complementar os clássicos “Hair of west European mammals“ de Teerink (1991) e “SEM – Atlas on the hair cuticle structure of central European mammals” de Meyer, Hulman & Seger (2002), tantas vezes utilizados pelos mamólogos ibéricos e europeus. Esperemos assim, que a utili...

Results from the Kruskal-Wallis test performed on small mammal abundance between the three replicates of each habitat for each species (df=2). Significance: *** p<0.001; ** p<0.01; * p<0.05

Results from the Kruskal-Wallis test performed on small mammal abundance between habitat types for each species (df=1). NA = not applicable. Significance: *** p<0.001; ** p<0.01; * p<0.05

Describing the genetic patterns and the demographic history of expanding species is essential for providing insights into the processes linked with range dynamics. We analysed the mitochondrial diversity of the Egyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon) across the Iberian Peninsula, where the species is currently expanding north-west. A total of 242 i...

Este trabalho representa a primeira comunicação da diversidade fóssil de vertebrados da porção sudoeste da Serra Geral, associada à microbacia hidrográfica do Rio Vermelho, situada a nordeste do Estado de Goiás. Este estudo se encontra centrado na paleofauna de mamíferos da caverna Revolucionários (14°17’27,9”S/46°15’10,9”W), localizada no Munícipi...

The abundance and distribution of small mammals are important factors for ecosystem structure and functioning, often affected by spatial heterogeneity and seasonal fluctuations. In this study, we tested the influence of habitat type, landscape composition and meteorological conditions on small mammal abundance and richness in the heterogeneous coas...

The riverine barrier model suggests that rivers play a significant role in separating widespread organisms into isolated populations. In this study, we used a comparative approach to investigate the phylogeography of 6 didelphid marsupial species in central Brazil. Specifically, we evaluate the role of the mid-Araguaia River in differentiating popu...

Owl pellets are a useful tool for inventorying small mammals and a robust complement to traditional trapping methods. Here we assessed if bone samples recovered from Barn owl pellets in the Neotropics represent a viable source of modern DNA. We used the upper incisor of rodents and jaws of marsupials of pellet material for DNA extraction and amplif...

Diet studies based exclusively on morphological analyses commonly show high percentages of unidentified items due to intense deterioration. In this study we explore the advantages and disadvantages of the application of DNA barcoding in the dietary studies of carnivores, using the Egyptian mongoose as a model species. To do so, we extracted and amp...

Wildlife reintroduction strategies aim to establish viable long–term populations, promote conservation awareness and provide economic benefits for local communities. In Portugal, the Eurasian red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) became extinct in the 16th century and was reintroduced in urban parks in the 1990s, mainly for aesthetic and leisure purposes...

Small mammals and herpetofauna were surveyed in the Amazonia/Cerrado ecotone and the capture effectiveness in terms of capture rates and species richness of live traps (Sherman and Tomahawk) and pitfalls (30 L and 60 L) was compared. We also evaluated if these methods alone could accurately estimate local species richness, by using additional metho...

The small didelphid marsupial Cryptonanus guahybae was described as a subspecies of Gracilinanus microtarsus and was so far considered endemic to the state of Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil. We used morphological data to identify Cryptonanus specimens from the states of Santa Catarina and Paraná, deposited in two Brazilian mammal collections. T...

Although codistributed species are affected by the same abiotic factors, such as rivers and seasonal flooding regimes, ecological traits, such as locomotion habits and habitat preferences, may also influence differences in levels of genetic diversity and differentiation. We examined population genetic structure and diversity of Hylaeamys megacephal...

Seasonally flooded natural forest fragments, so-called ipucas, in the Araguaia alluvial plain of the state of Tocantins, central Brazil, represent a peculiar landscape that is poorly surveyed. This study considers the diversity in the small mammal assemblage and the zoogeographical patterns of this assemblage when compared to 30 other study sites i...

Mediterranean peninsulas are well-known glacial refugia for several mammal species. For Eurasian red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris), a forest-dwelling rodent, there is some evidence that population diversification was influenced by these refugia. Here, we review the poorly known history of the red squirrel in the Iberian Peninsula, and discuss current...

Habitat heterogeneity may affect the structure of animal assemblages even within apparently homogenous landscapes. Gallery forests of the Amazonia-Cerrado ecotone have a small-scale patchiness that is induced by river system dynamics. Gallery forests that never flood are located in upper areas of watercourse margins, whereas seasonally flooded gall...

The arboreal mouse Oecomys cleberi was described in 1981 based on just one specimen from Distrito Federal in central Brazil, and it has not been recorded ever since. Its taxonomic status as a valid species has been questioned and it is currently listed as Data Deficient in terms of conservation status. Here we used ancient DNA methods to obtain a p...

We evaluated the usefulness of arboreal pipe refuges for studying Neotropical herpetofauna, by quantifying the effects of microhabitat variables and pipe colouration on pipe occupancy rates. We used fifty five sets of refuges that each comprised three pipes with different colours (white, grey and black). We recorded 122 occupancy events by four hyl...

This study reports the occurrence of highly conserved d-loop sequences in the mitochondrial genome of the woolly mouse opossum genus Marmosa subgenus Micoureus (Mammalia, Didelphimorphia, Didelphidae). Sixty-six sequences of Marmosa (Micoureus) demerarae, Marmosa (Micoureus) constantiae, and Marmosa (Micoureus) paraguayanus were amplified using uni...

We collected and analyzed 286 Barn owl, Tyto alba (Scopoli, 1769), pellets from two nests in different environments along the mid-Araguaia River in central Brazil. Our analyses revealed that these owls feed mainly on small mammals, especially rodents. Owls from the riverbanks at Fazenda Santa Fé had a more diverse diet, preying mainly on rodents th...

The mid-Araguaia River basin in central Brazil is considered a priority area for biodiversity conservation, and Parque Estadual do Cantão (PEC) is one of the most important protected areas in this ecotone between Cerrado and Amazonia. This area suffers an intensive human pressure with high rates of deforestation, and still remains poorly studied in...

The mid-Araguaia River basin in central Brazil is considered a priority area for biodiversity conservation, and Parque Estadual do Cantão (PEC) is one of the most important protected areas in this ecotone between Cerrado and Amazonia. This area suffers an intensive human pressure with high rates of deforestation, and still remains poorly studied in...