Joana Paupério

My main research interests are in the field of evolutionary biology, ecology and conservation genetics. I am mainly interested in developing and applying molecular tools for the conservation of small mammals, while integrating it with biological and landscape data.
During my PhD, I studied the evolutionary history of the field vole, Microtus agrestis, a complex of three cryptic evolutionary units, one of which is of conservation concern. After that, I participated in several projects where we have used molecular tools and non-invasive genetic sampling to understand the impact of habitat fragmentation in the connectivity of endangered small mammals (e.g. Cabrera vole and Pyrenean desman).

Recently I have joined the team of EnvMetaGen project. Within the frame of this project I have been involved in the building-up of a DNA-barcode reference collection of invertebrate species for application in metabarcoding studies. We are also developing and optimizing tools for environmental monitoring (e.g. water quality assessments, through the analysis of macroinvertebrates communities), and for the study of trophic niches of several small mammals species.