Mafalda Sousa Ferreira

My research so far has been focused on the evolution and genetic basis of adaptive traits, and I'm interested in understanding the contribution of introgression and maintenance of ancestral polymorphism to trait evolution. In particular, I study seasonal coat color change in hares (Lepus spp.) using genomic tools. I have been investigating how this trait has evolved in a phylogenetic context, using exome and genome data from several hare species. I have also been studying the genetic basis of winter coat color polymorphism in the white-tailed jackrabbit (L. townsendii), both to understand the genetic basis of the trait in this particular species and its evolution in the context of the hare radiation. I develop my work in the EVOCHANGE group lead by José Melo-Ferreira and in collaboration with Jeffrey Good, from the University of Montana.