Plant, lichen and fungi systematics, biogeography & conservation genetics
Natural History & Systematics - NHS

Soraia Martins

PhD Student

Biodiversity Phylogenetics Conservation Biogeography Macaronesia

Soraia Martins is conducting a Ph.D. in Biology - Ecology by the University of Lisbon, starting in late 2009 within the Natural History & Systematics (NHS) group. She is conducting the project “Origin and adaptive radiation of endemic Macaronesian mosses: A molecular phylogenetic and biogeographic approach on Echinodium (Echinodiaceae) and Andoa (Hypnaceae)”, under the supervision of Manuela Sim-Sim from Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, University of Lisbon, and Michael Stech from Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden University. The Ph.D. project's main aims are: a) to clarify the systematic position and find the closest relatives of Echinodium and Andoa among the Hypnales, using the present approach as a basis for future studies of bryophyte taxa with unclear position; b) to reveal their biogeographic affinities with species from Southern and Northern Hemisphere regions, namely with tropical areas from Africa and America, and to hypothesize from where the Macaronesian islands were probably colonized; c) to evaluate the geographic distribution of intraspecific genetic variation of the study species.