SEARCHING FOR NEW ENDEMIC SPECIES @ BIOSFERA

The weekly TV programme, which covers various environmentally-related topics, has highlighted different species that were discovered and studied by Portuguese researchers. In recent years, Portugal has been the central stage of many discoveries of endemic species of vertebrates and invertebrates, both inland as well as on its islands.

In an episode broadcasted on October 29, 2016, CIBIO-InBIO researcher, Sérgio Ávila talked about some endemic species of the Azores Archipelago, namely different species of gastropods that have been colonizing all the archipelago. In spite of their small dimensions, these species were able to colonize different islands that are about 250 km apart from each other.

Sérgio also talked about the particular case of Santa Maria Island and its special geological conditions which support unique fossil records of cetaceans. These records play a key role in climate change studies that address the impact of the phenomenon on the origin of new species or on colonization by invasive ones.

The knowledge about these new species, the processes that can originate them and their fossil records is of the utmost importance, not only in order to raise awareness about biodiversity, but also because it bares implications that may have a significant social and economic impact, opening new avenues for innovative applications in various areas.

To know more about this topic, please follow the link below:

“À descoberta de novas espécies endémicas” | RTP 2 BIOSFERA | October 29, 2016 (Information available in Portuguese)