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Joana Maria de Almeida Pereira Vilela

MSc Student

Details
Position
MSc Student
Member type
Former Members
Degree
Graduate
Address
CIBIO-InBIO, Universidade do Porto, Campus de Vairão, Rua Padre Armando Quintas, 4485-661 Vairão
Groups

I am currently developing my master’s thesis on the study of evolutionary biology of hares, genus Lepus. Hares constitute a relevant model for studying processes of reticulate evolution, since there are several known cases of hybridization and introgression between species.


Many of the observed cases of introgression among hares involve mitochondrial DNA and an arctic hare as the donor species, Lepus timidus – the mountain hare.

Given the importance of the mitochondrial DNA in fundamental biological processes such as the respiratory and energetic metabolism, I expect to contribute to clarify the value of the mitogenome in the adaptive response of hares. I will test the hypothesis that the genetic variation of the arctic lineages is compatible with an evolutionary process of positive selection, presumably as a result of adaptation to boreal climates.

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