Francisco F Aguilar

Francisco Aguilar has been pursuing a Ph.D. in Biodiversity, Genetics, and Evolution at the University of Porto since 2021. His research project, titled “Climatic and anthropogenic impacts on riverine ectotherms: a phylogeographic, ecological and conservation approach,” is supervised by Guillermo Velo-Antón (University of Vigo), Pedro Segurado (CEF-ISA), and Pedro Tarroso (CIBIO-InBIO/BIOPOLIS).

The project aims to investigate how climatic and anthropogenic factors shape the distribution, genetic structure, and ecological dynamics of riverine ectotherms, with a focus on two Iberian endemic species: Chioglossa lusitanica and Lacerta schreiberi. By integrating phylogeographic, ecological, and landscape-based approaches, the research seeks to disentangle the historical and contemporary processes influencing these species’ persistence and connectivity in fragmented and heterogeneous environments.
The overarching goal is to contribute to the conservation of riparian biodiversity by providing insights into how past and present pressures affect riverine ectotherms across multiple spatial and temporal scales.