Research Impact
Taxonomy is a science that seeks to describe, identify, and name organisms based on previously established criteria. This view, perhaps more simplistic, does not always translate taxonomy in its completeness, often seen as a complex and challenging science. However, this understanding is an important filter for any study of biodiversity, after all, it is necessary to know to conserve, at the same time as it is a good learning opportunity, especially for aspiring people, like me. I began my studies with Taxonomy of Muscidae (Diptera) from the Northeast region of Brazil with great enthusiasm and good prospects. Muscidae is one of the most studied and relevant families within the order Diptera. They are fascinating and, when it comes to the natural history of the group, they can't go unnoticed. They occur in the most diverse regions of the world, establishing themselves in the most different habitats, with the most varied habits, this is incredible. However, in contrast to this fact, there are still certain gaps in knowledge to be addressed, especially in neglected regions, which do not have a well-defined understanding of the distribution, diversity, and taxonomy of species that could enable a greater overview of this family or that provide updated information in terms of knowledge of species in the region. In the Northeast region of Brazil, studies are still scarce due to the reduced number of species known for the region. Our project on the taxonomy of genera and species that occur in the region appears as an excellent opportunity to increase understanding and understand the composition of this family in Northeast Brazil. The Northeast is a particularly large area with great potential for biodiversity, at the same time as it is located in an area that is extremely diverse in terms of its fauna and flora, housing unique plant and animal species of great potential. Initially, the main focus of my research is to understand the diversity of Muscidae in little-studied regions in the Northeast of Brazil, mainly in the states of Ceará, Maranhão, and Piauí and thus update records, descriptions, and map the geographic distribution for the region. I hope that the initial results obtained in this research can provide more solid data on the taxonomy of the species and consequently add them to the knowledge that has been developed over the years in our country, for possible indications for the conservation of these areas, and encourage new researchers to develop work in the region. Lunnah Cynd da Costa Santos, MSc student, April 2023
The museums are a rich environment that hosts the natural history of our planet. Working in museum collections can provide a mainframe of the past. My focus is to study flies belonging to Platystomatidae (Diptera, Tephritoidea) in collections. This family have a wide distribution, occurring in all biogeographic regions, except in Antarctica, with majority to tropics and subtropics. With emphasis to Senopterina genus, which are exclusive to Neotropic and Nearctic with 18 recognized species. I pretend to do a systematic review, with redescription of all species, description of new species and propose a phylogeny relationship to this genus. João Paulo Vinicios Rodrigues, PhD candidate, October 2022
My research is about the Mesembrinellidae family (Diptera: Oestroidea), its taxonomy and distribution. The goal is a biogeographical analysis of it. Knowing the occurrence of the Mesembrinellidae family creates ways to develop a possible thesis about them being bioindicators since their incidence seems to be higher in areas without human interference. Curiosity is the base of environmental conservation. When the focus is conservation, we have to know what we are going to protect, therefore curiosity takes us to the knowledge we need to be able to conserve. Nicole I. Stocco, undergraduate student, October 2022
Biogeography is present in humans’ life since the beginning of civilizations, when recognizing the best areas to find food was crucial to survival. Today, biogeography is a multidisciplinary science and has as main goal the understanding of the spatial and timing distribution of organisms. My research project involves the phylogenetic and biogeographical study of a genus of Ulidiidae (Plagiocephalus) widely distributed in the Neotropical region. The evolution of this group and all other that live on Earth can only be understood by means of systematics phylogenetic and biogeography, which is why this field of science so important. Ana Caroline O. Vasconcelos, MSc student, March 2017
The main impact of my study is the systematic of a little-known group of flies. Psychodidae is a widely known family according to medical relevance, where some species can be vectors of Leishmania. However, my studies are on species that do not have any blood-sucking habits, but they are extremely abundant. During my master's degree 50 new species of Trichomyia were discovered. In this context, the work with little-known groups collaborates with the increase of knowledge and encourages other works. The next research steps aimed knowledge of phylogenetic relationship of Trichomyia,, a work that never been carried out. Maíra Xavier Araújo, Phd candidate, July 2017
Curiosity is the most important thing for researchers but even more for young people, who are beginning to work with biological sciences and understanding the evolution of life on earth. I work with systematics and biogeography of the Fanniidae (Diptera), a taxon with medical and forensic interest. The study of those topics increases the knowledge on the relationship between the species and their evolutionary history. I expected that the evolutionary process traced on this group, instigate the curiosity about the history of close related groups in the Neotropical region, my study area. The impact of my work, I hope, will go beyond the journal impact factor. Diana Grisales, posdoc, September 2015
Muscidae (Diptera) has been used as model taxon for biogeographical and ecological studies. The understanding of the diversity and evolution of this group, on both phylogenetic and biogeographic fields is the main focus of my research. The description of new species from the Neotropical region, which is vastly diverse and includes endangered biomes, is crucial to emphasize the importance of the conservation of those areas. Though describing the diversity is a crucial step, my research aims to bring historical information to these species. With a growing number of phylogenetic and divergence time hypothesis for the entire family and its lower taxonomic ranks, more complex questions can be answered within those and other fields of knowledge. Kirstern Lica F. Haseyama, posdoc, September 2015
The knowledge about biodiversity is one of the bases to other biological studies. This is even more important in the Neotropical region, an area with high diversity but understudied. This is the case for nearly all taxa, but even more for the entomological fauna. We live in a time when the degradation and fragmentation of environment caused by humanity are in drastic levels. Therefore, this kind of study becomes more important to understand and preserve our biological heritage. My research focusses on the Juan Fernandez Archipelago (Chile) and the Andean region (Peru), which are examples of areas with high endemism that suffered degradation and loss of diversity unknown to the science. Lucas Roberto Pereira Gomes, undergraduate student, September, 2015
I hope to contribute to the qualitative and quantitative characterization of the interaction between species, and to establish their determinants, especially in the Brazilian Amazon biome. The interactions between species have shaped the evolutionary history of biodiversity. They also structured populations and communities, which in turn define ecosystems. The study of interspecific interactions is the best option for a satisfactory understanding of regulatory processes and structure of the communities, and therefore for their conservation. Studies involving the interaction between Drosophilidae (Diptera) and macroscopic fungi seek to understand how these interactions are established and maintained. This is a new and challenging frontier for ecological studies of these groups, considering that our knowledge is still incipient. Rosângela Santa Brígida Costa, PhD candidate, September 2015
The big challenge for the conservation of biodiversity is to know the species, how they relate to each other and interact in diverse ecosystems, whether they are economically important or not. The revision of the genus Micropotamia (Diptera: Muscidae), and the proposition of hypothesis for its phylogenetic and biogeographic evolution will help us to understand the history of this taxon and how it relates with the evolution of the areas in which they occur. This study will contribute to the knowledge of the Muscidae family. Most importantly, it will enhance our understanding of the Neotropical biodiversity; after all, there is no way to save the unknown. Stela Costa Jorge, MSc student, September, 2015
Since 2011, when I first joined the Program of Entomology at the UFPR to develop my master's degree, I have worked on taxonomy of Neriidae (a family of Acalyptrate flies), seeking to describe the unknown fauna and solve systematic problems. It is a fact known to all that we remain unaware of the total number of species that comprise the biodiversity, and that many species will become extinct before they are described. My PhD research as a whole seeks to provide information that will help improving the knowledge not only of our species biodiversity, but their relationships, biology, evolutionary trends, etc., seeking to improve the practice of conservation science, and helping to answer fundamental questions such as “What to protect?”. Tatiana Alejandra Sepúlveda, PhD candidate, September 2015
With the intense and rapid loss of the biodiversity, it is essential to know what to preserve. I work with systematics and taxonomy, and these fields of science contribute directly to the knowledge of the biodiversity. I hope to describe new species of the genus Limnophora (Diptera: Muscidae) in the Neotropical Region. I also aim to understand the controversial relationships between this and other genera belonging to the Limnophorini. With the knowledge generated by this project, it will be possible to perform other studies that encourage the conservation of these species, the areas they occupy and consequently biodiversity as a whole. João Fogaça, PhD candidate, September 2015
Why are there so many species? Why species occur in some places and not in others? Furthermore, why species have different ecological roles in the environment? The knowledge needed to answer these questions are in studies of taxonomy, evolution and biogeography. Through the study in these fields we can understand how to use biodiversity to promote public health and conservation. It is not possible to preserve or apply knowledge about what is not known. In this sense, the impact of my work is to understand the evolution in time and space of a fly subfamily (Cyrtoneurininae, Muscidae, Diptera), producing basic knowledge necessary for any scientific application. Ândrio Zafalon-Silva , PhD candidate, May 2015