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Assistant Professor

1. Past and future climate-driven extinction resilience and associated traits

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Understanding and predicting how species and communities will respond to future climate changes have become one of the major 21st-century scientific pursuits, uniting ecologists, evolutionary biologists, and conservationists. My research focuses on identifying key traits that allowed species to survive past extinction events and to live in present-day harsh environments. This will produce more informative predictive models and highlight target groups and regions that host the most vulnerable taxa to human-induced climate change.

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Related publications

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  • Feijó A*, Karlsson CM*, Gray R, Yang Q, Hughes AC. 2023. Extreme-sized anurans are more prone to climate-driven extinctions. Climate Change Ecology. 4: 100062.

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Media coverage

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  • Smithsonian Magazine: Why Frogs Survived the Asteroid That Wiped Out the Dinosaurs (November 29, 2022)

  • The World: Animal species are evolving to adjust to climate change, but scientists say time is running out (May 3, 2023)

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2. Drivers of mammalian diversification in the Qinghai-Tibetan biodiversity hotspots

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Asia is one of the richest continents in species diversity, including fourteen of the global biodiversity hotspots. Large part of its biodiversity is closely linked to the Cenozoic geodiversity, especially the active mountain building resulting in the formation of the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau and the surrounding mountains (Himalayas, and Hengduan). Their orogeny has drastically changed the surrounding climate and vegetation and shaped the present-day biodiversity in Asia. In this project, we will assess the tempo and mode of range evolution of Asian mammals to infer how and when the diversity across regions and mountain hotspots assembled. We are particularly interested in testing whether periods of intense tectonism, such as orogeny and continental collisions, and marked climatic changes are related to peaks in diversification and major dispersal events shaping the present-day regional mammal diversity in Asia.

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Related publications

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  • Feijó A*, Ge D*, Wen Z*, Cheng J, Xia L, Patterson BD, Yang Q. 2022. Mammalian diversification bursts and biotic turnovers are synchronous with Cenozoic geoclimatic events in Asia. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 119(49):e2207845119

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Media coverage

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  • Phys.org: The evolution of Asia's mammals was dictated by ancient climate change and rising mountains, study reveals

  • EurekAlert: Study explains formation of rich mammal diversity in Asia

  • Chinese Academy of Sciences: 动物所揭示亚洲哺乳动物多样性爆发和周转与新生代地质和气候事件同步发生

  • Earth.com: Past geologic events shaped Asian mammal evolution

  • Europapress: Cambios de clima y montañas marcaron la evolución de mamíferos en Asia

  • Asiaone: Rise of Tibetan Plateau, climate change shaped evolution of mammals

  • ScienceDaily: The evolution of Asia's mammals was dictated by ancient climate change and rising mountains

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3. Phenotypic evolution in high-altitude mammals

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Species adapted to harsh environments often display multilevel, interdependent modifications—from genes to life-history traits—allowing them to cope with physical and biotic selection. Living at high altitudes is a great challenge for most endothermic animals given the low oxygen levels, cold temperatures, and high solar radiation. Notably, high elevations combine some of the stressful conditions present in subterranean (chronic hypoxia) and desert (reduced food supply, short growing season, high predator exposure) environments. While numerous studies have investigated genetic pathways and physiological changes among high-elevation organisms, only a few have assessed adaptive responses in traits associated with resource use (i.e. beaks, jaws, skulls) among montane organisms. In this project, we explore skull adaptations to altitude, seeking overall phenotypic patterns across groups of mammals.

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Media coverage

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Related publications

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  • *Feijó A, *Ge D, Wen Z, Xia L, Yang Q. 2020. Divergent adaptations in resource-use traits explain how pikas thrive on the roof of the world. Functional Ecology. 34 (9): 1826–1838. Shortlisted for Haldane prize 2020

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  • Feijó A, Wen Z, Cheng J, Ge D, Xia L, Yang. Q. 2019. Divergent selection along elevational gradients promotes genetic and phenotypic disparities among small mammal populations. Ecology and Evolution. 9(12): 7080–7095. 

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4. Elevation patterns of small mammal communities

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Species distributed along mountain slopes, which face conspicuous climatic and steep vegetation changes on a short geographic scale, are of particular interest for assessing how their community are structured. In particular, as altitude increases, steep environmental changes promote spatially dynamic biotic and abiotic interactions. Such mixed effects of contrasting climatic variables on a short scale reflect marked heterogeneous vegetation zonation along mountain slopes, in some cases mirroring tropical–temperate forest transitions. In collaboration with researchers from the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, our projects focused on elevation patterns of small mammal communities across China. 

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Related publications

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  • Wen Z, Cai T, Wu Y, Feijó A, Xia L, Cheng J, Peng X, Zhang Q, Zhang Z, Ran J, Ge D, Yang Q. 2022. Environmental drivers of sympatric mammalian species compositional turnover in giant panda nature reserves: Implications for conservation. Science of The Total Environment. 806(4):150944. 

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  • Wen Z, Feijó A, Cheng J, Du Y, Ge D, Xia L, Yang Q.  2021. Explaining mammalian abundance and elevational range size with body mass and niche characteristics. Journal of Mammalogy. 102(1): 13-27. 

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  • Wen Z, Ge D, Feijó A, Du Y, Cheng J, Sun J, Qang Y, Xia L, Yang Q. 2021. Varying support for abundance-centre and congeneric competition hypotheses along elevational transects of mammals. Journal of Biogeography. 48(3):616-627. 

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  • Du Y, Fan L, Xu Z, Wen Z, Cai T, Feijó A, Hu J, Lei F, Yang Q, Qiao H. 2021. A multi-faceted comparative perspective on elevational beta-diversity: the patterns and their causes. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 288 (1949): 20210343. pdf

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  • Sun J, Wen Z, Feijó A, Cheng J, Wang Y, Li S, Ge D, Xia L, Yang Q. 2020. Elevation patterns and critical environmental drivers of the taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity of small mammals in a karst mountain area. Ecology and Evolution. 20(19): 10899-10911. pdf

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5. Systematics of Neotropical mammals

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This is a broad and long-term project studying the diversity of mammals from the Neotropical region in collaboration with diverse researchers from Brazil and the United States. Largely based on museum specimens, we explore intra- and interpopulation variation to define species and geographic limits and assess their evolutionary history. My main study groups include armadillos, cats of the genus Leopardus, Neotropical porcupines (genus Coendou), and bats. Our taxonomic studies incorporate a wide range of morphology-based and molecular-based methods in an integrative way.  Recently, we have also added niche models and ecological segregation as new lines of evidence to better set species limits. 

 

Media coverage

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  • Folha de São Paulo: Grupo de felinos misteriosos é decifrado por cientistas brasileiros e chineses (June 18, 2020)

  • Mongbay: New mountain porcupine discovered in Brazil (December 9, 2013)

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Related publications

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  • Feijó A, Anacleto TC. 2021. Taxonomic revision of the genus Cabassous McMurtrie, 1831 (Cingulata: Chlamyphoridae), with revalidation of Cabassous squamicaudis (Lund, 1845). Zootaxa. 4974(1):47-78. 

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  • *Nascimento FO, Cheng J, *Feijó A. 2021. Taxonomic revision of the pampas cat Leopardus colocola complex (Carnivora, Felidae): an integrative approach. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 191 (2): 575–611.  

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  • Menezes FH, Feijó A, Fernandes-Ferreira H, Costa IR, Cordeiro-Estrela P. 2021. Integrative Systematics of Neotropical porcupines of Coendou prehensilis complex (Rodentia: Erethizontidae). Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research. 59(8):2410-2439.

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  • Feijó A, Voss RS. 2019. A neotype for Didelphis marsupialis Linnaeus, 1758. American Museum Novitates. 3923: 1–11.

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  • Feijó A, Vilela JF, Cheng J, Schetino MAA, Coimbra RTF, Bonvicino CR, Santos FR, Patterson BD, Cordeiro-Estrela P. 2019. Phylogeny and molecular species delimitation of long-nosed armadillos (Dasypus: Cingulata) supports morphology-based taxonomy. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 186(3): 813–825. 

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  • Feijó A, Patterson BD, Cordeiro-Estrela P. 2018. Taxonomic revision of the long-nosed armadillos, Genus Dasypus (Mammalia, Cingulata). PlosOne. 13(4): e0195084. 

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  • Nascimento FO, Feijó A. 2017. Taxonomic revision of the tigrina Leopardus tigrinus (Schreber, 1775) (Carnivora, Felidae). Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia. 57: 231–264. pdf

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  • Feijó A, Cordeiro-Estrela P. 2016 Taxonomic revision of the Dasypus kappleri complex, with revalidations of Dasypus pastasae (Thomas, 1901) and Dasypus beniensis Lönnberg, 1942 (Cingulata, Dasypodidae). Zootaxa. 4170: 271–297. 

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  • Feijó A, Rocha PA, Ferrari SF. 2015. How do we identify Micronycteris (Schizonycetris) sanborni Simmons, 1996 (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae) reliably and where we can find this species in Brazil? Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia. 55: 269–280.

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  • Gurgel-Filho NM, Feijó A, Langguth A. 2015. Pequenos Mamíferos do Ceará (Marsupiais, Morcegos e roedores Sigmodontíneos) com Discussão Taxonômica de Algumas espécies. Revista Nordestina de Biologia. 23: 3–150. 

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  • Feijó, A., Rocha, P.A., Althoff, S.L. 2015. New species of Histiotus (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) from northeastern Brazil. Zootaxa. 4048: 412–427. 

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  • Feijó A, Cordeiro-Estrela P. 2014. The correct name of the endemic Dasypus (Cingulata: Dasypodidae) from northwestern Argentina. Zootaxa. 3887: 88–94. 

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  • Feijó A, Langguth A. 2013. Mamíferos de Médio e Grande Porte do Nordeste do Brasil: Distribuição e Taxonomia, com Descrição de Novas Espécies. Revista Nordestina de Biologia. 22: 3–227. 

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6. Revealing the Caatinga mammal diversity

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The Caatinga, the largest tropical dry forest in South America, is one of the poorly known biomes in Brazil. Since 2010, I have been studying the community structure, diversity, ecological aspects, and conservation challenges of mammals from that region, especially focusing on bats and armadillos.  

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Media coverage

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  • Portal G1 Terra da Gente:  'Casco' de tatu-bola inspira estudo de colete à prova de balas mais resistente (December 7, 2021)

  • Oeco:  Da caça ao desmatamento: as ameaças ao menor e único tatu exclusivo do Brasil (May 25, 2023)

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Related publications

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  • Feijó A, Rocha PA. 2017. Morcegos da Estação Ecológica Aiuaba, Ceará, Nordeste do Brasil: Uma unidade de Proteção Integral na Caatinga. Mastozoologia Neotropical. 24(2): 333–346.

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  • Alves RRN, Feijó A, Barboza RRD, Souto WMS, Fernandes-Ferreira H, Cordeiro-Estrela P, Langguth A. 2016. Game mammals of the Caatinga biome. Etnobiology and Conservation. 5: 1–51. 

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  • Feijó A, Garbino GST, Campos BATP, Rocha PA, Ferrari SF, Langguth A. 2015. Distribution on Tolypeutes Illiger, 1831 (Xenarthra: Cingulata) with Comments on Its Biogeography and Conservation. Zoological Science. 32: 77–87. 

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  • Feijó A, Rocha PA, Mikalauskas J, Ferrari SF. 2015. Macrophyllum macrophyllum (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae) in the Brazilian caatinga scrublands: River basins as potencial routes of dispersal in xeric ecosystems. Mastozoologia Neotropical. 22: 163–169. 

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  • Gurgel-Filho NM, Feijó A, Langguth A. 2015. Pequenos Mamíferos do Ceará (Marsupiais, Morcegos e roedores Sigmodontíneos) com Discussão Taxonômica de Algumas espécies. Revista Nordestina de Biologia. 23: 3–150. 

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  • Fernandes-Ferreira H, Gurgel-Filho NM, Feijó A, Mendonca SV, Alves RRN, Langguth A. 2015. Non-volant mammals from Baturité Ridge, Ceará state, Northeast Brazil. Check List. 11: 1630–1637. 

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  • Rocha, P.A., Feijó, A., Pedroso, M. A., Ferrari, S.F. 2015. First record of the big free-tailed bat, Nyctinomops macrotis (Chiroptera, Molossidae), for the semi-arid caatinga scrublands of northeastern Brazil. Mastozoología Neotropical. 22: 195–200. 

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  • Rocha PA, Feijó A, Dias D, Mikalauskas JS, Ruiz-Esparza J, Ferrari SF. 2014. Major extension of the known range of the capixaba nectar-feeding bat, Dryadonycteris capixaba (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae). Is this rare species widely distributed in eastern Brazil? Mastozoología Neotropical. 21: 361–366. 

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  • Filho EL, Feijó A, Rocha PA. 2014. Opportunistic predation of bats trapped in mist nets by Leptodactylus vastus (Anura: Leptodactylidae). Biotemas. 27: 205–208.

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  • Feijó A, Langguth A. 2013. Mamíferos de Médio e Grande Porte do Nordeste do Brasil: Distribuição e Taxonomia, com Descrição de Novas Espécies. Revista Nordestina de Biologia. 22: 3–227. 

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