‘Molecular phylogeography of terrestrial planarians in the Brazilian Atlantic forest. Implications for the management of biological corridors and biodiversity conservation’

Diogo Meyer, Fernando Jesús Carbayo Baz, Fernando Portella de Luna Marques, Julio Antonio Rozas Liras, Marta Riutort León.

This project will examine the function of this corridor in maintaining the ecological and evolutionary processes of its ecosystems, as well as analyzing the interconnectivity of a chosen group of species and populations. The method used will be biogeographical and phylogeographical studies, with terrestrial planarians as model organisms in view of their physiological and ecological limitations. The results will help us to determine the degree of fragmentation of Brazilian Atlantic forest and to ascertain whether this process owes to anthropogenic or geological/ecological factors.