Marcio Roberto Pie

Climate isolation and percolation as drivers of terrestrial vertebrate richness

This study introduces climate percolation as a new metric to analyze climate geography's impact on vertebrate richness, showing it outperforms climate isolation in predicting species diversity.

Unlocking karst biodiversity with eDNA: a validated qPCR toolkit for discovery and monitoring the worlds largest cavefish radiation (Cyprinidae: Sinocyclocheilus)

The paper develops and validates a qPCR toolkit for detecting and identifying Sinocyclocheilus cavefish using eDNA, showing high specificity and detection limits in both lab and field settings.

Ancient introgression explains mitochondrial genome capture and mitonuclear discordance among South American collared Tropidurus lizards

The paper investigates mitonuclear discordance in Tropidurus lizards, finding that ancient mitochondrial introgression and demographic processes explain the observed genetic mismatches.

Ant head shape evolved to compromise bite-induced mechanical demands

The paper examines ant head shape evolution, finding that narrow heads with deep vertex depressions distribute stress more evenly, while broader heads concentrate stress around mandibular articulations, leading to biomechanical limitations.

Caves as species pumps: key innovations, isolation, and periodic introgression drive the world's largest cavefish radiation in a dynamic karstic landscape

This study investigates the diversification of Sinocyclocheilus cavefish, showing that gene flow, introgression, and key adaptations drive speciation in response to geological and climatic changes.

Integrative Species Delimitation in a Speciation Continuum: Phylogenomics, Cryptic Diversity, Diversification and Historical Biogeography of Sinocyclocheilus Cavefish

The paper uses genomic data to resolve species boundaries and uncover evolutionary processes in Sinocyclocheilus cavefish, revealing cryptic diversity and a complex divergence history.