SCIENTIFIC INTERESTS

Plant taxonomy

 

Other scientific areas of interest:

Plant ecology; Science History; Landscape ecology; Island Plant Conservation; Ethnobotany

 

Expertise description of research interests:

MS. Investigation focus on the Macaronesian flora, mainly on the Madeira flora, including a taxonomic perspective on groups such as Poaceae (Deschampsia, Holcus and Festuca) and Asteraceae (Andryala, Carlina, Tolpis and Sonchus), but also a biogeographically emphasis on these and other groups using molecular phylogenetic methods to study patterns of colonization within the Macaronesian Region. Another main interest is on historical landscape change and both species and vegetation modelling. The study of historical plant collections and plant collectors mainly those that collected in the Madeira archipelago has been also an important line of investigation in recent years, these research interests are closely linked both with taxonomic/nomenclatural issues but also with landscape use. The knowledge on the Madeira and Portugal flora is also a very important aspect of MS research activities (e.g. coordination of the Portuguese and Madeiran vascular plants Checklist ).