Researcher

Mário Rui Canelas Boieiro

I received a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from the University of Madeira in 2012 and I am currently working in the Island Biodiversity, Biogeography and Conservation research group (IBBC) of cE3c. My research focuses on the study of terrestrial arthropod biodiversity and conservation in island ecosystems and their ecological associations with plants.

I have been involved in biodiversity studies using ants and beetles as model systems, particularly in Madeira archipelago and in protected areas in Continental Portugal. Furthermore, I have also studied the effects of insect-plant interactions (herbivory, myrmecochory and pollination) on the reproductive output of several plant species.

My current research is driven by the following objectives: 1) understand insect-plant food webs of Azorean and Madeira Laurisilva, 2) study the drivers of biodiversity patterns of ants and beetles in several areas of Portugal, 3) evaluate the importance of ant-plant interactions and the impact of invasive ant species in natural communities.