Biography
I am an evolutionary biologist from Brazil, and my research is focused on morphological and evolutionary studies of neotropical mammals. Currently, I work on adaptive aspects of carnivory in rodents.
Rafaela Missagia
Postdoctoral Researcher
Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais
Interests
-
Morphological Evolution
-
Functional Morphology
-
Phylogenetic Comparative Methods
-
Stable Isotopes
-
Neotropical Mammals
-
Rodents
EDUCATION
2015-2019
Ph.D. in Zoology
Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais
(With a period at the Field Museum of Natural History)
2012-2014
M.Sc. in Ecology and Conservation
Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais
2007-2012
B.Sc. in Biological Sciences
Universidade Federal de Lavras
Fieldwork, Serra do Rola-Moça, Minas Gerais, Brasil
Fieldwork, Parque Nacional Cavernas do Peruaçu, Minas Gerais, Brazil (photo by Bárbara Rossi)
Screening paleontological material, Aurora do Tocantins, Tocantins, Brazil
Fieldwork, Serra do Rola-Moça, Minas Gerais, Brasil
RESEARCH
STABLE ISOTOPES OF MAMMALS
Using a new proxy to elucidate trophic relations of living and fossil mammals.
.jpg)
ECOMORPHOLOGY AND MORPHOLOGICAL EVOLUTION OF CARNIVOROUS
RODENTS
Understanding how diet affects skull morphology of rodents, using geometric morphometrics, CTscan techniques and phylogenetic comparative methods.
PUBLICATIONS
Missagia, R. V., Patterson, B. D., Krentzel, D., Perini, F. A. Insectivory leads to functional convergence in a group of Neotropical rodents. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 2021.
Gasparini, G. M., Parisi Dutra, R., Perini, F. A., Croft, D. A., Cozzuol, M. A., Missagia, R. V., Lucas, S. G. On the Supposed Presence of Miocene Tayassuidae and Dromomerycinae (Mammalia, Cetartiodactyla) in South America. American Museum Novitates, v. 3968, p. 1-27, 2021.
NEWS
The Women in Science UFMG became Girls in Science for a day!
Last week, we, as the group of Women in Science at UFMG, invited girls who are in elementary school to learn about the work done by women scientists at our institution, so that they would see a scientific career as a viable one. I showed them some mammals from the collection (they LOVED the bats), and they had the craziest questions ("if we know so little about the oceans, why don't you study oceans more?", or "is megalodon real?"). It was such a fun and meaningful experience, and we hope to do this often!
March 2023
The last chapter of my Ph.D. dissertation is out in Evolutionary Biology!
In this study, we tested the relationship between speciation, extinction, morphological disparity and rates of morphological evolution, to try to understand what would be the predominant processes responsible for the diversification patterns observed in Akodontini. We found that higher rates of morphological evolution and more time of independent evolution in one of the clades - plus higher rates of speciation in Akodon - generated the tribe's heterogeneous patterns of morphological and lineage diversity.
January 2023
Guest lectures at San Diego State University and UNISINOS.
I was invited to speak a little more about the research I have been developing since my doctorate at San Diego State University and UNISINOS. It was a great opportunity to exchange experiences and, of course, talk a little more about Akodontini and carnivory in rodents!
November 2022
