Browsing by Author "Ramos, Ana A."
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- Engaging children in geosciences through storytelling and creative dancePublication . Matias, Ana Catarina; Carrasco, A. Rita; Ramos, Ana A.; Borges, R.Natural sciences have traditionally been disseminated in outreach activities as formal, one-way presentations. Nevertheless, innovative strategies are being increasingly developed using arts, gaming, and sketching, amongst others. This work aimed at testing an alternative and innovative way to engage non-expert audiences in ocean and coastal geology through a combination of scientific concept explanations and creative dancing. An informal education activity focusing on ocean dynamics was designed for 10-yearold students. It combines coastal science concepts (wind, waves, currents, and sand), storytelling techniques (narrative arc), and creative dance techniques (movement, imaginative play, and sensory engagement). A sequence of six exercises was proposed, starting with the generation of offshore ocean waves and ending with sediment transport on the beach during storm/fair-weather conditions. Scientific concepts were then translated into structured creative movements, within imaginary scenarios, and accompanied by sounds or music. The activity was performed six times with a total of 112 students. It was an inclusive activity given that all students in the class participated, including children with several mild types of cognitive and neurological impairment. The science and art activity aroused emotions of enjoyment and pleasure and allowed for effective communication between scientists and school community. Moreover, the results provide evidence of the activity’s effectiveness in engaging children and developing their willingness to further participate in similar activities.
- Evolution at a different pace: distinctive phylogenetic patterns of cone snails from two ancient oceanic archipelagosPublication . Cunha, Regina L.; Lima, Fernando P.; Tenorio, Manuel J.; Ramos, Ana A.; Castilho, Rita; Williams, Suzanne T.Ancient oceanic archipelagos of similar geological age are expected to accrue comparable numbers of endemic lineages with identical life history strategies, especially if the islands exhibit analogous habitats. We tested this hypothesis using marine snails of the genus Conus from the Atlantic archipelagos of Cape Verde and Canary Islands. Together with Azores and Madeira, these archipelagos comprise the Macaronesia biogeographic region and differ remarkably in the diversity of this group. More than 50 endemic Conus species have been described from Cape Verde, whereas prior to this study, only two nonendemic species, including a putative species complex, were thought to occur in the Canary Islands. We combined molecular phylogenetic data and geometric morphometrics with bathymetric and paleoclimatic reconstructions to understand the contrasting diversification patterns found in these regions. Our results suggest that species diversity is even lower than previously thought in the Canary Islands, with the putative species complex corresponding to a single species, Conus guanche. One explanation for the enormous disparity in Conus diversity is that the amount of available habitat may differ, or may have differed in the past due to eustatic (global) sea level changes. Historical bathymetric data, however, indicated that sea level fluctuations since the Miocene have had a similar impact on the available habitat area in both Cape Verde and Canary archipelagos and therefore do not explain this disparity. We suggest that recurrent gene flow between the Canary Islands and West Africa, habitat losses due to intense volcanic activity in combination with unsuccessful colonization of new Conus species from more diverse regions, were all determinant in shaping diversity patterns within the Canarian archipelago. Worldwide Conus species diversity follows the well-established pattern of latitudinal increase of species richness from the poles towards the tropics. However, the eastern Atlantic revealed a striking pattern with two main peaks of Conus species richness in the subtropical area and decreasing diversities toward the tropical western African coast. A Random Forests model using 12 oceanographic variables suggested that sea surface temperature is the main determinant of Conus diversity either at continental scales (eastern Atlantic coast) or in a broader context (worldwide). Other factors such as availability of suitable habitat and reduced salinity due to the influx of large rivers in the tropical area also play an important role in shaping Conus diversity patterns in the western coast of Africa.
- Three in one-multiple faunal elements within an endangered european butterfly speciesPublication . Junker, Marius; Zimmermann, Marie; Ramos, Ana A.; Gros, Patrick; Konvicka, Martin; Neve, Gabriel; Rakosy, Laszio; Tammaru, Toomas; Castilho, Rita; Schmitt, ThomasIce ages within Europe forced many species to retreat to refugia, of which three major biogeographic basic types can be distinguished: "Mediterranean", "Continental" and "Alpine / Arctic" species. However, this classification often fails to explain the complex phylogeography of European species with a wide range of latitudinal and altitudinal distribution. Hence, we tested for the possibility that all three mentioned faunal elements are represented within one species. Our data was obtained by scoring 1,307 Euphydryas aurinia individuals (46 European locations) for 17 allozyme loci, and sequencing a subset of 492 individuals (21 sites) for a 626 base pairs COI fragment. Genetic diversity indices, F statistics, hierarchical analyses of molecular variance, individual-based clustering, and networks were used to explore the phylogeographic patterns. The COI fragment represented 18 haplotypes showing a strong geographic structure. All but one allozyme loci analysed were polymorphic with a mean F-ST of 0.20, supporting a pronounced among population structure. Interpretation of both genetic marker systems, using several analytical tools, calls for the recognition of twelve genetic groups. These analyses consistently distinguished different groups in Iberia (2), Italy, Provence, Alps (3), Slovenia, Carpathian Basin, the lowlands of West and Central Europe as well as Estonia, often with considerable additional substructures. The genetic data strongly support the hypothesis that E. aurinia survived the last glaciation in Mediterranean, extra-Mediterranean and perialpine refugia. It is thus a rare example of a model organism that combines attributes of faunal elements from all three of these sources. The observed differences between allozymes and mtDNA most likely result from recent introgression of mtDNA into nuclear allozyme groups. Our results indicate discrepancies with the morphologically-based subspecies models, underlining the need to revise the current taxonomy.
- Um ano de escola n'A Minha Praia – sensibilização para a problemática do lixo marinho utilizando a ciência-cidadã como ferramentaPublication . Gouveia, Licínia; Lourenço, Carla; Afonso, João; Freitas, Ricardo; Cavaquinho, Vanessa; Fernandes, Aurélie; Domingues, Pedro; Veiga-Pires, C.; Reis, Emanuel; Rodrigues, Miguel; Gomes, Tiago; Rodrigues, Luís; Mira, Sara; Ferreira, Hélder; Pinto, Andreia; Vaz, Paula; Drago, Teresa; Soares, Isabel; Ramos, Ana A.Um ano de escola n’A Minha Praia – sensibilização para a problemática do lixo marinho utilizando a ciência-cidadã como ferramenta O Algarve reúne um conjunto de características que o tornam particularmente vulnerável à presença de lixo marinho e aos seus efeitos nefastos: uma orla costeira longa (aprox. 200km), um destino turístico muito popular, uma população residente concentrada no litoral e uma fração significativa da sociedade cuja subsistência depende de atividades económicas ligadas ao mar (pesca, marisqueio, extração de sal, passeios turísticos, etc.). Foi tendo em conta a magnitude e as consequências da propagação do lixo marinho na região que o Centro Ciência Viva de Tavira coordenou o projeto A Minha Praia, um dos vencedores da primeira edição do Orçamento Participativo Portugal (OPP) em 2017, e cuja execução foi garantida pela colaboração entre os três Centros Ciência Viva (CCVs) no Algarve, com o envolvimento de várias entidades regionais e nacionais. Este projeto permitiu que cerca de 933 alunos provenientes de 17 escolas fossem sensibilizados para a conservação do meio marinho, para hábitos de consumo sustentáveis e para o civismo ambiental, em simultâneo com ações de ciência-cidadã, nas quais periodicamente monitorizavam a presença de lixo marinho em seis praias da costa sul do Algarve. Ainda dentro da função didática do projeto, demonstramos a valorização do plástico (que é o maior componente do lixo marinho), aproveitando-o, reciclando-o e transformando-o em novos objetos que prolongam a sua utilidade.
- Um ano de escola n'A Minha Praia – sensibilização para a problemática do lixo marinho utilizando a ciência-cidadã como ferramentaPublication . Gouveia, Licínia; Lourenço, Carla R.; Afonso, João; Freitas, Ricardo; Cavaquinho, Vanessa; Fernandes, Aurélie; Domingues, Pedro; Veiga-Pires, C.; Reis, Emanuel; Rodrigues, Miguel; Gomes, Tiago; Rodrigues, Luís; Mira, Sara; Ferreira, Hélder; Pinto, Andreia; Vaz, Paula; Drago, Teresa; Soares, Isabel; Ramos, Ana A.Um ano de escola n’A Minha Praia – sensibilização para a problemática do lixo marinho utilizando a ciência-cidadã como ferramenta O Algarve reúne um conjunto de características que o tornam particularmente vulnerável à presença de lixo marinho e aos seus efeitos nefastos: uma orla costeira longa (aprox. 200km), um destino turístico muito popular, uma população residente concentrada no litoral e uma fração significativa da sociedade cuja subsistência depende de atividades económicas ligadas ao mar (pesca, marisqueio, extração de sal, passeios turísticos, etc.). Foi tendo em conta a magnitude e as consequências da propagação do lixo marinho na região que o Centro Ciência Viva de Tavira coordenou o projeto A Minha Praia, um dos vencedores da primeira edição do Orçamento Participativo Portugal (OPP) em 2017, e cuja execução foi garantida pela colaboração entre os três Centros Ciência Viva (CCVs) no Algarve, com o envolvimento de várias entidades regionais e nacionais. Este projeto permitiu que cerca de 933 alunos provenientes de 17 escolas fossem sensibilizados para a conservação do meio marinho, para hábitos de consumo sustentáveis e para o civismo ambiental, em simultâneo com ações de ciência-cidadã, nas quais periodicamente monitorizavam a presença de lixo marinho em seis praias da costa sul do Algarve. Ainda dentro da função didática do projeto, demonstramos a valorização do plástico (que é o maior componente do lixo marinho), aproveitando-o, reciclando-o e transformando-o em novos objetos que prolongam a sua utilidade.