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BIOCHANGE brings together a team of researchers working on assessing the spatial responses of species and ecosystems to global change, with a focus on biological invasions, climate change and land use dynamics. Read more about our research topics on the research page and check our publications and news below to follow our activities.
Keywords: Biodiversity change; Biological invasions; Biogeography; Global Change; Machine learning; Macroecology; Predictive modelling; Species and ecosystem mapping |
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NEWS 2026
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27 Jan, 2026: Our paper “From Establishment to Expansion: Changing Drivers of Acacia spp. Invasion in Mainland Central Portugal” resulting from Matilde Salgueiro Master's Thesis has just been published in Forests.
In this work, Matilde Salgueiro and the team investigated how land abandonment, wildfire recurrence and environmental conditions shape the invasion dynamics of Acacia spp. (wattles) in central Portugal, explicitly distinguishing between establishment and expansion phases. By combining multi-temporal photointerpretation, land-use cartography, spatial environmental predictors, and generalized additive models, we show that invasion drivers shift over time: from proximity-driven establishment to disturbance-driven expansion. Our results highlight the need for phase-specific, landscape-scale management strategies to effectively prevent and control invasive woody species in Mediterranean rural landscapes. The paper is available here. |
NEWS 2025
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10 Dec, 2025: In the past 10th of December, Henrique Couto had the opportunity to represent our BIOCHANGE team at the Second International Invasive Species and Climate Change Conference (IISCCC) organized by the Regional Invasive Species and Climate Change (RISCC) Network and hosted by the North American Invasive Species Management Association (NAISMA). This 2nd IISCCC following the motto “Better Together: Empowering People and Partnerships” brought together academic researchers, government officials, NGO’s, native people and other practitioners and researchers to share their experiences and build connections. Henrique presented an oral communication entitled “Understanding the Spread: the Origin and Distribution of Non-Native Lepidopterans”, where he shared how the spread and establishment of non-native moths and butterflies have been changing through time, their origins and the drivers of such spread. If you would like to know more about this conference and on see the presentations, this online conference will soon be available at NAISMA YouTube channel.
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24 Nov, 2025: On the 19th, 20th, and 21st of November, members of the BIOCHANGE team participated in the XV Congresso da Geografia Portuguesa. They presented the results of their most recent research: "Marked omission of wetlands in the main cartographic reference sources in mainland Portugal" (André Silva), "The relationship between agroforestry abandonment and the dominance of Acacia spp. in central mainland Portugal" (Matilde Salgueiro), "Peatlands at risk? First spatiotemporal analysis of acacia expansion in peatlands of the southwestern Iberian Peninsula" and "Distribution patterns of invasive exotic plants in mainland Portugal" (Raquel Fernandes).
The event provided an important opportunity to disseminate the team’s ongoing work to the Portuguese academic community. |
20 Nov, 2025: Invasive alien plants are present in all mainland Portuguese municipalities. In a new paper published in Neobiota, “Diversity and distribution patterns of invasive alien plant species in mainland Portugal", we performed the first analysis of invasive alien plants distribution in mainland Portugal.
Occurrence data were collected (~ 85,000 records) for 96 terrestrial, aquatic and semi-aquatic species, listed under Portuguese national legislation and the European Union’s list of invasive species of concern. Results provide detailed insights into the spatial patterns and environmental and human drivers of invasive alien plant richness in mainland Portuguese municipalities. Among other findings, this work identified coastal areas, those with large urban centres and those with greater accessibility as having the highest numbers of invasive species.
Occurrence data were collected (~ 85,000 records) for 96 terrestrial, aquatic and semi-aquatic species, listed under Portuguese national legislation and the European Union’s list of invasive species of concern. Results provide detailed insights into the spatial patterns and environmental and human drivers of invasive alien plant richness in mainland Portuguese municipalities. Among other findings, this work identified coastal areas, those with large urban centres and those with greater accessibility as having the highest numbers of invasive species.
01 Nov, 2025: Advancing a global standardization metric and database on biological invasions. Our Biochange Team was present last week in the InvaPact III Workshop in Girona, Spain. Collaborating with ~60 experts from 30 countries, Henrique Couto and Rebecca Pabst worked to standardise the assessment of ecological impacts from biological invasions.
The workshop was organised by Franck Courchamp and his team from the Université Paris-Saclay, whose previous projects have impressively demonstrated the power of collective scientific work. By bringing together such a diverse community of experts, the InvaPact project aims to respond to the threat of invasive species with a unified and powerfully coordinated strategy. We are very happy that our team is contributing to this important international effort.
Keep an eye out for Inva-articles and the database, coming soon!
The workshop was organised by Franck Courchamp and his team from the Université Paris-Saclay, whose previous projects have impressively demonstrated the power of collective scientific work. By bringing together such a diverse community of experts, the InvaPact project aims to respond to the threat of invasive species with a unified and powerfully coordinated strategy. We are very happy that our team is contributing to this important international effort.
Keep an eye out for Inva-articles and the database, coming soon!
22 Oct, 2025: The great biogeographical change of disease vector mosquitoes. Our new paper “Global invasion patterns and dynamics of disease vector mosquitoes” has just been published in Nature Communications.
In this work, we assembled the first global database of human-mediated mosquito introductions. We found that 45 disease vector mosquito species have already been introduced beyond their native ranges, 28 of which are now established, and that introductions are accelerating, with 12 new species recorded since 2000. This publication also coincides with the first detection of mosquitoes in Iceland, one of the world's previously mosquito-free places.
The study also identified strong associations between species introductions and global trade and travel, showing how growing human activity is facilitating the worldwide spread of mosquito species that can transmit diseases such as malaria, dengue, and Zika. You can read the paper here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-64446-3.
In this work, we assembled the first global database of human-mediated mosquito introductions. We found that 45 disease vector mosquito species have already been introduced beyond their native ranges, 28 of which are now established, and that introductions are accelerating, with 12 new species recorded since 2000. This publication also coincides with the first detection of mosquitoes in Iceland, one of the world's previously mosquito-free places.
The study also identified strong associations between species introductions and global trade and travel, showing how growing human activity is facilitating the worldwide spread of mosquito species that can transmit diseases such as malaria, dengue, and Zika. You can read the paper here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-64446-3.
8 Oct, 2025: Our team is pleased to welcome two new members.
Iúri Diogo, a former MSc student of our group, is now rejoining us for four years to pursue a PhD on biogeographical change and novel ecosystems driven by biological invasions in European wetlands, in collaboration with the Centre of Molecular and Environmental Biology (CBMA).
Diene Oliveira is a doctoral student at the Federal University of Sergipe (UFS), Brazil, and will be joining us as a visiting researcher.
Welcome back, Iúri, and warm welcome to Diene!
Iúri Diogo, a former MSc student of our group, is now rejoining us for four years to pursue a PhD on biogeographical change and novel ecosystems driven by biological invasions in European wetlands, in collaboration with the Centre of Molecular and Environmental Biology (CBMA).
Diene Oliveira is a doctoral student at the Federal University of Sergipe (UFS), Brazil, and will be joining us as a visiting researcher.
Welcome back, Iúri, and warm welcome to Diene!
14 Sep, 2025: In a recent interview with RTP-Madeira, Andry Castro discussed the work “Social and news media in mapping the Endangered Mediterranean Monk seal: exceptional data gains but persistent bias”. He highlighted how social media and regional news media provided an exceptional number of monk seal sightings on Madeira Island, far surpassing major open biodiversity data platforms. Listen to excerpts of the interview here: More than 300 monk seal sightings in the last 15 years
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9 Sep, 2025: In a recent publication in Data in Brief, we present an updated geographical dataset of peatlands and swobs (wetlands with potential for peat formation) across the Iberian Peninsula. This work aims to support ecological research, carbon stock assessment, and conservation planning, especially in underrepresented regions. Access the full dataset and methodology here. |
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23 June, 2025: Last week, Rebecca Pabst, had the opportunity to represent our group at a meeting hosted by the AIR Centre – Atlantic International Research Centre, supported by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT). The event brought together 30 PhD students from around the world — including Brazil, Portugal, India, South Africa, Mexico, and Spain — to share their research and strengthen global collaboration across the Atlantic. Rebecca presented her research on non-native mosquito spread and the drivers that enable their expansion, a topic with growing global relevance in the context of globalisation, climate change and public health. The AIR Centre’s PhD Programme supports interdisciplinary research in critical areas such as marine litter, ocean accounting, robotics, earth observation, and data science, with many projects contributing to global frameworks like the UN SDGs, the Decade of Ocean Science, and the Paris Agreement. Beyond showcasing research, the meeting was a great opportunity to create meaningful connections and partnerships. |
04 June, 2025: Andry Castro attended the III Meeting of the Iberian Ecological Society/XVII National Congress of the Spanish Association of Terrestrial Ecology, held from 2 to 7 June in Pontevedra, Galicia. He presented the oral communication "The extraordinary contribution of social media and media to map rare and endangered species: the Mediterranean Monk Seal in Madeira and Porto Santo Islands" (preprint here), where he demonstrated the usefulness of social media and media data in increasing the availability of distribution data for endangered species at a local scale. The research shows that, over a 15-year period, it was possible to obtain 27.5 times more data than from reference platforms such as GBIF, iNaturalist, and Observation.org, using the applied methodology. This exponential gain represents a significant contribution to supporting conservation efforts for the species.
13 May, 2025: 2nd BIOCHANGE BIOBLITZ: On May 7, the 2nd BIOCHANGE BIOBLITZ took place in Cidade Universitária (Lisbon). This event was a contribution of our team and participants for the Invasive Species Week 2025, and counted with the partnership of Prof. Sérgio Chozas.
During the bioblitz, the participants registered in iNaturalist several native, exotic and invasive species, present around the faculties of the University of Lisbon.
Thanks to all participants! More info here.
During the bioblitz, the participants registered in iNaturalist several native, exotic and invasive species, present around the faculties of the University of Lisbon.
Thanks to all participants! More info here.
23 Apr, 2025: On 7 May, our team presents the 2nd edition of the "BIOCHANGE BIOBLITZ", in collaboration with Prof. Sergio Chozas, from FCUL, one of the people responsible for the "+Biodiversity@Ciências" project" and member of the Sociedade Portuguesa de Botânica.
We will explore some gardens of the Cidade Universitária to recognize invasive species (plants and animals), register them on iNaturalist, and learn more about these species that are increasingly becoming part of our daily lives!
This initiative is included in the Invasive Species Week 2025. Let's learn about invasive species! Free registration link here, until 5 May. More details here.
We will explore some gardens of the Cidade Universitária to recognize invasive species (plants and animals), register them on iNaturalist, and learn more about these species that are increasingly becoming part of our daily lives!
This initiative is included in the Invasive Species Week 2025. Let's learn about invasive species! Free registration link here, until 5 May. More details here.
13 Mar, 2025: New publication: When do citizen scientists record biodiversity? Non‐random temporal patterns of recording effort and associated factors.
In this work, we unravel the factors determining temporal patterns of recording of biodiversity by citizen scientists. We found that citizen scientists recorded biodiversity most frequently on weekends, Fridays, and in spring, while extreme weather reduced activity. Public holidays and snow had little effect. These insights help correct data biases, improving research reliability and guiding project design to enhance biodiversity conservation efforts. The publication is available in open access here. Check also our research highlight.
In this work, we unravel the factors determining temporal patterns of recording of biodiversity by citizen scientists. We found that citizen scientists recorded biodiversity most frequently on weekends, Fridays, and in spring, while extreme weather reduced activity. Public holidays and snow had little effect. These insights help correct data biases, improving research reliability and guiding project design to enhance biodiversity conservation efforts. The publication is available in open access here. Check also our research highlight.
02 Feb, 2025: New short-term forecast now available on Nature Forecast.
Flowering of silver wattle (Acacia dealbata) in regions of Southern Europe.
Check it out!
02 Feb, 2025: New short-term forecast now available on Nature Forecast.
Flowering of silver wattle (Acacia dealbata) in regions of Southern Europe.
Check it out!
