School of Biosciences

In Portugal, the studies on the European polecat (Mustela putorius) are scarce, and there is a lack of information about Portuguese populations, which are though to be declining. Conversely, and due to a distribution survey initiated in the 1990s by the Vincent Wildlife Trust, it is now known that the British polecat population is expanding its range after near-extinction in the 19th century. The VWT collected tissues samples from road-killed animals and there are already some studies documenting the hybridisation and phylogenetic relationships between polecats and domestic ferrets, using mitochondrial DNA. I am carrying out a study, using microsatellites, to find out if the genetic integrity of the European polecat is being threatened by hybridisation with domestic ferrets and if the recent British polecat expansion is due to a demographic increase of ferrets. At the same time, and through a collaborative network, I’m hoping to be able to assemble the sufficient amount of samples to carry out a phylogeographic study about this species in Europe. With my PhD project, I’m aiming to contribute to the improvement of our knowledge about the distribution of the Polecat in Portugal and above all to provide useful information to apply management and conservation strategies for the species in both countries.

I am being co-supervised by Dr.ª Margarida Santos-Reis at Lisbon University and Mike Bruford.