Headshot of Dr.João F. R. Tonini

Dr. João F. R. Tonini

Computational Support Specialist
  • Profile

    My research interest sits at the intersection of computational biology and evolutionary biodiversity, with a primary focus on unraveling the genetic basis for phenotypic variation under natural and sexual selection across the Tree of Life. Using advanced computational methods, I integrate data from large-scale phylogenies, species traits, and macroevolutionary models to identify pivotal events in evolutionary transitions. My research and teaching programs revolve around data-driven science, emphasizing data integration and use of high-performance computational resources to understand the drivers of species diversification and develop conservation strategies.

  • Selected Publications
    Journal Articles

    Maria B, Tonini JFR, Rebouças R, Toledo LF (2023) Hidden shifts in allometry scaling between sound production and perception in anurans. PeerJ11: e16322. DOI: doi.org/10.7717/peerj.16322

    Miranda RB, Brandão RA, O’Connell K, Colli GR, Tonini JFR, Pyron RA (2023) Multilocus environmental adaptation and population structure in the Cerrado gecko Gymnodactylus amarali(Sauria, phyllodactylidae) from Serra da Mesa Hydroelectric Plant, Central Brazil. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 11: 980777. DOI: doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2023.980777

    Edwards SV, Tonini JFR, Mcinerney N, Welch C, Beerli P (2023) Multilocus phylogeography, population genetics and niche evolution of Australian brown and black-tailed treecreepers (Aves:Climacteris ). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 138(3): 249–273. DOI: doi.org/10.1093/biolinnean/blac144

    Osorno-Munoz M, Gutiérrez-Lamus DL, Lynch J, Keeffe R, Caicedo-Portilla JR, Chan KN, Tonini JFR, de Sá RO (2023) Three New Species of the Synapturanus rabus Complex (Microhylidae: Otophryninae) in Colombia with a Review of the Genus Synapturanus. Zootaxa, 5258(2):151–196. DOI: doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5258.2.1

    Pirani RM, Tonini JFR, Thomaz AT, Napoli MF, Encarnação LC, Knowles LL, Werneck FP (2022). Deep Genomic Divergence and Phenotypic Admixture of the Treefrog Dendropsophus elegans (Hylidae: Amphibia) Coincide With Riverine Boundaries at the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 10: 765977. DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.765977.

    Acosta-Galvis AR, Tonini JFR, de Sá RO (2022) Two new species of Elachistocleis Parker, 1927 (Anura: Microhylidae: Gastrophryninae) from Colombia. Zootaxa 5099(5): 527–548. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5099.5.2

    Valencia-Montoya WA, Quental TB, Tonini JFR, Talavera G, Crall JD, Lamas G, Busby RC, Carvalho APS, Morais AB, Oliveira Mega N, Romanowski HP, Liénard MA, Salzman S, Whitaker MRL, Kawahara AY, Lohman DJ, Robbins RK, Pierce NE (2021). Evolutionary trade-offs between male secondary sexual traits revealed by a phylogeny of the hyperdiverse tribe Eumaeini (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae). Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences288(1950): rspb.2020.2512. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.2512.

    Tonini JFR, Ferreira RB, Pyron RA (2020). Specialized breeding in plants affects diversification trajectories in Neotropical frogs. Evolution 74(8): 1815–1825. DOI: 10.1111/evo.14037.

    Tonini JFR, Provete DB, Maciel NM, Morais AR, Goutte S, Toledo LF, Pyron RA (2020) Allometric escape from acoustic constraints is rare for frog calls. Ecology and Evolution 10(8): 3686–3695. DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6155.

    Azevedo JAR, Guedes TB, Nogueira CC, Passos P, Sawaya RJ, Prudente ALC, Barbo FE, Strüssmann C, Franco FL, Arzamendia V, Giraudo AR, Argôlo AJS, Jansen M, Zaher H, Tonini JFR, Faurby S, Antonelli A (2020) Museums and cradles of diversity are geographically coincident for narrowly distributed Neotropical snakes. Ecography 43(2): 328–339. DOI: 10.1111/ecog.04815.

    Lamichhaney S, Card D, Grayson P, Tonini JFR, Bravo GA, Näpflin K, Termignoni-Garcia F, Sackton TB, Edwards SV (2019) Natural history and comparative genomics as tools to study evolutionary convergence. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society 314 (1777): 20180248. DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2018.0248.

    de Sá RO, Tonini JFR, Cuddy T, van Huss H, Long A, Forlani MC, Peloso PLV, Zaher H, Haddad CFB (2019) Multiple connections between Amazonia and Atlantic Forest shaped the phylogenetic and morphological diversity in the genus Chiasmocleis Mehely, 1904 (Anura: Microhylidae: Gastrophryninae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 130: 198–210. DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2018.10.021.

    Tonini JFR, Beard K, Ferreira RB, Jetz W, Pyron RA (2016) Fully-sampled phylogenies of squamates reveal evolutionary patterns in threat status. Biological Conservation 204: 23–31. DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2016.03.039.

    Tonini JFR, Moore A, Stern D, Shcheglovitova M, Orti G (2015) Concatenation and species tree methods exhibit statistically indistinguishable accuracy under a range of simulated conditions. PLoS Currents Tree of Life 1–10. DOI: 10.1371/currents.tol.34260cc27551a527b124ec5f6334b6be.

    Tonini JFR, Forlani MC, de Sá RO (2014) A new species of Chiasmocleis (Microhylidae, Gastrophryninae) from the Atlantic Forest of Espírito Santo State, Brazil. ZooKeys 428: 109 –132. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.428.7352.

    Tonini JFR, Costa LP, Carnaval ACOQ (2013) Phylogeographic structure is strong in the Atlantic Forest; predictive power of correlative paleodistribution models, not always. Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research 51: 1–8. DOI: 10.1111/jzs.12014.

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