Andressa Cabral

Postdoctoral Researcher

Flexpool

Affiliations

Leipzig University

Postal address

Johannisallee 21
04103 Leipzig
Germany

Contact details

Email: andressa.cabral@idiv.de

Websites

Google Scholar

iDiv Publications

Publications 2026

Ferreira-Júnior, Carlos Alberto, Zavatin, Danilo Alvarenga, Prado, Jefferson, Bragança, Gracielle Pereira Pimenta, Isaias, Rosy Mary Dos Santos, Cabral, Andressa, Silva, Renato Ramos (2026): Barbacenia rupestris (Velloziaceae), a new species from a prehistoric site in the Espinhaço Range, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Phytotaxa

10.11646/phytotaxa.747.3.4

Publications 2025

Cabral, Andressa, Bender, Irene M. A., Couvreur, Thomas L. P., Faurby, Søren, Hagen, Oskar, Hensen, Isabell, Kühn, Ingolf, Rodrigues-Vaz, Carlos, Sauquet, Hervé, Tobias, Joseph A., Onstein, Renske E. (2025): Seed-dispersing vertebrates and the abiotic environment shape functional diversity of the pantropical Annonaceae. New Phytologist

10.1111/nph.70113

Guerra, Daniel, Cabral, Andressa, Paetzolt, Mariana, Fricke, Evan, Kissling, W. Daniel, Lens, Frederic, Onstein, Renske E. (2025): Human-Induced Downsizing of Animal Communities Weakens Trait Matching Between Tropical Plants and Frugivores. Ecology Letters

10.1111/ele.70274

Publications 2024

Magri, R. A., Cabral, Andressa, Prado, J., Lopes, J. C. (2024): Two new critically endangered species of Vellozia (Velloziaceae) from the Campos Rupestres of Espinhaço Range, Brazil. Phytotaxa

10.11646/phytotaxa.652.1.1

Magri, Renato A, Luebert, Federico, Cabral, Andressa, Alcantara, Suzana, Lohmann, Lúcia G, Prado, Jefferson, Lopes, Jenifer C (2024): Historical biogeography of Vellozia (Velloziaceae) reveals range expansion in South American mountaintops after climatic cooling events and increased diversification rates after the occupation of Southern Espinhaço Province. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society

10.1093/botlinnean/boae072

Publications 2023

Cabral, Andressa, Ferreira-Júnior, C. A., de Menezes, N. L. (2023): Two new remarkable species of Barbacenia (Velloziaceae) from the Brazilian Espinhaço Range in honor of Renato Mello-Silva. Phytotaxa

10.11646/phytotaxa.616.3.7

Wölke, Friederike J. R., Cabral, Andressa, Lim, Jun Ying, Kissling, W. Daniel, Onstein, Renske E. (2023): Africa as an evolutionary arena for large fruits. New Phytologist

10.1111/nph.19061

Publications 2022

Cabral, Andressa, Albuquerque Magri, Renato, Lopes, Jenifer de Carvalho (2022): Increasing knowledge on the diversity of canelas-de-ema in the campo rupestre: two new species of Vellozia (Velloziaceae) from the southern Espinhaço Range, Brazil. Plant Ecology and Evolution

10.5091/plecevo.94326

Publications 2021

Cardoso, P. H., Neto, L. M., Cabral, Andressa, Trovo, M. (2021): Taxonomic updates in Brazilian Stachytarpheta (Verbenaceae) with atropurpureous to black corollas: Two new species and a new synonym. Phytotaxa

10.11646/phytotaxa.523.2.4

Scientific profile

I am a botanist working on trait-based macroevolution and macroecology, floristics and the taxonomy of tropical plants. My research focuses on understanding how functional traits shape the origin and maintenance of hyperdiverse and highly endemic floras, such as tropical rainforests and the Brazilian campos rupestres. Specifically, I use the plant family Velloziaceae J. Agardh as a model system to explore how functional traits are linked to its outstanding ability to tolerate and thrive under stressful conditions, such as fire-prone habitats, desiccation, and nutrient-poor soils. I also investigate how functional traits related to biotic interactions influence biodiversity patterns in tropical forests. In particular, I’m interested in plant–frugivore interactions and how reciprocal trait adaptations scale up to shape broader macroecological and macroevolutionary patterns.

Scientific career

2025-present. Postdoctoral Researcher, Molecular Evolution and Plant Systematics Lab, Leipzig University; German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
2021–2025. Ph.D. in Biology, Evolution and Adaptation (E&A) Lab, Leipzig University; German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
2024. Academic Exchange (PhD research stay), Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
2017–2020. MSc. Biology (Botany). University of São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
2018. Scientific internship for the master’s degree. Nees Institute for Biodiversity of Plants, University of Bonn, Germany.
2016–2017. Lic. Biology. Federal University of Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil.
2012–2016. BSc. Biology. Federal University of Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil.

 

Selected publications

For a full list of my publications, see my Google Scholar profile.

2025. Guerra, D., Cabral, A., Paetzolt, M., Fricke, E., Kissling, W., Lens, F., & Onstein, R.E. Human-Induced Downsizing of Animal Communities Weakens Trait Matching Between Tropical Plants and Frugivores. Ecology Letters 28: 1–15.

2025. Cabral, A., Bender, I.M., Couvreur, T.L., Faurby, S., Hagen, O., Hensen, I., Kühn, I., Rodrigues Vaz, C., Sauquet, H., Tobias, J.A., & Onstein, R.E. Seed-dispersing vertebrates and the abiotic environment shape functional diversity of the pantropical Annonaceae. New Phytologist 246(5): 2263–2279.

2025. Magri, R.A., Luebert, F., Cabral, A., Alcantara, S., Lohmann, L.G., Prado, J., & Lopes, J. C. Historical biogeography of Vellozia (Velloziaceae) reveals range expansion in South American mountaintops after climatic cooling events and increased diversification rates after the occupation of Southern Espinhaço Province. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 207(2): 115–127.

2023. Cabral, A., Ferreira-Júnior, C.A., & Menezes, N.L. Two new remarkable species of Barbacenia (Velloziaceae) from the Brazilian Espinhaço Range in honor of Renato Mello-Silva. Phytotaxa 616(3): 279–287.

2023. Wölke, F.J., Cabral, A., Lim, J.Y., Kissling, W.D., & Onstein, R.E. Africa as an evolutionary arena for large fruits. New Phytologist 240(4): 1574–1586.

2022. Cabral, A., Magri, R.A., Lopes, J.C. Increasing knowledge on the diversity of canelas-de-ema in the campo rupestre: two new species of Vellozia (Velloziaceae) from the southern Espinhaço Range, Brazil. Plant Ecology and Evolution 155(3): 343–352.

2022. Mello-Silva, R. & Cabral, A. Taxonomic Revision of Barbacenia (Velloziaceae) Atlantic Forest Inselberg Group, with Two New Species. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 107: 32–63.

2022. Brazil Flora Group, Cabral, A. Brazilian Flora 2020: Leveraging the power of a collaborative scientific network. Taxon 71(1): 178–198.

2021. Cabral, A., Luebert, F., Mello-Silva, R. Evidence for Middle Miocene origin and morphological evolutionary stasis in a Barbacenia inselberg clade (Velloziaceae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 161: 107163.

2021.Cabral, A., Magri, R.A., Lopes, J.C. Vellozia inselbergae (Velloziaceae), a new species from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest inselbergs. Phytotaxa 497: 138–146.

2020.Colli-Silva, M., Reginato, M., Cabral, A., Forzza, R.C., Pirani, J.R., Vasconcelos, T.N. Evaluating shortfalls in biodiversity documentation for the Atlantic Forest, the most 2 diverse and threatened Brazilian phytophysiognomic domain. Taxon, 69, 567–577.

2020. Zizka, A., Carvalho, F.A., Calvente, A., Baez-Lizarazo, M.R., Cabral, A.et al. No one-size-fits-all solution to clean GBIF. PeerJ, 8 e991, 1–22.

2020. Santos-Silva, F., Cardoso, P.H., Zorzanelli, J.P.F., Cabral, A. New records and range extension of the recently reestablished Lamanonia ulei (Engl.) L.B.Sm. (Cunoniaceae): notes on taxonomy and conservation. Check List, 16, 1355.

2019. Ramos, F.N., Mortara, S., Monalisa-Francisco, N., Costa Elias, J.P., Menini-Neto, L., Freitas, L., Kersten, R., Amorim, A., Bittencourt de Matos, F., Cabral, A. et al. Atlantic epiphytes: a data set of vascular and non‐vascular epiphyte plants and lichens from the Atlantic Forest. Ecology, 100, e02541.

2019. Pastore, J.F.B, Abbott, J.R., Neubig, K.M., Van Den Berg, C, Mota, M.C.A., Cabral, A., Whitten, M. Phylogeny and biogeography of Polygala (Polygalaceae). Taxon, 68(4), 673–691.

2019. Cabral, A., Groppo, M, Cardoso, P.H., Menini Neto, L., Santos-Silva, F. Flora of the Parque Estadual do Ibitipoca, Minas Gerais, Brazil: Aquifoliaceae. Rodriguésia, 70, p.e03782017.

2019. Santos-Silva, F., Cardoso, P.H., Tavares-Silva, P., Cabral, A. Winteraceae R.Br. ex Lindl. in the Serra da Mantiqueira, Brazil. Boletim de Botânica da Universidade de São Paulo, 59–67.

2019. Cardoso, P.H., Cabral, A., Santos-Silva, F., Salimena, F.R.G. Verbenaceae in the Parque Estadual da Serra do Papagaio, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Rodriguésia, 70, 1–15.

2018. BFG [The Brazil Flora Group], Cabral, A. 2018. Brazilian Flora 2020: innovation and collaboration to meet Target 1 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC). Rodriguésia, 69, 1513–1527.

2018. Cabral, A., Cardoso, P.H., Menini-Neto, L., Santos-Silva, F. Aquifoliaceae in the Serra Negra, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Rodriguésia, 69, 805–814.

2017. Cabral, A., Romão, G.O., Menini-Neto, L. Ericaceae in the Parque Estadual do Ibitipoca, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Boletim de Botânica da Universidade de São Paulo, 35, 75–93.

2017. Santos-Silva, F., Cardoso, P.H., Cabral, A. Cunoniaceae in the Parque Estadual do Ibitipoca, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Boletim de Botânica da Universidade de São Paulo, 35, 105–112.

2016. Cabral, A., Romão, G.O., Roman, S., Menini-Neto, L. Ericaceae in the Serra Negra, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Rodriguésia, 67, 225–236.

2016. Cabral, A., Romão, G.O., Salimena, F.R.G., Menini-Neto, L. Ericaceae in the Parque Estadual da Serra do Papagaio, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Boletim de Botânica da Universidade de São Paulo, 34, 7–19.