Staff directory

Study of evolution mechansims that control metazoa morphogenesis. We focuses our attention on the origin of bilateral animals.

My research fouses on species population dynamics, and their relation to the environmental changes.

The expected growth of urbanised areas will increase functional distances and decreased biological connectivity among species populations, thus reducing their survival. My current research focuses on these effects and how different degrees of green zones in metropolitan areas could enhance the persistence and viability of species populations, and how this effect depends on the species traits and their adaptive potential. I also work on the role of extreme climatic events on population dynamics and species adaptations with the University of Reading. Previously, I've been working on behavioural ecology and on population dynamics at low densities to test hypotheses about the roles of compensation and depensation (also known as Allee effects) based at the University of Aberdeen .

My research is focused in the study of evolutionary mechanisms, which have a great effect on biodiversity. In particular, I have studied the American colonization by the invasive species Drosophila subobscura. I have also analyzed the biodiversity of drosophila fauna in Europe and America.

Systematics, taxonomy, fauna, ecology, biogeography, ultrastructure and ecotoxicology of helminths (trematodes, cestodes, nematodes, acanthocephala) parasites of vertebrates. Ultrastructure of reproduction and embryonic development in parasitic platihelmints.

Marine biology, phylogenetics, genomics, Mollusca, Antarctica

Our research is split in two areas: plant ecophysiology and agri-food biotechnology. Studies on plant ecophysiology focus on mechanisms of abiotic stress tolerance, the ecophysiology of invasive plants, proxies of mortality at the ecosystem level, seed banks, sexual dimorphism in plants, and hormonal profiling.

Study of flora and vegetation, primarily a functional ecology of communities in constraint environment, high mountain Mediterranean meadows, coastal vegetation ... Interdependence between specific composition and functioning of vegetation.

Ecologist specialized in carbon cycle in aquatic systems. My research uses carbon biogeochemistry as a proxy to understand how aquatic ecosystems work. I work in rivers, lakes, reservoirs and lagoons, addressing various aspects of the carbon cycle such as: ecosystem metabolism, carbon dioxide and methane fluxes into the atmosphere, carbon sinking in lacustrine sediments, or biogeochemistry of the organic and inorganic carbon dissolved in river networks.

My current research is focused on the coastal communities of echinoderms Mediterranean, more specifically in the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus. With the help of several funded projects have worked many aspects of their biology, ecology, phylogeography and population structure using genetic tools in many cases. I also approached the group of ascidians, X. Turon in co-directing with a thesis on biology and population genetics of the species Pycnoclavella.

My main interest focuses on the analysis of evolutionary processes and population genetic studies with different native and introduced taxa, including Drosophila as a model organism as well as with marine invertebrates and vertebrates, non-model yet ecologically very interesting species. Population genetic structure of marine organisms, phylogeography, phylogeny and conservation genetics. In marine environments one of the main problems in management is the presence of cryptic species, either endemic or of recent invasion that can be detected using a phylogeographic approach by phylogenetic reconstruction with multiple genes. 

My main research line consists in the study of patterns of distribution of vascular plants and bryophytes in the Pyrenean mullets. I have also participated in several floristic projects in the Pyrenees and in numerous herbivization campaigns in the western Mediterranean. In addition, I work on the elaboration of cartography of CORINE habitats and vegetation in the projects of the research group.

Marta Pintó-Marijuan received a BSc in Biology and a Ph.D. from the University of Barcelona, Spain, in 2003 and 2009, respectively. In December 2020, she became Associate Professor of Plant Physiology at the Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences at the University of Barcelona. She performed several research stays in both national and international research centres: National Research Council in Spain (CSIC), University of the Basque Country (UPV; Bilbao), Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica (ITQB – Universidade Nova de Lisboa; UNL), Institute of agro-environmental and forest biology (IBAF-CNR, Montelibretti, IT), Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE-CNRS, Montpellier, FR), Instituto Superior de Agronomia (Lisbon, PT), Universidade de Aveiro (PT) and University of California-Berkeley (UC Berkeley, USA). Moreover, she collaborated with several private companies: Syngenta España SAU (Madrid, SP), Biovert SA (Lleida, SP), Bioiberica SA (Barcelona, SP) and Altri Gestão florestal (Olho Marinho, PT). With a background on plant ecophysiology, mainly related to the mechanisms to cope with abiotic stresses or climate change conditions of Mediterranean forest, crops and model species, Dr. Pintó-Marijuan became member of the Antiox research group in January 2013. Since then, she has been involved in the developement of the new research line focused to understand the physiological and biochemical traits of native vs invasive species. We focused our research interests on the importance of the role of the antioxidant molecules (tocopherols, ascorbic acid and carotenoids) and the photoprotection mechanisms of these species to be adapted to the Mediterranean conditions.

Landscape pattern and effects on species richness, diversity and structure of isolated populations, especially island: variability of life histories, demographics, genetic and biometrics in relation to the type and connectivity of habitats at the community level.

Hymenoptera Cynipoidea Taxonomy Phylogeny

My overall field of research covers the spatial ecology of highly mobile vertebrates. This research focusses on ecology, behaviour and conservation of marine top predators, with an especial interest in the ecological role of seabirds in marine ecosystems.

Conservation of Bonelli Eagle Hieraaetus fasciatus through applied research, implementation of conservation measures and disclosure.

Systematics, taxonomy, fauna, ecology, biogeography, ultrastructure and ecotoxicology of helminths (trematodes, cestodes, nematodes, acanthocephala) parasites of vertebrates. Taxonomy, fauna and ecology of helminth parasites of vertebrates. I am currently focused on helmintofauna rodents and amphibians of Southeast Asia from a systematic point of view.

Historical biogeography of the Mediterranean basin. Dynamics of colonization and speciation on oceanic islands. Systematics and evolution of the cave fauna.

Our main research interest is to characterize the major events and processes creating and shaping the diversity and distribution of living organisms. With this objective, we are using as model organisms freshwater and terrestrial planarians in two hotspots of biodiversity: The Mediterranean basin and the Atlantic Forest of Brazil. Through collaborations with other research teams, other study organisms have also been incorporated into our focus, such as birds or whales, expanding the range of possibilities for the evolutionary study of different taxa.

Behavioral mechanisms in evolutionary biology and behavioral aspects related to the conservation and management of species. The common quail, the badger and the lowland gorilla are used as a model species, and are analyzed both from a theoretical and applied aspects, the use of space, orientation and navigation, mating systems, social structure and emerging diseases , ecotourism and hunting management of migratory species.