Staff directory

Taxonomy and ecology of Lichens and Micromycetes, and their applications as bio-indicators. Biodeterioration of stone monuments applied to the protection of cultural heritage.

Mariona Gonzalez Pineda is an environmental scientist and has completed a master's degree in Oceanography and Marine Management. She has always been interested in the human impact on aquatic systems and its effect on the ecosystem. Currently, she focuses her study on the microplastics present in Antarctica's benthic invertebrates.

Evolutionary biology, behavior and conservation. Seabirds as study model. Analysis of stable isotopes, ecophysiology, pollution, microbiology, molecular genetics, use of remote monitoring devices animal movement, telemetry and geographical information systems.

My research focuses on the study of the diversity, ecology, ecophysiology and conservation of mesophotic and deep vulnerable marine ecosystems dominated by corals and gorgonians, to provide understanding for the sustainable management and conservation of marine ecosystems. This research is developed following a multidisciplinary approach combining fieldwork, experimental studies, and a highly diversified collection of laboratory analyses. In this sense, my research includes the study of taxonomy, spatial distribution pattern of species, the state of their populations (demography), energetic condition (lipid content), reproductive and trophic biology (stable isotopes and fatty acids composition), and metabolic processes (calcification, respiration, excretion rates). Combining sampling by scuba diving and the use of underwater technology (underwater towed cameras, remotely operated vehicles, autonomous underwater vehicles, manned submersible), coral and gorgonians species are studied over extensive areas and depth ranges covering their entire spatial distribution, as the best way to achieve a comprehensive understanding of their ecology and the variability of their responses to environmental features and human induced stressors.

Our main research interests are understanding the mechanisms underlying molecular adaptation. We combine theoretical, analytical and experimental approaches, some of them developed in our group, to determine the relative role of the principal evolutionary forces in driving species diversification and in promoting genetic innovations. For that, we analyze both DNA sequence data generated in our lab (NGS data) and genomic data retrieved from databases, always within the framework of comparative and population genomics / transcriptomics. An important part of our work is focused on the origin and evolution of multigene families involved in the chemosensory system of invertebrates. We also actively develop and / or maintain software for the analysis of genetic and genomic variation in different contexts.

He works on the long-term monitoring of marine biodiversity in the protected areas of Catalonia, carrying out field sampling, data analysis and writing technical reports.

Ecology of marine benthic communities from the perspective of conservation. Monitoring study of communities and populations of algae, macroinvertebrates and fish, studying the movement of fish and marine reserves as a tool for conservation and management.

Lecturer in the Zoology and Biological Anthropology Section of the Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences. His research activity focuses on conservation biology of vertebrates and addresses aspects of population biology, trophic ecology and movement ecology among others using interdisciplinary approaches

PhD student focused on the study of the evolutionary history of pelagic birds of the genus Calonectris and the evolution of migratory behavior in this species complex

 My research is based on the study of holoparasitic plants and their physiological mechanisms to succes in parasitism, at the same time as the consequences they have on the host.

Restoration of mining spaces and other degraded spaces. Biodiversity management.

I am a PhD student whose research focuses on studying invasion pathways, speciation and population genomics of invasive ascidians. My thesis will focus on unraveling the differences between two widespread haplotypes of Clavelina lepadiformis in hopes to find genomic differences that could lead to identifying them as separate species. Additionally, I aim to describe the invasion pathways of Ascidiella aspersa, and provide some more insight on its population structure worldwide

PhD title: 'Theoretical and applied issues of aquatic biodiversity at Greek Islands"
My research interests are on: a) Ecology, Phylogeny, Biogeography and Taxonomy of aquatic macroinvertebrates, primarily caddisflies (Trichoptera), damselflies/dragonflies (Odonata) and stoneflies (Plecoptera), b) Bioassessment of Mediterranean Intermittent Rivers and Ephemeral Streams (IRES) & c) Conservation and Protection of endangered freshwater benthic macroinvertebrate species (with emphasis on endemic species) and Conservation and Protection of Freshwater and Wetlands Ecosystems.

With a deep-rooted passion for environmental science and a solid background in systematic conservation planning, my professional journey thus far has focused on the application of optimization algorithms to various contexts, aiming to enhance conservation efforts and inform decision-making. I am working on DRYvER project, prioritizing areas for drying river network conservation in the face of global change.

My research focuses on patterns of diversity in peatland communities at different scales. I generally work with vascular plants, bryophytes and microeukaryotes (metabarcoding) and I like to incorporate a perspective of phylogenetic and functional diversity in my studies.

Study of the structure and dynamics of the benthic communities, mainly in the aspects related to the ecology of populations, conservation and global change responses. Since the beginning of his scientific career, he has been linked to long-term biological monitoring in Marine Reserves such as the Medas Islands, the National Park of Port-cros and the Columbretes Islands, among others

Salvador Lladó received his B.Sc. degree in biochemistry (2006) and his Ph.D. in environmental microbiology and biotechnology (2012) from the University of Barcelona, Spain. He is currently an Associate Professor at the Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics Department from the same university. His main research focuses on soil biodiversity and its ecology and environmental biotechnology for agriculture and bioremediation.