Staff directory

Biological and ecological studies of large marine vertebrates (Chondrichthyes, chelonian, cetacean and pinniped) focused on management and conservation of populations.

Comparative genomics approaches that allow us to study the origin of families of genes and proteins, and to infer functional innovations during evolution. The origin and evolution of the signaling pathway by retinoic acid, the route of steroids, or the DNA methylation machinery in metazoans have been the subject of our studies.

Phylogenetic and population genetics studies of bacteria and in particular those of interest in the field of Health.

The lab is interested in understanding how gene networks evolved in order to give rise to new organs and structures that favoured the radiation of insects. The mayfly species Cloeon dipterum is a privileged model to study evolutionary novelties.

Dr. Laura Armengot is a biologist, with a PhD in agroecology. Her main expertise is in the field of sustainable agricultural practices, including organic farming and agroforestry systems. She has worked in Mediterranean, temperate and tropical regions developing and assessing innovative management strategies for organic farmers in topics such as weed control, carbon sequestration and efficient use of resources.

Arthropod systematics and evolution, with special interest in spiders and their kind. Molecular tools for arthropod inventorying and monitoring and conservation.

The two main areas of my research are marine chemical ecology (natural products benthic invertebrates temperate, tropical and polar) and integrated coastal zone management (use of benthic invertebrates as indicators of environmental conditions in coastal management processes).

Evolutionary dynamics and specificity of the symbiosis between vertebrates and intestinal microbiota. The role of diet, genotype and geography in the dynamics of the microbiota, as well as the role of the microbial communities in the process of ecological adaptation of the host, are examined. Adaptive radiation is used as models for African and Central American cichlid fish and for lizards on the Balearic Islands.

My major research line focuses on the study of mechanisms that determine the spatial and temporal dynamics of ecosystems, and especially the influence of disturbances and their interactions on the resilience of Mediterranean ecosystems in relation to species climatic niche.

Icnology, Tafonomy, Palaeontology

Field of research: Ecophysiology and diversity of complex natural ecosystems (e.g., microbial tapestries and intestinal tract of xylophagous insects) and simple systems, such as the study of biofilm formation in in vitro cultures using a single bacterial strain.

Conservation biology of plants, with special emphasis on the biology of small populations of endemic species and subjected to fragmentation processes in the Mediterranean region (demography, reproductive biology, population genetics). Databases of genetic biodiversity. Pharmaceutical botany.

I study the patterns of diversity (plant and animal) in agricultural landscapes, with special attention to the contrast between conventional and organic systems, and the impact of changes in diversity on functionalism of these systems and the implications for management and conservation. Also dedicate part of my work analyzing spatial data diversity, floristic studies in the biology of invasions.

I am an Associate Professor 'Serra Húnter' at the University of Barcelona and the lead of the Freshwater Ecology, Hydrology and Management (FEHM-Lab) research group. My research interests mainly focus on the biodiversity, ecology, and conservation of freshwater ecosystems. In particular, I have been working on large-scale spatial patterns of aquatic macroinvertebrates mediterranean climate rivers and their responses to past, present, and future disturbances, combining community and population approaches. I have conducted my research mainly on of the world, where intermittent rivers are part of the daily landscape and have triggered many evolutionary adaptations of species.

Biological and ecological studies of large marine vertebrates (Chondrichthyes, chelonian, cetacean and pinniped) focused on management and conservation of populations.

Reproductive biology of plants, with special attention to the tribe Delphinieae. Conservation biology (reproductive biology, genetic diversity and population) of endemic plants, endangered and/or rare in the Mediterranean region.

Our research is in the areas of Evo-Devo, and Comparative and Population Genomics. The research of our group focuses on the study of the impact of gene loss on the evolution of the mechanisms of development, mostly those related with the evolution of body plans and central nervous system in the different subphyla of Chordates. Among our favorite signaling pathways we study the retinoic acid, FGF and WNT, using the urochordate Oikopleura dioica, the cephalochordate amphioxus, and the vertebrate zebrafish as our preferred animal models.

My research falls within the fields of animal biology, biodiversity conservation, and zoogeography. My main objective is to understand the spatio-temporal distribution patterns of animals and the mechanisms that drive them, considering extrinsic and intrinsic factors such as life strategy or behavior. The ultimate goal is to improve the ability to predict their responses to environmental changes. I focus particularly on the study of birds and biological invasions.

Biological and ecological studies of large marine vertebrates (Chondrichthyes, chelonian, cetacean and pinniped) focused on management and conservation of populations.

Conservation of biodiversity - Ecology of communities - Ecology of populations - Forest ecology - Management and restoration of the natural environment

My research focuses on the genetics and genomics of marine organisms with very diverse biological characteristics, from sea turtles to benthic organisms. This includes studies of phylogeography, local adaptation, ocean migrations and genetics for the conservation of threatened species

Biology and ecology of weed species, conservation and management of plant and animal biodiversity in agro-ecosystems, landscape ecology, agroecology, organic agriculture.

Taxonomy, Phylogeny and Systematics of fossil insects (especially dragonflies and Hymenoptera). Taphonomy of arthropod and deposits of exceptional preservation, especially of continental origin (lacustrine and amber). Paleoecology of Mesozoic insects.

Anthropology. Genetics of human populations. Current human diversity and applications in epidemiology.