Since the 80s of the last century, environmental quality has been gaining interest in the scientific field, being a challenge to develop tools to understand and evaluate the implications of the negative effects of anthropic action on the biosphere, while ensuring sustainable development.
Since then, the group's research activity has focused on the study of the mechanisms and responses triggered by physical and chemical agents in animals, with the aim of their application in various contexts: in the development of new pesticides, in the evaluation of animal responses to global warming, in the evaluation of the toxicity of environmental pollutants, in the ecophysiological characterisation of pest and invasive species, and in the development and optimisation of biomarkers indicative of animal health and welfare.
The group uses specialised methodologies to carry out bioassays with substances of agrochemical (pesticides) and environmental interest in different insect species as well as in freshwater and marine animals (fish, crustaceans and molluscs). The environmental agents and problems investigated by the group include pesticides, metals, pharmaceuticals, nanoparticles, nano- and microplastics, temperature increase in relation to global warming, as well as invasive animal species. Studies are carried out using a variety of methodologies including exposure of animals to toxicants via ectopic, alimentary, aerial or aquatic routes, all under controlled conditions.
Studies are also carried out in the natural environment. Toxicokinetic studies are carried out, as well as the evaluation of physiological parameters (reproduction, level of energy reserves, osmolality, plasma metabolites), biochemical parameters (oxidative damage, antioxidant defences, metallothionein level, biotransformation enzyme activities) or through the use of omics technologies. The group collaborates with Spanish and foreign research groups in carrying out joint work, and also actively participates in international congresses by attending and organising them.
This group has a recognised prestige for the numerous quality works it has carried out in inland aquatic ecosystems and for the new researchers that have been trained. The following are some of the basic and applied research topics carried out by this group.
Basic research in:
- Specific richness and dynamics of populations and communities of aquatic organisms: bacteria, phytoplankton, periphyton, zooplankton, acoto- and zoo-benthos and fish, and their controlling factors.
- Dynamics and functioning of aquatic ecosystems: biogeochemical cycles, productivity, microbial processes.
- Study of aquatic food webs, their structure, key species and vulnerability to global change.
- Community coupling: mechanisms and rules.
- Biogeochemistry of carbon in aquatic ecosystems, GHGs and climate change.
- Molecular ecology.
- Paleolimnology and global change.
- Polar zone limnology.
- Pancrustacean genomics.
- Ecotoxicology.
- Remote-sensing.
Applied research in:
- Aquatic pollution and eutrophication processes.
- Physico-chemical and microbiological water quality.
- Characterisation of aquatic ecosystems.
- Monitoring and assessment of the environmental and conservation status of aquactic ecosystems.
- Management and restoration of aquatic ecosystems.
- Assessment of the response of aquatic ecosystems to global changes, including chemical pollution.
- Ecosystem management applied to climate change mitigation.
- Water purification and naturalisation in artificial wetlands.
- Bioremediation.
- Alien invasive species in inland waters.
- Remote-sensing as a tool for the study of environmental quality and ecological status of inland waters.
