URBAN HEAT ISLANDS (2018 - Present)
My postdoc at the University of South Bohemia (Czech Republic) started with a change of focus into Urban Ecology in 2018. Taking advantage of the strong background on ecophysiology acquired in the PhD, I have sought to study the effects of the urban heat island of ÄŒeské BudÄ›jovice, a medium city with less than 100.000 inhabitants in South Bohemia (Czech Republic), on the ecophysiology of Lymanea stagnalis (Linnaeus, 1758). This project aims to investigate local adaptation in response to urbanization, but also to use the thermal gradient provided by the urban heat island to bridge this topic with my previous research on temperature-induced dietary shifts in ectotherms.
Supervisions: Massyl Brahimi, Juliana Neiva, Guillem Casbas Pinto, Yohanna Michau and Yasmin Akyürek.
Co-PI
URBAN JUNGLE PONDS (2018 - Present)
Involving the general public, this project in the field of Urban Ecology relied on Citizen Science to collect data on bromeliad macroinvertebrate communities. The project aims to investigate the effect of urbanization on the taxonomic and functional diversity of macroinvertebrates in freshwater microecosystems across European cities (with 50,000+ inhabitants): Berlin (Germany), ÄŒeské BudÄ›jovice (Czech Republic), London (United Kingdom), Toulouse (France) and Salzburg (Austria). This project constitutes the first European study of standing freshwater microecosystems in man-made systems, with an emphasis in exotic mosquito species. Cities are well known hotspots of biological invasions, including many disease-carrying vector species, whose establishment and expansion may be facilitated by the use of small artificial freshwater habitats (e.g., buckets and saucers for flower pots) and more favorable climatic conditions in urban areas, associated to an altered temperature regulation cycle resulting from human activity and changes in land use.
Collaborator
URBAN ALGAE (2018 - Present)
Sponsored by the European Federation for Freshwater Sciences, this project is carried out by a large consortium of young researchers from 25 European cities, fostering collaboration among over 100 researchers from natural and social sciences. Using Citizen Science, this project aims to link the ecosystem services (e.g. storm water retention or recreation) and the ecological status of ponds in urban areas to the social valuation by the social valuation of these habitats by the general public. Key players in aquatic ecosystem functioning (nutrient recycling, carbon sequestration), primary producers in urban environments are influenced by multiple stressors. As a consequence, the structure and biodiversity of the community of primary producers varies drastically in urban environments (e.g. green water ponds dominated by algae vs. clear water ponds dominated by macrophytes) and the ecological status of urban ponds should be reflected in the citizen perception and valuation of the ecosystem services that they provide.
Collaborator
FLY ASH LAGOONS (2018 - Present)
In collaboration with Robert Tropek, this project focuses on impoverished European landscapes (e.g. stone quarries, open mines, spoil heaps, sandpits, or fly ash deposits). Very often, these post-industrial sites harbor many endangered organisms, serving as crucial secondary refuges to species of threatened habitats vanishing from our common landscapes. Combining a landscape-scale, multi-taxa field survey with laboratory experiments and field transplants, the project aims to provide the first community-level inventory of the biota present in fly ash lagoons, comparing their communities with those found in nearby unpolluted sites (sandpit pools), and quantifying the effects of stressors on individuals. This approach will identify the key stressors shaping these communities and affecting their constituent species, covering a broad range of taxa: aquatic cyanobacteria, algae, macrophytes, zooplankton and aquatic macroinvertebrates.
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Collaborator
AFRICAN CLAWED FROG (2017)
This project brought together a team of experts from five countries to study the invasive biology of Xenopus laevis (Wagler, 1827), providing complementary data to better understand the biology, dispersal patterns, physiology, impact on local populations, and the invasive potential of this species. The work package carried out by the Portuguese team aimed to assess the plasticity of the species' life- history, to evaluate its potential as a carrier of amphibian parasites and pathogens, to assess its impacts on the aquatic communities and to use the ongoing eradication program of X. laevis in Portugal to gain expertise and test procedures to apply in other invaded areas. Since its discovery in 2006, the population of the African clawed frog established in the municipality of Oeiras, likely after an incidental introduction in the 70's, has been the target of an eradication program promoted by a partnership of public institutions.
Co-Supervision: Vendula Kurdiková
Collaborator
DIETARY SHIFTS (2012 - 2016)
My PhD thesis "Warm vegetarians? Heat waves and diet shifts in aquatic omnivorous ectotherms" was carried out within this project. This research investigated the effects of temperature on the trophic role of aquatic omnivorous ectotherms commonly found in Mediterranenan temporary ponds and demonstrated increased herbivory at higher temperatures. Ranking among the first contributions to the topic worldwide, my research stands out for investigating the effects of extreme climatic events (heat waves) and for reporting the first results in vertebrates and invasive alien species. These findings support the discovery of a general relationship between temperature and nutrient acquisition in omnivorous ectotherms. With implications for direct and indirect effects of climate change on species and ecosystems, this research was subject of worldwide media coverage in 2016-2017, and merited the awards of Young Scientist of the Year (Fluviário de Mora, Portugal) and Best Portuguese Doctoral Thesis (Iberian Limnological Association).
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Co-Supervisions: Vanessa Pinto and Nuno Gonçalves
Collaborator
MEDITERRANEAN TEMPORARY PONDS (2011)
The project had as main objective the study, preservation, dissemination and promotion of public awareness of the biodiversity of ponds, particularly amphibians and crustaceans in Mediterranean temporary ponds. Considerable dissemination and environmental education effort was dedicated to ponds, as it promotes the preservation of these vulnerable habitats and increases the public awareness and contact between society and ponds biodiversity, contributing to a conscious and informed citizenship. My M.Sc. thesis was conducted in the scope of this project, investigating "Consumptive and non-consumptive impacts of Procambarus clarkii (Girard, 1852) in the community of macrophytes of Mediterranean temporary ponds". This research showed that impacts in macrophytes are likely dependent on macrophyte morphology and nutrient content. Despite being a generalist, this species was selective in its feeding preferences and able to drastically reduce macrophyte cover in Medtierranean temporary ponds within just a few weeks.
Collaborator
SELVAGENS GECKO (2011)
In 2001, the Selvagens Islands, south of Madeira Island (Portugal) were target of an eradication program aiming to remove all non-native fauna and flora and restore the islands' native ecosystem. The recovery of the islands' ecosystem has been monitored closely and its populations have been censored regularly. This project collected data on the populations of the two reptile species endemic to these islands - the strictly nocturnal Selvagens gecko Tarentola (boettgeri) bischoffi (Joger, 1984) and the mainly diurnal Teira dugesii selvagensis (Bischoff, Osenegg & Mayer 1989), after the removal of the non-native species. This project also investigated intra- and inter-species competition, species dietary and refuge preferences, as well as their ecological role in the ecosystem, through seed dispersion. Important achievements in this project were the development of an expedite and non-invasive method for individual identification for the Selvagens gecko, classified as vulnerable in the Portuguese Red List, as well as the discovery of herbivory in this species, which is a rare phenomenon.
Collaborator