RESEARCH | Bruno M. Carreira

INTERESTS

Mostly experimental, my research focuses on the study of the ecology of freshwater ectotherms. The most important target groups include anurans, crayfish, gastropods and odonates inhabiting ponds. Disappearing at an alarming rate, these protected ecosystems harbor a significant portion of the aquatic biodiversity, concentrating many rare and endemic species with unique adaptations.

With an emphasis on the study of temperature effects on ectotherms, my research has implications for direct and indirect effects of global change drivers on species and ecosystems. Broadly, my current research is divided among 4 topics and aims to contribute to a better understanding of the ecological responses to climate change, new assemblages and altered land use.

Temperature and nutrient acquisition in ectotherms

In the last 5 years, my research investigating the effects of heat waves on the trophic role of aquatic omnivorous ectotherms contributed to the discovery of a general relationship between temperature and nutrient acquisition - demonstrating increased herbivory at higher temperatures. Currently, I am interested in expanding the research on this emergent topic by investigating the roles of ontogeny and gut microbiota on temperature-induced dietary shifts, the consequences for freshwater food webs and patterns in large-scale temperature gradients (latitude, altitude, urban).

Ecology of invasive alien species

The study of the biology of invasive alien species has been a focus of my research since the start. Besides studying their ecological impacts on the native communities, I also use invasive alien species in more fundamental research. I am particularly interested in crayfish, such as Procambarus clarkii (Girard, 1852) and the newly described Procamabrus virginalis (Lyko, 2017), but I have also worked with the frog Xenopus laevis (Daudin, 1802).

Urban heat island effects

Urban ecology is a recent interest. Besides integrating two international consortia of young researchers (Urban Algae and Urban Jungle Ponds), I am also conducting my own research. In recent work, I am investigating the effects of urban heat islands on populations of Lymnaea stagnalis (Linnaeus, 1758).

Macroinvertebrate communities of polluted waters

I am part of a team investigating the biota of human-made habitats in impoverished European landscapes. We are comparing post-industrial sites (e.g. stone quarries, open mines, spoil heaps, sandpits, or fly ash deposits), seeking to understand the drivers shaping the communities of polluted waters.