About me
I am an oceanographer and marine ecologist with a special interest in benthic ecosystems and global change. Currently, I am a Ramón y Cajal fellow at the Centre for Advanced Studies of Blanes, Spanish National Research Council (CEAB-CSIC) and associate research fellow at the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn Napoli. I am interested in the functioning and resilience of marine macrophytes and in mechanisms behind non-linear ecosystem transitions (regime shifts). To this aim, I study marine forests ecology at different levels of organization (from individuals to ecosystems) including species interactions and their relation to the environment by means of natural surveys, manipulative experiments and mathematical modelling. I also apply remote sensing techniques (i.e. drones and satellites) to study ecosystem configuration and resilience at the landscape level. More recently, within the framework of the SHIFT2SOLVE MSCA – IF project, I shifted the perspective towards studying the mechanisms that will increase macrophytes’ resilience under future ocean conditions. Among these, my research focuses on understanding seagrasses and seaweeds’ capacity to acclimate to ocean warming and acidification with the commitment to contributing to marine forests conservation and management. I coordinate the Hidden Deserts project, a citizen science social endeavour to increase the knowledge of underwater deserts (barrens) and promote the restoration of marine macroalgal forests.
