Subject Area
Biological Oceanography
Marine Ecology
Activities
We developed research on descriptive, trophic and functional ecology of coastal and estuarine zooplankton, mainly at population and community levels. The groups found in these environments are planktonic copepods (e.g. Acartia tonsa, Euterpina acutifrons, Paracalanus parvus, Ctenocalanus vanus, Oithona nana, harpacticoida) and mysids: Neomysis americana, Arthromysis magellanica, Misidopsis rionegrensis. Activities at Argentine Institute of Oceanography (CONICET) included our participation in several research projects. 1) Studies on the population dynamics and fecundity of the alien copepod Eurytemora americana from the Bahía Blanca estuary, and analysis of its relationship with available particle food (i.e. phytoplankton and microseston), temperature, salinity, and turbidity as environmental stressors. Also, its competition with A. tonsa. This project was sponsored by the National Research Council (CONICET). 2) A joint research on temporal and spatial dynamics of zooplankton assemblages from Bahía Nueva, Golfo Nuevo, Chubut. This project was sponsored by the CONICET. 3) One-year monitoring study on the chemical quality and zooplankton components density in sea- water supply of a bivalve hatchery situated in las Grutas (Río Negro Province, Argentina). This project was sponsored by the Agency for the Promotion of Science & Technology (ANPCYT). In addition, environmental, plankton and ichthyoplankton data from El Rincón coastal area from the spring of 1993, were analyzed in order to characterize the frontal zones of Bahía Blanca estuary and Colorado river plume during that period of time.
Lastly, we worked in zooplankton ecology from small bays of Beagle Channel, Argentina and in the plankton trophodinamics analysis in the Bahia Blanca estuary and El Rincón shelf region.
Skills
Descriptive and trophic ecology of estuarine -marine zooplankton
Taxonomy of Mysida and Copepoda
Comment(s)
Our research group is constituted by several undergraduate, posdoc students and one Assistant Researcher.
