Ecotoxicology and microbial contamination

The Ecotoxicology and Microbiological Contamination group addresses three areas of research:

1.- Assessment of the risks to ecosystems determined by pollutants and their interactions with the environment, considering the vulnerability of people, populations and communities to chemical and non-chemical stressors.

2.- Microbial ecology of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems through molecular biology tools and development of nature-based technologies for water treatment:

  • Monitoring of cyanobacterial proliferations in aquatic ecosystems and detection and biodegradation of cyanotoxins.
  • Biodiversity and molecular mechanisms of microbial adaptation to environmental changes.

3.- Studies of the impact of contaminants (pesticides, antibiotics and biocides) on microorganisms and resistance to antibiotics in aquatic environments:

  • Potential effect of contaminants on bacterial populations.
  • Detection of antibiotic resistant bacteria and resistance genes.
  • Fitness cost linked to the acquisition of antibiotic resistance.
  • Resistance gene transfer and the role of contaminants.

What do we do?

In 2015, the United Nations adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This Agenda has 17 Sustainable Development Goals, adopted by all UN Member States, which are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and improve the lives and prospects of everyone, everywhere.

The research carried out by the group contributes to achieving the following Sustainable Development Goals:

Research team

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Dr. Andreu Rico Artero

Researcher. University of Valencia

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Marco Vighi

Expert researcher in ecotoxicology

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Dr. Jesús Morón López

Postdoctoral Researcher at the Arizona State University (ASU) in the USA

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Dr. Theresa Schell

Research Assistant

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Sara Martínez Pérez

Predoctoral researcher

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Lorena Martínez García

Research Assistant

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Daniel Franco López

Research Assistant

Projects

  • PAPILLONS

    2021 - 2025

    Plastic in Agricultural Production: Impacts, Lifecycles and LONg-term Sustainability

  • CLEAN-CM

    2021 - 2022

    Control and elimination of biological and chemical risks in the water cycle

  • µNanoCare

    2020 - 2023

    Quantification of micronanoplastics in reclaimed water and agricultural ecosystems. Environmental risk assessment

  • PERIAMAR

    2019 - 2023

    Pesticide RIsk AssessMent for Amphibians and Reptiles

  • ECORISK2050

    2018 - 2023

    Ecological Risks of Chemicals in the Future

  • CICLIC-ECOREST

    2019 - 2022

    Smart tools and technologies to assess the environmental fate and risks of ContamInants under ClImate Change

  • CIANOMOD

    2019 - 2021

    Development of a predictive model for the management of algae and cyanobacterial proliferation events associated with climate change based on remote sensing techniques and data acquisition systems

  • IBERAQUA-NET

    2020 - 2021

    Scientific network for the risk assessment of water scarcity and pollution in Iberian ecosystems in a global change scenario: management recommendations

  • IMPASSE

    2017 - 2020

    Impacts of MicroPlastics in Agrosystems and Stream Environments

  • TAPAS

    2016 - 2020

    Tools for Assessment and Planning of Aquaculture Sustainability

  • SILENT AMAZON

    2019 - 2020

    Assessing the risks of anthropogenic contaminants in the Amazon River

  • CIANOALERT

    2016 - 2019

    Smart alert against harmful cyanobacterial blooms for the water industry

  • INREMEM

    2016 - 2019

    Innovation and recycling of membranes for water treatment

Contracts

  • Implementation of the Ecotoxicology and Environmental Monitoring Unit at IKIAM (Ecuador)

    2019 - 2022