Hi! I am Maria, I am an aquatic ecologist, specialized in zooplankton communities, trophic interaction and ecosystem functions. My research focuses on understanding the impact of human-driven global change on species and ecosystems, with particular attention on freshwater ecosystems.
I completed my PhD at the University of Birmingham, where I studied the evolutionary responses of species to environmental changes, including eutrophication and temperature increase. After my PhD, I moved to Switzerland as an EMBO postdoctoral fellowship, at Eawag, where I studied zooplankton communities’ responses to fish pressures and changes in nutrient concentration by using artificial ponds and time series analysis.
Currently I have a leading role in WP2 of the PONDERFUL project, at the University of Vic, investigating the effects of climate change and land use on freshwater biodiversity in small ponds and how its loss can affect the resilience, function, and the services provided by these ecosystems.
I am an enthusiastic and motivated researcher who intends to pursue a career increasing knowledge on the role of evolution on species adaptation to environmental changes and the ecological factors that shape our biodiversity.
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=U4BQukEAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao