The University of Barcelona, a public institution, is renowned for its commitment to quality education, groundbreaking research, and active engagement with society. Founded in 1450, it now fosters a vibrant community of nearly 100,000 members. Researchers participating in the ALFAwetlands project, belong to the Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology, and Environmental Sciences. And they bring expertise from diverse fields such as biogeochemistry, botany, and forestry.
The core team
The core team at the University of Barcelona (UB) is composed by Francesc Sabater, Sílvia Poblador and Laura Escarmena:
- Francesc Sabater, the principal investigator of the project at UB, is a full professor specialized on biogeochemical processes in freshwaters and riparian soils
- Sílvia Poblador, a postdoctoral researcher on the ALFAwetlands Project, is a soil biogeochemist and her research focuses on soil greenhouse gas emissions from different ecosystems. A part of her PhD thesis was conducted in Tordera, one of ALFAwetlands Living Lab (LL) sites in Spain, coordinated by UB
- Laura Escarmena, a PhD candidate, studies the efficiency of a constructed wetland in a riparian forest as a means of enhancing wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) performance. As a soil scientist, her work is focused on soil biogeochemical processes and greenhouse gas emissions, with her research based in Cànoves, one of the Living Lab (LL) sites, coordinated by UB
Supplementary experts
For UB forestry Living Lab site (Tordera and Cànoves), the team benefits from the expertise of:
- Núria Roca, a full professor and a soil scientist
- Santi Sabaté, the head of the Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology, and Environmental Sciences and an expert in forestry science.
The peatlands Living Lab sites (Rubió and Estanyeres), located in the Pyrenees and featuring grazing exclusion areas, have been studied for years by the UB’s Botanical team to monitor vegetation recovery in peatlands. Over the past two years, we have been tracking together greenhouse gas emissions inside and outside the fenced areas. The team members include:
- Josep M. Ninot, full professor, specializes in the functional ecology of communities in challenging environments, such as high mountains, Mediterranean meadows, and coastal vegetation. His work also encompasses vegetation mapping, plant conservation, and ecological restoration
- Aaron Pérez-Haase, lecturer professor, focuses on the distribution patterns of vascular plants and bryophytes in the Pyrenean mires. He has contributed to several floristic projects in the Pyrenees and participated in herbalization campaigns across the western Mediterranean
- Violeta Martinez-Amigo, PhD candidate, works on Researcher in Mountain peatlands ecology, researches mountain peatland ecology with a focus on carbon accumulation rates in the Pyrenees
Coastal lagoon experts
For UB´s coastal lagoon Living Lab site, Madrigueres, UB ALFAwetands team rely on the expertise of three freshwater limnologists:
- Margarita Menéndez, full professor, has been monitoring the restoration of the lagoons in Les Madrigueres, with a focus on water chemistry, macroinvertebrates, and fish biodiversity
- Daniel von Schiller, full professor, specializes in carbon and nutrient biogeochemistry in aquatic systems. He is also a partner from our sister project Restore4Cs.
- Jorge Montes, postdoctoral researcher, studies on aquatic metabolism, carbon emission and plankton size structure in lakes
Team´s sampling efforts are made possible thanks to the invaluable contributions of Bachelor’s and Master’s students who join the team to conduct their thesis work at project study sites: Nerea Parada, Lorenzo Favale, Joan Capdevila, Aitana Izquirdo, Andrea Yscadar, Valentina Valdivia, Annika Grundeus, Blanca Bautista, Alexandra Castañeda, Isabel Anaya and Emma Ballesté.
This post was prepared by Sílvia Poblador, ALFAwetlands team member from University of Barcelona.