El papel de los parásitos en la alteración de flujos de contaminantes en los ecosistemas acuáticos: implicaciones para las invasiones biológicas en un contexto de cambio global
Role of parasites in altering contaminant fluxes in aquatic ecosystems: implications for biological invasions in a context of global change
Investigador principal
Marta I. Sánchez
Entidad financiera
CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique) - CSIC
Fecha de inicio
Fecha de fin
Código
PIC2014FR2
Departamento
Biología de la Conservación y Cambio Global
Investigadores
Green, Andy J;Oficialdegui, Francisco;David Biron (Université Blaise Pascal, Clermont Ferrand, Francia); Thomas Lenormand (CEFE, CNRS, Montpellier), Mark Taggart (University of Highland and islands, Scotland, UK)
Descripción
The general objective of this project is to explore the role of parasites as vectors in the flux of heavy metals through the ecosystem and to examine the toxicity to heavy metals in native and invasive Artemia populations under future scenarios of global change. We will focus on 4 toxins which have been recorded in high concentration in the Odiel Estuary and are considered highly toxic for animals: cadmium, arsenic, mercury and copper. This study will provide new information on the invasion process of A. franciscana increasing our ability to predict future expansion of the exotic species. Moreover it will enable the development of Artemia and their cestodes as a model system to study the effect of human impact (pollution and biological invasions) in a context of global change. The results of this project are of broad relevance given the worldwide distribution of Artemia and its incalculable value for aquaculture, pollution problems in estuarine ecosystems worldwide and the widespread presence of A. franciscana as exotic species in the Mediterranean region and beyond (Middle and Far East and Australia).