Aquatic Ecology and Evolution (AEE) - CIIMAR

Aquatic Ecology and Evolution Research Group (AEE) at the Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR) integrates multi-disciplinary approaches to study different levels of organization of aquatic biodiversity: from the genome to organism level, populations, communities and ecosystems. AEE group aims to unravel the patterns and processes driving diversity in aquatic systems and to understand the potential threats that anthropogenic stressors pose to biodiversity. Our previous investigations resulted in important contributions to the understanding of historical and contemporary evolutionary forces that govern genetic variation in nature, applying diverse molecular markers to multiple biological models, in particular, freshwater bivalves, fish and marine crustaceans. Our team also produced important ecological and conservation biology outputs, including status assessments, guidelines and research syntheses on aquatic species and habitats across the world. AEE works towards increasing public awareness and participation on biodiversity and conservation research, including participatory approaches like community-based conservation of marine resources.