Grupo de Ecología en Ambientes Costeros

We study Biological Invasions as a recognized social and environmental problem, mainly identifying new introductions, their vectors, their effects on native communities, and we collaborate in the design of strategies for their management. We also focus on Biological Invasions as a heuristic model for studying the evolution of ecological interactions that shape flora and fauna assemblages.

Patagonian salt marshes offer a range of possibilities for ecological studies at various scales. Their susceptibility to biological invasions, pollution, global warming and rising sea levels puts them constantly in the spotlight. But although many of its species are unknown to ecologists, there is still much to advance in their study, protection and use as a social good.

The misuse of taxonomy in biological and ecological studies is very frequent and, in the short or long terms, negatively affects the knowledge of Nature, its management and protection, as well as the quality of life of modern human societies. The GEAC promotes awareness in academic fields through articles and the creation of spaces for education and debate around this specific problem.

Fouling organisms form communities on piers, boats and aquaculture floating structures, used for the cultivation of species of commercial interest. Understanding the interactions between species and the environmental drivers that regulate the success of these communities is key, both for the control of invasive exotic organisms as for those that are not.

The integration of Ecology with History is not something new, as is the enormous impact that this integrative discipline is having today. Addressing the temporal variations of the environment we study and how it was perceived and recorded at different stages of our history is essential to understand our environment and make better decisions.

Intertidal environments are inhabited by various organisms, native or non-native, plants or animals, that create, modify and/or destroy habitats, and which are called ecosystems engineers. The use of non-living structures is one of the methodologies used in GEAC to study their ecological effects on the native communities and the landscape.

'Human dimensions' encompass a broad set of ideas and practices that intertwine socio-economic values, traditions and quality of life, with individual and social behavior, public participation in decision-making and the communication of ideas, among others. The impact of invasive species, therefore, is intrinsically linked to the human dimensions affected and our knowledge about their interactions.

The diversity of organisms that inhabit in a given ecosystem interact among each other in multiple ways, with predation being one of the most common and widespread. These interactions allow us to understand not only how biological communities are structured, but also how they function. At the GEAC, we address the study of marine food webs with the aim of understanding and predicting the effects of non-native species at an ecosystem scale.