Postdoctoral researcher in ecology

About me

I am currently a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Fish Bioacoustics Lab. I am working within the CoastNet project to monitor the aquatic soundscapes across the estuaries in Portugal.

My research focuses orginally on the conservation of aquatic ecosystems, specifically addressing human-induced threats: anthropogenic noise pollution and biological invasions. Building on my background at the ENES bioacoustic research lab, a leading center in bioacoustics rooted in ethology and ecological monitoring, I combine field-based methods with controlled laboratory experiments to investigate the impacts of noise on invertebrates and fish.

Field of study

My research work combines aspects from acoustic, ecology, ethology and ecotoxicology.

My research

PhD Project: monitoring and impact of noise pollution on aquatic life

Anthropogenic (man-made) noise is one of the most pervasive symptoms of human activities. It is expected to increase worldwide and ecological impact remains unclear, especially in freshwaters. The POLLUSON project utilizes passive acoustic monitoring to measure nautical activity and investigate the timing and characteristics of noise pollution in the largest natural lake in France. We use an organism-targeted approach to study behavioral responses and test whether these responses affect the community and disrupt ecosystem processes. Our focus is mainly on invasive species, which are a threat to freshwater ecosystems and strongly associated with noise pollution. We worked on different models of invasive aquatic invertebrates present in Alpine lakes, such as the quagga mussel (Dreissena bugensis rostriformis), the killer shrimp (Dikerogammarus villosus) or the invasive freshwater snail (Physella acuta). I have also worked on different fish models thanks to collaborations.

Acoustic trapping to remove invasive fish:

Based on the work of Isabella-Valenzi & Higgs 2016, we experimented and evaluated the potential of an acoustic trap to capture the round goby (Neogobius melanostomus). This capture method uses conspecific acoustic signals as a lure to attract a specific fish species. We modified the initial device to gain autonomy and compared with other trapping methods on European fish community.

COLLABORATIONS

Fish as emerging models in ageing medicine:

Fish are increasingly being used as biological models for regulatory studies. Killifish in particular are widely used in ageing medicine due to their remarkably short life cycle (~6 months for the shortest-lived species). Together with Jean Philippe Pradère, we are searching for new fish models to define non-invasive proxies for assessing hearing loss and sound production in order to study neurodegenerative diseases and ageing.

Impact of aquarium visitors on fish behaviour:

Despite this knowledge, to date only two studies have examined the effects of visitors on the behaviour of chondrichthyans in captivity (Boyle et al., 2020; Truax et al., 2023). However, these studies do not concern osteichthyans, which are nevertheless the most common species found in aquariums: as a result, the effects of visitors on their behaviour remain unknown. Such an approach therefore seems useful for assessing the potential impact of visitors on the behaviour of osteichthyans in public aquariums. It would also provide a better understanding of the mechanisms of adaptation to stress in captivity and, ultimately, enable measures to be considered to improve the welfare of fish in captivity.

Problem solving in fishes:

Complex problem solving, particularly the use of tools by fish, is still poorly understood from a cognitive point of view. In particular, their ability to organise tasks is not yet fully appreciated. I develeopped an automated skinner box with a manual interface for conditioning different organisms to repeated stains in order to decipher capacities of fishes and their limits.