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RESEARCH:
My mayor interests in research can be
summarized in: habitat suitability models of fish and invertebrates, response curves of
riparian biota, and the implementation of this knowledge in environmental flow
methodologies.
I
belong to the Eco-hydraulics committee
of the IAHR (www.iahr.org)
My research is focused on these lines:
1-
Response curves for fish and aquatic invertebrates. Studies of habitat-biota
relationships at microhabitat, mesohabitat and macrohabitat (distribution)
scale.
Recently we have started the SCARCE project, funded by the
Consolider-Ingenio program:
Assessing
and predicting effects on water quantity and quality in Iberian rivers
caused by global change (Consolider-Ingenio
2010 CSD2009-00065)www.idaea.csic.es/scarceconsolider
(2010 - 2015)
We have developed microhabitat
suitability functions for species of
cyprinids which are native to
the Iberian Peninsula. In recent works we have reviewed different models, for brown trout and cyprinids, and
generated multivariate habitat suitability models at the MICROHABITAT
SCALE, and also at the MESOHABITAT SCALE (see Mouton et al.,
2011)with data we collected in
the Júcar River basin (East
Spain).
We have finished a thesis about Mediterranean brown trout and
habitat, at the mesohabitat scale (after monitoring during
the period
2002-2006). Other publications related to habitat suitability models are in
preparation.
We have studied the weight of the factors causing
the degradation of fish populations, in order to recommend and prioritize
different actions for river restoration.
One of the last projects we finished
(2006-2008) was focused on the endemic and
endangered Júcar Nase, Chondrostoma arrigonis (loina). We sampled (every year) mesohabitat types and their characteristics, habitat
complexity and fish stocks (by snorkelling and electrofishing). Water
temperature was also monitored. We also studied the microhabitat use;
this information will be implemented in the studies for environmental flow
assessments in the Júcar River Basin. This project was funded by Spanish and
European administrations.
Factores de degradación de las poblaciones de loina (Chondrostoma
arrigonis) y el estado de su hábitat actual en la cuenca del río Júcar
(2006-2008).
  
My PhD thesis
(2000) was dedicated to develop microhabitat studies of native Iberian fish: Barbus bocagei, Chondrostoma
polylepis and Squalius pyrenaicus (former Leuciscus) in
the Tagus Basin.
2- Modelling
relations between Flow regime and Riparian vegetation.
We are working in 3
ways, in partnership with other groups: developing response curves for
riparian species (in terms of flow duration, recurrence intervals, etc.),
developing a model of vegetation distribution as a function of soil moisture
and evapotranspiration (RibAV), and calibrating a dynamic succession model
that considerates the flow disturbance and soil moisture effects on the
vegetation dynamics (RIPFLOW):
RIPFLOW web site
http://www.iiama.upv.es/RipFlow/home.html
3-
Application and adaptation of the physical habitat simulation
and
habitat analyses in Mediterranean rivers.
We have observed the influence
of considering microhabitat functions for bottom velocity when we estimate it
through several models of velocity profile (simulation for Barbus bocagei)-see downloads.
We are also working on
a software to estimating environmental flows at a large scale, and
a program
to perform spatial analysis with
ArcGIS based on 2-dim habitat simulation (cooperation
with TECNOMA, S.A.).
We are incorporating some of these methods in the
environmental flow assessments in the Júcar River Basin and also in
Catalonian rivers-see curriculum vitae.
Some ideas and results about our
research can be seen in the files included in DOWNLOADS. Some pictures can be seen below.
CURRENT
RESEARCH
OUR LAST
PROJECTS ARE LISTED IN CURRICULUM VITAE
 The team of
the RIPFLOW Project, during a meeting in Valencia |
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Studying microhabitat preferences of cyprinids in the
Guadiela River (Central Spain)
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Study site for microhabitat preferences of cyprinids (Jarama River, Central Spain)
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Surveying habitat conditions in Red Cedar Creek (OR, USA)
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Study site in the Green River (UT, USA)
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