Patterns, Processes, and Functions: insigths from tropical marine systems

Coastal ecosystems, including mangroves, salt marshes, and estuaries, are among the most dynamic and productive environments on Earth. They provide essential ecosystem services, from C storage and fisheries support to coastal protection, yet they are increasingly threatened. I will take the audience on a hypothesis-driven journey through these critical habitats, uncovering ecological patterns, processes, and functions. We will begin with mangroves and salt marshes, briefly exploring how salinity gradients influence mangrove distribution and C storage, and examining the potential of salt marshes to support mangrove restoration. From there, I will present insights from long-term benthic monitoring, demonstrating how mensurative and manipulative experiments on individual, population, and community levels can be scaled up to ecosystem function. I will also share the results of a work-in-progress evaluation on the effects of estuary salinisation on benthic biodiversity. Finally, I will present one example of the role of engaged science in achieving conservation outcomes.

Francisco Barros (UFBA)

Francisco Barros is a professor of marine ecology at UFBA, where he leads the Benthos Ecology Lab. His research focuses on estuarine and coastal ecosystems, particularly benthic communities, examining how they respond to natural and anthropogenic factors. With a background in Oceanography (FURG), Ecology (USP), and a PhD in Marine Ecology (University of Sydney), along with postdoctoral work in Brazil, Australia, U.S. and France, his publications address themes such as biodiversity, bioinvasions, estuaries, mangroves, coral reefs and human impacts on coastal zones. Much of his work bridges basic ecology and applied conservation, especially in Bahia’s coastal and marine environments.

In case of any questions, please contact CIIMAR’s Seminar team, Marta Monteiro, Miguel Semedo, & Paulo Oliveira, at seminars@ciimar.up.pt

External members of CIIMAR should send an email to slopes@ciimar.up.pt, requesting authorization to enter the Porto Cruise Terminal area

CIIMAR members can also access last seminars recordings through the LINK.