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Transnational R&D

EMPHATIC

E-DNA, Microbiomes, Photogrammetry and Hormones - Assessment Techniques in Cetaceans

Principal Investigator
Team Leader

PhD in Marine Sciences, researcher of CIIMAR, invited assistant professor at University of Porto and member of the coordination committee of Portuguese Polar Program. Her major research is on understanding how microbial derived nitrogen machineries interact and to identify the mechanisms regulating their operation. She focus her research on the impact of pollutants in marine N-biogeochemical pathways and in identifying the environmental constraints and controls on microbial Nitrogen pathways distribution including in extreme environments (Arctic/Antarctica). In the context of her research the methodologies she use are mainly biogeochemical measurements, microbiome sample processing and genomic and metagenomic work flow analysis.

RESEARCH TEAMS:

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The project EMPHATIC will address challenges in cetacean monitoring, related to distribution range and health; and respond to policy needs by developing relevant indicators of cetacean population status. EMPHATIC combines several emerging research topics, applying non-invasive techniques applicable to live animals: environmental DNA (eDNA) to assess distribution; study of the respiratory tract microbiomes; images collected with drones for photogrammetry to evaluate body condition; and hormone content to derive stress levels.

Specifically, EMPHATIC aims to:
1. Generate and implement monitoring tools and analytical methodologies, addressing cetacean distribution and health.
2. Deliver solutions to relevant policy actors, and regional stakeholders, including the monitoring toolbox for environmental assessments at the national and European levels.
3. Engage citizens by training them for sample collection, thus increasing spatio-temporal coverage of available data.
4. Enhance methodologies and develop indicators to report cetacean distribution and health and support policy-makers.
5. Utilise and make available biodiversity data in appropriate repositories for integrated data assessments.

Leader Institution
CIIMAR-UP
Program
Biodiversa+ Partnership
Funding
Other projects