“The joy of discovery is certainly the liveliest that the mind of man can ever feel”
- Claude Bernard -
Dr. Francisco Ramírez
My research focuses on global change ecology and marine biodiversity conservation, with a special emphasis on (i) investigating the long-term trends in key environmental and biological variables in the world’s oceans; (ii) identifying those marine areas most at risk due to climate and human-driven environmental changes; (iii) evaluating wildlife responses to environmental changes in highly-impacted marine systems; and (iv) designing suitable management alternatives to enhance ecosystems’ resilience to climate change and to ensure a sustainable balance between marine biodiversity conservation and human use of ecosystem services (Fig. 1).
Figure 1. Schematic summary of my research line aimed at contributing to operational risk assessments and conservation planning of the marine environment (A). Specifically, I investigate environmental trends (B), identify highly impacted marine areas (C), and evaluate species responses to environmental variability (D). By combining this information, I aim to develop novel approaches for ecosystem-based management, the management of essential supporting services and the conservation of threatened and iconic species (A).
To accomplish these goals, I have worked at different levels of ecological complexity (from individuals to communities and ecosystems), with different study models (fish, seabirds, waterbirds, cetaceans or fish species), and in various biogeographical areas (tropical, template and polar regions, Fig. 2). I have also consolidated an inter and transdisciplinary framework that includes stable isotope approaches, conventional-diet studies, biologging, remote sensing, GIS-procedures, species distribution modelling and systematic conservation approaches (among others). My research framework is also flexible and adaptable as it can be continuously updated and enhanced by incorporating additional environmental and biological information whenever these become available. Thus, it can accommodate the dynamic situation of evolving impacts on the marine ecosystem and allows a continuous reassessment of the state of the risk both in the areas and in the species linked to marine habitats.
With 10 postdoctoral contracts, including highly competitive calls such as “Juan de la Cierva-Incorporación” (IJCI2015‐24531) and “Ramón y Cajal” (RYC2020-030078-I), I have been able to integrate and develop my scientific expertise within the objectives of the different research groups with which I have been involved in highly innovative research institutions: University of Barcelona, Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC) or Instituto de Ciencias del Mar (CSIC). Because of my interaction with both national and international researchers, I have gained flexibility in the use of different approaches and techniques to address my own scientific goals. With the participation in a number of national and international (FP7, H2020 and Horizon) research projects, I have established myself as a mature researcher in a consolidated research line within the iMARES research group.
Figure 2. Main study areas and collaborative research network. Background represents the spatial distribution of the long-term trend in sea surface temperature, with red colours denoting highly impacted areas from ocean warming (see Ramírez et al. 2017)