Luis Moliner Cachazo

Luis Moliner Cachazo

Profile
Profile Display Name:

Luis Moliner Cachazo

E-mail Address:

l.moliner@ucl.ac.uk

Start Year

2019 (Cohort 6)

Research interests:

Freshwater ecology, aquatic macroinvertebrates, chironomids, flood pulse, climate change, invasive species

Hobbies and interests:

Music: piano, djing

PhD Project
PhD Title

Evaluating ecological assembly rules for aquatic-terrestrial transition zones.

Research Theme

Past Life and Environments

Primary Supervisor
Primary Institution

KCL

Secondary Supervisor
Secondary Institution

UCL

Additional supervisor(s)

Ben Price (Natural History Museum of London),

Abstract

A major focus of community ecology is understanding the drivers of biodiversity including how and why so many species can coexist. In flood-pulse driven systems, communities switch from terrestrial to aquatic species based on a range of environmental filters that operate across multiple spatial and temporal scales. Quantifying the relative importance of different mechanisms, including dispersal, competition and predation, that occur in these heterogeneous habitats will provide insights about conditions that promote biodiversity across a wide range of ecosystems.
Using the World Heritage Ramsar-listed Okavango Delta as a model system, this project will follow the phenology of community development with a focus on reaches with temporary hydroperiods in Botswana.
When floodplains and pools are inundated by water from the main river three main sources of nutrients can be identified, and these evidence the connection between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems: soil, detritus (from decayed macrophytes and terrestrial plants) and mammal faeces, all of them contribute to the increase of primary production (phytoplankton), and subsequently originate bursts of zooplankton that foster fish populations and water birds.
A central focus of this project will be the collection of empirical datasets related to plant and animal biodiversity along an aquatic-terrestrial transition zone. The field collections will be used to explore community composition, trophic interactions and food web structure.

Policy Impact

Given changing climate conditions, ever-increasing tourism and use of water resources (with the threat of extraction upstream in Angola and Namibia), it is essential to understand the relative impact of environmental conditions on the structure and function of ecosystems. By quantifying the relative influence of the environment vis-à-vis dispersal and biotic interactions on biodiversity, this project will contribute an ecological evidence-base and ecological tools for river-basin managers to promote ecosystem-scale conservation in a changing world.

Background Reading
  • Seasonal and spatial hydrological variability drives aquatic biodiversity in a flood‐pulsed, sub‐tropical wetland
  • The Flood Pulse Concept in River-Floodplain Systems
  • Physical and Biological Processes Controlling the Okavango Delta – A Review of Recent Research
  • Collaborators

    Dr Michael Murray-Hudson (Okavango Research Institute, University of Botswana) website: https://www.ori.ub.bw

    Grants and awards
    • Department of Geography Small Grants Fund, Round 2 – King’s College London
    Publications

    Activities
    Conferences and Workshops
    • NHM Student Conference 2021 (June 2021). Poster: Unravelling the unknown: freshwater species in the Okavango Delta and Lake Ngami (Botswana).
    • DTP Conference 2021 (September 2021). Poster: Unravelling the unknown: freshwater species in the Okavango Delta and Lake Ngami (Botswana).
    • NHM Student Conference 2022 (June 2022). Talk: Characterising freshwater biodiversity in the Okavango Delta (Botswana) using taxonomical and molecular techniques.
    • DTP conference 2022 (September 2022). Talk: Characterising freshwater biodiversity in the Okavango Delta (Botswana) using taxonomical and molecular techniques.
    • .
    Engagement

    Social Links
    University Departmental Website:

    Personal Website:
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